Techlife News #543

Uber, which was hit by driver shortages during the pandemic, will list New York City taxi cabs on its app, a partnership that until recently would have been unthinkable with both camps fighting ferociously for the same customers. The partnership will boost the number of rides available after a period in which wait times for Uber rides had grown longer, and it gives NYC cab drivers access to a massive pool of commuters who now have Uber and Lyft apps on their phones. There had been hints tensions between Uber and taxi services had begun to thaw as Uber expanded aggressively into the very lucrative food delivery business and needed a growing supply of delivery drivers. The agreement comes amid the back drop of cities moving to regulate the explosive growth of Uber…

“Buy now, pay later”is becoming common at large retailers like Target, Ikea and Macy’s. More and more small-business owners are allowing their customers the ability to pay in installments, too. In fact, 55% of local businesses use buy now, pay later online and 5% offer it as an in-store payment option, according to a February survey from payments news site PYMNTS.com. If you’re thinking about offering buy now, pay later at your small business, here’s what you need to know. HOW BUY NOW, PAY LATER WORKS Buy now, pay later involves three parties: the customer, the merchant and the buy now, pay later provider. When a customer makes a purchase, the provider pays the merchant in full, minus fees. Then the customer pays the provider back in installments. Buy now, pay later transactions cost merchants…

BuzzFeed is shrinking and shifting the focus of its Pulitzer prize-winning news division as the digital media company, best known for its lighthearted lists and quizzes, strives to increase its profitability. The New York-based company is offering voluntary buyouts in its high-profile, 100-person newsroom and some top editors are leaving. They include Mark Schoofs, the editor in chief of BuzzFeed News, and deputy editor in chief Tom Namako, who announced a move to NBC News Digital. Ariel Kaminer, the executive editor for investigations, is also leaving. BuzzFeed News is unprofitable but has won awards, including its first Pulitzer last year, and its staff has been regularly poached by traditional news organizations. BuzzFeed spokesman Matt Mittenthal said about 35 people were eligible for the buyouts, but the company doesn’t expect all of them…

After returning to metro San Francisco following a college football career, Anthony Giusti felt like his hometown was passing him by. The high cost of living, driven by a constantly transforming tech industry, ensured that even with two jobs he would never save enough money to buy a house. So he started looking elsewhere, settling on Houston just last year. “In Houston, I can be a blue-collar entrepreneur. With the Houston housing market, it made sense to come here,”said Giusti, who started a house-painting business. Giusti was one of tens of thousands of residents who vacated some of the nation’s biggest, most densely-populated and costly metropolitan areas in favor of Sunbelt destinations during the first full year of the pandemic, from mid-2020 to mid-2021, according to new data released Thursday by the U.S.…

The first podcast from Prince Harry and Meghan’s partnership with Spotify will focus on harmful labels and stereotypes applied to women. The “Archetypes” podcast will be hosted by Meghan and is expected to launch this summer. The series will feature interviews with historians and experts to “investigate the labels that try to hold women back,” according to a summary posted on Spotify. The streaming service on Thursday released a minute-long teaser that opened with clips of people using the words “slut” and “skanky” and talking about the stereotypes applied to women’s strength and intelligence. “I’m Meghan and this is ‘Archetypes,’ the podcast where we dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back,” the Duchess of Sussex says on the clip. No lineup of guests has been announced. Harry and Meghan have…

Thailand’s securities regulator announced Wednesday that it is barring the use of cryptocurrencies for payment of goods and services. The ruling effective April 1 does not ban investment in cryptocurrencies, which has become increasingly popular in the past year after being promoted by local exchanges. The Securities and Exchange Commission said it was taking action in order to protect the stability of the country’s financial and monetary systems from threats including money laundering and other cybercrimes. The regulation also specifically bans the promotion of cryptocurrencies for payment along with the distribution of software and devices for that purpose. It says as well that operators of digital asset businesses must warn their customers of the ban and can suspend their accounts if they violate the regulation. Businesses have until the end of April to comply with…