But Instagram wasn't the only social media HQ treated to a visit from Ms. Cyrus this week. She was apparently on a tour of the Valley to promote some new song of hers (not the one on those Bravo commercials). Silicon Valley Business Journal combed through her tweets and pieced together her itinerary:

"She flew here in a BlackJet and commissioned a fleet of Uber SUVs to take her to Zuckerberg Media (run by Mark Zuckerberg's sister) and tour the Instagram and Facebook office in Menlo Park. Later, she spent more than an hour at Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco, where she addressed the entire staff at a private, onstage talk. She ended the night meeting the iTunes team in Cupertino."

Wonder if Sheryl Sandberg had her stop by the Lean In circle.

Hot Tip. You heard it here first: Uber is the next Facebook. That's according to two Goldman Sachs analysts, rather "dudes," pontificating in the back of a @NYCTaxiCabTales vehicle, where no secrets are safely contained. Suck it, Lyft.

https://twitter.com/nyctaxicabtales/status/342020847827034113

Say Cheese. Social media holdout Seth Rogen caved and set up an Instagram account -- and a Facebook -- to promote his new movie. But instead of getting a nearby teen to set up his Insta up like a normal person would, he went all the way to Instagram HQ in San Francisco to have founder Kevin Systrom hook him up.

"It feels silly that we didn't do this years ago," said Mr. Rogen, who apparently is now using the royal we.

Mr. Rogen says he won't be handing Instagram duties off to a PR flack. His updates will all be his own -- or his wife's. The actor already has 15,000 Instagram followers, but he himself is following no one. Like a boss.

Roll the dice Spotted on the subway: A Rap Genius sticker slapped on top of an advertisement for the New York Lottery. If this was Thomas Pynchon's upcoming novel about Silicon Alley, we'd say that as a symbol for the devil-may-care riskiness of venture capital, it's just a bit heavy-handed.

Bitcoin at the Box Office? Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss appear to be partnering with VICE for a documentary on Bitcoin, according to a photo posted to their venture capital firm's Instagram account. The location tag for the photo is Winklevoss Capital's New York headquarters. Messrs. Winklevoss are neck-deep in the Bitcoin game, making big investments in the currency and holding a stake in BitInstant. Just check their Twitter feeds -- all Bitcoin all the time.

(Photo: Instagram)

Pardon? Former Apple exec Jean-Louis Gassée got a little personal in his latest blog post: "I have my own ideas about Cook’s well-controlled behavior, they have to do with growing up different in Mobile, Alabama. But since he’s obviously not keen to discuss his personal life, I’ll leave it at that and envy his composure." If you're going to bring up the fact that Tim Cook is gay, that's a pretty roundabout way to do it.

Tech kids: 1. Finance: 0. The New York Times' Dealbook blog cyberstalked some finance interns and chronicled the waves of emotion the poor kids experienced on the job. Feeling inspired, we tried to do the same with the indentured students of the tech sector. We searched #internship, #facebook, #twitter, etc., and came up with bupkiss. Turns out tech kids are too smart to broadcast their work experience -- or tech companies warned them social media boldness would get them the ax. Either way, bravo for the attention to online identity preservation.

It's potty time. Yesterday, an employee of VaynerMedia CEO Gary Vaynerchuk told us he wouldn't be surprised if the social media expert and real-life Michael Scott makes his designated content-creator take a Vine of him visiting the loo. It turns out Mr. Vaynerchuk's been there and done that. He posted this good-natured clip about the weirdest place he's ever Vined and, well, you know the rest.

Music Class Are you excited for the new Daft Punk album? Well, we'll tell you who's really excited, and that's Square CEO Jack Dorsey and VC Fred Wilson. "The new Daft Punk album is a knockout. Pure joy," Mr. Dorsey said in a micro-review of the album on Twitter. Mr. Wilson responded: "yup. I've had it in heavy rotation all week. It was even on in the coffeeshop today." Just an FYI in case, for some reason, you get stuck in a car with both of them sometime this summer.

