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☆ Google co-founder Sergey Brin says in rare public appearance that company 'definitely messed up' Gemini image launch
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Brin, 50, spoke to entrepreneurs on Saturday at the "AGI House" in Hillsborough, California, just south of San Francisco, where developers and founders were testing Google's Gemini model. He also commented on the flawed launch last month of Google's image generator, which the company pulled after users discovered historical inaccuracies and questionable responses. Brin was also asked how online advertising will be disrupted considering ad revenue is core to Google's business. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images“I of all people am not too terribly concerned about business model shifts,” Brin said. Beyond AI, Brin was asked about Google's difficulties in hardware given recent advancements in virtual reality.

Persons: Sergey Brin, Google David Paul Morris, Brin, ” Brin, “, Larry Page, He's, ”, Gemini, “ that’s, Prabhakar Raghavan, Google's, Sundar Pichai, Raghavan, Brin didn't, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Elon Musk's, Eric Schmidt, that’s, I'm Organizations: Google, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Gemini, Google Inc, Allen & Co . Media, Technology Conference, Apple Vision Locations: Hillsborough , California, San Francisco, Sun Valley , Idaho, U.S

☆ 'Grandpa Google': Search head testifies that young users see it as out of style
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

As Google fights claims that it violated antitrust law to maintain its online search dominance, the company's search lead testified Thursday that young users mock Google as old-fashioned. Prabhakar Raghavan, a Google senior vice president responsible for for products including search, ads and commerce, said that some young users have referred to the search engine as "Grandpa Google." Raghavan testified that Yahoo's search dominance at one point seemed insurmountable. For example, Google has conducted research that's led to features that let it directly answer users' questions, understand voice queries and lens queries, where users search via a photo they take. "We don't see users carrying through these journeys entirely on Google," Raghavan testified.

Persons: Prabhakar Raghavan, Google, It's, Raghavan, Bing, that's Organizations: Google Inc, Google, Department of Justice, Yahoo, CNBC, YouTube Locations: San Francisco , California

Companies Cloudflare Inc FollowGoogle Inc FollowAlphabet Inc Follow Show more companiesWASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Internet companies Google, Amazon and Cloudflare say they have weathered the internet's largest-known denial of service attack and are sounding the alarm over a new technique they warn could easily cause widespread disruption. Internet protection company Cloudflare Inc (NET.N) said the attack was "three times larger than any previous attack we've observed." Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) web services division also confirmed being targeted by "a new type of distributed denial of service (DDoS) event." The firms urged companies to update their web servers to ensure that they do not remain vulnerable. None of the three companies said who was responsible for the denial of service attacks, which have historically been difficult to attribute.

Persons: we've, Raphael Satter, Sandra Maler Organizations: Google, Inc, Cloudflare Inc, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON

Yelp (YELP.N) and News/Media Alliance, which are not defendants in the litigation but are targets of Google's subpoenas, argue that law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison should be disqualified. A spokesperson for Paul Weiss said the "firm's representation of Google is appropriate in all respects." Yelp said it hired Paul Weiss in 2016 for counsel on antitrust issues. The Justice Department's antitrust head, Jonathan Kanter, was on the Paul Weiss team representing Yelp. New York-based Paul Weiss, which has about 1,000 lawyers globally, is also representing Amazon.com in various antitrust lawsuits.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Paul, Weiss, Garrison, Leonie Brinkema, Paul Weiss, Yelp, Jonathan Kanter, Charles Molster III, Brandon Kressin, Brinkema, Kanter, Mike Scarcella, Leigh Jones, Rami Ayyub Organizations: Google, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Media Alliance, Yelp, U.S, Google LLC, Eastern, of, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, U.S, Rifkind, Wharton, New York, States, of Virginia

☆ Google is cutting hundreds of jobs in its recruiting organization
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)Google is cutting hundreds of jobs in its global recruiting organization as part of a broader pullback in hiring over the next several quarters, CNBC has confirmed. "We unfortunately need to make a significant reduction to the size of the recruiting organization," Brian Ong, Google's recruiting vice president, told employees in a Wednesday video meeting, a recording of which was obtained by CNBC. In January, Alphabet -owned Google announced it was cutting 12,000 jobs, affecting roughly 6% of the full-time workforce. The layoffs occurred across the company, including in Google's recruiting organization. Employees had previously criticized the company for abruptly cutting off access to those who lost their jobs in January.

