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ALPHABET

James Manyika, who heads Google’s technology and society team, delivers the keynote address at Google I/O in Mountain View, California, in 2023. OpenAI, Google and Meta ignored corporate policies, altered their own rules and discussed skirting copyright law as they sought online information to train their newest artificial intelligence systems.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 8, 2024
How tech giants cut corners to harvest data for AI
The companies’ actions illustrate how online information has increasingly become the lifeblood of the booming AI industry.
Last year the EU designated six companies — including Apple and Google — as "gatekeepers" under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 26, 2024
Why is the EU probing Big Tech under the Digital Markets Act?
Violations could result in fines of as much as 10% of a company's global annual turnover.
Chris Marchese (center), Director of NetChoice Litigation Center, speaks to the press outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Monday. In a case that could determine the future of social media in the United States, the U.S. Supreme Court was asked today to decide whether a pair of state laws that limit content moderation are constitutional.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2024
U.S. Supreme Court torn over legal bid to restrict social media moderation
Republican-backed laws in Florida and Texas are being challenged by tech industry trade groups whose members include Meta, Google, TikTok and Snap.
The climate risks sparked by AI-driven computing are far-reaching — and will worsen without a big shift from fossil fuel-based electricity to clean power.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 27, 2024
AI is exploding data center energy use. A Google-created technique may help.
Data centers and transmission networks collectively contribute up to 3% of global energy consumption, with emissions comparable to the entirety of Brazil.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang attends a session of the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 15, 2024
Nvidia overtakes Alphabet, one day after eclipsing Amazon
The AI frenzy has boosted tech stocks associated with the field, but Nvidia stands out for its significant revenue growth.
Nvidia's shares slipped 0.17% on Tuesday, leaving its stock market value at $1.78 trillion, eclipsing Amazon's $1.75 trillion value after the online shopping and cloud-computing heavyweight's stock declined 2.15%.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 14, 2024
Nvidia market cap threatens Alphabet after overtaking Amazon
The chipmaker's stock market value at the end of Tuesday's trading session was $1.78 trillion, while that of Google's owner was $1.81 trillion.
Sundar Pichai, Google's chief executive (right), arrives to testify at an antitrust case against Google in Washington on Oct. 30. A trio of antitrust cases on the docket threaten to reshape Google’s business and sap its profits.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 13, 2023
Google’s antitrust loss to Epic could preview its legal fate in 2024
The San Francisco case was the first test of how Google might fare in the antitrust gauntlet it faces in the United States — and the company was routed.
Users often do not realize that almost all app notifications travel over Google and Apple's servers, giving the two companies unique insight into the traffic flowing from those apps to their users.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 8, 2023
Smartphone users' push notifications spied on, U.S. senator warns
Users often do not realize that almost all notifications for incoming messages, breaking news and other updates travel over Google and Apple's servers.
An Apple Store in Shanghai in September
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Nov 19, 2023
Asian regulators turn focus to Big Tech
Across the region, there are indications that Big Tech may soon have to comply with standards that could become international benchmarks.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, exits federal court in Washington on Oct. 30.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 7, 2023
Google's app store strategy bad for everyone, Epic says in court
Moves by Alphabet to thwart competition hurt developers and raise prices for consumers, the games firm said in opening statements.
U.S. President Joe Biden signs an Executive Order about Artificial Intelligence as Vice President Kamala Harris looks on, at the White House in Washington on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 31, 2023
Biden inks executive order to curb AI risks to national security
Artificial intelligence technology has been making rapid gains in capability and popularity in an environment of, so far, limited regulation.
Gamers compete during the Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in 2017.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 24, 2023
Twitch and YouTube curb big-money deals for gaming superstars
For years, the leading livestreaming sites have competed for top gaming talent to bolster their services.
The Fair Trade Commission has begun a probe on allegations of potential antitrust violations by Google.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 23, 2023
Japan begins probe into Google for alleged antitrust violations
Japan’s antitrust watchdog has begun an investigation into whether Alphabet’s Google abuses its market position to block rival services.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to the media Wednesday after a closed-door Senate meeting on how artificial intelligence should be regulated.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 14, 2023
Tech leaders discuss AI policy in closed-door senate meeting
The meeting included a prestigious, and possibly combustible, mix of personalities with diverging views on how to write the rules for AI.
Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Alphabet, speaks during an event in Mountain View, California, in May.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 30, 2023
Google to add AI models to its cloud platform
The company also touted its access to Nvidia’s H100 accelerators, a prized commodity during the AI frenzy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 9, 2023
Alphabet shares dive after Google AI chatbot Bard flubs answer in ad
Google has been on the defensive since Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT became a fixation of both regular consumers and Silicon Valley elite.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 7, 2023
As layoff wave sweeps the tech sector, a clear target emerges: middle managers
The moves come as middle managers are under increasing pressure, enforcing return-to-office policies and navigating new hybrid work arrangements.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 21, 2023
Alphabet cuts 12,000 jobs after pandemic hiring spree and refocuses on AI
Google's parent company said it is facing 'a different economic reality,' and has decided to double down on artificial intelligence projects.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2022
ChatGPT could soon be the better way to Google
Answers from the AI-powered chatbot are often more useful than those from the world's biggest search engine. Alphabet should be worried.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 4, 2022
U.S. Supreme Court to rule on protections for social media firms hosting terror content
The cases mark the court's first test of the broad immunity social media companies have enjoyed under a provision known as Section 230, part of the 1996 Communications Decency Act.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores