• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there

3

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there

3

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
TechData Sheet

Data Sheet—At Long Last, Flying Cars Are on the Way (Probably)

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 8, 2017, 9:13 AM ET

Good morning from the coldest day of the season so far in Boston, Aaron in for Adam.

We’ve all been waiting since The Jetsons for flying cars, but despite the occasional hype of startup after startup, we’re still driving around firmly in contact with the pavement.

Now I’m starting to think that maybe the key missing component all these years wasn’t finding someone to build a vehicle that could fly and drive. It was finding someone who could develop a business case to build a whole ecosystem supporting flying cars and make the expense of developing the technology worthwhile. After all, a flying car isn’t going anywhere without customers, who then need air driving training, perhaps, and an infrastructure that supports a brand new mode of transport—not to mention government approval and rules of the road, err, I mean sky?

All of which makes it kind of exciting that today Uber, which has already been talking up the flying taxi concept, announced it will be working with NASA to create the needed air traffic management system. The concept is auto-piloted air cars that will bypass traffic jams and make commuter runs above overcrowded freeways or even short jaunts between closely connected cities.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Partnering with government bodies hasn’t been Uber’s strong suit, although under new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, it’s certainly now a priority. And getting flying taxis off the ground can’t be achieved with Silicon Valley’s old strategy of “don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness.” So it’s encouraging to hear that Uber is going to connect its obvious business strengths with NASA’s effort to create a framework for managing and overseeing traffic of low altitude flyers.

Uber says the flying taxis could be running in Los Angeles in time for the 2028 Olympics. Not bad.

Aaron Pressman
@ampressman
aaron.pressman@fortune.com

NEWSWORTHY

Snap back. Snap's stock price is snapping back a bit after it revealed that Chinese Internet giant Tencent has upped its stake in the company to 12% of Snap's stock. Snap's stock price had initially plummeted as much as 16% Tuesday night after the messaging service reported disappointing growth in users and revenue (and revealed it was writing off a $40 million loss on its Spectacles camera glasses project). After the Tencent disclosure, the shares were down only 9%. Tencent says it is "excited to deepen its shareholding relationship with us, and that it looks forward to sharing ideas and experiences," Snap noted in a filing with the SEC.

Wordy. Twitter raised the character limit for tweets, allowing users to run on for 280 characters. That means you could tweet the previous sentence three times in one go. Nice.

Just checking. European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager wants Apple to disclose details of its new corporate structure after reports about the changes emerged from the Paradise Papers leak this week. Vestager withheld judgment on whether the new arrangement follows EU rules. "That remains to be seen," she said. Meanwhile, Apple is working on a new augmented reality headset, Bloomberg reports.

Digital doh. Dozens of people who were using the digital wallet app Parity to store a combined $300 million in digital currency Ethereum found themselves locked out on Tuesday. A programmer accidentally triggered the lock down, made possible by a bug introduced in a July update to Parity's code, the developer said.

Big loss. Advanced Micro Devices lost a top executive as Raja Koduri, the head of its graphics unit, announced he would not be coming back from a leave of absence. CEO Lisa Su will continue to oversee the Radeon Technologies Group unit until a successor is named for Koduri, considered one of the most brilliant minds in graphics chips.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Congress held a hearing on the Equifax hacker breach last week, and security expert Bruce Schneier was among the folks who testified. He posted his entire statement on his blog, and it's an informative, if sobering, read. Only new laws can help avoid future data disasters, he argues. Market pressure alone, he says, can't force data brokers like Equifax to clean up their act and improve their security.

Markets work because buyers choose from a choice of sellers, and sellers compete for buyers. None of us are Equifax's customers. None of us are the customers of any of these data brokers. We can't refuse to do business with the companies. We can't remove our data from their databases. With few limited exceptions, we can't even see what data these companies have about us or correct any mistakes.

We are the product that these companies sell to their customers: those who want to use our personal information to understand us, categorize us, make decisions about us, and persuade us.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Yahoo's Marissa Mayer Subpoenaed to Testify Before Senate By John Patrick Pullen

IBM Has a New Blockchain Idea: Tracking Marijuana Sales By Aaron Pressman

NASA Just Released Some Awe-Inspiring Jupiter Photos By Jonathan Vanian

iPhone Owners Can Now Send Money to Friends Using Apple Pay Cash By John Patrick Pullen

Walmart Rejected Apple Pay and Now It's Paying Off By Don Reisinger

Most People Aren't Using This Critical Web Security Feature By Jeff John Roberts

Microsoft Looks to Get Back in the Game With Launch of Xbox One X By Chris Morris

BEFORE YOU GO

ComicCon and other pop culture events bring out some of the most creative costumes you'll ever see. The video game site Kotaku has a cute photo collection today of one particularly cute, if wacky, sub-niche: people who dress as Star Wars vehicles.

This edition of Data Sheet was curated by Aaron Pressman. Find past issues, and sign up for other Fortune newsletters.
About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Digital sovereignty isn’t the same thing as digital isolation. Asia’s governments should be careful
Commentarydata sovereignty
Digital sovereignty isn’t the same thing as digital isolation. Asia’s governments should be careful
By Leonard LimJune 10, 2026
4 hours ago
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates (C) arrives for a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 10, 2026.
LawBill Gates
Gates testifies on Epstein: previous Fortune investigation reveals payments to his ex-girlfriend, $1M Microsoft deal
By Eva Roytburg, Joey Cappelletti, Hannah Schoenbaum and The Associated PressJune 10, 2026
5 hours ago
How the World Cup is a high-stakes stage for Big Tech’s AI push
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How the World Cup is a high-stakes stage for Big Tech’s AI push
By John KellJune 10, 2026
6 hours ago
Anthropic accused of ‘secret sabotage’ as Claude Fable 5 silently limits capabilities for AI researchers and developers
AIAnthropic
Anthropic accused of ‘secret sabotage’ as Claude Fable 5 silently limits capabilities for AI researchers and developers
By Sharon GoldmanJune 10, 2026
7 hours ago
A 5-week course and a guaranteed job: Meta commits $115 million to solve the skilled-trades shortage stalling its AI build-out
Future of WorkMeta
A 5-week course and a guaranteed job: Meta commits $115 million to solve the skilled-trades shortage stalling its AI build-out
By Jacqueline MunisJune 10, 2026
8 hours ago
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma
SuccessCareers
Xbox’s CEO spent her early career taking out trash and selling coupon books—she says the secret to her rise was never obsessing over a dream career
By Preston ForeJune 10, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
Asia
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
By Kate O'Keeffe and BloombergJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
Success
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
Economy
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
By Nick LichtenbergJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
Energy
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
By Sasha RogelbergJune 10, 2026
7 hours ago
Wall Street dumped nearly $1 trillion in tech stocks by midday—then clawed it back and bought peanut butter and paint
Investing
Wall Street dumped nearly $1 trillion in tech stocks by midday—then clawed it back and bought peanut butter and paint
By Eva RoytburgJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 9, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.