Your Weekend Tech Digest: Snap drops to its IPO price, Uber CEO announces leave of absence

By Tian DuBelko

We round up the trending stories every week so you can catch up on the top tech news. This week, Snap stock dropped to its IPO price, Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick announced an indefinite leave of absence, Airbnb established its new Seattle office, and Facebook promised to use AI to fight terrorism. Get your weekly recap here, then head over to our blog for more stories.

Snap stock continues to crash, taps its IPO price

Bad news for Snap this week as it fell (briefly) to $17 per share, just above the company’s IPO price. This is a continuation of the company’s steady decline over the past several weeks. With Snap just hovering above its IPO price, it remains to be seen if it will bounce back after a poor earnings report. Other popular social networks such as Facebook are hot on Snap’s tail, and right now the future of Snap isn’t so clear.

Under-fire Uber CEO takes undetermined leave of absence

Embattled Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced to employees this week that he would be taking an undetermined leave of absence from the company. His decision comes as Uber has been under public scrutiny for allegations of misconduct and sexual harassment. The announcement also comes in the wake of Kalanick’s mother dying in a boating accident and his father being severely injured. It’ll be interesting to see how Uber rebuild its public image while dealing with new leadership.

Airbnb expands to Seattle with a new 300-person office

Popular hospitality rental company Airbnb is opening a new major office in Seattle. Located in downtown Seattle, Airbnb’s new office will total 40,000 square feet and have enough room for 300 people. This move is another example of a well-recognized tech brand putting down roots in the Greater Seattle Area, something that is becoming increasingly popular with tech companies.

Facebook plans to use Artificial Intelligence to fight terrorism

Facebook plans to use artificial intelligence software in its efforts to combat extremist content, which includes pornography and terrorist activities. The social network has been criticized in the past for not doing enough to deter the spread of extremist content. New methods, however, such as image matching software, will allow Facebook to be better at combating terrorism. Since people can use Facebook for nearly anything, some form of oversight can be beneficial for protecting the users.

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