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Google leased office space in downtown Austin in 2019.
Chances are, if you moved to Austin in the past two years, it was probably for a tech job.
<p>Only Vancouver and San Francisco topped Austin in the <a href="http://cbre.vo.llnwd.net/grgservices/secure/North%20America%202020%20Tech-30.pdf?e=1603991030&h=7ef32502539f5ee741d6f2f78a81993b" target="_blank">latest tech market rankings released Thursday</a> from CBRE, a commercial real estate services firm. Austin tech jobs grew by 22.9% in 2018-19, topping Seattle and New York City to round out the top 5 tech markets in the U.S. and Canada.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="46be623b0fc61e7db4751411a5fe7bc7" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="8847e" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDYzNDg4NC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwODgwMTYzN30.vvoIR67eHAguKXF6kul2Y9kGFkqpIEd5ASw8kHMucYM/img.png?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">CBRE</small></p><p>Austin also ranked in the top 10 for office market rental growth from mid-2018 to mid-2020, growing 9.1% in that time.<br/></p><p>Last year, Austin placed fifth on <a href="http://cbre.vo.llnwd.net/grgservices/secure/NA%20Tech-30%202019.pdf?e=1603993315&h=9c14d0652b2a41cfda31c863b19a870b" target="_blank">CBRE's Tech-30 list</a> with a similar growth rate of 22.5%. Here are other takeaways from CBRE's annual technology jobs report:</p><ul class="ee-ul"></ul><ul class="ee-ul"><li>11,857 Austin tech jobs were created 2018-19. In total, 63,663 people were employed in the high-tech software and services fields in 2019.</li><li>22.6%<strong> </strong>of Austin office jobs were in the technology sector in 2019.</li><li>$102,586 is the typical salary for an Austin software engineer.</li><li>Northwest Austin was the top tech submarket locally and the 23rd fastest-growing submarket the past two years in U.S. and Canada, with 3.3% tech office growth.</li><li>6.5 million square feet is how much office supply is under construction in Austin, with another 1.9 million square feet available to sublease.</li><li>The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex was the only other Texas market to rank among top tech markets at #7.</li></ul>
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(Shutterstock)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the electric carmaker expects to open its $1.1 billion Austin Gigafactory next year and to start delivering its Model Y cars at the facility by the end of 2021 during a third-quarter earnings call on Wednesday.
<p>"Because of the exponential nature of the fuel-up of a manufacturing plant, especially one with new technologies, it will start off very slow at first but then the output will become very large," Musk said, adding that it will likely take up to two years for the factory to reach full capacity. "That is a very fast period of time, especially for new technology." </p><p>The first substantial completion, or construction milestone, for the new factory is scheduled for next spring, a spokesperson for the Austin Chamber previously confirmed to Austonia.</p><p>During the call, Musk also talked about the company's plans to begin manufacturing its own battery cells, following an announcement during Tesla's<a href="https://austonia.com/tesla-austin-new-car" target="_self"> Sept. 22 Battery Day event</a>. </p><p>He did not discuss whether the Austin factory will be involved in this effort. But Tesla plans to operate a cell-manufacturing unit to produce the battery packs that power its cars at the Austin factory, <a href="https://austonia.com/tesla-battery-austin" target="_self">according to filings</a> with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. </p><p>The company currently sources its batteries from Panasonic, where cell shortages have led to production delays for Tesla. </p><p>Last quarter was the best in Tesla's history, with record-breaking revenue, net income and production volume, Musk told shareholders. </p><p>Musk announced Austin would be home to the next Gigafactory <a href="https://austonia.com/technology/tesla-coming-to-austin" target="_self">in late July</a>, after a competitive selection process that saw <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> offer the company tax rebates for building the factory in their jurisdictions.</p><p>In early August, construction supplier Martin Marietta disclosed it had sold the 2,100 factory site—at the intersection of SH 130 and Harold Green Road, near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport—to a Tesla entity for $97 million, <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2020/08/07/tesla-buys-far-east-austin-factory-site-for-97m.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">according to the Austin Business Journal</a>.