Jeff Bezos is now worth more than Bill Gates ever was. The Amazon CEO’s net worth hit $105.1 billion yesterday on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, following a year-long surge that has lifted the online shopping giant’s market value by nearly 57 percent. [Tom Metcalf / Bloomberg]
Recode Daily: Jeff Bezos is now worth more than Bill Gates ever was
Plus, the “Google manifesto” author is suing Google, GoPro is looking to sell itself, and innovations in toilet tech at CES.
AT&T has walked away from a deal to sell smartphones made by Chinese company Huawei. The agreement, which would have been Huawei’s first partnership with a major U.S. mobile carrier, was supposed to be announced today at CES. Meanwhile, both AT&T and Comcast had announced employee bonuses celebrating the Trump tax cuts; both are now laying off workers. [Stu Woo and Betsy Morris / The Wall Street Journal]
Action-camera maker GoPro has hired banker JPMorgan Chase to explore options for a sale. After its IPO in 2014, GoPro was valued at $3 billion, but declining revenue in its core camera business and other unprofitable efforts have left it open to attack. The company also announced that it will exit the drone business following the disappointing performance of its Karma line of drones. [Casey Newton / The Verge]
After Hurricane Harvey and the California wildfires, the FCC is aiming to upgrade the country’s wireless alert system. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s reform would require telecos like AT&T and Verizon to work alongside smartphone makers to ensure that wireless alerts are delivered only to narrowly tailored geographic regions that are in harm’s way.[Tony Romm / Recode]
Here’s a visual breakdown of who controls Uber after its megadeal with Japanese investor SoftBank. Benchmark and former CEO Travis Kalanick no longer control a quarter of the company. With the company’s board expanded to 17 people, power within Uber is now decentralized, with SoftBank holding two seats, former CEO Travis Kalanick holding three, and six independent board members tipping the balance on key decisions. [Rani Molla and Theodore Schleifer / Recode]
“Google manifesto” author James Damore filed a class action lawsuit against his former employer yesterday, alleging that Google discriminates against politically conservative white men. Some observers say the suit is designed to embarrass Google by exposing screenshots of internal discussion forums. [Tony Romm / Recode]
Top stories from Recode
The tech trade show turns 50 this year. It needs to start treating female executives and other women technologists with the respect they deserve.
With the power of AI and the rise of autonomous and connected vehicles, we’re capable of a complete disruption and redesign of the surface transportation system.
Toyota is developing an all-electric driverless shuttle that will be used specifically for commercial services in partnership with major players like Amazon, Didi, Pizza Hut — and Uber.
The new headset comes thanks to a partnership with Chinese tech giant Xiaomi.
This is cool
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
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