The daily business briefing: August 19, 2016
Uber prepares to test self-driving cars, Twitter unveils measures to prevent abuse, and more


1. Uber prepares to test self-driving cars
Uber said Thursday that it would start testing self-driving cars in Pittsburgh within weeks. Users will be able to hail rides in modified Volvo sport utility vehicles. Uber also announced that it had bought Otto, a startup launched by two former Google engineers that is developing technology for self-driving transport trucks. The news came as a federal judge in San Francisco rejected a $100 million proposed settlement between Uber and drivers. The case centers on whether Uber can continue treating drivers as contractors rather than employees.
2. Twitter cracks down on abuse
Twitter on Thursday announced new measures to prevent people from abusing its micro-blogging site. The company said it had suspended 235,000 accounts in the last six months for promoting terrorism, saying it is "committed to eliminating the promotion of violence or terrorism on our platform." Twitter also said it was beefing up its review teams to speed up the process of looking into reported violations, and making it harder for banned users to get back onto Twitter. It also is introducing new quality filters to help users avoid abuse.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. Olympic TV ratings drop for first time since 2000
Prime-time broadcast viewership has fallen by about 17 percent for the Rio Olympics, compared to the 2012 London Games. The decline marked the first Olympic ratings slip since 2000. One reason for NBC's troubles — despite gripping gold-medal performances by U.S. athletes such as gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Michael Phelps — has been a 25 percent drop in viewership by the 18-to-49-year-old age group coveted by advertisers. NBC paid $12 billion for exclusive U.S. Olympic broadcast rights through 2032, and plans to make the investment pay off by continuing to offer young viewers more opportunities to watch on their own terms, using streaming video.
4. Viacom CEO to leave as part of settlement
Viacom's board of directors reportedly voted Thursday to oust Philippe Dauman as CEO, marking a victory in an attempt by billionaire media mogul Sumner Redstone and his daughter, Keryn Redstone, to reassert their control over the company. The long battle between Dauman and the Redstones has been a damaging distraction. Dauman, one of the nation's best-paid CEOs, reportedly will get a $72 million severance deal. Redstone reportedly was not happy with Dauman's performance, including his plan to sell Viacom's minority stake in Paramount Pictures.
5. Univision to shut down Gawker website next week
Spanish-language TV network Univision is shutting down Gawker.com, one of seven websites it acquired after winning an auction for Gawker Media. A bankruptcy judge still has to approve Univision's $135 million bid before the sale is finalized. Gawker's demise, expected next week after a 14-year run, comes after the news site outed billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel as gay, and Thiel secretly bankrolled wrestler Hulk Hogan's invasion of privacy lawsuit over a sex tape. The lawsuit resulted in a $140 million judgment that bankrupted the company.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 30, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - strawberry fields forever, secret files, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously sparse cartoons about further DOGE cuts
Cartoons Artists take on free audits, report cards, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published