Judge rules Uber drivers can sue Uber as a class-action case
Uber drivers can sue Uber as a class according to a District Judge in San Francisco. That means the jury trial over whether Uber's arrangement with drivers violates California labor laws will be done against all of the drivers with pending suits, not just one in particular. The question of whether drivers are employees who should be reimbursed for expenses and tips could have huge implications for the ride-hailing platform. Read more from the Verge here.
1776 closes $12.5 million Seed Fund
Washington, D.C.-based tech startup incubator 1776 has raised $12.5 million to close its Seed Fund. The money will be used for seed investments in newer startups. It's the incubator's first fund, but probably not its last judging from the paperwork it filed over a year ago for a $25 million fund. The money is already being used for ApprenNet with more announcements to come this week. Read more on 1776's blog here.
Reinventing tech startup PR in DC
Tech startups may not always know how to get the word out about how they are revolutionizing an industry. Former startup founder Sara Morgan saw that gap firsthand in the 500 Startups accelerator program, and founded Eleven Eleven PR in DC with the goal of helping startups overcome those problems. We talked to Morgan and her associate Avery Walker to find out how they adapt for the different world of tech startup PR. Check out our full story here.
U.S. plans Chinese hacking retaliation
Recent hacks of U.S. government servers have been linked to groups working for the Chinese government. Now, the U.S. is coming up with plans for sanctions against China over those incidents. With a major conference coming up between President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the question is will they interfere with the plans for those talks? Read more from The Washington Post here.
Silicon Valley gets into presidential election politics
Silicon Valley is starting to get involved in the 2016 presidential election, but who's the favorite candidate of the tech billionaires? Well, that depends how you measure it, and the most money doesn't always mean the most support. Find out who's really the Silicon Valley candidate in our take here.
250,000 iOS devices have been hacked
People who jailbreak their iPhones and iPads have a new piece of malware to watch out for. The dangerous software allows hackers to take over iOS devices so completely that there is no recourse at all for owners trying to get into their phones. More than 250,000 people have had their devices held hostage by hackers who are demanding payment before they'll let people use their devices again. Read more from TechCrunch here.
