Engadget: Tech giant ‘gatekeepers’ must comply with all of the EU’s new digital market rules . “Seven companies, mostly made up of American tech giants, have notified the European Commission that they meet the criteria to be classified as ‘gatekeepers’ under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, TikTok owner ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft and Samsung have declared that they meet the thresholds the EU set when it passed the new law.”
Tag Archives: Alphabet
Ubergizmo: Alphabet Invests In Laser Technology For Internet Connectivity In Remote Regions
Ubergizmo: Alphabet Invests In Laser Technology For Internet Connectivity In Remote Regions. “Alphabet — the parent company of Google — is embarking on an ambitious endeavor to extend internet access to remote and underserved regions. Departing from the conventional use of high-altitude balloons in the stratosphere, Alphabet is employing cutting-edge laser technology to achieve its goal.”
The Verge: Google parent Alphabet shuts down yet another robot project
The Verge: Google parent Alphabet shuts down yet another robot project. “Alphabet’s Everyday Robots subsidiary will no longer exist as a discrete unit, with team members and technology folded into other divisions. It’s a disappointing end for another robotics venture.”
Android Police: Google’s parent company could slash more money-losing moonshot projects
Android Police: Google’s parent company could slash more money-losing moonshot projects. “Investing in offbeat technology because a brand believes in its potential can quickly turn expensive. In a comprehensive report, The Information reveals the eleven currently active other bets cost Alphabet around $30 billion in operating losses so far, of which a $4.5 billion loss was recorded in the first nine months of 2022. However, the search titan has also acknowledged an economic slowdown with a freeze on hiring, and its recent quarterly report also reveals plans for fewer-than-usual moonshots.”
IANS: Google’s parent company Alphabet ‘prepares’ to lay off 10,000 employees
IANS: Google’s parent company Alphabet ‘prepares’ to lay off 10,000 employees . “Alphabet, Google`s parent company, is reportedly gearing up to lay off about 10,000 “poor performing” employees, or 6 per cent of its workforce, in the Big tech layoff season kicked off by Meta, Amazon, Twitter, Salesforce and more amid the rough global conditions.”
Engadget: YouTube Music contractors vote to unionize
Engadget: YouTube Music contractors vote to unionize. “A group of workers at YouTube Music Content Operations, an Alphabet subcontractor, have filed with the National Labor Relations Board for union recognition and bargaining power after a supermajority of the 58-strong group signed union cards.”
Reuters: Google Appoints Top Washington Post Exec as General Manager of News
Reuters: Google Appoints Top Washington Post Exec as General Manager of News. “Alphabet Inc’s Google has picked the Washington Post’s longtime chief information officer to help run its news division as general manager, the tech giant said on Wednesday. Shailesh Prakash, who also led the news publisher’s design, product and tech teams for over a decade, will join Google in November.”
Reuters: Social media firms to testify at U.S. Senate Homeland Security hearing
Reuters: Social media firms to testify at U.S. Senate Homeland Security hearing. “The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday with Facebook parent Meta Platforms, Alphabet’s YouTube, Twitter, and short video app TikTok on social media’s impact on homeland security. The panel led by Democratic Senator Gary Peters will also hear from a panel of former executives including from Twitter and Facebook.”
CNBC: Google CEO tells employees productivity and focus must improve, launches ‘Simplicity Sprint’ to gather employee feedback on efficiency
CNBC: Google CEO tells employees productivity and focus must improve, launches ‘Simplicity Sprint’ to gather employee feedback on efficiency. “The Alphabet company had its regular all-hands last Wednesday, and the tone was somewhat urgent as employees expressed concern over layoffs and CEO Sundar Pichai asked employees for input, according to attendees and related internal documentation viewed by CNBC. Google’s productivity as a company isn’t where it needs to be even with the headcount it has, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai told employees in the meeting.”
The Verge: Google Contractors Say A Recruiting Company Has Been Systematically Skimming Their Pay
The Verge: Google Contractors Say A Recruiting Company Has Been Systematically Skimming Their Pay . “A group of Google contractors says they’ve been underpaid by the agency that recruited them, resulting in thousands of dollars in unpaid wages per affected worker. The earliest reports occurred as long ago as 2019, and workers say the payroll errors are happening so regularly that they believe it to be a kind of systematic wage theft.”
Bloomberg: Google Attacks EU for Treating It Almost Like a ‘Criminal’
Bloomberg: Google Attacks EU for Treating It Almost Like a ‘Criminal’. “Alphabet Inc.’s Google lashed out at the European Union for doling out a ‘quasi criminal fine of very large proportions’ for allegedly thwarting advertising rivals on websites. At a hearing at the bloc’s General Court on Monday, the search giant said the 2019 decision by the EU’s antitrust arm to issue the 1.49 billion-euro ($1.6 billion) fine was riddled with errors and should be struck down.”
CNBC: Google Fiber contractors in Kansas City are first to unionize under Alphabet Worker Union
CNBC: Google Fiber contractors in Kansas City are first to unionize under Alphabet Worker Union. “Google Fiber contractors in Kansas City, Missouri voted to unionize Friday, becoming the first workers with bargaining rights under the Alphabet Workers Union.”
ZDNet: Google’s quantum-focused Sandbox division is being spun off
ZDNet: Google’s quantum-focused Sandbox division is being spun off. “Google parent company Alphabet revealed that its Sandbox division, which focuses on quantum computing technologies, is being spun off into an independent company called SandboxAQ.”
Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court spurns Google bid to avoid shareholder lawsuit
Reuters: U.S. Supreme Court spurns Google bid to avoid shareholder lawsuit. “The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Alphabet Inc’s attempt to nix a lawsuit by shareholders accusing the Google parent company of fraudulently concealing a security glitch that left private user data exposed. The justices left in place a lower court’s ruling that revived the lawsuit brought over the 2018 incident that the company was slow to disclose, turning away Alphabet’s appeal.”
Reuters: Alphabet, Google beat sales estimates for holiday quarter
Reuters: Alphabet, Google beat sales estimates for holiday quarter. “Alphabet’s overall quarterly sales jumped 32 per cent to $US75.3 billion ($106 billion), above the average estimate of $US72 billion among financial analysts tracked by Refinitiv. Total Google revenue was $US74.9 billion, above estimates of $US71.652 billion.”