Pleased as Punch Betabeat bumped into events maestro Gary Sharma last night at the Webutante Ball. He told us that, while making his Internet Week rounds, he'd recently found himself in an elevator with none other than newly rich-as-Croesus Tumblr founder David Karp. You'll no doubt be delighted to hear that, according to Mr. Sharma, the spindly motorcyclist looked pretty damn cheerful.

He might want to enjoy the fun while it lasts, though. Business Insider reports that HuffPo cofounder Arianna Huffington had some dour words of wisdom for Mr. Karp at the Webby Awards: "Soak it all in, because then come the lawsuits." Presumably she was referring to the legal action taken by her own site's unpaid contributors. Honey, you don't know the half of it--if you think the Huffington Post's bloggers are pissy, you've never dealt with a fan-fiction-writing, Homestuck-loving, social-justice-advocating, dyed-in-the-wool Tumblr user.

Or maybe he was just really chipper because he had advance warning he'd inexplicably be appearing as one of Business Insider's Sexiest Tech Execs Alive.

SMDH Important dispatch from the West Coast, courtesy of Eric Eldon: "late at night in silicon valley, grown men are sending stickers to each other."

Scobleized OG (that's Original Glasshole) Robert Scoble took a trip to NYC this week to visit his son, who's studying to become a police officer at the John Jay school of criminal justice. As it turns out, the NYPD were more interested in trying on Mr. Scoble's face computer than they were helping his son learn the tricks of the force. Writes Mr. Scoble on his Google Plus page:

So we're here looking at his school, finding him housing, learning the streets, and all that. Last night these two cops called me over and said "is that Google Glass?"

I was afraid I might get arrested. But they loved it.

He then went on to describe why cops will love being able to record video while chasing suspects, which makes us think he's never actually read anything about cops and recording devices.

Uber Blunder Betabeat received an email today from Uber SF stating that our Uber was en route. "That's strange," we thought, "We live in New York and didn't order an Uber." Turns out the whole thing was a mixup. In their excitement to dispatch an email about the price hikes during Memorial Day Weekend, Uber SF forgot to change the subject line of the email, and sent it out to customers with the subject "[Name], your Uber is en route." Rest assured your account hasn't been hacked; it was just a little PR mistake, according to a follow-up email:

Sorry about the confusion! No request has been made from your account. We were overly excited about our Memorial Day promotion, and should have put some more thought into that subject line. With this second email, we just want to clarify that everything is OK; a car will only be sent when you request it.

Phew. We can't afford an Uber at its normal rate, let alone during surge pricing.

Ab Fab Bradford Shellhammer, the chief design officer of Fab.com and curator of one of the most fabulous Instagram accounts ever, revealed more than a usual shirtless picture of himself this week. In the 'gram, Mr. Shellhammer appears to be wearing a pair of well-fitting boxers featuring some of pop culture's biggest flame-outs, like Britney Spears and Whitney Houston. It’s probably the tamest part of his Turks and Caicos haunt, judging by his other pictures. Anyway, where can we get a pair, Brad? You might know of a place.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Lazy Together Tesla, Uber and Equinox have officially achieved douche bag singularity. Until today, members in Los Angeles and New York can get to the gym for free on Uber with the promo code, you guessed it, “EQUINOX.” Those who request a car might even be picked up in a Tesla Model S, so if you were looking for someone at whom you can direct your scorn, just look for one of those ugly cars.

The happy couple. (Photo: Instagram/aubrey)

Leaning Out of Tumblr Jessica Bennett, the Tumblr employee who was laid off with the shuttering of Storyboard, announced today on Twitter that she's taken a job with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. "Turns out being fired ain't that bad," she tweeted, along with a link to a Facebook post by Ms. Sandberg herself announcing Ms. Bennett's hiring:

"So excited to welcome Jessica Bennett to the Lean In team! Jessica is joining us to run Editorial - helping us connect women all over the world with their passion for leaning in! Special thanks to Nell Scovell and Rachel Sklar for introducing us to Jessica!"

How much leaning in was required to land that job?

