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Facebook creates group dedicated to studying blockchain
Just because Facebook isn't keen on cryptocurrency ads doesn't mean it's against some of the underlying technology. The social network is creating a group devoted to exploring ways it can use ultra-trendy blockchain across its products, "starting from scratch." The division will be run by David Marcus, who's leaving his role as the head of the Messenger team, and will include outgoing Instagram product VP Kevin Weil. Not much more is known beyond that, however, including what Facebook might do blockchain tech.
The definition of karma: PayPal president's credit card gets hacked
If you've ever lost access to your PayPal holdings through no fault of your own -- say, following a shady money transfer -- you may be tempted to enjoy a little schadenfreude today. PayPal president David Marcus reports that someone used a skimming device to clone his credit card while he was in the UK, letting the perpetrator make a "ton" of fraudulent purchases. It's virtually the embodiment of karmic payback, isn't it? In fairness, the executive is right when he notes that the incident wouldn't have happened if the merchant accepted PayPal; the company would have masked the card number and rendered the skimmer useless. And we sincerely hope that Marcus' finances are back in order. All the same, the affair shows just why business leaders should be sympathetic to their customers' problems -- one day, they may be stuck in the same boat.
An interview with PayPal president David Marcus: as offline / retail prominence grows, a renewed focus on customer service
One doesn't have to look far to find my true feelings on just about any company. PayPal, in particular, has been on the wrong end of many examples of customer service gone horribly wrong. After lambasting the payments outfit once more following a gaffe I discovered while interviewing Infinitec co-founder Ahmad Zahran, I did something I rarely do: I reached out to the company's president on Twitter. A few hours later, the 39-year old David Marcus responded. At the time, I was floored to get anything more than a passing sigh, but after visiting his new home - a nondescript office at PayPal's headquarters in San Jose, Calif. - I learned that my experience wasn't a unique one. Marcus, a tall, handsome chap who was absorbed into eBay after a $240 million acquisition of mobile-payments provider Zong, was bestowed with the herculean task of running PayPal not long after Scott Thompson departed for Yahoo. Upon walking up to his office, it becomes immediately clear that he's aware of it -- his room is labeled "GSD," which the clever among us would recognize as "Get Sh*t Done." Outside of a few tall windows, there's little more here than a desk, a striking Nixie clock and a personal coffee machine -- seemingly, the bare essentials needed to achieve the three-lettered goal he sees each time he enters. Under Thompson's guidance, PayPal had grown at a rate seen by only a handful of other companies in the world, notching double-digit profit increases like clockwork. As it turns out, Thompson had little choice but to focus almost entirely on risk management and investor relations during his tenure - with millions in transactions pouring in by the hour, and new nations and currencies being added by the month - it simply had to be all about the numbers. Now, PayPal finds itself thrust into a new era. It's an era led by a startup junkie, tasked with getting a 13,000-plus-member team to buy into an entirely new culture. It's a culture that realizes how sensitive consumers are to financial taboos, how vital it is to iterate before rivals can even plan and how irreparably damaged PayPal's brand could become if customer service isn't a top priority as it soldiers into the world of offline payments. %Gallery-172861%
Distro Issue 69: Can David Marcus fix PayPal's reputation?
It's no secret that PayPal has had its fair share of speed bumps, but can a change in leadership help usher in a new era? The online payment outfit's new president, David Marcus, seeks to do just that and we offer a look at said task inside our weekly. As far as full-length reviews are concerned, we put both the Galaxy S III Mini and Acer's $199 Chromebook through their respective paces. IRL is back with another look at our personal gadget stash, Recommended Reading examines the Lytro and The Almost's Jon Thompson takes a run at the Q&A. The requisite download links reside below, leaving you mere clicks away from some relaxing weekend e-reading. Distro Issue 69 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (for sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
