Linda Johnson Rice and James Murdoch joins Tesla as New Independent Directors to its Board

Tesla Logo Credit: Tesla

Linda Johnson Rice, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Publishing Company (JPC), and James Murdoch, Chief Executive Officer of 21st Century Fox (21CF), were recently welcomed to Tesla’s board of directors.

In addition to her role as Chairman and CEO of JPC and Fashion Fair Cosmetics, Linda is CEO of Ebony Media Operations and Chairman Emeritus of EBONY Media Holdings, the parent company for the EBONY and Jet brands.

Tesla To Open Store in Henrico

Tesla Store

Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. is moving forward with plans to open a store in western Henrico County by late August.

The California-based company said Tuesday that it is holding a private invitation-only event on Aug. 23 to showcase the store at 9850 W. Broad St. A store opening date has not been set, but a spokesman said it would open in late August.

The company still needs to apply to the Virginia Motor Vehicle Dealer Board to grant Tesla a license to sell its battery-powered cars in the state. 

Netflix shares jump as subscriptions top 100 million

Netflix top 100 million subscribers

Netflix on Monday reported that its number of subscribers climbed more than expected, topping 100 million worldwide and sending shares in the leading on-demand television service soaring. 

Netflix shares leapt more than 10 percent to $178.48 in after-market trades that followed release of earnings figures showing the Silicon Valley-based company added 5.2 million subscribers in the recently ended quarter to raise the total to 103.95 million for its streaming service.

Michael Dell takes long view with 'Dell 2.0'

Michael Dell

Dell computers became the world's largest maker of personal computers. 

Now Michael Dell says he is building a broader technology firm with similar ambitions.

Dell Technologies is the result of the private buyout of the original Dell computer firm, bolstered by the massive $67 billion deal for computer storage firm EMC and other software and services acquisitions.

Qualcomm CEO sees settlement with Apple

Qualcomm chief executive Steve Mollenkopf

Qualcomm chief executive Steve Mollenkopf said on Monday the chipmaker's legal war with Apple is about defending his company's business model, but predicted an eventual out-of-court settlement.

"At its core it's really about the price... what to pay for technology," Mollenkopf told a forum at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colorado.

Embattled Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigns under investor pressure

Uber said Wednesday that its embattled chief executive Travis Kalanick had agreed to step down from his job, as the company tries to clean up a corporate culture that has sparked charges of harassment and discrimination.

          Uber CEO Travis Kalanick

Kalanick had already been on a leave of absence aimed at restoring confidence in the scandal-plagued ridesharing giant.

The New York Times reported that five of the company's major investors had demanded his departure.

Electronic Signature platform HelloSign raises $16 million

HelloSign, the Electronic Signature platform, is announcing a $16 million financing round led by Foundry Group and Zach Coelius. Greylock Partners, U.S. Venture Partners and Tien Zhuo also participated.

Although the San Francisco-based company has been around since 2010, they are calling it a Series B, since they’ve raised little outside capital. The business is cash flow positive and it’s a “funding round that we did not need to take,” insisted COO Whitney Bouck. But they welcomed the opportunity for Ryan McIntyre from Foundry Group to join their board of directors.