Must Square TV You may not have realized it, but the most recent episode of Parks and Recreation was actually one big native ad for Square. An excited @Jack Dorsey retweeted a fan noticing that the mobile payment dongle was being used at the digitally attuned boutique owned by Tom Haverford. If Rent-A-Swag is the first Pawnee outpost to employ Square, what will be the second? We’re guessing Paunch Burger.

https://twitter.com/ShawnMarieH/status/330153591467802626

Sunglasses at Night Since an appeals court judge blocked the TLC’s ehail pilot program again, the city’s would-be disruptors have kept quiet (for now). Now, they’re not totally hunkered down: Last night, Ed Casabian, Uber New York’s senior community manager, made the brief stroll from the company’s Long Island City HQ to demo their black car app at the Queens Tech Meetup. But mum was the word about yellow cabs. He prefaced the Q&A: “I can’t say anything about taxis.”

But he didn’t turn up wholly empty-handed. He brought a discount for new users, and, for loyal customers, Mr. Casabian pulled a pair of white faux-Wayfarers out of his back pocket and said he could offer “a shiny new pair of Uber shades.”

“Come see me, I have a big box over there.”

Disrupt This Monday brought the yearly entrepreneurial orgy that is TechCrunch Disrupt New York. Tech stars like Dennis Crowley, John Borthwick and the bros of Rap Genius all took their turn onstage, leading the tech blog to triumphantly announce in a post, “New York City Turns Out For The First Day Of Disrupt NY 2013.” Well, Meetup founder Scott Heiferman has his doubts about that. He retorted on Twitter, “actually vast majority of ny tech is busy making internet.” Pardon the cliched expression, but ZING!

Dinner Club Oh, so this is what FOMO really feels like. Four Silicon Valley power players had dinner the other night and you weren’t invited. In attendance were the CEOs from Twitter, Pinterest, Square and something called Box. Scarfing down a roast chicken at Zuni Cafe in, where else, San Francisco, they probably talked about Amanda Bynes' breakdown or something equally important.

Checking Into Married Life Foursquare VP of Engineering Harry Heymann tied the knot with social software researcher Alice Marwick at Bayard's Private Dining Hall in the Financial District on Saturday. Former Tumblr employee Rick Webb officiated the ceremony, which hosted attendees like Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley and his fiancee Chelsa Skees, Sailthru VP of marketing and gal-about-town Aubrey Sabala, Vizsla founder Alex Rainert, Business Insider executive editor Joe Weisenthal, Etsy CTO Kellan Elliott-McCrea and Fashism founder Brooke Moreland.

Here's a Vine of the duo having their first dance (to Goldfrapp!), posted with the official hashtag #hplusa. Mazel, you two!

https://twitter.com/fimoculous/status/328578677480771584

It never ends, I swear.

If this back-and-forth keeps up, we're all going to get whiplash. Bloomberg News reports that once again, the courts have blocked the Taxi and Limousine Commission's ehail pilot program, just days after it was given the all-clear. The black car business has appealed the dismissal of its suit against the program, and an appeals court judge has granted a temporary injunction until there's a decision.

Good thing this broke after the end of TechCrunch Disrupt, or we might have had a disruptors' riot on our hands. 

"It is appalling that narrow commercial interests continue to try to block passengers from using the latest technology," said TLC commissioner David Yassky in a statement provided to Betabeat. "You can’t stop progress, and these obstructionists shouldn’t be trying.  We're confident this program will move forward.”

The plaintiffs' attorney, meanwhile, crowed: “This faux ‘pilot program’ is so fundamentally flawed and illegal in so many respects that it had to be stopped,” he told Bloomberg. “And now it once again has been.”

The appeals court is scheduled to issue a decision in late May. Until then, guess us residents of the outer boroughs will just have to get a cab the old fashion way: by shadily giving the nod to a livery car driver cruising down Steinway Street.

Disrupt taxis! (Photo: nycgov.tumblr.com)

The era of the e-hail is upon us at last! A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the city's taxi apps pilot program, meaning the Taxi and Limousine Commission is free to proceed.

