Technet: Daily Crunch - Lyft and Uber win legal victory

Thursday, August 20, 2020

The big story: Uber and Lyft win legal victory

Earlier today, Lyft announced that it would suspend operations in California tonight as a result of a preliminary injunction forcing Lyft and Uber to reclassify their drivers as employees.

Then, in a head-spinning change of fortune, an appeals court judge granted the companies a temporary stay. They now have until early September to outline their plans for how to manage the transition, with oral arguments in the court case coming in mid-October.

Meanwhile, Uber, Lyft and DoorDash are backing Proposition 22, a state ballot measure that they’re pitching as an alternative approach to classifying gig workers.

The big story: Uber and Lyft win legal victory image

Image Credits: Mat Hayward / Getty Images

Want to pitch in Startup Battlefield at Disrupt 2020?

The tech giants

Google brings emergency alert tools to Search and Maps as fires rage in Northern California — Google will display a red border that encircles a rough approximation of the active blaze.

Report: Apple quietly acquired Israel's Camerai, formerly Tipit, a specialist in AR and camera tech — The acquisition was reported by Calcalist.

Image Credits: JOSH EDELSON/AFP / Getty Images

Startups, funding and venture capital

Airbnb declares all parties over indefinitely at its listings — The company notes that "unauthorized parties" have always been against its rules, even though it previously allowed hosts on its platform to selectively approve small gatherings.

DoorDash expands with on-demand grocery delivery — In contrast to many other grocery services, the company promises to deliver within an hour of your order.

China's Waterdrop nabs $230M for its crowdfunded, mutual aid insurance platform — Waterdrop pays out when its members fall into medical dire straits.

Startups, funding and venture capital image

Image Credits: TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / Contributor / Getty Images

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch

Figma CEO Dylan Field discusses fundraising, hiring and marketing in stealth mode — The company behind the largely browser-based design tool has made a huge splash in the past few years, building a massive war chest with more than $130 million.

Zoom UX teardown: 5 fails and how to fix them — Zoom’s user experience is far from perfect.

Eric Hippeau discusses D2C growth, brand value and advice for early-stage founders — Lerer Hippeau’s portfolio companies include Axios, BuzzFeed, Casper, Warby Parker, Allbirds, DocSend, Fundera, Everlane, Giphy, Genius and the recently acquired fitness company Mirror.

(Reminder: Extra Crunch is our subscription membership program, which aims to democratize information about startups. You can sign up here.)

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch image

Image Credits: Figma

Everything else

Border wall crowdfunding scheme leads to Trump ally Steve Bannon's arrest — Bannon faces charges for conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The founders of Blavity and The Shade Room are coming to Disrupt 2020 — Morgan DeBaun and Angie Nwandu have been building a more diverse digital media landscape for years.