Persons: Paul Sakuma, Brian Ong, Ong, we've, Courtenay Mencini, Mencini, Semafor Organizations: Google, Google Inc, CNBC, Employees Locations: Mountain View, Calif

☆ Dutch groups sue Google over alleged privacy violations
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Google logo is seen at the Google offices in the Chelsea section of New York City, U.S., January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Google Inc FollowAlphabet Inc FollowAMSTERDAM, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The Dutch consumers' association Consumentenbond together with the Privacy Protection Foundation issued legal proceedings against Google on Tuesday for alleged large-scale privacy violations, they said in a statement. Both groups demanded that Google, part of Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), stops "its constant surveillance and sharing of personal data through online advertising auctions" and that it pays 750 euros ($804) in damages "for every consumer who has used Google". The statement said 82,000 people had so far joined the claim for damages since the groups announced the action in May 2023. ($1 = 0.9329 euros)Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, Charlotte Van Campenhout, David Holmes Organizations: REUTERS, Google, Privacy Protection, Inc, Thomson Locations: Chelsea, New York City, U.S

☆ Google engaged in a monopolistic feedback loop to maintain search dominance, DOJ alleges in first day of trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

That popularity, the company says, is why browser and phone makers have chosen Google as their default search engine through revenue sharing agreements. It will also hear from Apple's Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue and Mozilla CEO Mitchell Baker, Google's lawyer said. Following opening statements, the DOJ lawyer questioned its first witness, as it begins what's known as its "case-in-chief." But it's important browsers pick the right search default, Schmidtlein said, as Mozilla learned when it switched its default from Google to Yahoo in 2014. WATCH: DOJ takes on Google in antitrust lawsuit over Google Search

Persons: Jonathan Kanter, Kevin Dietsch, Sundar Pichai, Services Eddy, Mitchell Baker, Google's, Sridhar Ramaswamy, Neeva, Hal Varian, Ting Shen, Varian, Kenneth Dintzer, Dintzer, Ditzner, Patterson Belknap Webb, William Cavanaugh, Joan Braddi, Braddi, Siri, Cavanaugh, Kent Walker, Williams, Connolly's John Schmidtlein, Schmidtlein, Denelle Dixon, Apple Organizations: Antitrust, Department of Justice, Getty, Google, Colorado, Washington , D.C, Apple's, Services, Mozilla, DOJ, AGs, Google Inc, Bloomberg, Microsoft, Federal Trade Commission, Apple, Samsung, Branch, Global Affairs, Inc, Yahoo, TechCrunch, CNBC, YouTube Locations: Washington , DC, Washington ,, Snowflake, Colorado, Siri

☆ Here's everything you need to know about ChatGPT, the chatbot everyone's still talking about
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

ChatGPT has drawn users at a feverish pace and spurred Big Tech to release other AI chatbots. But ChatGPT, the latest in technology known as "large language model tools," doesn't speak with sentience and doesn't "think" the way people do. Other tech companies like Google and Meta have developed their own large language model tools, which use programs that take in human prompts and devise sophisticated responses. Other researchers seem to be taking more measured approaches with generative AI tools. He told Insider he's helping to experiment with a chat bot called "Rentervention," which is meant to support tenants.

Persons: ChatGPT, Here's, what's, OpenAI, Matthew Sag, Koko, Rob Morris, Daniel Linna Jr, he's, Linna Organizations: Big Tech, Microsoft, Emory University, Google, Northwestern University, Committee, Better, Princeton

☆ Google to train 20,000 Nigerians in digital skills
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Google LLC is seen at the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Google Inc FollowAlphabet Inc FollowABUJA, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Google plans to train 20,000 Nigerian women and youth in digital skills and provide a grant of 1.2 billion naira ($1.6 million) to help the government's create one million digital jobs in the country, its Africa executives said on Tuesday. Nigeria plans to create digital jobs for its teeming youth population, Vice President Kashim Shettima told Google Africa executives during a meeting in Abuja. Google Africa executives said a grant from its philanthropic arm in partnership with Data Science Nigeria and the Creative Industry Initiative for Africa will facilitate the programme. Google director for West Africa Olumide Balogun said the company would commit funds and provide digital skills to women and young people in Nigeria and also enable startups to grow, which will create jobs.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Kashim Shettima, Shettima, West Africa Olumide Balogun, Charles Murito, Felix Onuah, Chijioke Ohuocha, Josie Kao Organizations: Google, Chelsea, REUTERS, Google Africa, Data Science, Creative Industry Initiative, West Africa, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, ABUJA, Africa, Nigeria, Abuja, Data Science Nigeria

Google (GOOGL.O) had asked for summary judgment on all the government's claims in the case, which is to go to trial next month. Google said Friday it appreciated the court's "careful consideration and decision to dismiss claims regarding the design of Google Search" in the case brought by the state attorneys general. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong praised the decision to allow the states Google search antitrust suit to proceed to trial. Mehta noted Google LLC operates the largest U.S. internet general search engine whose "brand name has become so ubiquitous that dictionaries recognize it as a verb." He noted Google in 2020 had nearly 90% market share and advertisers spend over $80 billion annually alone to reach general search users.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Judge Amit Mehta, Google's, Mehta, William Tong, Tong, Trump, Judge Mehta, Diane Bartz, David Shepardson, Mark Porter, Diane Craft Organizations: Google, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Justice Department, Big Tech, Microsoft Corp, Apple, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Verizon, Mozilla, Justice, Department, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, WASHINGTON, U.S, Washington, Connecticut, Virginia

