Silicon Valley

Netflix's Parental Leave Plan Is Groundbreaking — And Unlikely To Spread

11:58am August 08, 2015

by Steve Henn

Netflix decision to offer unlimited paid leave to new parents grew out of a culture that already offered unlimited vacation. It's part of a plan to attract the most talented employees possible.

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Google is doing test flights of its balloons carrying Internet routers around the world. Last June, a balloon was released at the airport in Teresina, Brazil.

Bringing Internet To The Far Corners Of The Earth

9:38pm June 17, 2015

by Aarti Shahani

About 5 billion people are mostly or entirely disconnected from the Internet. So to capitalize on this opportunity, Google and Facebook have begun high-profile campaigns to connect the unconnected.

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TechTown Detroit is located in an old General Motors factory built in 1927. About 40 small businesses work out of the building.

Economy

Detroit Hopes To Drive Tech Startups Away From Silicon Valley

7:04pm June 08, 2015

by Jason Margolis

It doesn't have a lot of high-tech companies, but the city is interested in attracting young tech entrepreneurs. Detroit's rents are far more affordable, but then there are the brutally cold winters.

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Yul Kwon, Facebook's deputy chief privacy officer, is one of the rare Asian-Americans in a leadership role in Silicon Valley.

National

Often Employees, Rarely CEOs: Challenges Asian-Americans Face In Tech

9:47am May 18, 2015

by NPR Staff

A new study shows that Asians and Asian-Americans are underrepresented at executive levels in five large tech companies. Four tech professionals weigh in with their experiences and perspectives.

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Work partners Jon Chintanaroad (left) and Mike Prestano are all smiles now, but founding a tech startup together threatened their friendship — and their business.

Couples Counseling Catches On With Tech Co-Founders

7:03pm April 23, 2015

by April Dembosky

Friction between close business partners is the reason many startups fail. But increasingly in Silicon Valley, co-founders of companies are turning to therapists before things go south.

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Lincoln, Neb., is home to several startups, which use the city's low cost of living and high quality of life to attract workers.

Silicon Prairie: Tech Startups Find A Welcoming Home In The Midwest

7:12pm April 01, 2015

by David Schaper

Some entrepreneurs are leaving the high-tech hot spots of San Francisco, New York and the Silicon Valley for greener pastures in a place that actually has greener pastures: Lincoln, Neb.

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Ellen Pao, a former partner at Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, says women were excluded from all-male meetings at the company and denied seats on boards. The firm says she was fired for poor performance.

National

Sex Discrimination Trial Puts Silicon Valley Under The Microscope

8:18pm March 17, 2015

by Audrey Dilling

Ellen Pao was vying to be one of the few women at the top of the venture capital world. Then she was fired. Now she's suing, in an industry where women often say they are sidelined and passed over.

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The new doughnut-shaped building will be a mile in circumference. "The office areas are laid out in little wedges all around the building," says Dan Whisenhunt, Apple's vice president of real estate and development.

National

Neighbors And Fans Are Curious About Apple's Massive New HQ

8:07pm March 09, 2015

by Amy Standen

The new Silicon Valley campus has been the subject of fevered speculation. A sneak preview finds a site full of green features, but neighbors may not be welcome to stroll the premises.

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T-Mobile CEO John Legere pitches a plan that allows unlimited music streaming without additional data charges. Some net neutrality proponents want the FCC to limit plans like these; the commission says it will review them on a case-by-case basis.

National

What Net Neutrality Rules Could Mean For Your Wireless Carrier

9:37am February 26, 2015

by Joel Rose

The FCC votes Thursday on rules that would make Internet providers treat all traffic equally. Big wireless companies say that will make it harder to keep their networks from getting too congested.

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Facebook may not create stories, but it's the largest distributor of news stories for many news organizations.

Silicon Valley's Power Over The Free Press: Why It Matters

5:26pm November 24, 2014

by Elise Hu

A big shift has occurred over the past few years: Tech companies now control how you get news and what news you get. Should journalism companies be building and deploying more technology?