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Texas joins Trump administration's lawsuit against Google, arguing the tech company has a monopoly
20 October
(REUTERS/Mike Blake)
By Stacy Fernandez
Texas joined the Trump administration's lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of monopolizing the search engine market and controlling how online ads are bought and sold, according to the suit filed Tuesday morning.
<p>Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement that the multi-billion dollar company engaged in anti-competitive and exclusionary practices that eliminate competition for internet searches and search advertising.</p><p>"Google's anticompetitive business strategies have disrupted the competitive process, reduced consumer choice, and stifled innovation," Paxton said. "Our action today is intended to restore competition and allow rivals and next generation search engines to challenge Google so that the marketplace, not a monopolist, will decide how search services and search ads are offered."</p><p>Kent Walker, Google's senior vice president of global affairs and chief legal officer, called the federal lawsuit "deeply flawed."</p><p>"People use Google because they choose to, not because they're forced to, or because they can't find alternatives," Walker said in a <a href="https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/response-doj" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">statement</a>. "This lawsuit would do nothing to help consumers. To the contrary, it would artificially prop up lower-quality search alternatives, raise phone prices, and make it harder for people to get the search services they want to use."</p><p>The lawsuit is a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Justice and the attorneys general of 10 other red states: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana and South Carolina.</p><p>The suit calls Google a "monopoly gatekeeper for the internet" and claims that in addition to restricting competition on traditional search services and search advertising on computers and mobile devices, it blocked other companies from being part of robust emerging search platforms including voice assistants, smart speakers and cars.</p><p>Walker called the claim "demonstrably wrong."</p><p>"People find information in lots of ways: They look for news on Twitter, flights on Kayak and Expedia, restaurants on OpenTable, recommendations on Instagram and Pinterest," Walker said. "And when searching to buy something, around <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/news/3617671-amazon-first-stop-for-60-of-all-online-shoppers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">60 percent</a> of Americans start on Amazon. Every day, Americans choose to use all these services and thousands more."</p><p>In addition to hurting competitors, Paxton claimed Google's conduct hurt consumers by reducing their choices when it comes to privacy, data protection, use of consumer data and "ultimately diminishing the quality of search services."</p><p>This isn't the first time Paxton has gone against the prominent tech company. Last year, the Texas attorney general <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2019/10/08/ken-paxton-google-investigation-web/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">launched a landmark investigation</a> into Google's multi-decade dominance along with 50 other attorneys general and experts that included Google's former rivals.</p><p>The investigation was the first major U.S. antitrust action against Google in about a decade. Paxton said the federal government repeatedly failed to take action against Google and Silicon Valley.</p>
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50,000 Austin users are getting in on a new app that tracks crime, COVID updates and protests
20 October
(Pexels)
About 50,000 Austin-area users have already downloaded Citizen, a smartphone app that reports real-time police and emergency medical threats. Austin is already one of Citizen's most popular cities since the company soft-launched here late last year.