☆ Google aims to avoid 'perverse' regulation in Brazil, says executive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Patricia Vilasboas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAO PAULO, June 27 (Reuters) - The top executive of Google Brazil said on Tuesday the company encourages greater dialogue around regulating digital platforms in the country, in order to change a bill that might turn out to be "perverse" for everyone. Nearly two months ago, country's top court ordered an investigation into executives at social messaging service Telegram and Google who were in charge of a campaign criticizing a proposed internet regulation bill. Fabio Coelho, vice president of Google Inc and Google Brazil director, told reporters during an event that the company is in dialogue with Brazilian authorities and "is not against" the regulation of digital platforms. In April, Google launched a manifesto signed by the company's country director of government relations and public policy, Marcelo Lacerda, against the approval of "hasty" legislation. It redirected users to a blog post of text which was signed by Lacerda, which made numerous criticisms against the bill.

Persons: Bill, Fabio Coelho, Coelho, Orlando Silva, Marcelo Lacerda, Patricia Vilas Boas, Matthew Lewis Organizations: SAO PAULO, Google, Fake News, Google Inc, Alphabet Inc, National Telecommunications Agency, Lacerda, Sao Paulo, Carolina, Thomson Locations: Google Brazil, Sao

Fake reviews have been a recurring problem on internet commerce sites. Google said Hu buys thousands of fake positive reviews to make the businesses appear legitimate. He then allegedly sells the profiles as "leads" to real businesses in the same fields, which receive contacts from potential customers who reach out to the fake businesses. Google said Hu created more than 350 false profiles bolstered by over 14,000 illegitimate reviews. The lawsuit accused Hu of false advertising, unlawful business practices and violating Google's terms of service.

Persons: Ethan QiQi Hu, Hu, Cooley, Blake Brittain Organizations: Google, Northern, Northern District of, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles, San Jose , California, Hu, U.S, Northern District, Northern District of California, Washington

Companies Google Inc FollowAlphabet Inc FollowMay 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday sidestepped a challenge to federal protections for internet and social media companies that free them of liability for content posted by users in a case involving a lawsuit against Google LLC involving the practices of video-sharing platform YouTube. The justices, in a brief and unsigned ruling, returned to a lower court a lawsuit by the family of Nohemi Gonzalez, a 23-year-old college student from California who was fatally shot in an Islamic State attack in Paris in 2015, of a lower court's decision to throw out their lawsuit. Google and YouTube are part of Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O). Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

CompaniesCompanies Law Firms Google Inc FollowAlphabet Inc Follow(Reuters) - Alphabet's Google LLC won a jury trial on Tuesday in a long-running patent lawsuit in Delaware federal court over features in Google's smartphones and apps. The jury decided that Luxembourg-based patent owner Arendi SARL's patent was invalid and that Google did not infringe it, according to the verdict made public on Wednesday. Google spokesperson José Castañeda said the company was pleased with the decision and appreciated the jury's "careful attention to the extensive evidence presented in this case." Norwegian inventor Atle Hedloy's Arendi sued Google in 2013 over the patent, which relates to retrieving information like names and addresses from a database and entering it into word processors and spreadsheets. It asked the court for $45.5 million in damages, according to a spokesperson for Google's law firm Paul Hastings.

☆ Employee Monitoring and Surveillance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +50 min

Ensuring Employee Safety and Systems SecurityEmployers may use electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance to protect their:Worksites. Potential Liability for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceEmployers that engage in electronic workplace monitoring and surveillance must comply with various federal and state laws, including:The Wiretap Act. Best Practices for Electronic Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceTo avoid violating relevant state and federal laws, before conducting workplace monitoring and surveillance, employers should:Consider the purpose and appropriate scope of their monitoring and surveillance activities and what methods will help them achieve their objectives. Determine the Purpose of Workplace Monitoring and SurveillanceBefore conducting any workplace monitoring or surveillance, best practice is for employers to identify the purpose and goals of these activities to:Ensure that there is a legitimate business purpose for the planned monitoring and surveillance activities. Determine the scope of monitoring and surveillance necessary to accomplish the business purpose, and conduct only the minimum monitoring and surveillance necessary to meet that business need.

It has also asked a federal court in Washington to dismiss claims in a 2020 antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department. And it has asked a federal court in Virginia to dismiss a complaint that the federal government filed this year. In its court filing in federal court in California on Thursday, Google asked that five claims be thrown out. Google argued it does not have a legal obligation to put other app stores in Android and, in fact, most Android phones come preloaded with more than one app store and others can be installed. Again, Google argued that game developers are not prevented from creating alternate app stores.

