Yes, Uber is worth $50 billion
Talk about Uber's valuation crossing $50 billion has been in the wind since May. On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reports it has happened. The ride-hailing service has closed a new round of nearly $1 billion at a valuation close to $51 billion, putting it on Facebook's record pre-IPO level. New backers include Microsoft and Indian media conglomerate Bennett Coleman & Co. So, how are you getting home this afternoon? -- Galen Moore
Great DC tech startups on Product Hunt
Product Hunt highlights a lot of cool new digital products, and has rapidly risen to huge prominence in the tech world. And plenty of D.C.-area startups have been in the mix, often gaining a significant boost in interest and customers as a result of being featured on it. We picked out some of our favorite local tech startups that have been featured on Product Hunt. Check out the whole list in our story here.
Robots are starting to umpire baseball games
Robotic baseball umpires are starting to get tested out by independent baseball leagues. The system uses a three-camera system to determine if a pitch has gone in the strike zone or not, with the footage available for review by human umpires just in case. It's not likely to replace MLB umpires any time soon, but it could be the future of the old ball game. Find out more in the story from Wired here.
Google doesn't want to forget you
Google isn't happy about the "right to be forgotten" effort that France is pushing the search giant to apply globally. Google claimed in a formal complaint to French regulators that removing search results about people upon their request would set a bad precedent and lead to censorship on the Internet. Google has evaluated more than 1 million requests for removal, carrying out more than 370,000 search result removals so far. Read more in Google's blog post about its complaint here.
Uber is piloting a car-leasing program in Maryland
Maryland will join California and Georgia in trying out Uber's newly revised car-leasing program. The Xchange Leasing program will let drivers lease a used car with just a $250 deposit. Monthly payments will apparently be much higher than the usual rates, but with the benefits of unlimited miles on the car and a straightforward $250 fee for breaking the three-year lease early. Uber hopes to get even more driver partner on the roads with this program, enticing even those who don't have their own car to join in. Read more from ReCode here.
