Some of the world's leading automakers are all turning to the same company to help bring past the self-driving finish line. Aurora CEO and Co-Founder Chris Urmson joins Cheddar at CES to discuss his firm's newly-announced partnership with Volkswagen Group. He describes his company's goal as providing the "drivers," by way of software, for autonomous vehicles.
The partnership is focused on developing "mobility as a service" initiative in major cities. Urmson describes how Aurora will help Volkswagen Group's fleet of self-driving cars, known as Sedric, connect people in urban communities. He explains how the service initiative will help people with mobility issues of their own, as well as making transportation easier for commuters.
Urmson reveals how his company spent the past year working with Volkswagen Group to integrate its system into the automaker's fleet. He breaks down Aurora's high-pedigree founding team, including himself, a veteran of Google's self-driving initiative, and Sterling Anderson, one of the minds behind the launch of Tesla's Model X.
Instagram is now estimated at over $100 billion in value. Venmo rolls out an actual plastic debit card with Mastercard. The FDA approves its first marijuana-derived medication. The newest member of the Bush family is Sully the service dog. The yellow lab has been assigned to President George H.W. Bush, who is 94, and recovering from recent hospitalizations.
Amazon is partnering with American Express to launch a credit card designed for small businesses. But don't expect the financial industry to be the next area the tech giant jumps into, said Autonomous Research partner Lex Sokolin told Cheddar.
Though FAANG stocks hit an all-time high last week, their gains could be undermined by the Trump administration's trade stand-off with China that could soon widen into the technology sector, says Jason Ware, chief investment officer at Albion Financial Group.
Trade tensions are heating up again as reports emerge that President Trump is planning to block Chinese investments in U.S. tech companies. Plus, Harley-Davidson announced it will move some of its U.S. production to facilities in Europe in an effort to avoid retaliatory tariffs from the EU.
Celebrity chef Sheldon Simeon joins Cheddar to talk about the opening of his second restaurant in Hawaii this summer. Simeon, a native-born Hawaiian, also weighs in on the devastating volcanic eruptions across Hawaii and urges people to travel to the islands.
The ticketing company plans to add an extra charge for movies that it thinks will be popular. Associate features editor for PCMag.com Rob Marvin joins Cheddar to explain this surge pricing announcement and how MoviePass squares up against the competition.
The live streaming platform most commonly associated with video gaming is branching out into other genres, such as art, based on user feedback. "This interactivity that we have on Twitch actually works with other categories as well," says co-founder Kevin Lin.
The social media platform has been trying to establish itself as a prominent player in social video, but it isn't intimidated by Instagram's new video product IGTV. That's because Twitter is the platform users turn to for live world news, says that company's vice president and global head of content partnerships Kay Madati.
Tesla is making big cuts to its solar business. According to a Reuters report, the company will close 12 solar installation facilities across several states. Tesla bought SolarCity more than two years ago for $2.6 billion.
Chipotle is giving its menu a makeover. The company is experimenting with five new menu items at its test kitchen in New York, including quesadillas, nachos, and chocolate milkshakes. Chipotle plans to roll out these items nationwide in the coming months.
Paul Boyer, a.k.a. sOAZ, the former starting top laner for Team FNATIC, was sidelined with a hand injury during the Spring Split season of the esport League of Legends. But now he's back in action and ready for the Summer Split.
Cryptocurrency is drawing even more interest from retail investors on the Robinhood stock trading app than Snap did in its IPO. The digital coins' popularity is helping users move onto more institutional product offerings, says Robinhood's co-CEO Vlad Tenev.
