Natalie Lung
@natalielung.com
Breaking News about Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, dating & consumer apps at Bloomberg News. Previously covered Hong Kong politics. Drumming in my free time 🥁🕺🏻Views my own.
Tips? 📲 Signal: @nlfy.15 or 📧 flung6@bloomberg.net
Tips? 📲 Signal: @nlfy.15 or 📧 flung6@bloomberg.net
Reposted by Natalie Lung
Meta's standalone Meta AI app, launched in April 2025, offers an uneven experience, often hallucinating facts and failing to provide personalized responses (Bloomberg)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
August 15, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Meta's standalone Meta AI app, launched in April 2025, offers an uneven experience, often hallucinating facts and failing to provide personalized responses (Bloomberg)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
DEEP DIVE: Meta’s consumer-facing AI app offers an uneven experience, exposing the gap between Zuckerberg’s bold ambitions and what the tech actually offers users
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Meta’s Consumer AI App Has Persistent Flaws Months After Debut
The Meta AI app offers an uneven experience, posing a sharp contrast to Mark Zuckerberg’s lofty artificial intelligence ambitions.
www.bloomberg.com
August 15, 2025 at 11:28 AM
DEEP DIVE: Meta’s consumer-facing AI app offers an uneven experience, exposing the gap between Zuckerberg’s bold ambitions and what the tech actually offers users
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Headed soon to Dataharvest conference in Mechelen, Belgium to present on our process and crowdsourcing tips from Bloomberg's investigation on Uber and Lyft ride share lockouts.
It'll be my first dataj event in Europe - please say hi! #EIJC25
dataharvest25.sched.com/event/1zv0e?...
It'll be my first dataj event in Europe - please say hi! #EIJC25
dataharvest25.sched.com/event/1zv0e?...
Dataharvest 2025 - the European Investigative Journalism Conference: Using WhatsApp to crowdsource data
View more about this event at Dataharvest 2025 - the European Investigative Journalism Conference
dataharvest25.sched.com
May 20, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Headed soon to Dataharvest conference in Mechelen, Belgium to present on our process and crowdsourcing tips from Bloomberg's investigation on Uber and Lyft ride share lockouts.
It'll be my first dataj event in Europe - please say hi! #EIJC25
dataharvest25.sched.com/event/1zv0e?...
It'll be my first dataj event in Europe - please say hi! #EIJC25
dataharvest25.sched.com/event/1zv0e?...
scoop: Food delivery company Grubhub is reviving the quarter-century-old Seamless brand in New York, its biggest market, in a bid to drive growth in a key city as it lags behind rivals nationally
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Grubhub Revives Seamless Delivery Brand in Key NYC Market
Food delivery company Grubhub is reviving the quarter-century-old Seamless brand in New York, its biggest market, in a bid to drive growth in a key city as it lags behind rivals nationally.
www.bloomberg.com
April 2, 2025 at 2:14 PM
scoop: Food delivery company Grubhub is reviving the quarter-century-old Seamless brand in New York, its biggest market, in a bid to drive growth in a key city as it lags behind rivals nationally
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Tinder is finding different ways to boost engagement among Gen Z daters (50% of user base). Ot has been testing a double-dating feature, and as I found out, is taking another page from mobile games by promising more in-app matches and rewards if users log into the app consistently for a week:
April 1, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Tinder is finding different ways to boost engagement among Gen Z daters (50% of user base). Ot has been testing a double-dating feature, and as I found out, is taking another page from mobile games by promising more in-app matches and rewards if users log into the app consistently for a week:
Lyft just gave a more precise timeline for its planned 2025 autonomous launch with May Mobility in Atlanta, saying it will roll out "as soon as this summer".
A company blog post today also addresses its vision for the future of its (human) gig workforce 👇
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
A company blog post today also addresses its vision for the future of its (human) gig workforce 👇
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Lyft to Offer Driverless Ride-Hails ‘as Soon as This Summer’
Lyft Inc. said it plans to offer driverless vehicles on its platform “as soon as this summer,” and that it sees human drivers transitioning to other work such as fleet management as autonomous rides b...
www.bloomberg.com
March 20, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Lyft just gave a more precise timeline for its planned 2025 autonomous launch with May Mobility in Atlanta, saying it will roll out "as soon as this summer".
