THE NEWS WRAP: SurveyMonkey’s chief executive dies unexpectedly

SurveyMonkey’s chief executive Dave Goldberg has died unexpectedly, leaving many in Silicon Valley to mourn an admired entrepreneur and angel investor.

Goldberg, who previously worked at Yahoo, was the husband of Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, according to Re/Code.

Goldberg’s sudden death was announced on Facebook by his brother, Robert Goldberg.

“No words can express the depth of loss we feel, but we want his children to learn how much he meant to all of you,” he wrote.

“In lieu of donations, we want to celebrate his life in a manner that respects the family’s privacy as they cope with this tragic, life changing event: Sheryl, their children, and our family would be grateful if people would post their memories and pictures of Dave to his Facebook profile.”

Australia’s slow and expensive internet hurting the economy

The economy is being left behind thanks to the government failing to drive digital innovation and therefore improve business and the lives of everyday Australians.

The damning report, published by accounting firm Ernst & Young, says Australia needs to make massive improvements when it comes to innovation if it is to catch up with countries such as the UK, Singapore and New Zealand.

Australia’s slow and expensive internet is hurting “all aspects of business, government and the community”, according to the research.

May the fourth be with you

International Star Wars Day kicks off around Australia this morning, with fans celebrating in all manner of ways – including hosting movie marathons and even dressing up as their favourite characters.

In Melbourne, a father-and-son team of professional Lego builders have constructed the world’s largest Millennium Falcon model out of 200,000 Lego bricks.

The franchise’s new film The Force Awakens will hit cinemas on December 18.

Overnight

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 74.61 points, falling 0.41% to 18,035.53. The Aussie dollar is currently trading at around 80 US cents.

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