Commentary / World Apr 15, 2021
Microsoft’s $20 billion AI deal will shake up how we work
by Tae Kim
At first glance, it may seem like a strange candidate for what would become Microsoft’s second-largest acquisition after its $26 billion deal for LinkedIn Corp.
Business / Financial Markets Aug 20, 2020
Trailing are Microsoft and Amazon, each at about $1.6 trillion, followed by Google-owner Alphabet at just over $1 trillion.
Business / Corporate Aug 18, 2020
SoftBank bets $3.9 billion on U.S. giants, from Amazon to Tesla
SoftBank is expanding investment activities from private startups to publicly traded equities at a time the biggest technology stocks are near record highs.
Business / Tech Feb 4, 2020
If Google shares less data, rivals shout antitrust; if it opens up, privacy advocates cry foul
by Gerrit De Vynck and Mark Bergen
Google LLC is limiting access to key tools that track ad spending, disrupting hundreds of marketers and underscoring the powerful role the search giant plays in the digital advertising industry. One recent change affects ad measurement companies — independent firms that monitor the performance of ...
Business / Tech Jan 21, 2020
Alphabet CEO backs temporary ban on facial recognition but Microsoft boss disagrees
by Foo Yun Chee and John Chalmers
The European Union's proposal for a temporary ban on facial recognition technology won backing from Alphabet Inc. Chief Executive Sundar Pichai on Monday but got a cool response from Microsoft Corp. President Brad Smith. While Pichai cited the possibility that the technology could be used ...
Business / Tech Jan 2, 2020
Study finds Google system could improve breast cancer detection
A Google artificial intelligence system has proved as good as expert radiologists at predicting which women would develop breast cancer based on screening mammograms and also showed promise at reducing errors, researchers in the United States and Britain reported. The study, which was published in ...
Business Dec 17, 2019
Cobalt fallout: Tesla and Apple among firms accused of aiding child labor in Congo
Five of the world's largest tech companies have been accused of being complicit in the death of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo forced to mine cobalt, a metal used to make telephones and computers, in a landmark lawsuit. The legal complaint on behalf ...
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 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 ...