10 things in tech: New tech hub - Robot waiter - Tesla's $1.5M settlement

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10 things in tech: New tech hub - Robot waiter - Tesla's $1.5M settlement

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1. A robot is serving restaurant customers in California because there aren't enough staff. A manager said the talking robot is filling in as she struggles to find employees amid the labor shortage. Meet the robot, Matradee, here.

2. Apple removes anti-vaxx dating app Unjected from the App Store. While the company is claiming the app violated Apple's policies for COVID-19 content, the app's owners are saying it's censorship. Read up on the battle between Apple and Unjected.

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3. Thousands of tech workers are flocking to Huntsville, Alabama. Look out, San Francisco, there's a new tech hub on the horizon. Alabama's unsung "rocket city" is luring employees with good jobs and Southern hospitality. Why Huntsville is one of the hottest emerging housing markets.

4. Tesla will pay $1.5 million to settle Model S battery throttle claims. The company will pay $625 to car owners after complaints that a software update cut the maximum charge of some of its vehicles. Elon Musk spoke out on the settlement: "if we are wrong, we are wrong. In this case, we were."

5. Zoom reaches $85 million settlement in lawsuit over user privacy and "Zoombombing." The settlement comes in the wake of a lawsuit claiming it violated users' privacy rights by sharing personal data with Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn. Here's what you need to know.

6. Space tourists fly at their own risk - nobody is regulating their safety. Because federal agencies don't plan to regulate flights till at least 2023, experts say ticket-holders are accepting their role in an "experiment."

7. Automakers are exploring subscription services that would unlock premium features. Tesla isn't the only company charging a monthly fee for specialty features - BMW, Mercedes, and Cadillac have also considered subscriptions that would enable things like heated seats or autopilot. Here's what the subscription services would look like.

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8. One in every 153 American workers is an Amazon employee. More people work for Amazon than are employed in the entire US residential construction industry, which is responsible for 873,000 jobs. More numbers help visualize just how large the company is.

9. A major iPhone trend that worried Wall Street for years has just reversed. In the past, iPhone users would hold onto their devices for years, crimping Apple's growth and worrying analysts. But that trend has begun to reverse recently - here's a look at what that means.

10. Chinese companies with fraudulent trademarks are wreaking havoc on Amazon. America's trademark system is in disarray as cheats slip through the cracks - and the US government is getting overwhelmed. Get the details from our exclusive report.


Compiled by Jordan Erb. Tips/comments? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @JordanParkerErb.

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