News highlights for 10 August 2017

REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
High expectations for IPOs are causing concern
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Snap Inc and Blue Apron Holdings Inc’s dismal quarterly reports on Thursday, which sent their shares slumping, join a growing list of technology startups failing to live up to sky-high expectations set ahead of their initial public offerings. Read more…
Is Amazon targeting Ticketmaster?
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc is seeking to partner with U.S. venue owners to sell event tickets, four sources have told Reuters, a move that could loosen Ticketmaster’s powerful grip on the lucrative ticketing business. Read more…
Now, we have biohackers who can send a virus via DNA
WHEN BIOLOGISTS SYNTHESIZE DNA, they take pains not to create or spread a dangerous stretch of genetic code that could be used to create a toxin or, worse, an infectious disease. But one group of biohackers has demonstrated how DNA can carry a less expected threat—one designed to infect not humans nor animals but computers. Read more…
Microsoft working on faster, private blockchains
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Microsoft is working on technology that it believes can make blockchain-based systems faster and more private, as it looks to speed up use of the distributed database software by enterprises. Read more…
Investors want Kalanick out, now
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Venture capital firm Benchmark Capital is suing former Uber Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick to force him off the board of the ride-services company and rescind his ability to fill three board seats, according to the lawsuit. Read more…
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