Facebook's Efforts to Help Connect People With Disabilities
The social media company is using A.I. to make content on its site more accessible and connect people with disabilities to helpful communities.
"We are working on making it possible for essentially anybody to connect with anybody," says Matt King, an engineer at Facebook who lost his sight in college. He is also a three-time Paralympian and a record-breaking tandem cyclist.
Facebook's accessibility efforts are part of a wider commitment from tech companies, including Microsoft and Apple, to make their products easier to use.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/facebooks-accessibility-efforts).
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have introduced a new bill to afford greater protection to minors on social media. The genesis of the Kids Online Safety Act came from a Facebook whistleblower case exposing the harm apps can have on the mental health of young girls.
Ride share competitors Uber and Lyft both posted their fourth quarter earnings days apart from each other. Both companies have been trying to get back on their feet after taking some pandemic-related hits, but the Omicron variant had other ideas as the year came to a close, with each company taking a hit in ridership in December. Lance Ippolito, head trader at The Future of Wealth explains how Uber and Lyft measured up this earnings period and why Uber may still have an edge over the competition.
Parallel Systems has been selected to receive $4.5 million from the Department of Energy for an advanced testing program of its autonomous, battery-electric rail vehicles. The startup, which has raised more than $53 million to date, was founded by former SpaceX engineers to reimagine the rail system by creating a more efficient, decarbonized freight network. Matt Soule, Co-founder & CEO of Parallel Systems, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss what the company hopes to achieve.
