Patrick Howell O'Neill, Author at Gizmodo

Lyft’s IPO Banks Big on Self-Driving Cars, Shits on Its E-Scooters

Lyft finally filed for an IPO on Friday, a long-expected move for the ride-sharing company that has been racing to beat its larger competitor Uber to the public-offering punch. Aiming for a $20 billion valuation, Lyft’s newly filed IPO prospectus claims 39 percent of the U.S. ride-share market, a 17 percent jump in two years.…

Artificial Intelligence Patrick Howell O'Neill Mar 1

Upcoming Tech IPOs Will Mint Hundreds of Overnight Millionaires and Silicon Valley Vultures Are Licking Their Chops

The day started with an intense tropical storm consuming San Francisco, but by evening the clouds had parted just in time for a group of grinning and excited venture capitalists, techies, and real estate agents to gather atop a downtown highrise that overlooks the city all the way to across the Bay to Oakland. Everyone…

Tech News Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 26

The Lucrative Government Spyware Industry Has a New ‘One-Stop-Shop’ for Hacking Everything

How do you build the next $1 billion unicorn start-up in the hacking industry? One group of spy technology entrepreneurs says it’s found the answer. Centered in the Middle East and with connections around the world, a largely hidden multibillion-dollar economy focuses on one specific task: Hacking into iPhones, breaking wifi security, as well as…

Tech News Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 15

Facebook Is Negotiating a Record Multi-Billion Dollar Fine for Its Privacy Problems: Report

Facebook is in active negotiations to resolve the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation into the company’s privacy failures, according to a new Washington Post report, talks that could result in a multi-billion dollar fine or a heavyweight court battle. The report didn’t include an exact figure and said that landing on an amount is the focus…

Social Media Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 14

Facebook’s Most Intriguing New Hires Aren’t in Silicon Valley—They’re in Washington

Facebook’s home turf is in Silicon Valley, but the company’s most important future battles are largely shaping up 3,000 miles away in Washington, D.C. To win, the social media giant is on a hiring spree focused on the nation’s capital. As public opinion turns increasingly skeptical of the 2-billion person strong social network and more…

Social Media Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 13

Fired Apple Executive Charged With Crime He Was Supposed to Prevent

Gene Levoff, a former Vice President of Corporate Law at Apple, was charged with insider trading on Wednesday by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Levoff, who was until last year responsible for Apple’s compliance with the SEC, was fired in September 2018. He is accused of trading on insider information for eight years to…

Tech News Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 13

You Don’t Get to Learn How the FBI Tried to Crack Facebook Messenger Encryption, Judge Rules

A federal judge on Monday ruled in favor of keeping secret the details of a failed U.S. government effort to force Facebook to decrypt Facebook Messenger calls. The American Civil Liberties Union, supported by the Washington Post and Facebook itself, were engaged in a court battle to unseal documents about the government decryption order, according…

Social Media Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 12

Reddit Lands $150 Million From Chinese Censorship Giant Tencent as Users Call Bullshit

Reddit has raised a $300 million investment round led by $150 million cash injection from the Chinese tech titan Tencent. Meanwhile, the San Francisco-based social media site, valued at $3 billion and ranked as the sixth most popular website in the United States, is still banned in China. https://gizmodo.com/reddit-banned-in-china-is-reportedly-set-to-land-150-1832375439 In addition to Tencent, Reddit also…

Tech News Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 11

Here’s Why Wells Fargo Customers Couldn’t Get Their Cash

It’s been a strange, painful couple of days for some Wells Fargo customers. A tsunami of problems hit the bank this week, leaving some customers not knowing how to access their money. As a result, an army of angry Wells Fargo customers hit social media to report missing their paydays, trouble using debit cards, and…

Tech News Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 8

Google Should Force Better Security on Nest Users

It took a growing mountain of home hacking horror stories going viral, but Google on Wednesday finally took action by telling their customers to stop messing everything up. In the last few weeks, multiple stories have emerged about owners of Nest security cameras—at least some of which have speakers through which users can talk—seeing their…

Privacy & Security Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 6

Reddit, Banned in China, Is Reportedly Set to Land $150 Million Investment From a Chinese Censorship Powerhouse

Who really thinks about where the money is coming from as long as you get the money? Reddit is about to get a huge new round of investment of up to $300 million, reports TechCrunch. The first $150 million is reportedly expected to come from the Chinese tech giant Tencent, the first ever Asian technology…

Tech News Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 6

Facebook Bans Armed Rebel Groups in Myanmar

As violent ethnic clashes and a labyrinth of civil wars continue to plague Myanmar, Facebook banned four armed groups based in the country from using the platform. The Tuesday announcement came as part of an ongoing effort to oust “dangerous organizations” promoting violence on the social network. Facebook has a long and dark history in…

Social Media Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 5

Gig Workers Unknowingly Helped Google and the Pentagon Build AI for Drones: Report

The future of artificial intelligence and war sounds dizzyingly high-tech, but that’s not always the case. The truth, for at least one multimillion-dollar San Francisco startup and its customers Google and the U.S. military, is that building cutting-edge AI apparently involves a group of old-fashioned human beings grinding through mountains of data, often with no…

Tech News Patrick Howell O'Neill Feb 4

Patrick Howell O'Neill

Lyft’s IPO Banks Big on Self-Driving Cars, Shits on Its E-Scooters

Upcoming Tech IPOs Will Mint Hundreds of Overnight Millionaires and Silicon Valley Vultures Are Licking Their Chops

The Lucrative Government Spyware Industry Has a New ‘One-Stop-Shop’ for Hacking Everything

Facebook Is Negotiating a Record Multi-Billion Dollar Fine for Its Privacy Problems: Report

Facebook’s Most Intriguing New Hires Aren’t in Silicon Valley—They’re in Washington

Fired Apple Executive Charged With Crime He Was Supposed to Prevent

You Don’t Get to Learn How the FBI Tried to Crack Facebook Messenger Encryption, Judge Rules

Reddit Lands $150 Million From Chinese Censorship Giant Tencent as Users Call Bullshit

Here’s Why Wells Fargo Customers Couldn’t Get Their Cash

Google Should Force Better Security on Nest Users

Reddit, Banned in China, Is Reportedly Set to Land $150 Million Investment From a Chinese Censorship Powerhouse

Facebook Bans Armed Rebel Groups in Myanmar

Gig Workers Unknowingly Helped Google and the Pentagon Build AI for Drones: Report

‘Cognitive Surrender’ Is a New and Useful Term for How AI Melts Brains

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Marshall Acton III Home Speaker Drops to a Record Low, the Deal Countdown Has Already Started

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

I’m Worried About the Helpless AI Disruptors of the Future

Russia Allegedly Swung at VPNs but Accidentally Hit Its Own Banking Sector Instead

Ryan Coogler Is Shifting ‘Animorphs’ Into a Disney+ Show

No Fooling, ‘Spaceballs 2’ Will Hit Theaters April 2027

I Regret to Inform You That the Artemis II Astronauts Are Having Lots of Screen Time

The First ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’ Reactions Are Most Solid

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life