WSJ Tech News Briefing
TNB Tech Minute: NYC Orders Uber Eats to Pay $3.5 Million Over Delivery Worker Pay
30 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
AI is transforming industries, but the data centers powering it require more energy and water than ever. At the break, join Christoph Beck, Chairman and CEO of Ecolab, for insights on using water effectively while safeguarding this critical resource for future generations.
Here's your afternoon TNB Tech Minute for Friday, January 30th. I'm Julie Chang for The Wall Street Journal. Uber's food delivery business will pay $3.5 million in worker pay restitution and civil penalties as part of an order by the New York City government.
The New York mayor's office said today an investigation by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection alleged that Uber Eats failed to pay workers the minimum pay rate between December 2023 and September 2024 for time spent on canceled trips. Uber also agreed to reinstate workers who were wrongfully deactivated.
The company's communications director said Uber is glad to have the issue resolved. Food delivery platforms Fontuan and Hungry Panda are also being ordered to make similar payments for a total amount of $5.2 million. Tesla shares closed up over 3%. Reports yesterday claimed that the electric vehicle maker might merge with SpaceX.
The private space exploration company was founded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. and is slated for an initial public offering later this year. SpaceX is also weighing a merger with XAI, another Musk company, according to Bloomberg. Tesla said in an earnings release Wednesday that it'll invest $2 billion in XAI.
And Charter Communications reported gains in mobile and video subscribers, which helped offset decline on its internet business amid increased competition. In the fourth quarter, Charter's total internet customers declined by 119,000, but total mobile lines rose by 428,000, and total video customers rose by 44,000.
Revenue decreased by more than 2% to $13.6 billion, while net income was $1.55 billion, down from $1.68 billion year-over-year. Shares jumped about 8%, but the stock is down 37% over the past 52 weeks. And that's it for your TMB Tech Minutes. Check back Monday morning for more.
How are data center operators working to improve sustainability and water savings at every stage of the data center lifecycle?
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Chapter 2: What are the implications of NYC's order for Uber Eats to pay $3.5 million?
Here's Ecolab's Christophe Beck with some thoughts.
The Mach 7 or the Mach 4, the ones that are really so focused on high tech, are the most forward-looking. They have the means, they have the mindset, they have the passion for innovation, and they're really open to try new things as well because everything is new with AI and with that technology as well.
I think even if we're not where we wanted to be with that industry right now, we will be ahead in the next few years because innovation that's coming up right now is working much better than we thought. And it's really thinking in circular ways, being in a data center or in a microchip manufacturing plant.
Learn more about Ecolab at Ecolab.com.
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