<p>"It's one of our top markets after cities like New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago," Citizen spokesperson Lily Gordon told Austonia via email.<br/></p><p>The app relies on hired analysts and user-generated content to track every 911 call and public safety dispatch in the city. Users receive alerts about nearby incidents directly on their cell phone lock screen, and reports are updated live with additional details as well as audio and video recordings as they become available.</p><p>While there are numerous services similar to Citizen, including the city-built <a href="https://austintexas.gov/department/austin-pd-smartphone-app" target="_blank">Austin PD smartphone app</a>, Citizen claims to be the most popular since its launch in 2017. In total, the app has been downloaded by 5 million people across 20-plus metropolitan areas. </p><p>Citizen has already live reported several notable events in Austin. In addition to daily local COVID-19 updates, the app served as an information resource during downtown social unrest in late May and June.</p><p>More recently, Citizen dominated coverage during two September news events: when <a href="https://austonia.com/austin-trump-boat-parade" target="_self">five boats sank</a> during a pro-Donald Trump boat parade rally on Lake Travis (Sept. 4) and again when <a href="https://austonia.com/construction-crane-collision-austin" target="_self">two construction cranes collided</a>, injuring 22 workers in the Mueller neighborhood (Sept. 16). During both news events, the smartphone app scooped some local news outlets with live breaking news updates from analysts and Citizen users.</p><p>"We were proud that we were able to provide real-time updates on this major story to more than 30,000 Austinites and be a resource for local news outlets," Gordon said via email. "As a real-time safety app, this example points to how we are in a unique position to provide up-to-the-minute updates about developing public safety incidents."</p><p>As part of its "official" Austin debut in April, the company hired freelance help to increase activity on the platform. Austin native Brian Smith, who runs <a href="https://twitter.com/txmobilenews?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@txmobilenews</a> on Twitter as a freelance videographer, helped Citizen cover breaking news events in Austin as part of its "Street Team Program." He posted videos of public safety threats directly to the app, getting paid for each scene he documented. </p><p>The street team disbanded after the first month because of COVID-19 health concerns. Smith did similar stringer work while living in New York City. But Austin doesn't have as many breaking news stringers—think Jake Gyllenhaal's character in "Nightcrawler"—as the larger news markets. </p><p>"I'm kind of the only one who does the videos for the television networks," said Smith, who works as head of sales for a technology startup during the day. "This market just doesn't support it."</p><p>Even though Smith is no longer paid by Citizen for his side hustle, he still uses the app to find breaking news events to cover for the highest bidder. He even posts the occasional video clip from a news event as long as it doesn't compete with his freelance work.</p><p>From his experience, the app has proven reliable and accurate, and it's only improving.</p><p>"I do believe the people behind Citizen are committed to doing the best they can to put the best information out there to inform the public," Smith said.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="614b6e2361ab68210306ae3383fc7f09" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="356b6" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUzNTU2Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NDY2OTcwMH0.JPAjqSqiMj3SUbE6RPsTteEqibfZQFp_xWrTaRAoBLs/img.jpg?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Public safety alerts are blasted to Citizen users each time a 911 call is documented. Users can customize the extent they receive alerts.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Citizen app</small></p><p>Many users on Citizen promote news from the app on other social platforms, including Westlake resident Dennis Lastor, who posts the occasional breaking alert to Twitter. The city has become less safe since he moved here 21 years ago, he said, and Citizen helps document the extent of the issue.<br/></p><p>"I wanted to see what kind of crime was going on and what kind of increase might be going on, and Citizen app was the only direct source showing the reality of what kind of crime was going on," said Lastor, who downloaded the app about three months ago.</p><p>Lastor, an engineer, says Citizen provides data that shows a rising crime trend as well as bizarre anecdotes about public safety risks in Austin. For example, there have been reports of multiple people chased by a machete-wielding man in one neighborhood, he said, and more than a dozen 7-Eleven convenience stores have recently been robbed. </p><p>According to the <a href="http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/101520_CMR_September_%20EXTERNAL.pdf" target="_blank">latest crime report</a> from the Austin police chief, crimes against persons and property crime are down so far this year. Lastor acknowledges the app has the potential to confirm his own bias, so he also relies on other news sources to balance out Citizen.</p><p>Lastor and Smith also both reject any comparison to Nextdoor—another hyperlocal reporting service—which is sometimes ridiculed for its unsubstantiated "suspicious person" posts. In fact, Lastor just deleted his Nextdoor account. </p><p>"(Citizen) can be hypervigilant, so you may think it's World War III when it's just an average day, but the upside beats the downside," Lastor said.</p>
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(1000Photography/Shutterstock)
Google productivity is down among its engineers during extended quarantine measures, especially among new hires, according to the tech giant's own internal measures.
<p>After three months of working from home, Google engineers reported feeling less productive than earlier in the year when the company recorded its most productive quarter, according to<a href="https://www.theinformation.com/articles/googles-internal-data-show-engineers-found-it-harder-to-code-from-home" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> The Information</a>, which reported the internal Google data last week. </p>
<p>Most notably from the June internal survey, only 31% of company engineers reported feeling "highly productive," down 8% from earlier this year. Furthermore, only 53% of engineers reportedly felt satisfied with their ability to manage their workloads. Of those, 30% spent less time coding that quarter than the previous quarter.</p>
<p>Michael Bachman, Google's head of engineering productivity, urged engineering managers to check-in more often with newer and lower-level staff and to assign more manageable workloads in response to the survey. While the findings reflect sentiment from engineers, Bachman warned other company leaders that waning productivity is a concern across departments. </p>
<p>In total, 200,000 employees are estimated to be impacted by the policy, including a reported 1,100 employees here in Austin. In a response to The Information, a Google spokesperson said the company-wide productivity rebounded after a short decline and has since exceeded pre-quarantine levels.</p>
<p>But there is speculation that Google CEO Sundar Pichai is reluctant to make work-from-home policies permanent because of the decreased productivity.<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-to-keep-employees-home-until-summer-2021-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-11595854201" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> The Wall Street Journal</a> first reported this summer that Google has already committed to remote work through at least June 2021.</p>
<p>"To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021, for roles that don't need to be in the office. I hope this will offer the flexibility you need to balance work with taking care of yourselves and your loved ones over the next 12 months," Pichai said in an email to employees in July, according to<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/07/27/google-employees-will-work-from-home-through-next-summer/#40094b293268" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Forbes</a>.</p>
<p>Twitter took that policy one step further by allowing staff to work from home permanently, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/12/twitter-says-staff-can-continue-working-from-home-permanently/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Techcrunch</a> reported in May. Microsoft <a href="https://www.commercialintegrator.com/blogs/microsoft-tells-employees-they-can-work-from-home-permanently/#" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reportedly</a> followed by offering the same remote work option. </p>
<p>But Google is still committing to a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/09/28/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-calls-for-a-hybrid-work-from-home-model/#1fe9f0d9e9cf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">"hybrid" model</a>, which blends remote work with in-office work. The waning productivity internally could be a factor for the differing strategy. More "hub" offices around the country, as reported by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-ceo-elaborates-future-office-plans-as-employees-demand-answers-2020-10" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Business Insider</a>, could help Google execute on that plan.</p>For the first time since 2017, Google failed to make the top of <a href="https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/at-work/tech-careers/netflix-supplants-google-as-the-employer-of-engineers-dreams" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hired's survey of dream employers to work for</a>, falling to No. 3 this year behind Netflix and Github.
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(NYSE)
Austin-area company Hyliion rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange this week in recognition of going public.
<p>Hyliion, the Cedar Park-based auto parts maker that helps freight trucks become hybrid or electric, merged with <a href="https://www.tortoisespac.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tortoise Acquisition Corp.</a>, a special-purpose acquisition company already traded publicly. The new company maintains the Hyliion name—also reflected in the new stock market ticker symbol, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=hyln&oq=hyln&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l6j69i60.3093j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HYLN</a>. </p><p>"The completion of our merger greatly accelerates Hyliion's growth plans and unlocks the potential value of our business," CEO and founder Thomas Healy said <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201001006126/en/Hyliion-Inc.-and-Tortoise-Acquisition-Corp.-Announce-Closing-of-Business-Combination-Hyliion-to-Trade-on-the-NYSE-under-%E2%80%9CHYLN%E2%80%9D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in a statement</a>. "The future of commercial trucking demands reduced carbon emissions and more sustainable transportation options."