The Livery Roundtable and the Black Car Assistance Corporation filed the lawsuit back in February, just as the TLC's year-long experiment was scheduled to begin. E-hailing apps would, of course, challenge the stranglehold the black car business has long had on the pre-scheduled pickup business. Naturally, the industry has fought like hell against the program, asking the court for an injunction against it and claiming it exceeded the TLC's authority and was basically a sneaky way to fully and permanently implement e-hailing.

But the courts didn't bite. The decision handed down today rejects the request to block the program, noting that most of the parties to the suit "represent or have financial interests in businesses that operate vehicles known as black cars or livery or for-hire cars." Judge Carol Huff also points out that, contrary to arguments made in the lawsuit, e-hailing apps are likely to reduce discrimination, since it's not like drivers can see their passengers first.

After going through each of the complaints in the suit, she concludes: "the petition is denied, the restraining order is lifted, and the proceeding is dismissed." Insert your own Law and Order sound effects.

Randy Mastro, the lawyer handling the case on behalf of the BCAC and other parties, is not a happy camper: “While we are continuing to review it, this decision is so fundamentally wrong in so many respects that we are contemplating an appeal," he told Betabeat in a statement.

TLC Commissioner David Yassky was singing a happier tune: "The market will ultimately decide which apps rise or fall and we have an obligation to give the riding public that choice. Thanks to today’s ruling, they have that choice."

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick also took a victory lap, crowing in a statement that, "Ever since our initial launch of Uber for New York CIty yellow cabs in September, we've been saying that you can't stop progress when the people want it enough."

He also held up the TLC commissioner and the mayor as almost Howard Roark-like warriors against the grain: "New York City has some of the deepest dug-in, most entrenched special interests in the country. The fact that Taxi Commissioner David Yassky and Mayor Mike Bloomberg were able to overcome the transportation industry's blatant self-interest should be a lesson for other cities and states who also want to be forward-looking, tech-friendly and visionary."

Don't expect to whip out Uber for your commute tomorrow morning, though--it'll take time to get the ball rolling again. But the biggest barrier to the pilot is now gone.

(Update) Hailo CEO Jay Bregman has also provided a statement, saying: "Hailo always believed that e-hailing is not only legal, but inevitable. We are delighted by the ruling and are preparing to launch immediately."

(Photo: File)

Today, Uber CEO bestowed unto the world a white paper on ridesharing. And in classic Uber fashion, the policy finds a workaround to traditional law-abiding. The company says it will launch the service if it sees its competitors (Lyft, Sidecar, etc.) operating for 30 days with “tacit approval” from law officials, i.e. if no one gets in trouble.

The San Francisco-based company said its decision was formed after seeing its ridesharing competitors circumvent laws by providing “non-licensed transportation for compensation.” Uber’s core business of being “everyone’s private driver” has caught flak from several cities for operating a livery company without official approval.

(Last year, Uber tried to expand its New York City operations from black cars into yellow cabs. However, it jumped the gun on approval from the Taxi and Limousine Commission. UberTAXI, as it billed itself, lasted only a month.)

Now, as Uber sees its competitors quickly grow without facing the same regulatory blowback, the company said it might offer ridesharing services in the face of its competitors "aggressive" operations:

So over the last year we’ve stayed out of the ridesharing fray due to perceived regulatory risk and watched two competitors roll out in a few cities in which we already operate, without nearly the same level of constraints or costs, offering a far cheaper product.

Uber's ridesharing service will contain hefty safeguards, like a $2 million insurance policy and strict background checks, in the "absence of regulatory clarity." It will not roll out a ridesharing service if it sees its competitors face "clear and consistent enforcement" within 30 days of its debut, which sounds like an awfully short time frame for bureaucrats.

In comments to the Wall Street Journal, it's clear that Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is sticking to his "disruptive" Randian ways:

“Regulatory risk is a spectrum,” Kalanick said. “What I would say is that they’ve gone all the way to the extreme. And we, as much as folks said ‘Wow, Uber is very brazen,’ these guys are far more, and that’s why we sat on sidelines for a year.

“But that said,” he added, “I think there’s a fundamental difference versus how we handle innovation versus traditional companies: we get in and go and do it."

Or, do it after a month.