</p><p>Prior to both announcements, however, the site was a hotbed of construction activity as Tesla began reclamation work, which <a href="https://austonia.com/future/tesla-site-austin" target="_self">a city staffer said</a> "would be the first step in preparing the site for future development."</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5w46XttA_Yw" width="560"></iframe></div><p>Since then, Tesla has <a href="https://www.statesman.com/business/20200925/tesla-adding-to-land-holdings-for-austin-factory" target="_blank">purchased a 381-acre lot</a> next to the Martin Marietta site and <a href="https://communityimpact.com/austin/central-austin/development/2020/09/16/tesla-continues-subcontractor-search-for-travis-county-gigafactory/" target="_blank">selected two general contractors</a> for the project, although they remain unnamed, according to local reports. It also recently <a href="https://austonia.com/tesla-gigfactory-site-plan" target="_blank">filed a site plan</a> that lays out the company's plan for 280 acres of the 2,100-acre property. </p><p>As proposed, the factory will provide at least 5,000 jobs, not including the thousands of construction workers who will build the facility.</p><p>The company currently has <a href="https://www.tesla.com/careers/search#/?keyword=Gigafactory&region=5&country=0&city=9&state=21" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">20 Austin-based job postings</a> for the Gigafactory, in addition to other postings for jobs such as <a href="https://www.tesla.com/careers/job/video-gamesengineerinfotainmentsoftware-68339" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">game developers</a>.</p><p>Some of Musk's other ventures are also looking to lay down roots in the Austin area, including his <a href="https://austonia.com/elon-musk-neuralink-austin" target="_self">"Fitbit in your skull"</a> startup, Neuralink, which is hiring four positions locally.</p>
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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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(Andreas Glöckner/Pixabay)
The Austin Film Society launched a new at-home streaming service, AFS@home.
<p>AFS@home members will receive discounted tickets for new films streaming on the platform as well as the ability to rent independent films not available elsewhere for around $10 to $12 apiece. </p><p>Current titles include the documentaries "This is Not a Movie: Robert Fisk" and "The Politics of Truth" and "Saul & Runy's Holocaust Survivor Band," adaptations of the Jack London novel "Martin Eden" and Richard Wright novel "Native Son," and the 2006 Chinese film "Still Life."</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="de2404a5fe6eead334e2cc8a325ba595" id="79e46"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
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</div></blockquote></div><p>As with in-person screenings, AFS staff will provide virtual introductions to many of the films available through AFS@home.<br/></p><p>Proceeds from the new service will support the reopening of AFS' physical cinema, at the Linc development near I-35 and Airport Boulevard.</p><p>"The AFS Cinema will return! It's not a matter of 'if,' but when," according to a press release issued on Friday. "But we know that it isn't time yet, and we will not reopen until Austin is ready to return to the movies." </p><p>AFS was founded in 1985 by filmmaker Richard Linklater, of the films "Boyhood" and "Before Sunrise."</p><p>The local cinema is one of 11 arthouses across the country involved in the @homeArts program, which was developed by the Salt Lake City Film Society to help cinemas adapt during the pandemic.</p><p>Texas Gov. Greg Abbott <a href="https://austonia.com/texas-bars-covid" target="_self">announced earlier this month</a> that movie theaters and other businesses limited to 50% capacity could expand to 75% capacity. </p><p>But many cinemas remain closed, such as AFS, or otherwise impacted by the pandemic. </p><p>Regal Cinemas, which reopened in August, <a href="https://austonia.com/regal-cinemas-shuts-down" target="_self">recently announced</a> that it would suspend operations at all of its U.S. locations, including four in Austin. </p><p><strong>More on theaters: </strong></p>
<h2><a href="https://austonia.com/mueller-alamo-drafthouse" target="_self">Alamo Drafthouse caught in lawsuit over unpaid rent at Mueller location</a></h2>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUxMjI1NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNzEyMjY5MX0.92B8k5ZQ160KRB-gT5yjc2gz6yDUIzjxGDfbD1jjfLE/img.jpg?width=980" id="c26e3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="5f63eebc01a4f84dc6c9a9e1513a5c9a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Alamo Drafthouse caught in lawsuit over unpaid rent at Mueller location(Alamo Drafthouse/Facebook)
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(Emma Freer/Austonia)
If Proposition A is approved, it would help fund Project Connect, a transit plan that proposes an underground light rail tunnel at Republic Square.
