Your Weekend Tech Digest: Uber pledges $1.2M to Girls Who Code, Amazon to close $13.7B acquisition of Whole Foods

By Tian DuBelko

We round up the trending stories every week so you can catch up on the top tech news. This week, Uber pledged to give $1.2M over the next three years to close the gender gap in tech, Apple’s new high-end iPhone will reportedly sell for $999, SpaceX completed its 12th successful rocket launch in 2017, and Amazon announced it plans to finish acquiring Whole Foods over the weekend. Get your weekly recap here, then head over to our blog for more stories.

Uber to team up with Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code, a nonprofit aimed at teaching girls how to code, will partner with Uber over the next three years to expand its free after-school computer science programs. The ride-hailing company will grant $1.2 million over that period. And Girls Who Code projects that it will reach an additional 60,000 girls over the next three years. Bozoma Saint John, Uber’s chief branding officer, will also be joining Girls Who Code’s board of directors.

SpaceX completes successful satellite launch and booster landing

It’s just another day in the office for SpaceX, which completed its 12th successful launch in 2017 and launched Taiwan’s Formosat-5 Earth observation satellite into orbit in the process. This also marked the Falcon 9 rocket’s 40th launch and SpaceX’s 15th successful booster landing as it moves closer towards its quest for rocket reusability. The next Falcon 9 launch is scheduled for Sept. 7 and will send the Air Force’s X-37B space plane into orbit.

Apple’s new iPhone to cost a cool $999

If reports are true, Apple’s nearly bezel-free iPhone could cost you a cool grand when it drops next month. The high-end iPhone will reportedly come with a brand new design and a nearly-full display, along with wireless charging, facial recognition, and apparently a virtual home button. Apple is expected to introduce this new phone alongside two other iPhones next month.

Amazon to finalize Whole Foods acquisition over this weekend

Amazon is expected to finish its $13.7 billion acquition of Whole Foods by Monday, Aug. 28. And starting Monday, Amazon says it will lower prices of items such as brown eggs, organic bananas, ground beef, salmon, and more. The Whole Foods’ headquarters will remain in Austin and John Mackey will remain CEO. The grocer will also continue to operate under its current brand.

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