Google says it plans to counter Japan's FTC over claims that it hobbles rivals in search; a source says Japan's FTC sent a cease-and-desist order to Google — - Google prepares case against antitrust watchdog's allegations — Regulators around the world are ramping up Big Tech scrutiny
AI platforms are unlikely to become a major source of traffic or ad revenue for media outlets, with content deals offering only a short-term revenue boost — I recently wrote about the future of the browser and Surf, a new app from the creators of Flipboard.
A look at the challenges facing Crunchyroll, as current and ex-staffers say its management is out of touch, amid Disney and Netflix's expansion into anime — Disney and Netflix are expanding in the popular Japanese cartoon genre — At first glance, Sony Group Corp.'s $1.2 billion acquisition …
A look at Amazon's revamped drone delivery program near Phoenix, Arizona, where the company's new MK-30 drones deliver dozens of packages a day to customers — A recent visit to the company's overhauled drone delivery program in Arizona left me impressed by the drones, but skeptical that the public will welcome them.
Sources: Apple is working on a smart doorbell system with advanced facial recognition that can wirelessly connect and unlock third-party smart locks — Also: Company ramps up work on turning AirPods into a health device.
Preqin data: Southeast Asia's AI startups raised just $1.7B across 122 deals so far in 2024, out of ~$20B across 1,845 deals for the whole Asia-Pacific region — - While global tech expands in the region, its startups languish — Its homegrown tech industry risks falling behind in AI
Albania bans TikTok for a year from January 2025, part of a broader plan to make schools safer following the killing of a 14-year-old near a school in November — Albania on Saturday announced a one-year ban on TikTok, the popular short video app, following the killing of a teenager last month …
As part of its remedies proposal, Google says it won't require device makers and other partners to distribute Gemini to US users for three years — Google dominated the last era of search. Now the company and the US Justice Department are battling over how to set a fair playing field for generative AI.
The US awards a $4.75B CHIPS Act grant to Samsung and $1.6B to Texas Instruments for new factories in Texas and Utah, rounding out the program's largest grants — - Incentives will go toward new factories in Texas and Utah — Biden administration is racing to complete federal grants
A profile of AWS CEO Matt Garman, including his first few months on the job, what his stewardship means for the business, and his opportunities and challenges — Matt Garman joined Amazon Web Services as an intern nearly two decades ago. But his appearance earlier this month …
The UK CMA says its phase one probe finds that chip designer Synopsys' $35B acquisition of 3D software maker Ansys could reduce innovation and increase prices — UK's competition watchdog said on Friday it could approve chip design software maker Synopsys' $35 billion acquisition of Ansys if the regulator's concerns are resolved.
Bluesky updates its app to include a separate mentions tab in notifications, protections against username squatting, and new controls for replies sorting — Social network Bluesky has released a new update to its app that includes a separate mentions tab in notifications …
Malaysia says it has identified WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Telegram, WeChat, and TikTok as platforms that need to obtain a license by next year — The platforms include Meta Platforms Inc.'s WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram; Elon Musk's X; Google's YouTube; Pavel Durov's Telegram …
A look at the quickly disappearing web, as digital decay and link rot erase all kinds of media; a Pew study says 38% of webpages accessible in 2013 are now gone — The internet is forever. But also, it isn't. What happens to our culture when websites start to vanish at random?
Arm v. Qualcomm: Qualcomm CEO Christian Amon described Arm's Nuvia license cancellation and demand for Qualcomm to destroy IP after buying Nuvia as “outrageous” — - Tech firms are sparring in weeklong jury trial in Delaware — Closing arguments are expected Thursday in federal court
Tracxn: Indian startup funding rounds fell 32% YoY to 1,448 in 2024, but overall funding rose 6% YoY to $11.3B; 40+ startups completed IPOs, up 80% YoY — Indian startups raised 32% fewer funding rounds in 2024 compared to last year, per new numbers from data intelligence platform Tracxn …
A profile of 114-year-old Japanese conglomerate Hitachi, whose market cap recently hit $100B after becoming an industrial software and hardware provider — New chief executive takes over streamlined conglomerate with most of its revenues and employees overseas
Turkish startup Agave Games, developer of Find the Cat, which has 10M+ downloads since its August 2024 release, raised an $18M Series A at a $100M valuation — A startup out of Turkey that has built a hit casual mobile game where you have to find cats in Where's Wally-style drawings …
Beijing-based AI startup Zhipu, which aims to make services tailored to the China market, raised $412M, after raising $400M at a ~$3B valuation in May 2024 — Beijing-based Zhipu raised a further 3 billion yuan ($412 million) to power its artificial intelligence development efforts.
The UK's Ofcom says the Online Safety Act, passed in 2023 to govern illegal material on internet platforms, has taken effect, and plans to expand it in 2025 — - Ofcom released first guidelines for Online Safety Act — Rules require firms to remove illegal content or face fines
Bloomberg : Google says it plans to counter Japan's FTC over claims that it hobbles rivals in search; a source says Japan's FTC s...
