Startup unicorns, defined as those nascent companies with valuations greater than $1 billion, are increasingly undergoing IPOs and listing on national exchanges.1 Following the high-profile failures of the Snap2 and Blue Apron3 offerings, the next unicorns to turn public are being intensely scrutinized. At the end of 2017, digital music giant Spotify announced that it…
Tag: Technology
A Tasty Tax Exclusion for Silicon Valley Employees
In 1999, Google’s forty employees hosted a cook off to see who would be the future first chef of their company’s kitchen.1 After sampling 25 different cooks, the office ultimately named Charlie Ayers the winner of the competition after trying his eclectic and worldly selection.2 Google’s early employees and Ayers could hardly imagine the gourmet…
Google Under Investigation in Missouri – Will the Tech Giant be Fined, or Need to Change its Practices?
On Monday, November 13, the Attorney General of Missouri, Josh Hawley, opened an investigation into Google’s business practices, looking into the possibility that the tech giant violated the state’s consumer protection and antitrust laws.1 The AG said that “the state’s preliminary investigation had found that Google may be collecting more information from users than the…
Fintech Companies and Regulatory Problems
Historically, the financial services industry has been protected from significant market disruption based on new technological innovation.1 Incumbent companies in the industry have a number of economic moats to rely on: “ubiquitous distribution through branches”; “unique expertise such as credit underwriting”; and “the special status of being regulated institutions that supply credit . . ….
The Online Gambling Landscape
In 2006, Congress passed the Uniform Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (“UIGEA”), which “prohibits gambling businesses from knowingly accepting payments in connection with the participation of another person in a bet or wager that involves the use of the Internet and that is unlawful under any federal or state law;” failure to comply with the UIGEA…
Self-Driving Cars in China – The Need for Regulatory Development
On July 5, Yanhong Li, the CEO of Baidu, a company known as “China’s Google,” spoke to attendees of the Artificial Intelligence Development Conference in Beijing via live video from inside a self-driving car as it drove around the city.1. However, Li was later warned and investigated by the police for an alleged violation of…
The Art of the Deal? Taking a Closer Look at Wisconsin’s $3 Billion Deal with Foxconn
Last month, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker signed into law a bill approving up to $3 billion in subsidies and tax breaks for Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn, in return for the company’s promise to build a manufacturing facility in the state.1 Under the agreement, Foxconn would invest $10 billion to construct a facility over six years,…
Amazon’s Quest to Compete with Delivery Services
As delivery costs have continued to skyrocket, some companies such as Amazon, have been developing internal delivery options to compete with major delivery carries such as UPS and FedEx.1 In particular, “Amazon’s shipping costs have accelerated in recent years as sales on its site surge.”2 The primary cause of the increase in costs is “driven…
Surveying Untouched Legal Landscape: Does Audio Beacon Technology Violate Privacy Laws?
This blog is the second of a two-part series. In the first installment, I explained how retailers use beacon technology, and more recently, audio beacon technology, to expand communications with consumers while tailoring such communications to consumers’ surroundings.1 Despite the successes retailers have experienced as a result of the implementation of the technology, consumers have…
A bite out of someone’s Apple: What’s at stake with Apple v. Samsung
Last month, for the first time in over one-hundred years, a design patent was front-and-center in a Supreme Court case. The world’s two top smartphone manufacturers, Apple and Samsung, have been battling since 2011 over design patents that cover essential features of their ubiquitous smartphones.1 It started with late Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ vow to…