☆ Why banning TikTok could be a bad idea
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Download Insider's app here. Screenshots from Lemon8 app, Ese Nuesiri / Shantania Beckford1. The rise of Lemon8 proves how pointless a TikTok ban would be. The US government wants to ban TikTok, but its parent company ByteDance is coming out with a new app aimed at the US market. Paayal writes that even if the US banned TikTok, Lemon8 would still exist.

☆ Google incorrectly flagged some retailers' products as counterfeit, and it cost one company $150,000 in lost revenue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google incorrectly flagged two retailers for selling counterfeit goods, and shut off their ads. In recent weeks, two agencies that manage Google ads for retailers say that their clients' accounts were incorrectly flagged as selling counterfeit goods, which then shuts off the ability for retailers to run ads. Both agencies said that the issue started when their retail clients' Google Merchant Center accounts were suspended because they were erroneously flagged as selling counterfeit goods. Google Merchant Center is a key sales driver because it helps consumers discover products. However, the issue underscores the risk online merchants face when they tie their product listings to their Google ads.

In the data privacy case, Google has said its Chrome browser users consented to the company's data collection. The sanction in the data privacy action is not the first time Van Keulen has punished Google in the same case. The new sanctions order and the prior one from May 2022 addressed internal Google evidence concerning consumer use of the company's private browsing mode. Google, according to the judge's order, will be barred from relying on certain employee witnesses in the case. Van Keulen also said Google must pay fees associated with two experts working for the plaintiffs, and must also pay a $79,000 fine.

U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco said in his order that Google "fell strikingly short" in its duties to preserve records. Separately, the plaintiffs will have a chance to urge Donato to tell jurors that Google destroyed information that was unfavorable to it. The lawyers said Google was deleting chat records every 24 hours and "did so even after this litigation commenced." Google is separately fighting claims in a U.S. Justice Department antitrust case in Washington, D.C., federal court of destroyed chat records. The case is In re Google Play Store Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No.

Companies Google Inc FollowAlphabet Inc FollowMarch 24 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday set a fast-paced schedule in the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit challenging Google LLC's digital advertising technology practices, moving the case along more quickly than either side had proposed. A Justice Department spokesperson and a representative from Google had no comment on Friday. The Justice Department and eight states filed the case in January, seeking to force Google to sell its ad manager suite, claiming that the company unlawfully curbed competition over advertising technology. The case is one of two Justice Department antitrust actions against Google. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, assigned to the digital advertising case, will preside at the January pretrial conference.

The Biden administration and CFIUS are pushing for a sale of TikTok in the US. The Chinese government could also block a TikTok sale outright before bidding kicks off. But the list of companies that would actually consider buying TikTok is small, experts told Insider. "I think Microsoft would be one of the only big money, big company possibilities." Ultimately, separating TikTok's US operations, whether in a sale to a big tech firm or a spin off, is complicated.

☆ Laid-off Google employees may not get paid out for approved maternity or medical leave as severance terms deadline looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Googlers are pleading with execs to compensate them for approved paid time off following mass layoffs, CNBC reported. The "Laid off on Leave" group said they've sent three letters to CEO Sundar Pichai and company leaders. In a statement to CNBC, a Google spokesperson emphasized the existing severance package mentioned in Pichai's January memo to staff. Others reported having their access to Google's on-site One Medical facility cut off the same day they were laid off. The Laid off on Leave group reiterated this notion in their letters to the C-suite execs, and referenced Google's original core value, "Don't be evil."

☆ Google tells employees that fewer of them will get promotions to senior roles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google Inc. speaks during an event in New Delhi on December 19, 2022. Google is warning employees that fewer of them will receive promotions to more senior levels this year than in the past. The L6 distinction refers to the first layer of staff that's considered senior and typically includes people with about a decade of experience. The changes come as Google implements a new performance review system called Google Reviews and Development (GRAD), which as CNBC reported in December, will result in more Google employees receiving low performance ratings and fewer receiving high marks. In Monday’s email, Google said it's promoting fewer people to senior roles "to ensure that the number of Googlers in more senior and leadership roles grows in proportion to the growth of the company."

☆ A Googler who lost her job in January's cuts says being laid off 'freed' her to launch a wellness business after suffering from Lyme disease in college
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Emily Cahill, a software engineer, was one of 12,000 people laid off by Google in January. She told Insider she's starting a wellness club after struggling with Lyme disease in college. Cahill shared her journey with Lyme disease with Insider and how being laid off was a launching pad to start her own business. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by a bite from an infected tick and includes symptoms like high temperatures, fatigue, and loss of energy. Being laid off 'freed' herCahill said being laid off "freed me up a lot" because work was so time consuming.

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