With early voting underway, Austin residents are already casting their ballots for or against Proposition A, a city property tax rate increase that, if approved, would help pay for Project Connect, a $7.1 billion overhaul of the city's transit system.
<p>The measure has prompted the formation of two political action committees, countless op-eds and <a href="https://austonia.com/austonia-guide-project-connect" target="_blank">our own guide</a>, which answered questions such as: <a href="https://austonia.com/project-connect-taxes" target="_blank">How much will Prop A raise my property tax bill?</a> And: <a href="https://austonia.com/project-connect-budget" target="_blank">How likely is it that the federal government will help pay for Project Connect?</a></p><p>Today, we are publishing a short argument from both sides of the debate.</p><p>Chas Moore, Nora Linares-Moeller, David Foster and Jeremy Hendricks write in support of Prop A. Moore is the executive director of the Austin Justice Coalition. Linares-Moeller is executive director of HousingWorks Austin; she donated $263.47 to the <a href="https://www.transitnowatx.com/" target="_blank">Mobility for All</a> PAC, according to campaign finance reports. Foster is the Texas director of Clean Water Action. Hendricks is a member of the executive board of the Laborers International Union of North America. <span></span></p><p>Jim Skaggs and Roger Falk write in opposition. Skaggs is the chairperson and CEO of the Seattle-based pharmaceutical company Aminex Therapeutics and has donated $14,000 to the anti-Project Connect PAC <a href="https://ourmobilityourfuture.com/" target="_blank">Our Mobility Our Future</a>, according to campaign finance reports. Falk is an analyst with OMOF and volunteers with the Travis County Taxpayers Union, which was founded by former Austin City Council member Don Zimmerman.</p><p><em>Disclaimer: These submissions are the unedited views of both sides of the argument. Claims made have not been fact-checked to give the proponents and opponents a chance to speak their minds freely. </em></p>
Pro: Prop A is a progressive step toward traffic relief, job creation and a greener planet
<p>For such a proudly progressive city, Austin has been spinning its wheels with a transportation system stuck in the past.</p> <p>Our roads-only approach to mobility has resulted in crushing congestion, exacerbated racial and economic inequities, and it keeps paving the way for environmental catastrophe.</p> <p>Congestion-proof light rail will tie together UT, the Capitol, Downtown, South Congress, and the airport, and be supported by rapid bus citywide, new passenger rail in the Eastern Crescent, and more options for suburban commuters. Along with more than a dozen new on-demand neighborhood circulator zones, this complete network will finally provide a viable, scalable, and comprehensive alternative to crammed highways and parking headaches.</p> <p>For Austin's transit-dependent riders — a group that is disproportionately Black, Latino, lower-income, or disabled — Project Connect slashes travel times and expands access to work, school, grocery stores, and health care.</p> <p>Like other vital infrastructure projects, Project Connect will create thousands of jobs and drive billions into our local economy. But Prop A is a distinct departure from the failed model of road-building. This plan preserves neighborhoods and includes a historic $300 million anti-displacement investment that will create and preserve affordable housing so people who rely on transit will still be able to use it. Greater access to high-quality transit will give more households the option to save thousands each year by reducing the number of cars they own.</p> <p>Finally, Prop A represents one of the most consequential steps we can collectively take to prevent climate change. Our transportation system is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in our community. By electrifying our bus fleet and getting more people to take transit, we can leave a cleaner, greener planet for our children and grandchildren.<br><br>Remember: Project Connect is a long-term investment in Austin's future. Despite misleading exaggerations, it will only increase your total tax bill by about 4 percent. For most residents, that's less than 80 cents per day.</p> <p>Austin's population will grow by 2 million additional people by 2040. We can't afford not to vote for Prop A. It's finally time to move Austin in the right direction.</p>Con: Project Connect is too expensive, especially during a pandemic, and serves too few
<p>PropA proposes the greatest city tax increase in history for ineffective, obsolete trains in Austin; where less than 2% use transit. Transit ridership has not increased in 30 years with spending $8 billion (today$) and population doubling.</p><p>PropA's $144 million/year will not fund Project Connect (PC); many billions in bonds are needed in the next eight years, increasing taxes again. Federal funding is unsubstantiated and doubtful. The Red Line had massive cost overruns, false ridership promises and no federal funding.</p><p>PropA results in a twenty-five percent city tax increase, that grows with appraisals. Promoted as "Regional" transit, this cost is exclusively paid by city property owners/renters.