Conor Grant

Conor Grant

Conor was Editor at The Hustle from 2018-2020

Meet the Minnesota family that turned a soda machine company into a surveillance empire

Last August, Todd Westby’s employees got ‘microchipped.’ How did they get there? And what’s the conn...

Conor Grant

9/23/20

Highly Recommended

The year startups took over the Super Bowl

Conor Grant

6/30/20

How Tipsy Elves built a $125m ugly Christmas sweater empire

Conor Grant

6/30/20

How teenage hackers became tech's go-to bounty hunters

Conor Grant

6/30/20

More from Conor Grant

Meet the Minnesota family that turned a soda machine company into a surveillance empire

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
The year startups took over the Super Bowl

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
How Tipsy Elves built a $125m ugly Christmas sweater empire

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
How teenage hackers became tech's go-to bounty hunters

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
How one Florida retirement home became ground zero for self-driving cars

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
A decade before crypto, one digital currency conquered the world — then failed spectacularly

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The rent is too damn high… So some SF businesses are buying their own buildings

Conor Grant
Updated 10/7/20
For the first time in 26 years, mainlanders can top their toast with Hawaiian avocados

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Apple’s rotten iPhone sales are stinking up the whole economy

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Netflix hires PR genius Rachel Whetstone to handle scandals that haven’t happened yet

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Netflix’s hackathon only seems like a bad idea

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Zoom is taking over our lives. Things are getting weird.

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Weather tech finally joined the 21st century. But the forecast may surprise you

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
The Weather Channel is stuck in a location data lawsuit, and the forecast looks bad

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Lambda raises $30m to ‘invest’ in students… in exchange for some of their income

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Don’t buy that bulldog! The ‘puppy scam’ dashes the dreams of 10k dog lovers

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Overtired workers cost Japan $138B, and businesses are desperate to encourage naps

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
PayPal has stayed on top of the payment pile for 2 decades by paying big bucks for users

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
After getting people hooked on binge-worthy content, Netflix is raising prices again

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Looking for a job? The Dark Overlord is hiring ‘goal oriented’ cybercriminals for $63k/month!

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Hoping for a skyscraper of a sale price, Abu Dhabi put the Chrysler Building up for sale

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
PG&E shares fell 50% yesterday after the utility announced it will file for bankruptcy

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
These shrimps ain’t loyal: A selfish shellfish startup left Minnesotans high and dry

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Australian lemonade stands feel the squeeze as citrus prices soar more than 300%

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Slack follows Spotify’s lead with a direct listing, and now IPO fundraising is optional

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
2 fintech old-timers are coming after Square with a $22B partnership

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Return of the Razr: Motorola will try to make more magic with a $1,500, foldable Razr

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
An unexpected ‘long weekend’: Layoffs hit BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and Gannett

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
The future is calling, and it dialed in on a landline

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
The brains behind the brands: Lexicon uses sound science to name big brands

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Brand on the run: Equinox doubles down on the treadmill trend

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
Collibra and its data governance competitors are the real winners of GDPR

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
After promising Wisconsin $10B and 13k jobs, the Fox-conn artists ditch another deal

Conor Grant
Updated 10/3/20
American Express pays businesses to accept its cards in a bid to catch Visa and others

Conor Grant
Updated 10/1/20
The hip bone’s connected to the… which bone? Your surgeon might be turning to YouTube to find out

Conor Grant
Updated 10/1/20
Salon software startup sees value in niche market

Conor Grant
Updated 10/1/20
After months of hype, Samsung wins the race to unfold a pricey new phone category

Conor Grant
Updated 9/29/20
The mega-rich are buying ‘branded residences’ from Porsche and Bulgari

Conor Grant
Updated 9/29/20
The first privately funded mission to the moon begins its loooong journey

Conor Grant
Updated 9/29/20
Barrick Gold launches a $17B+ bid to become the most major miner

Conor Grant
Updated 9/29/20
Alibaba is adapting facial recognition tech to address China’s swine shortage

Conor Grant
Updated 9/29/20
The US incineration industry is on fire thanks to China’s ban on recycling imports

Conor Grant
Updated 9/29/20
Digital payday loans are now available in an app

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
A visit from the ghost of dumb phones past

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
The big (green) short: How hedge funds profit off greenwashing

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Cookie competition is driving Italian chocolatiers absolutely (hazel)nuts

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
The strange economics of pro baseball pushed a top US star to Japan

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Will retail stores all become libraries for products in the new rental economy?

