The Big Apple as a Tech Hub: BetaWorks to Open Collaboration Space for Techies
BetaWorks, a start-up platform responsible for internet companies such as Giphy, is introducing a brand new business. BetaWorks Studios, a membership club for builders, is offering entrepreneurs and creatives the space to work on their projects. John Borthwick, CEO of BetaWorks, and Daphne Kwon, BetaWorks Studios COO and President, joined us to break down the companies new venture.
John explained that entrepreneurs, as well as creatives and freelancers, will be able to collaborate in the new Studios tech hub. They aren't the only game in town, however. SoHo House, a competitor, operates down the block and offers an annual membership with access to 18 locations. Borthwick said their incubator will be better because of the deep expertise within the BetaWorks network, which has helped bring internet companies such as Giphy to life.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