A company blog post today also addresses its vision for the future of its (human) gig workforce 👇
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
A company blog post today also addresses its vision for the future of its (human) gig workforce 👇
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Bumble is adding ID verification to its dating app alongside other new features, an attempt to court safety-conscious younger users key to its turnaround plans.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Note: Founder Wolfe Herde is returning as CEO today, >1 year after handing reins to ex-Slack CEO Jones.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Note: Founder Wolfe Herde is returning as CEO today, >1 year after handing reins to ex-Slack CEO Jones.
Bumble Rolls Out ID Verification in Dating App Safety Push
Bumble Inc. is adding ID verification to its dating app alongside other new features, an attempt to court safety-conscious younger users who are key to the company’s turnaround plans.
www.bloomberg.com
March 17, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Bumble is adding ID verification to its dating app alongside other new features, an attempt to court safety-conscious younger users key to its turnaround plans.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Note: Founder Wolfe Herde is returning as CEO today, >1 year after handing reins to ex-Slack CEO Jones.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Note: Founder Wolfe Herde is returning as CEO today, >1 year after handing reins to ex-Slack CEO Jones.
Details in Match new CEO’s note to employees today:
Co will “streamline” ops, invest in growth areas and set up a confidential channel for its employees to share ideas with leadership to rebuild user trust in its dating apps
(Co has 3 activist investors to date)
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Co will “streamline” ops, invest in growth areas and set up a confidential channel for its employees to share ideas with leadership to rebuild user trust in its dating apps
(Co has 3 activist investors to date)
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Tinder Owner’s New CEO Signals Urgency to Rebuild User Trust
Match Group Inc. will “streamline operations,” invest in growth areas and set up a confidential channel for its employees to share ideas with the executive team to improve its dating apps, said the co...
www.bloomberg.com
March 14, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Details in Match new CEO’s note to employees today:
Co will “streamline” ops, invest in growth areas and set up a confidential channel for its employees to share ideas with leadership to rebuild user trust in its dating apps
(Co has 3 activist investors to date)
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Co will “streamline” ops, invest in growth areas and set up a confidential channel for its employees to share ideas with leadership to rebuild user trust in its dating apps
(Co has 3 activist investors to date)
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
A Lyft spokesperson now confirms Lyft Silver, the offering designed for senior riders, is coming later this year.
Users can sign up to get notified when it launches in their markets here:
lyft.com/rider/silver
Users can sign up to get notified when it launches in their markets here:
lyft.com/rider/silver
March 11, 2025 at 9:22 PM
A Lyft spokesperson now confirms Lyft Silver, the offering designed for senior riders, is coming later this year.
Users can sign up to get notified when it launches in their markets here:
lyft.com/rider/silver
Users can sign up to get notified when it launches in their markets here:
lyft.com/rider/silver
Scoop: Lyft is working on a simplified version of its app for elderly riders, according to a Bloomberg review of the iOS app code, as Lyft seeks to further differentiate itself from rival Uber
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Lyft Working on Simpler Version of Its App for Elderly Riders
Lyft Inc. is working on a simplified version of its app for elderly riders, part of an effort to further differentiate itself from rival Uber Technologies Inc.
www.bloomberg.com
March 11, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Scoop: Lyft is working on a simplified version of its app for elderly riders, according to a Bloomberg review of the iOS app code, as Lyft seeks to further differentiate itself from rival Uber
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Wayve, the self-driving co that raised >$1b last year from SoftBank, NVDA, MSFT, Uber, said it’s nearing a commercial debut with major automakers.
It also published new data claiming its AI model can adapt to US behaviors faster, with less $ than existing methods.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
It also published new data claiming its AI model can adapt to US behaviors faster, with less $ than existing methods.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
SoftBank-Backed Self-Driving Firm Wayve Nears Commercial Debut
Wayve Technologies Ltd., the self-driving startup that raised more than $1 billion last year from investors including SoftBank Group Corp., said it’s nearing a commercial debut with major automakers.
www.bloomberg.com
March 10, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Wayve, the self-driving co that raised >$1b last year from SoftBank, NVDA, MSFT, Uber, said it’s nearing a commercial debut with major automakers.
It also published new data claiming its AI model can adapt to US behaviors faster, with less $ than existing methods.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
It also published new data claiming its AI model can adapt to US behaviors faster, with less $ than existing methods.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
New investigation: We have been digging into how US apps like FB, Tinder & Airbnb are used for sex trafficking in Colombia. Headlines have focused largely on how men are killed by their Tinder dates. BTS, the women are often controlled by gangs who exploit the apps to conduct business.
