Back in 2011, Google introduced the world to driverless cars through a launch party at the TED conference. Esther Wojcicki, the mother of 23 and Me founder Anne Wojcicki and mother-in-law to Google cofounder Sergey Brin, was in attendance. Though being an in-law to a pair of tech geniuses undoubtedly has its quirks, Esther was rather unprepared for her first wild (driverless) ride. Read More
Here’s the thing about philanthropy: There’s always plenty of people more than happy to accept a generous cash donation. Hence, Russian entrepreneur Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Prize, which he launched back in August as his very own version of the Nobel Prize for Physics, is branching out. The prize will no longer go to just physicists doomed to toil in obscurity, as Mr. Milner has enlisted several Silicon Valley heavyweights to contribute to a new Life Sciences franchise.
Art Levinson (former Genentech CEO, Apple chairman) has signed on as chairman, while Mr. Milner, Sergey Brin, Anne Wojcicki (of 23andMe and also wife to Mr. Brin), Mark Zuckerberg, and Priscilla Chan are all founding sponsors, as well. (Though it’s not clear who coughed up how much.) They plan to dole out five $3 million prizes annually going forward, with alums selecting the honorees. Read More
