Daily Tech Snippet: Monday, April 10

• China Tech Investment Flying Under the Radar, Pentagon Warns: China is investing in Silicon Valley start-ups with military applications at such a rapid rate that the United States government needs tougher controls to stem the transfer of some of America’s most promising technologies, a Pentagon report says. There are few restrictions on investing in American start-ups that focus on artificial intelligence, self-driving vehicles and robotics, the report contends, and China has taken advantage. Beijing, the report says, is encouraging its companies to invest for the purpose of pushing the country ahead in its strategic competition with the United States. In some instances, Chinese companies have made under-the-radar investments intended to dodge the oversight of a government agency, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as Cfius. “If we allow China access to these same technologies concurrently, then not only may we lose our technological superiority, but we may even be facilitating China’s technological superiority,” the report says.

• Snapdeal founders move to calm employees amid takeover speculation: The founders of India's Snapdeal told employees in an email on Sunday that the e-commerce company will ensure there is no disruption to staff "as the way forward becomes clear," as speculation of a takeover swirls. The email, seen by Reuters, tacitly acknowledged that a sale of the company could be in the offing, and it sought to calm the concerns of employees at India's No. 3 e-commerce player. Snapdeal has for weeks been at the center of much takeover speculation, with its largest backer Japan's Softbank, seen as keen to sell the company to its larger rival, Tiger Global-backed Flipkart.

• TaskRabbit Is Exploring a Sale: TaskRabbit Inc., an online marketplace for errands and one-off jobs, is looking into selling itself after receiving interest from a potential buyer. The San Francisco startup declined to name the suitor. A spokeswoman said TaskRabbit is "exploring options opportunistically." The move was reported earlier Friday by technology website Recode. TaskRabbit was founded in 2008 by Leah Busque, who wanted to be able to pay someone to buy dog food for her pet. From there, the company became known as a pioneer of the "gig economy," though it has struggled to find its place among heavily capitalized competitors. Last year, when TaskRabbit raised more funds, it significantly lowered its valuation in order to appeal to investors. Busque stepped down as chief executive officer and was replaced by Stacy Brown-Philpot, a former Google executive. Brown-Philpot had promised to make the company profitable by the end of 2016 but later backed away from the projection.