Gift link 👇
Gift link 👇
March 3, 2025 at 10:59 PM
New investigation: We have been digging into how US apps like FB, Tinder & Airbnb are used for sex trafficking in Colombia. Headlines have focused largely on how men are killed by their Tinder dates. BTS, the women are often controlled by gangs who exploit the apps to conduct business.
Gift link 👇
Gift link 👇
Reposted by Natalie Lung
Uber sues DoorDash, accusing it of anticompetitive practices like coercing restaurants to exclusively work with DoorDash for parts of their delivery business (Heather Haddon/Wall Street Journal)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
February 15, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Uber sues DoorDash, accusing it of anticompetitive practices like coercing restaurants to exclusively work with DoorDash for parts of their delivery business (Heather Haddon/Wall Street Journal)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
News on Uber's latest lobbying effort: a multimillion dollar ad campaign to push for reforms in insurance policies that it says have been exploited by personal injury lawyers and contribute to higher ride prices
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Uber Targets Personal Injury Lawyers in Multimillion Dollar Ad Campaign
Uber Technologies Inc. is pouring millions of dollars into a national ad campaign to push for reforms in insurance policies that it says have been exploited by personal injury lawyers and contribute t...
www.bloomberg.com
February 14, 2025 at 5:20 PM
News on Uber's latest lobbying effort: a multimillion dollar ad campaign to push for reforms in insurance policies that it says have been exploited by personal injury lawyers and contribute to higher ride prices
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Exclusive: MyFitnessPal, the food and calorie-tracking app, bought AI startup Intent and will soon debut AI-powered meal plans, a feature the company hopes will boost sign-ups and subscriptions
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
MyFitnessPal to Offer Personalized AI Meal Planning After Quietly Buying Startup
MyFitnessPal, the food and calorie-tracking app, bought an artificial intelligence startup and will soon debut AI-powered meal plans, a feature the company hopes will boost sign-ups and subscriptions.
www.bloomberg.com
February 12, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Exclusive: MyFitnessPal, the food and calorie-tracking app, bought AI startup Intent and will soon debut AI-powered meal plans, a feature the company hopes will boost sign-ups and subscriptions
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
NYC rideshare regulator said Uber and Lyft are “spreading disinformation” in their new email campaigns to drivers and riders about proposed rules that would give drivers a roughly 6% pay hike www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
NYC Slams Uber, Lyft for ‘Disinformation’ on Driver Pay Hike
New York City’s rideshare regulator said Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. are “spreading disinformation” in emails sent to drivers and riders about proposed rules that would give drivers a roughly...
www.bloomberg.com
February 1, 2025 at 1:08 AM
NYC rideshare regulator said Uber and Lyft are “spreading disinformation” in their new email campaigns to drivers and riders about proposed rules that would give drivers a roughly 6% pay hike www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
scoop: FTC is probing whether Uber, Lyft illegally coordinated to limit NYC driver pay. The firms confirmed they received official info requests from the agency.
A 2024 Bloomberg investigation showed how the firms used lockouts to save them millions in driver pay.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
A 2024 Bloomberg investigation showed how the firms used lockouts to save them millions in driver pay.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Uber, Lyft Face Antitrust Probe Over NYC Driver Pay Deal
The US Federal Trade Commission is probing whether Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. illegally coordinated to limit driver pay in New York City, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg News.
www.bloomberg.com
January 30, 2025 at 10:05 PM
scoop: FTC is probing whether Uber, Lyft illegally coordinated to limit NYC driver pay. The firms confirmed they received official info requests from the agency.
A 2024 Bloomberg investigation showed how the firms used lockouts to save them millions in driver pay.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
A 2024 Bloomberg investigation showed how the firms used lockouts to save them millions in driver pay.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Natalie Lung
Sources: the highest ranks of the US Office of Personnel Management now include former employees of Elon Musk's companies, including xAI and the Boring Company (Vittoria Elliott/Wired)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
January 29, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Sources: the highest ranks of the US Office of Personnel Management now include former employees of Elon Musk's companies, including xAI and the Boring Company (Vittoria Elliott/Wired)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
scoop: I reviewed Uber’s iOS app code and found that it has been working on a new $2.99 pass that would let commuters lock in prices for frequent rides ahead of time, rivaling a popular feature that Lyft launched five months ago
Details here:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Details here:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Uber Working on Price-Lock Pass to Rival Popular Lyft Feature
Uber Technologies Inc. is working on a new paid offering that would let commuters lock in prices for frequent rides ahead of time, rivaling a popular feature that Lyft Inc. launched five months ago.
