The New York Times
An autonomous car operated by Uber — with an emergency backup driver behind the wheel — struck and killed a woman on a street in Tempe, Ariz. It was believed to be the first pedestrian death associated with self-driving technology. The company quickly suspended testing in Tempe as well as in Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto. The incident was a reminder that self-driving technology is still in the experimental stage.
WGNO
The Manischewitz Company, famous for its kosher wine and other Jewish foods, has asked Adam Sandler to consider writing a Passover song and is offering Kosher products for life if he complies. Sandler’s tongue-in-cheek "Hanukkah Song" was a huge hit when it was released in 1996. It became an anthem for Jewish kids who heard nothing but Christmas music growing up.
New York Post
Frito-Lay, a unit of PepsiCo, started to cut the pay of its drivers last year by as much as 33 percent, or $30,000, prompting dozens to quit, The Post has learned. Even with management taking over some routes in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, there are not enough trucks on the road to supply every customer, sources said. “I call the distribution center and no one answers,” the owner of the lobby newsstand at a Park Avenue office building who hasn’t gotten a Frito-Lay delivery in three months told The Post.
Fast Company
Abercrombie is trying to engineer a transformation in the hopes that it can win over the next generation of young people. If you walk by an Abercrombie store at the mall, you’ll note the lack of pornographic billboards featuring chiseled shirtless men staring down at you with scorn. Instead, there are images of twentysomethings of various ethnicities and body types smiling in a welcoming manner. Early signs show that this new strategy appears to be working.
New York Post
Walmart has filed a patent for robot bees that could be used to pollinate crops — suggesting that the discount retail giant could be branching out into farming. The “autonomous robotic bees” would act like drones, carrying pollen from one plant to another, using sensors and cameras to find crops. The move may mean that the company hopes to grow more of the food it sells to ensure greater control over its food supply chain.
The Verge
Nest is rolling out a $39 Temperature Sensor that works in tandem with the company’s smart thermostats to keep particular rooms at the ideal temperature. The device is scheduled to ship in April, and there’s also a $99 three-pack available for preorder. It pairs with the latest-generation Nest Learning Thermostat or the Nest Thermostat E; the Temperature Sensor doesn’t work with first-gen or second-gen Nest thermostats.
Business Insider
McDonald’s has launched a national two-for-$4 promotion. As part of the all-day deal, customers can now mix and match two options of the Sausage McMuffin with Egg, Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit, and Bacon Egg & Cheese McGriddle for $4. In January, McDonald's rolled out its new $1, $2, $3 value menu in an attempt to bring back customers who ditched the chain after the death of the original Dollar Menu.
Brand Channel
Two partnerships between leading pizza brands and automakers are being closely watched as pioneers in the field of driverless pizza-delivery vehicles: Domino’s and Ford, and
Pizza Hut and Toyota. Domino’s executives are confident that their experimentation with self-driving pizza delivery vehicles will help the brand retain its heritage as an innovative leader in customer-centric delivery options.
Wired
The Securities and Exchange Commission has
charged blood-testing startup Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and former President Ramesh Balwani with an “elaborate, years-long fraud in which they exaggerated or made false statements about the company’s technology, business, and financial performance.” Holmes has agreed to a 10-year ban on working at public companies.
Bloomberg
In its race to catch
Amazon.com Inc. in online retailing, Walmart Inc. issued misleading e-commerce results and fired an executive who complained the company was breaking the law, according to a whistle-blower lawsuit. Tri Huynh, a former director of business development at Walmart, claims he was terminated “under false pretenses” after repeatedly raising concerns about the company’s “overly aggressive push to show meteoric growth.”