Uber's having a banner year despite its very bad news, proving people will forgive a lot for the sake of convenience. That and more in The Daily Crunch for March 22, 2017.

1. Uber: Business is booming despite bad news

It's pretty amazing what a good product can buy in terms of customer goodwill. Uber says that its business is growing faster than ever before, despite a social media campaign rallying users to delete their accounts, wild CEO antics and a sexual harassment workplace culture scandal.

Uber still felt the need to try to counter message with a press conference featuring board member Arianna Huffington and other female leaders at the ride hailing company. The likely reason is that regardless of consumer demand, the company doesn't want its rep to impact its ability to attract new talent, so it needs to rebuild the brand.

2. Still, here's what it says it's doing to fix its culture

Despite booming business, the company says it's begun work on fixing its cultural issues, and actually has the end-goal of not just fixing its problems, but making its culture a beacon that others aspire to. That's going to be a tall order, but it's starting with its first diversity and inclusion report releasing later this month, which should help with transparency, to start.

3. Y Combinator startups day 2

Yes, there are more startups debuting at Y Combinator's multi-day demo day. It's a lot but some highlights include an electric airplane maker that could change the way we do passenger transportation.

4. Google Maps lets you share your location with friends and family

Location sharing can be very useful, and Google now lets you do that in Maps, complete with expiry on the information shared and specifics about who you share with. It's a great way to let people know how to get to you, quickly.

5. Instagram has 1 million active advertisers, will let people book appointments

Instagram is celebrating its 1 millionth monthly active advertiser on the platform, and is also revealing plans to eventually allow businesses to offer direct appointment booking through the platform. That's a swipe at OpenTable et al, and could be a very effective one.

6. Boom raises $33 million for supersonic flight

Startups looking to break the sound barrier are relatively few and far between, but Boom wants to do exactly that, ushering in a new age of passenger supersonic flight not seen since the Concorde.

7. Baidu uses its chief AI scientist

AI is a hot commodity in tech right now, and those who are good at developing it are even more important. That's why Baidu's chief scientist departing the company is affecting its stock price in a negative way. Everyone needs the brains behind the brains.