Xi raises risks for silicon valley

In Silicon Valley, devices are an essential part of daily life. But many of the tech titans creating these products choose to power down when they leave the office, following industry giants like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs who restricted their own kids' access to technology at home. "Truth About Tech" campaign takes on tech addiction Pierre Laurent, who has worked for companies including Microsoft and Intel, said he and his family typically leave their phones at a table to charge when at home. He says the tech industry designs products to hook users, reports CBS News' Jamie Yuccas.  "I don't think the parents are aware of that. They don't see the consequences because nobody's told them, you know, there's no warning on the product," Laurent said. Pierre and his wife Monica became concerned that their three children would miss out on real-life experiences while on their devices so they decided to limit their screen time. Researchers are still learning more about how … [Read more...] about Why many Silicon Valley parents are raising their kids tech-free

Cyber meddling in US elections 'a very real danger,' Feinstein tells Silicon Valley Apr 06, 2018 U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, spoke to a group of Silicon Valley executives in Sunnyvale on April 2, warning of continued risk of Russians and others tampering with elections in the United States. Taryn Luna The Sacramento Bee … [Read more...] about Cyber meddling in US elections ‘a very real danger,’ Feinstein tells Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley introduced viewers to Stuart Burke, a man who has accumulated a pretty nice chunk of change engaging in what could best be described as a shakedown of music writers and song publishers through his acquisition of copyrights. The way Burke describes it, purchasing the copyright of a popular Spanish-language song gave him the leverage he needed to threaten a lawsuit against the songwriter of a 1983 hit used extensively by advertisers in 2017. His strategy was simple: threaten a lawsuit for infringing on his copyright. The songwriter would rather settle with Burke than risk paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and still possibly lose the placements even if the claim never succeeded in court.This automatically caught my ear—little known fact—I play music. It’s a great stress reliever, and it’s a fun side gig. Plus, I get royalties every quarter. So, this got me thinking: “If people are buying my music, could there really be … [Read more...] about Fans of HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley’ must be asking: Do patent trolls really exist?

Cutting edge Silicon Valley appears to be taking a page out of the 1960’s Haight-Ashbury playbook.According to a recent article by Rolling Stone magazine, some Silicon Valley professionals are using tiny amounts, or “microdoses,” of LSD or other psychedelic drugs to increase productivity and boost creativity and innovative thinking.  With the rise of the use of Adderall among university students to enhance productivity, and movies like “Limitless,” where a daily pill sharpens and enhances all brain activity, it is no wonder that people pushed to their limits would turn to “microdosing” as an option to obtain an advantage in a hyper-competitive work environment.  However, while “micro” might describe the dose, it does not describe the legal risk to employees or their employers.First and foremost, the Federal Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires some Federal contractors and all Federal grantees to agree that they will … [Read more...] about Microdosing: Silicon Valley’s Risky Race for Enhanced Workplace Creativity and Productivity

Last week we reported on the fact that Teamsters Local 853 and Loop Transportation had completed negotiations for a first collective bargaining agreement covering a unit of shuttle bus drivers who provide transport for employees of Facebook.  We pointed out that employers in technology, media and telecommunications were facing union organizing targeting employees of their vendors and suppliers for transportation, maintenance, food service and the like, that threatened to enmesh such employers as a consequence of unions gaining recognition of their vendors’ and suppliers’ employees. We also noted that with the NLRB’s expected broadening of its standards for finding joint-employer relationships to exist, that the risks were increasing that they would be held to be joint-employers of the suppliers’ personnel.Who Are the Employers Impacted and At Risk?Now, Silicon Beat, the “tech blog” of the San Jose Mercury News,  The Los Angeles Times, … [Read more...] about Teamsters and Technology II – Labor’s “Silicon Valley Rising” Campaign