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☆ Factbox: Biden administration continues Trump antitrust focus on tech giants
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department sued Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O) on Tuesday, marking the third antitrust lawsuit filed against a tech giant since the Trump administration kicked off investigations of the platforms and the Biden administration pledged to press on with the probes. The U.S. Justice Department had previously sued Google in October 2020, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market muscle to hobble rivals in search. Dozens of U.S. states and territories filed a broader version of the Justice Department lawsuit in December 2020. The Justice Department is also probing Google to determine if bundling its Maps product with other Google software illegally stifles competition. Apple:The Justice Department has a probe into Apple (AAPL.O) underway, which was revealed in June 2019.

☆ A Google software engineer says it was a 'slap in the face' to find out he was laid off via email after 20 years at the company
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jeremy Joslin, a 20-year Google engineer, says being laid off via email was a "slap in the face." Jeremy Joslin, who according to his LinkedIn profile had worked at the tech giant since 2003, said on Friday that the company told him over email. "It's hard for me to believe that after 20 years at Google I unexpectedly find out about my last day via an email," he tweeted. After 17.5 years at Google, it was kind of a tough way to discover that I'd become a Xoogler." "Not the same company I started at 20 years ago," he said on LinkedIn.

☆ Amazon's drone delivery unit hit with layoffs just as 10-year-old project finally launches
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Two employees said Carbon, who replaced Prime Air co-founder Gur Kimchi, was hired to turn Prime Air into a real business with a sensible budget. Sources with knowledge of Prime Air said cuts in the drone delivery business were expected considering the division's many struggles. Monica Williams, a College Station resident, poses with a Prime Air drone at a community event in July. College Station residents also expressed concern about the prospect of drones harming the deer, foxes and birds that are native to the area. "As we continue to expand, we will update you when drone delivery is available for your household."

☆ Porsche to ensure familiar software is available for customers, spokesperson says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BERLIN, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Porsche AG (P911_p.DE) will ensure that familiar software platforms like Google and Apple will be accessible for its customers, a spokesperson said on Tuesday following reports that it was considering integrating Google software into its cockpit. The luxury carmaker declined to comment on whether it was currently in talks with Google (GOOGL.O) over a deal to incorporate Google applications like Google Maps and Google Assistant into their vehicles. A source close to the company told Reuters on Thursday discussions were underway, marking a shift in strategy for the newly listed carmaker which previously had been reluctant to use Google software. Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach, Writing by Victoria Waldersee, Editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Google, Porsche in talks over Google Apps access
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The deal, which is only being considered for the Porsche brand and not the Volkswagen Group more widely, would enable Porsche customers access to Google applications like Google Maps and Google Assistant without needing to connect the car to an Android phone. Spokespeople for Porsche and Google were not immediately available for comment. A spokesperson for Volkswagen software unit Cariad declined to comment. Porsche had previously been reluctant to use Google software because Google asked for too much data to be shared, according to Manager Magazin, which first reported the talks. Carmakers including General Motors, Renault, Nissan and Ford use embedded Google technology in their vehicles via a Google Automotive Services (GAS) package, offering features like Google Maps, Google Assistant and other applications.

☆ Noom sells psychology-driven weight loss — but former employees say they were unprepared for and overwhelmed by users' eating disorders, depression, and trauma
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

Before joining Noom, users fill out a questionnaire asking about what diet programs or mental health apps they've used in the past. Very overly optimistic and happy, doesn't acknowledge what I'm really saying," one Noom user wrote on Reddit. Some of the coaches Insider interviewed said they were interacting with Noom users within two weeks of starting. Emotional bandwidthRachel Clair was hired as a Noom coach in 2018, at a time when the coaching staff grew from 60 to about 200. Annette Riedl/picture alliance via Getty ImagesIn October, 500 more Noom coaches were abruptly called into a virtual meeting and laid off.

☆ Special Report: FTX's Bankman-Fried begged for a rescue even as he revealed huge holes in firm's books
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Angus Berwick Anirban Sen Elizabeth Howcroft Lawrence Delevingne | Angus Berwick | Anirban Sen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +22 min

Sequoia was shocked at the amount of money Bankman-Fried needed to save FTX, according to the sources, while Apollo first asked for more information, only to later decline. The booklet flagged the risks of crypto trading, particularly how sudden sales of tokens could trigger a "domino effect" that would lead to a "cascading set of liquidity failures." Using profits from Alameda, Bankman-Fried launched FTX in 2019. From almost nothing in 2019, FTX handled about 10% of global crypto trading this year, a September document shows. At one point, he lived in a penthouse overlooking the Caribbean, valued at almost $40 million, according to two people who worked with FTX.

☆ California man accuses Southwest Airlines passenger of physically assaulting and hurling racist slurs at his wife on flight to Phoenix
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Google software engineer Faraaz Sareshwala said his wife was assaulted on a Southwest flight to Phoenix. In a thread of tweets, he called out Southwest Airlines for not reprimanding the man he said is responsible. Sareshwala wrote that the man reportedly told the seatmates to "fuck off" and said "that bitch got what was coming for her." Sareshwala nor Southwest Airlines immediately responded to Insider's request for comment. On Wednesday, a man was arrested and banned from American Airlines after being seen punching a flight attendant in the back of the head.

☆ Huawei spin-off Honor to launch first foldable phone abroad as Chinese firm takes on Apple, Samsung
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-02 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Honor CEO George Zhao launched the company's Honor 70 smartphone in Europe during a virtual presentation at the IFA trade show in Berlin, Germany. Honor, which was spun off from Chinese technology giant Huawei in 2020, is trying to boost its market share outside of China. Honor, the smart devices company spun off from embattled Chinese tech giant Huawei, plans to launch a foldable phone in overseas markets as it looks to challenge Apple and Samsung on the global stage. Honor faces an uphill battle outside of China where it has less than a 1% smartphone market share. Alongside the upcoming foldable phone, Honor is placing emphasis on the more expensive premium end of the smartphone market outside of China.

☆ 'Crazy stuff is happening at my work': Silicon Valley engineers are really freaking out right now
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-01 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Silicon Valley, perhaps even more than the rest of corporate America, has long been engaged in a two-sided battle over the pursuit of happiness. In the Silicon Valley that emerges on Blind, the engineers who strive for work-life balance are just as burned out as the late-night grinders. But Silicon Valley has always overindexed for Optimizers. If this is Silicon Valley today, nobody's happy, and everybody's burnt. Stereotypically, Silicon Valley engineers are grinders.

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