Chip maker AMD announced its new AMD Radeon Pro 5000 series Graphic Processing Units (GPU) will be available in the newly updated 27-inch iMac from Apple. The new GPUs power a wide variety of graphically intensive applications and workloads, unleashing creativity and productivity for consumer and professional users alike. The new AMD Radeon Pro 5000 […]
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Doordash Launches Online Convenience Store
Delivery service Doordash is launching DashMart in eight cities across the U.S. — including Redwood City serving Silicon Valley. Dashmart is an online convenience store where customers can order household essentials and local restaurant favorites delivered right to their doorsteps within 30 minutes using Doordash’s vast network of drivers. Dashmart will offer thousands of convenience, […]
Apple Updates iMac Lineup
CUPERTINO — Apple announced a major update to its 27-inch iMac desktop computer. The new 27-inch iMac features faster Intel processors up to 10 cores, double the memory capacity, next-generation AMD graphics, superfast SSDs across the line with four times the storage capacity, a new nano-texture glass option for an even more stunning Retina 5K […]
Google to Invest $450 Million in ADT
MOUNTAIN VIEW and BOCA RATON, FL — Google is teaming up with ADT, one of the nation’s leading providers of security and smart home solutions. Google plans to invest $450 million to acquire 6.6% ownership in ADT, The partnership will combine Google’s Nest security hardware and services, powered by Google’s machine learning technology, with ADT’s […]
Clorox Names New CEO
OAKLAND — The Clorox Company, maker of cleaning products, has promoted its President to become the new CEO, effective Sept. 14, 2020. Linda Rendle, a 17-year veteran of the company, will be promoted to chief executive officer and elected to the company’s board of directors. Benno Dorer will continue serving as the board’s executive chair. Dorer, 56, […]
Velodyne Lidar Partners With Blue City Technology
SAN JOSE — Velodyne Lidar, Inc. has announced a multi-year sales agreement with Blue City Technology, developer of a Smart City system for traffic monitoring. The Blue City Technology solution, equipped with Velodyne’s lidar sensors, helps improve road safety and mobility by providing real-time multi-modal traffic data and analytics to traffic lights. Blue City Technology uses Velodyne […]
Uber Snaps Up Postmates in $2.65 Billion Deal
SAN FRANCISCO — Uber Technologies will acquire delivery service Postmates for approximately $2.65 billion in an all-stock transaction. Both companies are based in SF. The deal brings together Uber’s global Rides and Eats platform with Postmates’ delivery business in the U.S. Postmates is the fourth-largest delivery service in the nation and highly complementary to Uber […]
British Law Firm Freshfields Opens Silicon Valley Office
MENLO PARK — British law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has opened a new office in Silicon Valley with seven founding partners. Corporate lawyers Sarah Solum, John Fisher and Maj Vaseghi, together with litigators Boris Feldman and Doru Gavril, will join as new partners. They will launch the office with U.S. capital markets partner Pamela Marcogliese […]
Amazon Buys Zoox for $1.2 Billion
Internet giant Amazon is buying Zoox, a Foster City-based developer of self-driving car technology for a reported $1.2 billion according to The Wall Street Journal. This amount is far lower than Zoox’s previous valuation as high as $3.2 billion. Zoox was founded in 2014 with the goal of creating zero-emissions vehicles designed for autonomous ride-hailing, […]
United to Restart Shanghai Service From SF
United Airlines announced it will resume service to China with twice-weekly flights between San Francisco and Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport via Seoul’s Incheon International Airport beginning July 8. United will operate service with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from San Francisco to Shanghai on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Customers traveling from Shanghai will return to San Francisco on Thursdays and Sundays. “United’s service to mainland China has been a point of pride for our employees and customers for […]
Suburbs See Jump in Housing Demand
SANTA CLARA — Consumers are showing an increasing preference for housing in suburban and rural areas as they return to the market after the pandemic according to data from realtor.com. In May, online listing views on the real estate site in suburban ZIP codes grew by 13 percent, nearly doubling the pace of growth of […]
Chipotle to Take Orders on Facebook
NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Chipotle, which offers fast-casual Mexican food at over 2,600 locations, is introducing a series of enhancements to its mobile ordering capabilities including Pepper, its Concierge Bot on Facebook Messenger. Beginning June 22, customers can order food from Chipotle on Messenger by visiting FACEBOOK.COM/CHIPOTLE or the Chipotle page on the Facebook app and […]
