The most devoted anti-tech crusader in politics

[Facebook’s biggest problem in Washington might not be Elizabeth Warren: It’s a senator named Josh Hawley](. As Sen. Elizabeth Warren and President Donald Trump publicly critique Big Tech companies, there is another, lesser-known political figure zeroing in on them: Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri. Since Hawley was elected in 2018, he’s had a busy year, introducing and cosponsoring multiple pieces of tech-related legislation on issues like data tracking, children’s online privacy, data monetization, alleged social media bias, and tech addiction. His scrutiny of Silicon Valley comes at a time when reining in Big Tech is becoming increasingly popular politically. “Google, YouTube, Facebook — they will do nothing until they are forced to actually behave in a responsible way,” Hawley told Recode in an interview this summer. “In the meantime, they misdirect, they obfuscate, and they sometimes outright lie.” - Hawley’s approach to Big Tech could be the future for the GOP: There’s something that sets Hawley apart from his party’s leader, President Trump: He has more nuance. While some of his points are as polarizing as Trump’s, Hawley has managed to work successfully with Democrats on tech legislation. At a time when Big Tech is becoming an increasingly salient and urgent part of the political and cultural conversation, Hawley’s stance on tech could portend the future of the Republican Party’s approach to Silicon Valley. [[Emily Stewart / Recode](] [Some of Facebook’s own employees oppose its new political ads policy.](The New York Times reports that more than 250 Facebook employees have signed a letter addressed to CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other top executives that asks Facebook to rethink its policy to not fact-check political ads by elected officials. The letter calls the policy “a threat to what FB stands for,” according to the New York Times. - More fuel on the fire? [Since the policy was announced earlier this month,]( Facebook has faced heavy criticism from lawmakers, civil rights groups, and many others on its decision to not fact-check or remove false political ads. But according to the Times, the employee actions are “a rare moment of internal strife for the company” and show “even some of its own workers are not convinced the political ads policy is sound.” [[Mike Isaac / The New York Times](] [WeWork’s workers are understandably upset.](Nearly half of WeWork’s white-collar workers think they’re going to be laid off, according to a survey of 200 WeWork employees that Recode conducted. That’s higher than reported estimates that the troubled company plans to lay off about a third of tech and general staff alike. WeWork employs around 14,000 people, including about 1,500 tech workers. A whopping 85 percent of WeWork employees said the [unprecedented $1.7 billion exit package]( for WeWork’s CEO and founder Adam Neumann isn’t fair, according to Recode’s survey. Just 15 percent thought it was fair. - The impact on WeWork’s workers: More than a third of those who responded to the survey said they made a major financial decision (buying a house, planning a family, etc.) in part based on their estimated income or equity from WeWork. Still, more than half of those surveyed, 62 percent, said they still believe in WeWork’s mission. Presumably, they’re referring to the rise of coworking and flexible real estate as part of the future of work and not WeWork’s much-derided mission in its S-1 filing to “elevate the world’s consciousness.” [[Rani Molla / Recode](] [Uber Money is here.]( The ride-hailing giant is launching a new product called Uber Money, which will include a digital wallet and debit cards for drivers and credit cards for riders, according to CNBC. But first, Uber is focused on giving its 4 million-plus drivers and couriers access to a mobile bank account so they can get paid after each ride. [Drivers and freelancers typically have to either wait for weekly payments or cash out using a feature called Instant Pay, according to the Verge.]( With the new digital wallet, drivers can get their money instantly after every trip or delivery. And drivers and riders can track their transaction history and make electronic payments. Uber has about 100 million monthly active users this year, and it’s interested in offering products that pay for rides and food orders. It says it “could remove costs related to financial middlemen or generate new revenue streams.” - Why now? Uber is interested in how it can keep drivers and riders loyal to its platform amid pressure to turn a profit, as it faces competition from new ride-hailing apps around the world. [[Hugh Son / CNBC](] [Join Recode's Peter Kafka at Code Media in Los Angeles this November 18 and 19.](#) The man who runs HBO, CNN, and Warner Bros, John Stankey, is about to take on Netflix, Disney, and the rest of the media world with a new streaming service. But he’s also facing restless shareholders. Come hear him discuss all of this [live at Code Media in Hollywood]( where he’ll join a great lineup of speakers at [our annual conference dedicated to the intersection of tech and media](. [Insert alt text here] [The dog-walking startup Wag is exploring a sale.]( The company is backed by SoftBank but has struggled. [[Theodore Schleifer](] [Amazon’s new plan to dominate grocery delivery: making Amazon Fresh totally free for Prime members.]( Grocery delivery is a notoriously tough business, so how is Amazon eliminating its delivery fee? [[Jason Del Rey](] [Insert alt text here] [The Popeyes fried chicken sandwich is coming back!]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( to receive fewer emails, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2016. All rights reserved.