www.bloomberg.com
January 28, 2025 at 9:55 PM
scoop: I reviewed Uber’s iOS app code and found that it has been working on a new $2.99 pass that would let commuters lock in prices for frequent rides ahead of time, rivaling a popular feature that Lyft launched five months ago
Details here:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Details here:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Three former engineering leaders from Google, Meta and Samsung have raised $10 million for a new startup focused on making artificial intelligence-powered customer sales agents more polite and brand-aware www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Ex-Google, Meta Execs Building Emotionally Aware AI Sales Agents
Three former engineering leaders from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Meta Platforms Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. have raised $10 million for a new startup focused on making artificial intelligence-powere...
www.bloomberg.com
January 23, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Three former engineering leaders from Google, Meta and Samsung have raised $10 million for a new startup focused on making artificial intelligence-powered customer sales agents more polite and brand-aware www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Natalie Lung
Grindr unveils new features, including an opt-in AI chat summary, plans to launch six features in 2025, and says 10K users are testing its AI-powered "Wingman" (Natalie Lung/Bloomberg)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
January 21, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Grindr unveils new features, including an opt-in AI chat summary, plans to launch six features in 2025, and says 10K users are testing its AI-powered "Wingman" (Natalie Lung/Bloomberg)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
You'll likely see more competing op-eds about short-term rentals in NYC this year. Both Airbnb and the well-resourced hotel union are funding and running ads voicing out on a municipal bill that'd roll back parts of the city's Airbnb ban
(article from last week:)
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
(article from last week:)
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Airbnb to Spend Millions in Lobbying New York to Ease Rental Ban
Airbnb Inc. is pouring millions into a pair of New York political campaigns as it pushes back against short-term rental restrictions that took more than 80% of its NYC listings offline within a year.
www.bloomberg.com
January 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
You'll likely see more competing op-eds about short-term rentals in NYC this year. Both Airbnb and the well-resourced hotel union are funding and running ads voicing out on a municipal bill that'd roll back parts of the city's Airbnb ban
(article from last week:)
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
(article from last week:)
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
NYC is trying to close a loophole that Uber, Lyft have used to deny drivers $mlns in pay with a raft of new measures that would effectively raise their rates by roughly 6.1%.
The regulator has vowed to amend rules after a Bloomberg investigation on the practice:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The regulator has vowed to amend rules after a Bloomberg investigation on the practice:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
NYC Is Trying to End Uber, Lyft Driver Lockouts With a Pay Hike
New York City is trying to close a loophole that Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. have used to deny drivers millions of dollars in pay with a raft of new measures that would effectively raise thei...
www.bloomberg.com
January 8, 2025 at 11:35 PM
NYC is trying to close a loophole that Uber, Lyft have used to deny drivers $mlns in pay with a raft of new measures that would effectively raise their rates by roughly 6.1%.
The regulator has vowed to amend rules after a Bloomberg investigation on the practice:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The regulator has vowed to amend rules after a Bloomberg investigation on the practice:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Natalie Lung
Tinder warns of declining to flat direct revenue through 2026, below estimates, and says it plans to prioritize improving its user experience over monetization (Natalie Lung/Bloomberg)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
December 14, 2024 at 5:10 AM
Tinder warns of declining to flat direct revenue through 2026, below estimates, and says it plans to prioritize improving its user experience over monetization (Natalie Lung/Bloomberg)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Scoop: New York is considering asking property insurers to cover claims of insolvent American Transit, which insures 60% NYC cabs/Ubers.
Why? The usual funds govt uses to assure coverage of an insolvent insurer are *insufficient* to cover for ATIC’s >$670m claims.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Why? The usual funds govt uses to assure coverage of an insolvent insurer are *insufficient* to cover for ATIC’s >$670m claims.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
New York Considers Making Property Insurers Cover Taxi Claims Losses
New York is considering asking property and casualty insurers to cover the claims of insolvent taxi insurer American Transit Insurance Co., according to people familiar with the plans.
www.bloomberg.com
December 12, 2024 at 3:12 PM
Scoop: New York is considering asking property insurers to cover claims of insolvent American Transit, which insures 60% NYC cabs/Ubers.
Why? The usual funds govt uses to assure coverage of an insolvent insurer are *insufficient* to cover for ATIC’s >$670m claims.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Why? The usual funds govt uses to assure coverage of an insolvent insurer are *insufficient* to cover for ATIC’s >$670m claims.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...