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Pandora jacked up ads for 35m of its users, and old people paid to make them just stop

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Another reason to be crabby on Monday: Maryland’s shellfish industry going belly-up

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Fear of ‘looking replaceable’ shrinks employee vacation time — and the economy

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Years of price-gouging ensure there are no competitors to address EpiPen shortage

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Despite sketchy science, biotech companies are lining up to get into your genes

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Airlines are profiting on your indecisiveness and poor packing skills

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Emptying its toy box to pay off creditors, Toys ‘R’ Us puts SexToys‘R’Us.com up for sale

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Bumble Bee CEO is the latest tuna titan caught in the tangled net of fish-fixing

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
YouTube rolls out ‘Premium’ music service in an attempt to drown out Spotify

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Swiss watchmaker destroys $539m of luxury watches to keep them off the wrong wrists

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Racing Amazon for JEDI contract, Microsoft gives US intelligence a seat on its cloud

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
As profits fall, AstraZeneca shareholders revolt against CEO’s compensation

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Irish bookie puts money on the future of American gambling with FanDuel purchase

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Amazon under fire after giving its facial ‘Rekognition’ software to law enforcement

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
23andMe files a patent infringement lawsuit to chop down Ancestry’s family tree

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
With a $200m IPO, Eventbrite hopes to stay on top in the competitive event industry

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Entrepreneurs are cooking up fresh businesses to reduce $1.2T of food waste

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
A new Missouri law has got beef with lab-grown ‘meat’

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Life’s a breach: Facebook admits 50m+ user data breach after a week of defections

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Tresata, a startup that does a little of everything, raised $50m at a $1B valuation

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Investors debate whether tech stocks are done sliding after their worst day since 2011

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Twilio acquired SendGrid for $2B to expand its automated communications platform

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
To broaden its base of bingers, Netflix raises another $2B in debt

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Patagonia doubles down on ‘morality marketing’ with endorsement of 2 senators

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Eye-robot: AI is taking over, but this robo revolution isn’t what Will Smith expected

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Across the globe, we can’t seem to agree on who self-driving cars should save in crashes

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
DJ Skee is fed up with FM and hates soulless streaming, so he raised $8.8m for ‘new’ radio

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Geriatri-tech: Tech startups won over millennials, now they’re coming for grandma

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
The ol’ college try: Cheddar buys Rate My Professors, doubling down on students

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Pulp Fiction: Everything you thought you knew about orange juice is a lie

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Demand for surveillance tech drives facial-recognition company’s value to $4.5B

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Last semester, colleges got an A+ in student surveillance

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
As tuition rises, college kids are buying insurance in case they have to drop out

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
The Mt. Everest of scams: Travel insurance companies crack down on helicopter fraud

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Tesla’s discounted insurance program drives into a few early potholes

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Cameo, the celebrity shout-out startup, nears $300m valuation

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
After a 30% stock hit, only Oprah can restore WW to its former Weight Watchers glory

Conor Grant
Updated 9/23/20
Department stores hope used clothes will revitalize sales

Conor Grant
Updated 9/22/20
Digital clothes are fashion’s freaky new frontier

Conor Grant
Updated 9/22/20
How did Carter’s, a 154-year-old retailer, become the biggest biz in kids’ clothing?

Conor Grant
Updated 9/22/20
Direct-to-consumer bra biz ThirdLove raises $55m to prove it knows Victoria’s Secret

Conor Grant
Updated 9/22/20
As protections disappear, the $90B payday lending industry lives to prey another day

Conor Grant
Updated 9/22/20
Netflix streamed right past Comcast, and Disney is its only competitor — for now

Conor Grant
Updated 9/22/20
Move over, Mickey: Global media’s new princess, Netflix, tries on Disney’s tiara

Conor Grant
Updated 9/22/20
Forget power outages — what happens when Google goes out?