Photo: Spotify

Spotify Finds Its Voice If you didn't know that music is great, Spotify's new commercial is going to make sure you know it. The online music distributor's first foray into TV advertisements premiered Monday during NBC's The Voice, featuring a person enjoying the best crowd surf ever accompanied by a monologue on the general awesomeness of music. Two other commercials are currently up on the company's YouTube page as well.  Spotify, in the future, just do what Apple does; find a catchy pop song, throw in some dancing silhouettes, and no voiceovers.

Congressman Receives Crowdfunding Award Proving that some of the best people in startups aren't all tech nerds, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R -NC) received this year's Crowdfunding Visionary Award at the annual Crowdfunding Conference and Bootcamp. McHenry recieved the award for creating equity startup exemption provisions he sponsored in the JOBS Act and helping it win approval in Congress. At this rate, "Congressman Zuck" is starting to have a terrifying ring to it.

Pillbox App Adds New Features MediSafe Project today unveiled a new avenue for doctors to help their patients with their prescriptions. Alongside the prescription app, doctors will now be able to remind patients about taking their medications and other changes in their prescriptions via a new website, the Prescription Page. The site, which was "inspired by a real-life physician’s prescription for the app" is part of MediSafe's expansion plans for this year, which also includes updating the iOS version of its app to go alongside its current Android version.

Taxi Companies Still Hate E-Hailing In the most unnecessary story of the day, the Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit Association (TLPA) released a media brief which informs us about the "danger" of "rogue" transportation apps and also rates an array of transportation apps based on which ones the association trusts. As we've covered before, taxi and limo companies haven't taken too kindly to these E-hailing apps, so this propaganda piece media brief comes as no surprise to these app companies, especially Uber, which was one of four apps to recieve a "red light" rating alongside SideCar, Lyft, and Tickengo.

The Future Is Here, We Have Robot Parties! It may be Passover and Easter this week, but a much more important holiday to celebrate is coming up soon. National Robotics Week begins April 8, and Huge and Honeybee Robotics is throwing a party to celebrate on Tuesday, April 9 at 7:00 PM at their headquarters in Brooklyn. Robot developers will be running presentations, live demonstrations and discussions all night, and pizza and beer will be served. If you can't wait for our robot overlords to take over Terminator-style, you can RSVP for the event here.

Eventbrite Breaks 100 million Event aggregator and ticket distributor Eventbrite broke the 100 million ticket marker today seven years after its founding. To celebrate crossing the threshold, the site released a new video, which "champions the millions of event-goers who are using Eventbrite to find and attend events." Chances are Eventbrite is also probably championing the millions of dollars they're making.

On Thursday, police held a news conference announcing that they were charging Mr. Trabelsi with first degree sexual abuse. However, in an unusual turn of events, prosecutors contradicted that statement "at virtually the same moment," saying that no charges would be filed.

Bill Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, told the Post that the office would not prosecute Mr. Trabelsi. (In Washington D.C., the U.S. attorney's office prosecutes both federal and local cases.) Mr. Miller said the case remains under investigation.

The Post provides a description of the alleged incident based on court documents:

The incident occurred Dec. 8. Police said the woman called Uber — a smartphone-based dispatch service that provides an alternative to traditional taxis — from outside a U Street bar. Court documents say she had three drinks at the bar and shared a marijuana cigarette with a friend.

The driver contracted by Uber picked her up, police said, and drove her home. The woman told police that the driver made overtures but that she ignored them. After getting out of the limo, she allegedly was grabbed from behind and knocked to the ground, hitting her head on the concrete driveway. She told detectives that she was then raped.

Although The Post describes Mr.  Trabelsi, who was released from custody yesterday, as "working under contract for Uber," a statement provided to Betabeat from Rachel Holt, Uber's general manager in Washington, D.C. says Uber's relationship to the driver was through a partnership with Capitol Limo that has been terminated. Ms. Holt wrote:

"Immediately upon being told that a driver for Capitol Limo, a limo company utilizing Uber technology, was suspected of committing a crime, we deactivated the partner account. He has not done a single ride through Uber since then. We have worked closely with the police and prosecutors investigating this incident, and will continue to help them in any way possible. The safety of our users is absolutely paramount, and we will continue to be vigilant that riders’ safety and security are protected."

