Weekly Tech Highlights: Apple's Self-Driving Car Leak, Tesla's Airbnb Deal And More

The third week of August was filled with unexpected leaks, unlikely partnerships and a change in the way smartphones are sold.

Apple's Big Car Leak: Intentional Or Accidental?

An old Apple Inc. AAPL rumor gained new traction this week after word leaked that the iPhone maker had visited a high-security testing ground for self-driving vehicles. "They are so secretive about what they're doing," Ron Weiner, president and CEO of RDM Financial Group, told Benzinga. "Almost nothing that comes out Apple is by mistake. They are an amazing company at giving out exactly the information they want to and they are ruthless when someone violates their confidentiality." Weiner isn't convinced that Apple is building a car, but he said that when a company has $150 billion to throw around, "they're going to explore 100 different places."

Related Link: Why There's Less Room For 'Explosive Growth In Smartphones' Than Before

Tesla Teamed Up With…Airbnb!?

This could be the most unlikely partnership of the year. Tesla Motors Inc TSLA and Airbnb announced that they had teamed up to bring charging stations to "select homes" all over the world. Analysts were mixed on the news. "I say that is very positive," Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry told Benzinga. "There are many segments of people who don't like to stay in a hotel. They would rather stay with friends and family or something like Airbnb." Tigress Financial Partners analyst Ivan Feinseth said the partnership is a "waste of time." "I think it's a way to grab headlines," Feinseth told Benzinga. "If you can afford $100,000 for a car, are you really going to use Airbnb, or are you going to deluxe hotels? I think it's a disconnect for the customer."

Subsidies Are Going Away - Will Apple Suffer?

Consumers have happily purchased new iPhones for $199 with a two-year contract. That offer is quickly becoming a thing of the past as carriers move away from this policy. "The advent of Sprint's no-contract, phone-leasing era will likely cause some friction with consumers at first, as they've become accustomed to a contract and phone-purchase business model and consumers are resistant to change," InvestorPlace feature writer James Brumley told Benzinga. "With Verizon, T-Mobile and now Sprint moving to a monthly phone-lease model though, consumers will make the mental adjustment pretty quickly, recognizing they're not paying for anything now that they weren't -- somehow -- paying for before."

Controversy Surrounded Amazon After Employee Complaints Surfaced

The New York Times published a profile about the work environment at Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN, causing a bit of controversy for the online retailer. "The truth of the matter is, it is an incredibly stressful environment," Weiner told Benzinga. "Most places are. I think a lot of this came out of the fulfillment centers, which are not Silicon Valley. In the middle of Nevada you don't have the same culture of striving. I could see where people would be unhappy with their need to push harder and faster." Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Louis Bedigian had no position in the equities mentioned in this report.