The Amazon Echo is a big deal, and Google doesn't want to be left behind, which is why it is launching Google Home, its own smart speaker. Meet Mario Queiroz, who led the team behind Google's successful Chromecast Web TV gadget, and is now steering Google Home.
[Mark Bergen | Recode]

Yesterday, Birchbox laid off 30 people. Just few weeks ago, the co-founder of the online makeup retailer, Katia Beauchamp, was talking about going public. But for commerce startups still figuring out their business (like Birchbox) it's legendarily bad time to plan an IPO.
[Polly Mosendz and Kim Bhasin | Bloomberg]

Uber is rolling out a new feature that will allow it to more closely monitor its drivers, keeping track of things like how often they drive or their average speed.
[Johana Bhuiyan | Recode]

Lending Club, the large online lender whose CEO quit amid scandal in May, is laying off 179 people (12 percent of its staff) and is struggling to keep selling new loans.
[Peter Rudegeair | The Wall Street Journal]

Hillary Clinton unveiled her tech policy proposals, and they were written to make Silicon Valley smile. They include student loan debt forgiveness for do-gooder tech entrepreneurs, support for net neutrality, easing copyright restrictions and a bunch of other carrots. Expect the sticks (encryption, Uber economy labor disputes) to come later.
[Noah Kulwin | Recode]