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Where is Jack Ma?

Good morning! This Tuesday, a close look at why Google unionized and what it means for the tech world. Also, where's Jack Ma? And is Microsoft really getting ready to redesign its most important products … again?
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The Alphabet Workers Union only has a couple hundred members so far, but Dylan Baker, a software engineer at Google and one of the union's organizers, told Protocol's Anna Kramer that virtually everyone they talked to agreed to join. "I think every single person has a lot of reasons and a lot of things that they want to change," they said.
The way the AWU came together, and the way it's structured, looks like it could be a pretty good model for other employees looking to organize across the tech industry. Anna talked to the organizers and reported some of the details:
Why unionize? Parul Koul and Chewy Shaw, the executive chair and vice chair of the AWU, made their case in a New York Times op-ed. It'll sound familiar to a lot of disillusioned tech workers:
Precisely what the AWU will do seems up in the air. And there will be plenty of detractors, including those who say the AWU doesn't go nearly far enough. But I suspect this kind of union — inclusive, somewhat lower-stakes, easier to be part of for all employees — will be a popular one across the tech industry. And as organizers told Anna, attempts to unionize are happening everywhere in tech right now.
Read more:Here's Anna's full story.
The questions have been swirling for a few days, but they're starting to hit a new level: Has something happened to Jack Ma?
To be crystal clear, there's no indication yet that something happened to Ma beyond a long and uncharacteristic silence. Alibaba told the FT that the TV show switch was "a schedule conflict." So far, the scariest possibilities are just rumors and over-promising headlines, but they also don't seem totally implausible.
As Ma himself has said in the past, though, being rich and famous in China is a risky proposition. "I think among the richest men in China, few have good endings," he said in 2016. When he retired from Alibaba in 2019, it was widely speculated that tensions with the Chinese government were part of the reason. (Here's a good timeline of Ma's complicated relationship with the CCP.) We'll be keeping an eye on this one.
On Protocol: Payment apps are booming, and PayPal SVP Jim Magats said it's not just because of COVID:
Autonomous driving is hard and not getting much easier, said Waymo's John Krafcik:
But getting to space is getting easier, at least for SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell said:
On Protocol: FinCEN's new crypto rules are a mess, Andreessen Horowitz's Katie Haun said:
Virtualized service business models previously on the horizon waiting for consumer habits to catch up have accelerated at break-neck speed. And consumers are tapping their feet, waiting for more. Now, think about the dilemma that consumers are faced with going into this tax season. Because of the pandemic, many tax situations seem more complex and are sparking questions never before imagined.
Haven is shutting down, CNBC reported. The joint health-care venture created by Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway will send most of its employees to one of the three partners, each of which is now working on its own thing.
Twitter bought Breaker, a social podcasting app, as it continues to add to its audio products.
Mike Rundle is joining Square's design team, after about a decade at Intuit.
Foxconn and Byton signed a deal to produce electric vehicles together. That'll make it a lot easier for Byton to actually build its cars, and gets Foxconn even deeper into the EV game.
Two big deals in the sensor world:Teledyne bought FLIR for $8 billion and Aeva raised $200 million at a $3 billion valuation ahead of its plan to SPAC into the public markets. (By the way, if you're looking to raise money fast, just start saying "lidar" a lot. People will just start throwing term sheets at you.)
Epic bought an 87-acre former shopping mall. It plans to turn the giant Cary, North Carolina space into its new campus.
KITT – the KITT, the super-smart car from Knight Rider — is up for auction out of David Hasselhoff's personal collection. With 18 days left to go the price is already close to $1,000,000, but come on: While you could buy a Tesla Roadster, there are going to be lots of those! Nobody in your office lot will be driving one like this. And I can promise none of their cars will have been delivered by The Hoff himself.
Virtualized service business models previously on the horizon waiting for consumer habits to catch up have accelerated at break-neck speed. And consumers are tapping their feet, waiting for more. Now, think about the dilemma that consumers are faced with going into this tax season. Because of the pandemic, many tax situations seem more complex and are sparking questions never before imagined.
Today's Source Code was written by David Pierce, with help from Anna Kramer and Shakeel Hashim. Thoughts, questions, tips? Send them to david@protocol.com, or our tips line, tips@protocol.com. Enjoy your day; see you tomorrow.
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