</p><p>80% of this Prop funds $250 million/mile, light rail. At full capacity, this rail's exaggerated ridership serves well less than 1% of regional mobility. All bus elements can be funded without record tax increases. <br><br>This is not a time for useless higher taxes, penalizing struggling businesses, homeowners, and renters. We need to reach a stable economic condition, with COVID-19 under control.<br><br>This pandemic and the possibility of more have placed transit systems in crisis and ridership is down more than 50%. Until transit's future design and capacity is established, investment in contagion vulnerable infrastructure is irresponsible. <br><br>Expansion of work-from-home substantially reduced commuting demand Project Connect hoped to serve. Reduction in traffic and vehicle emissions due to reduced commuting creates many times, 10-15 years earlier, the Project Connect benefits. NO COST TO PROPERTY OWNERS OR RENTERS. <br><br>Mobility is evolving, rail's old technology, will be obsolete before complete. A 17-mph trolley, stopping every other block, isn't "rapid/mass" transit. </p><p>Most growth isn't near trains. Unless you live near trains, access is challenging and time consuming. People won't abandon convenience and utility of personal vehicles for public transit's lost time and inconvenience. </p><p>It shouldn't take millions in propaganda and deceptive promises of congestion relief, jobs, social justice and climate change to sell a good plan.</p><p>This is a taxpayer funded, multi-billion-dollar jackpot for rail special interests and developers. Transit policy should be driven by logistics and need, not politics and greed. <br><br>This rail is an inequitable displacement machine, penalizing low income, working families. The "displacement" $300 million does not exist.<br><br>Some say past neglect justifies action, but this is a disaster plan and would be the most destructive project in Austin's history with years of disruption and pollution; digging up downtown with major impacts on businesses and mobility. <br><br><br></p>From Your Site Articles
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Austin is adding a new social media start-up to its growing list of tech businesses—TUBBR.
<p>Priding itself as the "world's first personal social networking app," TUBBR allows users to regulate the content they see and how it is accessed by others.</p><p><a href="https://tubbr.co/about.html" target="_blank">TUBBR</a>—pronounced like rubber—came to life when co-founder Saurabh Uttam was on a trip with friends and found that there wasn't an app that would allow the whole group to share pictures and videos while still being semi-private.</p><p>"This kind of collaboration and conversation was missing on any of the existing platforms," Uttam said in an interview with Austonia.</p><p>The need for the app grew as Uttam considered current apps and how he wanted a home for all content to exist under the same account.</p><p>TUBBR's Community Lead and Head of Marketing Sneha Sharma said what Instagram and Facebook can't do is provide universities or brands one place for all their content to exist under the same account, while still separated by category and topic.</p><p>On TUBBR, this is achieved by "walls." Different from Facebook walls, TUBBR users can create walls around topics like fashion, sports and politics, where all related content can go. Users can set these walls to public or private, which enables you to "push the right content to the right audience," Sharma said.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="17e7a37f065a8e9949edd0de91333742" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="2e372" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUyMDk1MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NjQ3ODcwNn0.pzgQKT6rlDqyXFSsMPaL9bZBayM01Vk4Ncj-XjP5xJY/img.jpg?width=980"/>
</p><p>The app, whose headquarters are in Austin, announced in a press release this week that it has received funding from venture capitalist fund Global Ascent Partners. The funding will support the full launch of TUBBR's beta program in January 2021.<br/></p><p>In the soon-to-be-released beta version, Uttam said you don't have to be tech-savvy to use it. Users can share a link to private walls via email or text, so people without an account can still see that content.</p><p>"I can send a link to my mom, just like a Zoom link, and she automatically becomes part of my family wall," Uttam said,</p><p>The beta launch also includes the option for premium walls, giving users and influencers the ability to monetize their walls by charging those who wish to access them. TUBBR will take a portion of these profits in place of traditional ad revenue.</p><p>"In traditional platforms, unless you have a million followers and good enough viewership, you cannot have a substantial income," Uttam said. "On TUBBR, you can convert your fan base to support you through paying for walls, exclusive content and membership programs."</p><p>In the two years since TUBBR's creation, more than 200,000 users have signed up, and the company has recruited more than 20,000 global and micro-influencers to join. In comparison, Facebook as more than 2.5 billion users. </p><p>Despite instant comparisons to other social media platforms like Facebook, Uttam isn't worried about the competition. He said that the uniquely intimate connection that TUBBR offers will attract users and clear a space in the social media market.</p>
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Apple stores are now doubling as distribution centers as part of a plan to increase shipping speeds for online shoppers.
