In September 2017, Equifax stole the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers from roughly half of the Americans. New York Times revealed a few months later that Cambridge Analytica, a private company, had collected information on more than 50,000,000 Facebook users without permission and given it to the Trump campaign in 2016. Congress …
The Netflix Prize was awarded in 2009 to the team that created the algorithm that predicted the enjoyment subscribers would get from a given movie based on past viewing habits. These “innovation contests,” conducted in-house or globally, can help crowdsource innovative, practical solutions for various problems. “Innovation competitions are increasingly popular in all domains,” says …
For decades, chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes have been rising. The number one cause of disability and death in the U.S. is chronic conditions like heart disease. It makes sense to identify people at risk of chronic diseases before they become sick. Early intervention can slow the progression of chronic diseases and …
The U.S. has a persistent poverty problem. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that our progress would be measured by whether or not we added more to those with much. What about today? More than 13% live below the poverty line, and even a trillion in federal funding is spent on programs to reduce …
Amazon launched in 2014 a new algorithm for finding the best candidates. After a year, Amazon realized that the tool was biased towards women and shut down the program. John Jersin was the product manager for LinkedIn Talent Solutions when Reuters first broke the story in October last year. He offered his opinion on the …
Roger McNamee is a prominent Silicon Valley investor with a reputation for harshly criticizing some of the largest and most influential tech companies. His anger is centered on Facebook, which he launched with an early investment and was an advisor to Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO. McNamee helped to hire COO Sheryl Sandberg and stopped Zuckerberg …
A kayaker drifted along in silence off the coast of New Zealand when, last year, a seal slapped his face with an octopus. The trip, part of a GoPro product launch, was funded by the company, and the sucker punch that the seal delivered was captured on video. The clip went viral when GoPro uploaded …
China had the largest economy in the world by 1500. By the end of the 19th Century, the U.S. and Western Europe had surpassed China in production and service. Why? Some economists claim that the West’s unfettered innovation and free markets in China led to this shift. What is the link between innovation, markets, productivity, …
You can choose from a wide range of products. Paper clips are easy. Easy dish sponges. These products are at the other end of the spectrum. Health insurance is at the opposite end of the spectrum and seems to be a long way away. Kate Bundorf is an associate professor at Stanford School of Medicine, …
Would hospitals lie to you? This question is essential for patients and policymakers, insurers, and regulators interested in controlling medical costs. Mohsen Bayati of Stanford Graduate School of Business examined a recent version of this question in research on how Medicare patients are reported infections by hospitals. Bayati is an associate professor at Stanford GSB. He …
