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☆ Google paid $26 billion in 2021 to become the default search engine on browsers and phones
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Google paid $26.3 billion to be the default search engine on mobile phones and web browsers in 2021, according to a slide made public Friday in a federal antitrust trial against the company. The number is a more granular look into how much Google pays partners, including Apple , to be the default search engine on their products. Bernstein previously estimated Google could pay Apple as much as $19 billion this year for the out-of-the-box default placement on Apple devices. Google has argued that users can still opt to change their default search engine with a few clicks. The slide included numbers dating back to 2014, when Google booked revenue of roughly $47 billion for the division and paid about $7.1 billion for the default status.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, Joe Biden, Bernstein, UCWeb Organizations: Apple, White, Washington , D.C, Google, U.S . Department of Justice, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Mobile, Verizon, Mozilla, Opera, DOJ, TAC, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Big Tech Locations: Washington ,, U.S

☆ Alibaba, Tencent 'golden shares': China is pulling different strings to control Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

According to a person familiar with the matter, the Chinese government is also discussing taking a similar stake in a mainland Chinese subsidiary of Tencent (TCEHY), the group that includes WeChat and a vast gaming business. The headquarters of the Cyberspace Administration of China in Beijing, China on July 16, 2021. “Golden shares” give their owners, usually governments, some level of control over companies, often those that were previously state-owned. In April 2021, a government entity acquired a 1% stake in a Beijing subsidiary of TikTok’s parent company Bytedance, according to Qichacha. The Communist Party may be easing off on fines and penalties, but the “golden shares” approach seeks the same end, which is “control and tight oversight,” said Capri.

☆ China tightens media control with tiny stakes in two Alibaba units
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesBEIJING — State-backed entities have taken tiny stakes in parts of two Alibaba subsidiaries that oversee a video platform and web browser. The state-backed stakes reflect a progression of government directives over the last decade to increase control of media in China. "So far most of the stakes announced (including in other Chinese companies) seem to be highly concentrated on media companies and media subsidiaries." watch nowSince 2020, business records show state-backed entities have taken 1% stakes in popular social media or short-video apps Weibo , ByteDance's Douyin and Kuaishou . A provincial state media group completed a 1% investment in September, leaving Alibaba's media arm with 99% ownership.

☆ China moving to take 'golden shares' in Alibaba, Tencent units - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of Tencent is seen at Tencent office in Shanghai, China December 13, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoJan 13 (Reuters) - China is moving to take minority stakes with special rights in the local units of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK) and Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK), the Financial Times reported on Friday. Seeking influence, Beijing began taking these stakes, called "golden shares," in private online media companies - usually about 1% of a firm - more than five years ago. These golden stakes are bought by government-backed funds or companies which gain a board seat and/or veto rights for key business decisions. However, the specifics of the government's plan to take golden shares in Tencent remain under discussion, but they will involve a stake in one of the group's main China operating subsidiaries, the report added.

☆ China acquires 'golden shares' in two Alibaba units
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] The logo of Alibaba Group is seen at its office in Beijing, China Jan. 5, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas PeterBEIJING, China, Jan 13 (Reuters) - China has acquired minority stakes with special rights in two domestic units of tech giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (9988.HK), business registration records showed, as Beijing extends a campaign to strengthen control over online content. Beijing has been taking 'golden shares' in private online media and content companies for more than five years, and in recent years expanding such arrangements to companies with vast troves of data. These golden shares, typically equal to about 1% of a firm, are bought by government-backed funds or companies which gain board representation and/or veto rights for key business decisions. Having such golden shares can be helpful to firms when they try to secure licences to disseminate online news and to show online visual and audio programmes, sources have told Reuters.

☆ China's government is buying Alibaba and Tencent shares that give the Communist Party special rights over certain business decisions, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Chinese government is buying shares in Alibaba, Tencent and other tech companies, according to the Financial Times. The stakes usually involve a 1% holding and are known as "special management shares." This gives China's Communist Party special rights over certain business decisions, the report said. The stakes usually involve a 1% holding in a key segment and are known as "special management shares," which give Beijing rights over certain decisions at the companies. Meanwhile, details of the Chinese government's plan to buy shares in internet giant Tencent are still under discussion, the report said.

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