Former Eleven Fifty Academy president rebrands, grows talent-management firm
PurposeHQ helps its customers—and their employees—align their culture, job fit, team fit and leadership.
Technology
Walmart joins Microsoft in bid for video app TikTok
Walmart said in a statement Thursday that a deal with Microsoft and TikTok could help it expand its advertising business and reach more shoppers.
United States facing back-to-school laptop shortage
The world’s three biggest computer companies, Lenovo, HP and Dell, have told school districts they have a shortage of nearly 5 million laptops.
Software keeps kids on school buses safe from sickness
Indianapolis-based Synovia Solutions’ latest platform—Bus Guardian—helps with contact tracing and hygiene verification for school buses.
Apple becomes first U.S. company to reach market value of $2 trillion
Apple shares gained nearly 60% this year as the company overcame the shutdown of factories in China that produce the iPhone and the closure of its retail sales amid the coronavirus pandemic.
IBJ Podcast: We’re burning out on remote work and video calls. Here’s how to get focused.
As some workforces face at least several more months of working from home, burnout threatens to become a dire business problem. But is this as good as it’s going to get? And what can we do to improve Zoom calls?
Four Indiana cities sue Netflix, Hulu for unpaid franchise fees
The lawsuit, filed this month filed by the cities of Indianapolis, Fishers, Valparaiso and Evansville, argues that major video streaming services must pay a 5% franchise fee of gross revenue to the localities where their customers reside.
Manufacturing center lands $18M in funding
In the past year, the Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center has assisted more than 1,200 companies in areas such as lean manufacturing and cybersecurity.
After years of struggle, WhatFriendsDo finds its wings
The online platform designed to rally support around people who are sick or otherwise in need is now on a path to expansion.
Firm’s air-cleaning technology aims to keep schools safe from COVID
Energy Harness says its new product uses ultraviolet light to remove the pathogen from indoor spaces while people are present.
KAR Global cuts 3,000 workers, could eliminate 2,000 more
In its second quarter, the Carmel-based company lost $32.3 million and saw year-over-year revenue plummet 42%, from $719.1 million to $419.0 million.
I’ve worn Alexa-enabled glasses for two weeks. They’re driving me bananas.
To be clear, there’s no image projected inside the lenses of the frames, as was the case with Google Glass. The frames are Amazon’s audio-only baby step into the weird, possibly world-changing niche of face computers. Apple, Microsoft and all the big tech companies are also working on smart glasses.
AAA: Partially automated driving systems work inconsistently
Researchers said little had changed from a test of four other vehicles in 2018, prompting the recommendation that automakers stop including the technology on more models.
Instagram’s new copycat video tool likely to have TikTok reeling
Facebook-owned Instagram released its new service, Reels, in the United States and dozens of other countries Wednesday, adding a tab to the existing app that will let users make and watch short-form videos.
Microsoft confirms talks seeking to buy U.S. arm of TikTok
Microsoft confirmed Sunday it has discussed with President Donald Trump his concerns about security and censorship surrounding such an acquisition.
Florida teen charged in massive Twitter hack, Bitcoin theft
A 17-year-old hacked the Twitter accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities and technology moguls to scam people around globe out of more than $100,000 in Bitcoin, authorities said Friday.
IBJ panel discussion: Tech leaders say firms must do more to diversify staff, networks
The panel was Cummins Inc. Chief Information Officer Sherry Aaholm, Indy Women in Tech community engagement strategist Ariel Crawley, Vertex Intelligence CEO Tyler Foxworthy, TechPoint CEO Mike Langellier, Eleven Fifty Academy Chief Operating Officer Dewand Neely and Scale Computing CEO Jeff Ready.
Fast-growing Sharpen Technologies could add 75 employees by end of 2021
Sharpen Technologies, an Indianapolis-based developer of cloud-based customer service software, came out of the gates fast this year, and despite a pause in March has continued to experience dramatic growth right through the pandemic.
New York-based Simplifeye moving HQ to Carmel, hiring 75
Dr. Ryan Hungate, a Kokomo native who founded the medical-practice software firm in 2014, said he plans to spend up to $10 million to shift a majority of the company’s operations to Carmel.
Lawmakers question Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google chiefs about market power
The four chief executives—Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Sundar Pichai—took the witness stand to fiercely defend their businesses Wednesday.