Conor Grant
Updated 9/22/20
Power to the Peep-le: Union workers claim a sweet win over old man ’mallow

Conor Grant
Updated 9/22/20
A pistachio power struggle cracked wide open… and the Middle East is going nuts

Conor Grant
Updated 9/22/20
The East Coast will plug into the Midwest for power with a new $2.5B extension cord

Conor Grant
Updated 9/22/20
Thanks to slipping sales, Ford is on a collision course with the investment junkyard

Conor Grant
Updated 9/21/20
Apple is the latest tech giant to invest in affordable housing near its campus

Conor Grant
Updated 9/21/20
Ford plans to ride into the electric future in an F-150 that’s both fuel efficient and badass

Conor Grant
Updated 9/21/20
Instead of building a new campus, Microsoft will spend $500m on affordable housing

Conor Grant
Updated 9/21/20
Facebook’s social network may be under fire, but its Workplace platform is doing great

Conor Grant
Updated 9/19/20
Facebook invests $300m in local news so people still have something to ‘Like’

Conor Grant
Updated 9/19/20
Facebook and other tech giants bet big on the business of news

Conor Grant
Updated 9/19/20
A very scary Zuck-mas and a crappy New Year: 2018’s failed attempt to ‘fix’ Facebook

Conor Grant
Updated 9/19/20
Zuckerberg makes the first move in his chess match with regulators

Conor Grant
Updated 9/19/20
Joe Camel and the Marlboro Man are stubbing out their smokes… to find a corona-cure

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Eggs are as expensive as ever, but bacon’s a bargain. Why?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The Internet Archive is writing a new chapter in the ongoing battle over e-books

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Borders are closing (like everything else). That’s particularly bad news for ‘border-conomies’

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The Waffle House Index just hit a code red

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Big Businesses and Average Joes are lining up for corona cash. But who’ll get what?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Businesses of all sizes pivot to battle the pandemic — and to stay afloat

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Amazon’s hiring laid-off small biz workers. What does that mean for the long-term labor market?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
A consumer’s guide to the coronavirus

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
In tough times, restaurants roll out a new investment opportunity: ‘Dining bonds’

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Why is everyone talking about buybacks?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Here’s what you need to know about ‘circuit breakers’

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
What does the coronavirus mean for business?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The NFL is going after international players — but it really wants international fans

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
As the influencer industry evolves, creators are cashing in with ‘content collectives’

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
What happens when you make a product for a tiny niche — and then everyone wants it?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Why in the name of Kirkland Signature does Costco sell $600k wedding rings?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Here’s how the Marucci baseball bat biz went from the backyard to the big league

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The skies are filled with ‘ghost planes’ thanks to the strange market for flight slots

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
In Mongolia, cashmere is king… but it could cause the economy to slowly unravel

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
A new bean baron has planted seeds of doubt about Monsanto’s soy supremacy

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Eager to make their own ‘mafias,’ startups are launching funds to invest in ex-employees

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
After ups and downs, Thyssenkrupp sells its elevator business at a top-floor price

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Best Buy’s Progressive Leasing can leave customers paying double

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Airbnb gets serious about party prevention with new anti-party sensors

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Rolls-Royce sells exclusivity through a new app called ‘Whispers’

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Richard Branson is betting big on… party boats?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The company that makes the tags on your T-shirts is worth ~$500m. How?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Richard Branson is betting big on… party boats?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
This week’s weirdest ways to spend money

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
So… what makes Kickstarter campaigns go from virality to viability, anyway?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Shelf-indulgent supermarkets are stealing back shelf space from big brands

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Bombardier once made planes, trains, and snowmobiles. Now, it’s only private jets

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Entrepreneurs are rethinking ink, and medical tattoos may become a big business

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
With the future of global business travel up in the air, it’s fight-for-flight for local airlines

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Soccer is becoming more popular in the US — but MLS broadcasting deals haven’t kept up