<p>Customers living within 100 miles of an Apple store should expect faster delivery times, according to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-09/apple-starts-shipping-devices-from-stores-to-speed-up-deliveries" target="_blank">a recent Bloomberg report</a>. That means Central Texas residents could receive their new iPhones, Macs and iPads delivered directly from its Apple Barton Creek store or its Apple Domain Northside store.<br/></p><p>Products should arrive the same day or the next day, <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2020/10/09/apple-using-retail-stores-as-distribution-centers-to-speed-up-new-product-deliveries/" target="_blank">according to 9to5 Mac</a>, an Apple-focused news site. </p><p>Non-coincidentally, Apple Inc. <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/10/apple-introduces-iphone-12-pro-and-iphone-12-pro-max-with-5g/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">released plans Tuesday</a> for its new iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, the company's first 5G-compatible mobile device.</p><p>"With this new method, Apple will likely be able to better handle the high number of online orders for the new iPhones. Shipping products from its retail stores will also reduce operating costs, Apple told its employees," the 9to5 Mac report states.</p><p>The iPhone 12 Pro is available for online buyers starting Oct. 16 and in-store customers starting Oct. 23. The iPhone 12 Pro Max debuts shortly after, with online sales starting Nov. 6 and in-store sales starting Nov. 13.</p><p>Other highly anticipated products launching include the new iPad Air, over-ear headphones and a smaller HomePod, according to Bloomberg. In total, there are more than 300 Apple Stores in the U.S. and Canada. </p><p>But customers can't choose where orders originate, the report says. Instead, Apple's operations team decides, according to company sources. </p><p>The news represents another reminder of Apple's increasing presence in Austin. The California-based tech company is in the midst of a $1 billion expansion plan in Austin that includes a 3-million-square-foot campus near its existing office on Parmer Lane.</p><p>That is where the Mac Pro, "Apple's most power computer ever," according to CEO Tim Cook, is produced. Cook and President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/21/apple-ceo-cook-meets-with-president-trump-at-austin-mac-pro-facility.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">visited the Austin-based Apple facilities</a> in late 2019 in anticipation of <a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/11/apple-expands-in-austin/#:~:text=Apple%20is%20steadily%20growing%20in,the%20past%20five%20years%20alone." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a Mac Pro redesign</a>, which is also produced there.</p><p>In total, Apple employs 7,000 people in Austin, according to the company.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.apple.com/retail/domainnorthside/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple store in Domain Northside</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.apple.com/retail/bartoncreek/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Barton Creek location</a> are open on a limited basis for online pickup orders as well as appointment-only shopping and support.</p><p><strong>More on Apple: </strong></p>
<h2><a href="https://austonia.com/future/video-austin-apple-campus-construction-progress" target="_self">Video: Austin's new $1 billion Apple campus under construction</a></h2>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUwMzA3OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMjU0MjQ1N30.Ub5y1fLN1b34Z6jeIEqjDiIiPKFIQoJ_wH9iz1oKV6g/img.jpg?width=980" id="db0cc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="49a779d21ca01ea73a6ba666656c00ca" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />Video: Austin's new $1 billion Apple campus under constructionyoutu.be
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