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#11: I'm a Paranoid Optimist

July 6th, 2017 · 59 minutes

The rise of electric cars and the future of the personal vehicle market, the ability (or lack of same) for free websites with huge audiences to make money and be profitable, and another ugly week for the culture of the tech industry.

Guest Starring: Matt Egan and Carolina Milanesi

This episode of Download is sponsored by:

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Links and Show Notes

All Volvo cars will be electric or hybrid within two years - Engadget

Every car Volvo unveils by 2019 will have an electric motor, either as an all-electric EV, plug-in hybrid or hybrid, making it the first major automaker to stop selling cars with only gas or diesel engines.

Tesla’s First Mass-Market Car, the Model 3, Hits Production This Week - The New York Times

Tesla’s long-awaited mass-market electric car will begin rolling off the assembly line this week. But even as it moves ahead, the automaker is encountering challenges to its ambitious plans for growth.

China Is About to Bury Elon Musk in Batteries - Bloomberg

Chinese companies have plans for additional factories with the capacity to pump out more than 120 gigawatt-hours a year by 2021, according to a report published this week by Bloomberg Intelligence. That’s enough to supply batteries for around 1.5 million Tesla Model S vehicles or 13.7 million Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrids per year.

Are We Wrong about the Future of Urban Commuting? - Tech.pinions

When looking at the future of commuting, brands and industry watchers might want to consider the reality of how America feels about this topic is not dissimilar to how America felt about the recent US presidential election. Urban vs. rural, millennials vs. baby-boomers, higher income vs. lower income, male vs. female. All play a role in separating reality from fantasy.

France Plans to End Sales of Gas and Diesel Cars by 2040 - The New York Times

France is joining a growing movement to force the extinction of vehicles that run on fossil fuels, saying on Thursday that it would aim to end the sale of gasoline and diesel cars by 2040.

HopSkipDrive

HopSkipDrive is a ride service for kids designed to help you take some of the stress out of your family's busy schedule. It was created by three moms who understand the struggle of getting kids around town safely.

How CNN found the Reddit user behind the Trump wrestling GIF - CNNPolitics.com

The Reddit user who initially claimed credit for President Donald Trump's tweet that showed Trump tackling CNN issued an apology Tuesday for the video and other offensive content he posted -- one day after CNN identified the man behind the account and attempted to make contact with him.

There’s No Money in Internet Culture - New York Magazine

As Verizon completed its acquisition of Yahoo, a number of Tumblr employees, as well as those at other Verizon-owned properties, like the Huffington Post, were laid off.

Emirates, Turkish Airlines say laptop ban lifted on U.S. flights | Reuters

The United States has lifted the in-cabin ban on laptops and other large electronic devices on U.S.-bound flights from Dubai and Istanbul, Emirates and Turkish Airlines said on Wednesday.

Women in Tech Speak Frankly on Culture of Harassment - The New York Times

Rachel Renock, the chief executive of Wethos, and her business partners said they received sexist comments while seeking financing.

A Backlash Builds Against Sexual Harassment in Silicon Valley - The New York Times

The upheaval over sexual harassment in the technology start-up continued with the resignation of a prominent Silicon Valley investor who said he had been “a creep” and more women saying they would come forward to talk about their experiences.

'Brave' Women in Tech Can't Weed Out Misconduct Alone - Bloomberg

Shira Ovide writes, "This has been the year of "brave" women. And I'm getting sick and tired of women having to be so brave."

Carolina Milanesi (@caro_milanesi) - Twitter
Matt Egan (@MattJEgan) - Twitter