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
And don’t worry: The founding fathers got their pieces of the pie, too

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
How do presidents make money after they leave office?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
This week’s weirdest ways to spend money

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Lagoon-front property is the new beachfront property

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Warner Bros. reminds us: It’s SEO’s world, and we just live in it

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Despite Big Banks’ best efforts, the age of e-banks may finally be here… well, almost

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Thanks to buy-in from big brands, reusable packaging is becoming a big business

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Kids’ content kingpins are making merch to keep the YouTube cash coming

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Chunky sneakers are cool now… and the original dad sneaker is getting its due

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The XFL kicked off the latest attempt to compete with the NFL

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Some agencies think sneaking ads into Spotify is a hot new marketing strategy

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
For fast food giants, breakfast really is the most important meal of the day

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Thanks to California’s new rules, compliance companies keep on comin’

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The podcast industry’s already loud, and Spotify’s cranking up the volume even further

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Dotdash’s evergreen empire just got even more evergreen

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Inside the strange success of Cards Against Humanity

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
What in the name of sweet Jesus shoes is MSCHF?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Research suggests CEOs are most successful when they lead for 11+ years

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
This week’s weirdest ways to spend money

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
At pawn shops, deals that seem really bad are often a very good thing

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Old man Goldman says it won’t take companies public without women on board

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
In the tax clash of the century, Team Microsoft dealt Team IRS a black eye

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Sonos wanted to phase out some speaker software. Consumers ask: ‘Can they do that?’

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Exclusivity just got an experiential makeover

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
A new vet subscription shows pets really are just like us — they’re suckers for good branding

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Can a snack-slinging startup deliver big profits? SoftBank hopes so

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
How does Rotten Tomatoes work, anyway? (Hint: It’s not all algorithms)

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
New York’s ban on fancy foie gras is a good deal for ducks… but a big blow to farmers

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Amazon continues its War on Friction by letting people pay with the palms of their hands

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
A growing number of investment funds are focusing specifically on minority groups

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The state of diversity in tech

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Q: What the heck is ‘pre-wealth management?’

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The (tracking) cookie crumbled. What will advertisers bake up next?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Islamic fintechs are rolling out banking apps that adhere to Sharia law

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Tech giants are fighting big legal battles. Here’s why they matter

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Bezos takes a beating for Amazon’s contribution to Australian wildfire relief

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
This unorthodox business invests in songwriter royalties like they’re financial instruments

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Did a candle company accidentally sniff out the secret to retail success?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Who needs culinary school when you have Chipotle and IHOP?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
One more time for the people in back… a 3rd day of CES highlights

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
We’re back with the best — and most bizarre — of CES Day 2

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Lawmakers are lobbying for the creation of a ‘public Venmo’

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The best — and most bizarre — from Day 1 of CES

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
WeWork broke SoftBank’s heart. Now, SoftBank’s leaving other startups at the altar

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Who’s riding shotgun in that Lamborghini? Alexa, of course

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Employment was high last year. So were layoffs. Huh?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Smart devices are hitting the showers

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Can connected clothes make people more productive workers?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Happy (belated) Public Domain day!

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
This week’s weirdest ways to spend money

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Health care ‘cost sharing’ companies, which don’t guarantee coverage, are on the rise

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The market for counterfeit kicks is alive and kicking

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
It’s a new year, and tech companies have to play by new rules (in California, at least)

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
What we’re looking forward to in 2020

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Your favorite stories of 2019

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
A look back at the biggest news of 2019

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
In the past decade, the average price for a concert ticket increased 55%. What gives?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
This week’s weirdest ways to spend money

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Need New Year’s resolution inspiration? Check out America’s biggest yard sale

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
After a sea cucumber crackdown, another cucumber crook is caught in a pickle

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
This week’s weirdest ways to spend money

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
University of Phoenix put out another fire. But can it rise from its ashes again?

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
We asked for your strangest carry-on stories. We didn’t think y’all were THIS weird

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
Sometimes, you should Magic Look before you Magic Leap

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20
The gap between the SaaS and the SaaS-nots is growing

Conor Grant
Updated 6/30/20