Business / Tech Oct 29, 2019
Google owner Alphabet Inc. has made an offer to acquire U.S. wearable device maker Fitbit Inc., as it eyes a slice of the crowded market for fitness trackers and smartwatches, people familiar with the matter said on Monday. While Google has joined other major technology ...
Business Jul 26, 2019
Study shows cute kids are YouTube clickbait; child advocates concerned
YouTube videos featuring young children draw nearly triple the average viewership of other content, according to research released on Thursday. The report provided ammunition for child advocates who want Alphabet Inc. to take more aggressive steps to make its streaming service safer for kids. Pew Research ...
Business / Corporate Jun 27, 2019
Five Japanese automakers to join Toyota-SoftBank self-driving venture
Five Japanese automakers will join a self-driving technology joint venture formed last year by Toyota Motor Corp. and SoftBank Corp., sources close to the matter said Wednesday. Mazda Motor Corp., Suzuki Motor Corp., Subaru Corp., Isuzu Motor Ltd., and Toyota's minivehicle-making unit Daihatsu Motor Corp. ...
Business / Corporate Jun 20, 2019
Renault and Nissan agree to explore driverless services partnership with Waymo in France and Japan
If the partnership is realized, it will have ramifications for other alliances and other self-driving projects, most of which have yet to hit the road.
Business Jun 20, 2019
Activists urge Google to break up before regulators force it to
Shareholder activists on Wednesday urged Google parent Alphabet Inc. to break itself up before regulators force the world's biggest internet ad seller to split into different pieces. SumOfUs, a U.S.-based group that aims to curb the growing power of corporations, presented the proposal at Alphabet's ...
Business Jun 4, 2019
Silicon valley battered as Washington turns up antitrust heat
Technology giants are bracing for sweeping investigations into their business practices as top U.S. antitrust officials and lawmakers carved out a battle plan targeting Silicon Valley's best-known names — sending shares tumbling and raising the prospect of a drawn-out fight with the government. The House ...
Business / Tech Apr 25, 2019
SoftBank and Google parent tie up on flying 5G stations for phone services using balloons and drones
Mobile phone carrier SoftBank Corp. and Google LLC parent Alphabet Inc. said Thursday they will jointly set up airborne mobile phone base stations, using balloons and aircraft in the stratosphere, to cover wider areas for next-generation 5G wireless services. SoftBank's year-old HAPSMobile and Alphabet's Loon, ...
Business / Tech Mar 27, 2019
Google launches global council to advise on AI and tech ethics
Alphabet Inc.'s Google said on Tuesday it was launching a global advisory council to consider ethical issues around artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. The council, which is slated to publish a report at the end of 2019, includes technology experts, digital ethicists, and people ...
Business Mar 21, 2019
Google fined $1.7 billion for blocking rival online search advertisers, in third EU sanction
Google was fined €1.49 billion ($1.7 billion) on Wednesday for blocking rival online search advertisers, in the third large European Union antitrust penalty for the Alphabet business in two only years. The European Commission, which said the fine accounted for 1.29 percent of Google's turnover ...
Business Jan 4, 2019
Google shifted $23 billion to tax haven Bermuda via shell firm in 2017, filing shows
Google moved €19.9 billion ($22.7 billion) through a Dutch shell company to Bermuda in 2017, as part of an arrangement that allows it to reduce its foreign tax bill, according to documents filed at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. The amount channelled through Google Netherlands ...
Business / Corporate Oct 26, 2018
Amazon and Alphabet growth engines sputter while spending surges
The growth engines of Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc., the world's largest internet companies, sputtered last quarter, and after weeks of stock market jitters, investors were in no mood to give them a pass. Amazon, the biggest online retailer, on Thursday reported a second consecutive ...