Impossible Foods Opens E-Commerce Store
REDWOOD CITY — Impossible Foods, maker of plant-based foods, is launching an all-new e-commerce site, allowing people in the lower 48 states to buy the award-winning Impossible Burger and cook it at home. The startup’s direct-to-consumer channel offers family-size quantities of the plant-based Impossible Burger starting at $49.99 (plus tax). The orders come with compostable […]
CVS to Test Self-Driving Nuro Deliveries
CVS, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, is teaming up with Nuro to test its fleet of autonomous vehicles to deliver prescriptions and essentials across three zip codes in Houston, TX. The chain has been at the forefront of delivery innovation; it was the first company to make prescription home-delivery a nationwide option in […]
Facebook Launches Shops to Help Small Businesses
Facebook has launched a new feature to help businesses sell products online free of charge. Facebook Shops make it easy for businesses to set up a single online store for customers to access on both Facebook and Instagram. Creating a Facebook Shop is free and simple. Businesses can choose the products they want to feature […]
Zoom Opening 2 New R&D Centers
SAN JOSE — Zoom Video Communications, which has seen its popularity soar during the pandemic, says it will hire hundreds of engineers and open two new research and development centers – one in the greater Phoenix, AZ area and one in Pittsburgh, PA. Zoom will immediately begin recruiting software engineering talent in these locations. Employees […]
Instacart to Deliver for Rite Aid
Rite Aid, a pharmacy chain with 2,400 locations in 18 states, has formed a new partnership with Instacart, which will allow customers to conveniently order and receive essential healthcare and grocery items delivered directly to their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Prescriptions are not included in the service. “At Rite Aid, we are […]
Apple Funds $10 Million to Covid Test Maker
CUPERTINO — Apple announced it is awarding $10 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to COPAN Diagnostics, a Murrieta-CA maker of sample collection kits that play a critical role in COVID-19 testing. This funding will allow COPAN Diagnostics to rapidly accelerate their supply of sample collection kits for hospitals across the United States, expanding production […]
Impossible Foods Burgers Debuts in Kroger Stores
REDWOOD CITY — Impossible Foods is rolling out its flagship Impossible Burger at more than 1,700 grocery stores nationwide owned by The Kroger Co., America’s largest grocery retailer. In addition to grocery shelves at Kroger-affiliated brick-and-mortar stores, Impossible Burger is also available for online ordering through Kroger.com for Kroger Curbside Pickup and Delivery. The rollout […]
Airbnb Cutting 25% of Workforce
Airbnb, which was one of the hottest companies in the area, is making major job cuts and laying off 25% of its workforce. CEO Brian Chesky announced in a memo that out of 7,500 Airbnb employees, nearly 1,900 are being let go due to a steep decline in bookings because of the pandemic. Airbnb operates […]
New Home Listings Down 44.1%
SANTA CLARA — Newly listed homes dropped 44.1% nationally in April — historically one of the busiest months for residential real estate — an indication sellers decided to wait and see how market conditions play out over the coming months, according to realtor.com’s April Monthly Housing Trends Report. The report offers the first full month […]
FDA Approves Remdesivir for Emergency Treatment
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for the investigational antiviral drug remdesivir — made by Gilead Sciences — for the treatment of suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalized with severe disease. While there is limited information known about the safety and effectiveness of using remdesivir to […]
OpenTable to Cut Prices for Restaurants Reopening
SAN FRANCISCO — As restaurants around the country look to reopen, the needs of each will change as government restrictions and safety recommendations evolve. Restaurants that have never taken reservations may find themselves looking for ways to adjust floor plans to allow more space between tables and manage capacity. To help restaurants reopen and adhere […]
NIH Trial Boosts Gilead Drug to Fight Covid-19
Hospitalized patients with advanced COVID-19 and lung involvement who received remdesivir — made by Gilead Sciences — recovered faster than similar patients who received placebo, according to a preliminary data analysis from a randomized, controlled trial involving 1063 patients, which began on February 21. The trial (known as the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial, or ACTT), […]