In Brief

FTC reportedly opens antitrust investigation into Microsoft

Government & Policy /

The FTC has launched an antitrust investigation into Microsoft, according to multiple reports that corroborate earlier reporting by the Financial Times. The agency is said to be looking into whether Microsoft violated antitrust law in multiple segments of its business, including its public cloud, AI, and cybersecurity product lines. Of particular interest to the FTC […]

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Investigators think a Chinese ship purposefully cut critical data cables  

Security /

European investigators are saying that a Chinese commercial ship purposefully dragged its anchor in order to slash through two critical data cables, according to the The Wall Street Journal. The Chinese ship had recently departed from Russia carrying Russian fertilizer when it crossed the Baltic Sea. Investigators say the alleged attack may have been orchestrated

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Uber is building a fleet of gig workers to label data for AI models

AI /

Uber is expanding its fleet of gig workers and creating a new category: AI annotation and data labeling. The ride-hailing company has started hiring contractors for a new AI and data labeling division called Scaled Solutions. These workers complete projects for Uber’s internal business units but are also serving outside customers including self-driving vehicle company

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In court filing, Drake alleges UMG and Spotify artificially inflated popularity of diss track ‘Not Like Us’

Media & Entertainment /

The longstanding feud between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar is heating up. Drake — via a business entity called Frozen Moments LLC — filed a petition yesterday in a New York Supreme Court accusing distributor Universal Music Group (UMG) of artificially inflating the popularity of “Not Like Us,” Lamar’s recently released “diss” track directed at

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EU’s outgoing antitrust chief regrets not moving faster & breaking Big Tech’s grip

Government & Policy /

The European Union’s outgoing competition chief, Margrethe Vestager, made a name for herself with headline-grabbing enforcements against Big Tech. But in a New York Times exit interview, as she approaches the end of her term, she sounds regretful at not having gone faster and harder against the likes of Apple and Google. She summarized her

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Apple ordered to open up in-app purchases in Brazil

Government & Policy /

Brazil’s antitrust regulator Cade has ruled that Apple must lift restrictions on in-app purchases within 20 days, Reuters reports. Otherwise, if the iPhone maker doesn’t comply, it faces fines of $43,000 per day. This decision is the result of a complaint filed by e-commerce merchant Mercado Libre in 2022. If you’ve been following recent changes

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Volkswagen slashes the value of its stake in Northvolt, the beleaguered battery manufacturer

Climate /

Volkswagen bet big on European-made batteries a few years ago with two massive investments in Northvolt, the Swedish manufacturer. Now, the automaker’s €1.4 billion stake is worth less than half that, according to Reuters. The write downs occurred throughout the current fiscal year as the situation at Northvolt deteriorated.  It’s unclear what Volkswagen’s current stake

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