</p><p>The merger was first announced in June and approved in late September. Hyliion received $560 million as part of the deal. </p><p>Healy, personally rang the bell to open up NYSE markets, which peaked at $43.10 per share earlier in the week before dropping sharply the rest of the week; Thursday the markets opened with HYLN stock trading at $29.40 per share. Under Tortoise Acquisition Corp. in late September its stock peaked at $53.51 per share following news of the merger with Hyliion.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3c21ca0d4f5d8fc3dbc7712ff448cf7e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="25243" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDQ3NjMxNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMjg0MzIzMH0.GvFGahgT2OfKz4UFZW6lKy6htmSU3b4jAWj19K-4S8E/img.png?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Hyliion)</small></p>
<p>Healy, 28, is on track to become the country's youngest self-made billionaire as part of the merger, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2020/09/25/as-electric-truck-startup-hyliion-goes-public-founder-is-set-to-be-americas-youngest-self-made-billionaire/#5cb2475115c9" target="_blank">according to <em>Forbes</em></a>. As part of <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1759631/000121390020025540/defm14a_tortoiseacq.htm" target="_blank">public SEC filings</a>, it was revealed that Healy maintained the biggest control of the company, 22.9%, equating to nearly $1.5 billion in value as of late September when the deal was finalized.<br/></p><p>"He may not be as slick as the other billionaire electric truck impresarios Elon Musk or Nikola's disgraced former CEO Trevor Milton, but Healy has one up on both Tesla and Nikola when it comes to getting revolutionary tech onto the road," <em>Forbes</em> author Christopher Helman wrote about the Hyliion executive.</p><p>Healy <a href="https://www.statesman.com/business/20201006/electric-trucking-company-hyliion-goes-public-through-merger" target="_blank">told the <em>Austin American-Statesman</em></a> that his company primarily serves large company fleets in the long-haul trucking industry using equipment that either offsets or replaces energy normally generated by fuel. </p><p>Hyliion currently employs about 70 people, with plans to have at least 220 employees by 2022, according to the <em>Statesman</em>, as part of an economic development package with Cedar Park.</p><p><strong>More on electric cars:</strong></p>
<h2><a href="https://austonia.com/real-estate/tesla-austin-development" target="_self">What the Tesla factory means for mixed-use development already underway in Southeast Austin</a></h2>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUxNzcxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTQ4Nzg5NH0.FdLQ0Wt_IqlxW7gYxTi6Ol4vb4RddazCylk0IIWylIM/img.jpg?width=980" id="178ca" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c500472f13fa561dad54b02fc28b5b15" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />What the Tesla factory means for mixed-use development already underway in Southeast Austin
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(Shutterstock)
Austin-based dating and networking app Bumble, which was founded in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd, is reportedly considering an IPO.
Bumble, the Austin-based dating and networking app, is reportedly considering a multi-billion-dollar initial public offering that could come early next year, according to a report by Bloomberg.
<p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-01/dating-app-bumble-is-said-to-prepare-for-6-billion-plus-ipo" target="_blank"></a> </p><p>The company has not finalized anything and the timeline could change, according to the story's unnamed sources "familiar with the matter."</p><p>From the report: </p><p style="margin-left: 20px;"><em>"Bumble could seek a valuation of $6 billion to $8 billion, said one of the people, asking not to be named because the matter is private. While it is talking to banks, it hasn't settled on a lineup, the people added."</em></p><p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-01/dating-app-bumble-is-said-to-prepare-for-6-billion-plus-ipo" target="_blank"></a></p><p>Bumble was founded in 2014 by Whitney Wolfe Herd, who previously co-founded the popular hook-up app <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/0967908D:US" target="_blank" title="Company Overview">Tinder</a>.</p>
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President Donald Trump tweeted praise for Tesla CEO Elon Musk after the electric carmaker announced it would build its next factory in Texas. Musk promptly responded.
@realDonaldTrump @Tesla Thank you on behalf of the Tesla team. We look forward to building Giga Texas!— Elon Musk 🌹 (@Elon Musk 🌹)1595599932.0
<p>In an interview with Fox News, Trump also told Sean Hannity that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tesla-texas-told-elon-musk-build-factory-2020-7" target="_blank">he suggested Musk choose Texas </a>for the <a data-linked-post="2646318331" href="https://austonia.com/future/tesla-cybertruck" target="_blank">Cybertruck</a> and Model Y plant.<br/></p>
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Here it comes: Elon Musk says 'stunning' $1.1 billion Tesla Gigafactory will be built in Austin area
22 July
(Mike Mareen/Adobe)
The Cybertruck pickup and the Model Y will be produced at the Austin Tesla factory.
