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

Trendingnow

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

1

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
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
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

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
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

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

Amazon Prime Day total online spending surpasses Adobe estimate
Retailecommerce
Amazon Prime Day total online spending surpasses Adobe estimate
By Spencer Soper and BloombergJune 27, 2026
10 hours ago
Australia to strengthen enforcement of under-16 social media ban
PoliticsSocial Media
Australia to strengthen enforcement of under-16 social media ban
By Ainslie Chandler and BloombergJune 27, 2026
14 hours ago
Apple seeks U.S. approval to buy chips from blacklisted CXMT: FT
Big TechChips
Apple seeks U.S. approval to buy chips from blacklisted CXMT: FT
By Angela Cullen and BloombergJune 27, 2026
15 hours ago
SpaceX, Charter discussed mobile phone partnership in U.S.
North Americaspace
SpaceX, Charter discussed mobile phone partnership in U.S.
By Kelcee Griffis and BloombergJune 27, 2026
15 hours ago
Anthropic’s Mythos 5 AI model cleared by U.S. for wider use
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s Mythos 5 AI model cleared by U.S. for wider use
By Josh Wingrove, Rachel Metz and BloombergJune 27, 2026
15 hours ago
erik
AIJobs
‘It’s not going away’: The Stanford economist who called the AI entry-level jobs crisis early has the receipts
By Nick LichtenbergJune 27, 2026
16 hours ago

Most Popular

Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
19 hours ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
3 days ago
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
4 days ago
The 33-year-old executive Satya Nadella is trusting to fix Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant
AI
The 33-year-old executive Satya Nadella is trusting to fix Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant
By Sebastian HerreraJune 27, 2026
20 hours ago
The end of Putin’s regime will spring from war spending chaos, former central bank advisor says, amid military mutiny threat and fuel-shortage brawls
Europe
The end of Putin’s regime will spring from war spending chaos, former central bank advisor says, amid military mutiny threat and fuel-shortage brawls
By Jason MaJune 27, 2026
11 hours ago
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Asia
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
4 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.