palantir Peter Thiel's Palantir gets $500 million from Japan, just before expected IPO Xeni Jardin

washington Facebook helps launch American Edge, lobbying group in DC to fight antitrust regulators Xeni Jardin

Theranos wannabes Is Magic Leap the Theranos of augmented reality? Mark Frauenfelder

contact tracing Apple and Google are working on coronavirus contact-tracing technology for iOS and Android Xeni Jardin

garbage language What is "garbage language" and why is it so hard to avoid using? Thom Dunn

computer history A guide to Silicon Valley's High-Tech Heritage Trail David Pescovitz

silicon valley Interview with author of Super Pumped, an expose of Uber's chaotic inner circle Mark Frauenfelder

occupational diversity To chase out low-waged workers, Mountain View is banning overnight RV and van parking Cory Doctorow

silicon valley Theranos but for poop Rob Beschizza

entrepreneurs Elon Musk but with Elizabeth Holmes' eyes Rob Beschizza

silicon valley The best quote from Aminatou Sow's interview in The Cut is about Elizabeth Holmes's "fake blood machine" Mark Frauenfelder

collect them all Collect them all: Venture capitalist trading cards Rusty Blazenhoff

ubi Douglas Rushkoff's sobering view of Universal Basic Income Rusty Blazenhoff

asset bubbles UC Santa Cruz asks professors to rent their spare rooms to students who couldn't get housing guarantees Cory Doctorow

liberaltarianism Liberaltarianism: Silicon Valley's emerging ideology of "disruption with economic airbags" Cory Doctorow

housing crisis Very small Silicon Valley bungalow going for $2.6 million Andrea James

Irina Blok Greeting cards Silicon Valley geeks will surely appreciate Rusty Blazenhoff

expensive Modest Silicon Valley home breaks record for highest price paid per square foot Rusty Blazenhoff

bump and grind and nudge Bosses seed Silicon Valley Christmas parties with models who impersonate fellow employees, after briefing them with back-stories Cory Doctorow

toilets Toilets that you have to use an app to get into Rob Beschizza