The Austin metro will soon be home to a $1.1 billion Gigafactory, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk announced during the company's quarterly earnings update on Wednesday.
<p>"We're going to make it a factory that's going to be stunning," he told investors, adding that construction is "already underway."<br/></p><p>As proposed, <a href="https://austonia.com/technology/elon-musk-tesla/seeking-incentives" target="_self">the factory</a> will be located on a 2,000-acre site in Southeast Travis County. It will provide at least 5,000 jobs and produce <a href="https://austonia.com/future/tesla-cybertruck" target="_self">the Cybertruck pickup</a> and the Model Y, a midsize SUV. </p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<a href="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQwNDkzNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTg2OTk2Nn0.XnsVKgZAWnWUM-dTjv-kpsZkt0fAK4M1MmOH8U9R1-Y/img.png?width=980" target="_blank"><img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="d8ca4be7089690ce9252151cf34f6e03" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="d4515" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzQwNDkzNS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MTg2OTk2Nn0.XnsVKgZAWnWUM-dTjv-kpsZkt0fAK4M1MmOH8U9R1-Y/img.png?width=980"/></a>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">(Google Maps)</small>
</p><p>Both <a href="https://austonia.com/technology/tesla-factory-austin-2646383822" target="_self">Del Valle ISD</a> and <a href="https://austonia.com/business/austin-gigafactory" target="_self">Travis County</a> offered Tesla tax rebates to build the factory in their jurisdictions. In exchange for significant long-term incentives, Tesla agreed to a minimum wage of $15 an hour for all factory employees, including construction workers. </p><p>The proposed factory site has been owned for years by the construction supplier Martin Marietta and used for a sand and gravel mining operation.<br/></p><p>The finished factory will include a public-access boardwalk along the Colorado River, Musk said. "It's going to basically be an ecological paradise."</p><p>On Twitter, Mayor Steve Adler said that the factory will bring an "economic boost" to East Austin, while Gov. Greg Abbott welcomed the company.</p><p><br/></p><p><br/></p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5d86a298f03a4682bc93c9f20a5d4285" id="c7e0f"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1286061037851156485"><div style="margin:1em 0">Tesla picks Texas for its Cybertruck factory.
Thanks to .@elonmusk & .@Tesla for embracing our great state.
Th… https://t.co/tKr7tU2piK</div> — Greg Abbott (@Greg Abbott)<a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/statuses/1286061037851156485">1595455819.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Tesla had support for the factory during the months of negotiation that preceded the announcement, but not from everyone.</p><p>Residents and union members <a href="https://austonia.com/technology/tesla-austin" target="_self">raised concerns</a> during public hearings about Tesla's track record of worker safety and adherence to incentive agreements.<br/></p><p><em>This story is developing and will be updated.</em><br/></p>
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Apple Campus under construction in Austin
Apple is on its way to meeting a 2022 completion date for its new $1 billion Austin campus, aerial footage of construction shows.
<p>The 133-acre site will eventually have <a href="https://www.architectmagazine.com/practice/apple-to-build-1-billion-campus-in-austin-texas_o" target="_blank">space for 15,000 employees</a> across 10 buildings, though it will <a href="https://www.archpaper.com/2019/11/apple-breaks-ground-austin-campus/" target="_blank">initially house about 5,000</a>, the company said.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-3x2">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6989ebbafe0df4b8cd54e059461f4f13" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="84ae2" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUwMjQyMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNDgyNTQ5NX0.ufmW9xT61jabKDRX2bDa-GeJj27UqtgY46MuKzLWXpY/img.jpg?width=1200&coordinates=18%2C0%2C18%2C0&height=800"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Apple)</small></p><p><br/></p><p>Apple had 7,000 employees in Austin when it broke ground on the project in November 2019, about twice as many as the company had in the city five years ago.</p><p>A revised plan for the site approved in April showed the <a href="https://austin.culturemap.com/news/city-life/05-20-20-apple-adds-surprising-element-to-1-billion-campus-in-northwest-austin/" target="_blank">addition to the site of a 192-room</a> hotel.</p>
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