Tyler Sonnemaker/Business Insider
Google fired four employees.
Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Tuesday.
- Google fired four employees for "clear and repeated violations" of its data security policies, apparently including one whose suspension inspired a protest at a Google office. This comes days after more than 200 Googlers demonstrated in solidarity with two colleagues who had been suspended over allegations of improperly accessing internal data.
- Uber lost its license to operate in London thanks to fraudulent drivers. Uber said it would appeal the decision, and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the decision was wrong.
- Two new investigations found that some Amazon warehouses have injury rates as high as triple the industry average. Amazon took issue with both investigations, and says that the number of injury reports don't accurately reflect the working conditions at its warehouses.
- Neil deGrasse Tyson called out Elon Musk on Twitter over the physics of the Tesla Cybertruck versus Ford F-150 video, which showed a Cybertruck towing an F-150 uphill. Tyson then challenged Musk to "fully load the F-150, giving highest traction to its rear wheels, then try to drag that up the hill," which Musk agreed to do "next week."
- A Ford executive also responded to the video, saying he wants an "apples to apples" showdown between the F-150 and Elon Musk's Cybertruck. Musk replied: "Bring it on."
- Facebook announced Monday the introduction of Viewpoints, a market research app that rewards users for participating with cash for taking part in surveys and research. Facebook says it will use the information to improve its own suite of products, which includes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
- SoftBank-backed robotic pizza startup Zume is losing four more executives, including its CMO and the head of a major business division, amid a big restructuring. The exodus is the latest in a steady stream of executive departures at Zume.
- Boston Dynamics' eerily lifelike robot dog "Spot" is now working with the police. The Massachusetts State Police borrowed a Spot robot from Boston Dynamics for several months in 2019, and it was used by police in two unnamed "incidents."
- Amazon Web Services announced on Monday that it had nabbed the Seattle Seahawks as a customer. This is a big score for Amazon because the Seahawks have deep ties to Microsoft, and are famously owned by the estate of Paul Allen, the late cofounder of Microsoft.
- YouTube is struggling to fulfill its promise to label state-sponsored videos, according to a new investigation. ProPublica identified 57 government-funded channels on the platform that were not initially labeled as state-sponsored.
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