We have requested information from Uber on their policy for vetting partnerships and drivers and will update the post when we hear back.

Uber has gotten a spate of positive press for its ongoing efforts at SXSX, which has been offering UberX rides to "thousands" of festival attendees. Local regulations don't permit Uber to launch in Austin, but just as the company did in New York City, they have giving away free rides as a way around that.

I took a service a handful of times in Austin, riding in mini vans, two Honda Fits, and one pickup truck. The New Yorker interviewed Uber drivers about the vetting process for the festival:

"Over eight or so rides, I learned that the training for Austin UberX drivers, who were recruited through a Craigslist ad, consisted of a forty-five-minute orientation following a background check, though “twenty minutes of it was just filling out forms,” one driver told me. Another driver admitted, as she nearly ran into a group of people in a crosswalk, that she had only attended “like five minutes” of the training. Most of the orientation was about how to use the Uber system and “what not to do,” according to one driver—the biggest thing not to do was accept gratuity, since it would jeopardize the legality of the enterprise."

I was told by one driver that Uber paid drivers $20/hour. A gentleman manning one of Uber's Game of Thrones pedicabs said he was paid extra because of the weight of the promotional throne added 80 pounds and "puts a lot of drag on the bike." He got the gig through his "bike agent," Movement, but declined to specify how much he was paid.

UPDATE: An Uber spokesperson said that as a technology platform, the company doesn't hire drivers directly. It only partners with black car and taxi companies that employ drivers licensed to operate for-hire-vehicles. Obviously that wasn't the case in Austin, although one of the drivers we encountered happens to run a car company. But Uber said that situation was different because Austin's strict rules prohibit e-hailing apps.

Mr. Sassa (Photo: Wikimedia)

Our prediction for employment trends of 2013? A "no sexting" clause in your contract.

The New York Post reports that Scott Sassa, a top executive at Hearst, has been forced to resign after a Los Angeles-based stripper forwarded he sexts he sent her to Hearst's "very conservative top brass."

Mr. Sassa is a veteran of the tech and media industries. He served a short stint as the CEO of Friendster, acted as CEO in residence for Kleiner Perkins, and was the CEO and cofounder of Uber (no, not that Uber), before becoming president of Hearst's entertainment and syndication group, which manages interests in ESPN and Lifetime, among others.

According to Page Six:

“She was texting him sexy pictures, and he was responding using words you absolutely would not want your bosses to see,” a source said, adding, “He was also communicating with many other girls in New York, and wrote crazy things to them.”

The stripper's boyfriend (just to up the tawdry factor) helped her alleged extortion attempts of Mr. Sassa, a single dad. Not to worry though, all this unprofessional behavior will earn him a “large compensation package for him to go away for a long time."

As a source told Page Six:

“Hearst prides itself on being a very ethical, clean-cut company. William Randolph Hearst must be rolling over in his grave.”

Pretty hazy memory of Mr. Hearst's exploits at home and at the office, huh?

Foursquare is adding Visa, Mastercard and debit cards to its check-in deals program as it attempts to expand an existing revenue model. The company has let users pay for the deals—which users can access after checking in at participating locations—with American Express since 2011. [AllThingsD]

The U.S. government wasted millions of dollars in its attempts to expand broadband wireless service, according to a Republican congressman. [Bloomberg]

Thomas Pynchon's next novel is said to be set in Silicon Alley, in the period between the dot-com boom and the terrorist attacks of September 11; here are some rejected plot lines. [PandoDaily]

The Visual Effects crowd is pissed off, and rightfully, it seems, about the lack of airtime it was afforded during the Academy Awards on Sunday. Television broadcasts largely ignored demonstrators protesting the state of the VFX industry, in which many jobs have been shipped overseas; meanwhile, the Oscar winner for VFX had his speech cut short, and Ang Lee, who won Best Director for his CGI-heavy Life of Pi, forgot to thank his VFX man. [The Big Social Picture]

Uber is signing up drivers in San Francisco; no taxi license needed, but there will be a test. [Engadget]