Despite small numbers of office workers due to remote working, Google is to spend billions to acquire New York office building
TECHNOLOGY POWERING BUSINESS
News Projects
GitLab Files For Initial Public Offering After $6bn Valuation
Software development platform maker GitLab files for public offering on Nasdaq after January secondary share sale that valued it at $6bn
Wikipedia Bans Seven Chinese Users Citing ‘Infiltration’
Wikimedia Foundation bans seven users in China for 'infiltration of Wikimedia systems' that has resulted in 'physical harm' of users
Russia To Tax Foreign ‘Digital Services’
Plan published in Russia to impose taxes on foreign-owned digital services, as part of ongoing effort to bolster domestic tech sector
Apple Rejects Epic Games Fortnite Request In South Korea
Not having it. Despite South Korea ban on payment commission charges, Apple has refused to reinstate Epic Games account in that country
Facebook Developing Machine Learning Chip – Report
Engineers at Facebook are reportedly developing a machine learning chip, as part of its internal chip development program
Microsoft Indefinitely Postpones Office Return
Software giant is the latest tech giant to respond to ongoing infections, saying it will indefinitely postpone staff return to US offices
Microsoft, Amazon Win Project Maven Contracts – Report
Analysis shows Amazon and Microsoft win Pentagon drone contracts, after Google exited Project Maven in 2018 amid staff protests
Apple Eases App Store Rules For Spotify, Netflix etc
Fresh concession from Apple for “reader” apps, but Netflix says it doesn't go far enough and Spotify CEO says Apple is just trying to 'divide and conquer'
Age Appropriate Design Code Arrives To Protect Kids
Rules to protect youngsters come into effect in the UK today, governing how apps and online services should treat children’s data
HPE Wins NSA Cloud Contract Worth $2bn
Hewlett Packard Enterprise wins $2 billion cloud services contract with America's top secret intelligence agency, the NSA
Google Appeals $591m Copyright Fine From French Watchdog
'Disproportionate fine' says Google, as it files appeal against 500 million euros penalty imposed by France’s competition regulator
Google Delays Office Return Until 10 January 2022
Search engine giant Google, joins Amazon, Facebook and Apple in delaying staff return to offices and campuses, citing Coronavirus 'uncertainity'
Apple Agrees App Store Deal With Small Developers
Ahead of a ruling in App Store dispute with Epic Games, Apple agrees to ease restrictions for small developers over payment billing
Tech Giants Make Cybersecurity Pledges After White House Meeting
Tech giants pledge to spend billions of dollars improving cybersecurity after meeting with President Biden in White House
South Korea Moves To Curb In-App Purchase Charges
South Korean parliamentary committee votes to amend a bill in order to stop Apple and Google charges for in-app purchases
Google Health Disbanded; Staff Sent To Other Divisions
The dedicated health unit at Google has been disbanded, with its 570 staff sent to different divisions within the Alphabet empire
Microsoft Power Apps Data Leak Impacts 38 Million People
Check default settings. Names, phone and social security numbers made public to organisations using Microsoft’s Power Apps platform
US Agencies Urge Patch To Tackle BlackBerry QNX Flaw
Cars and medical devices at risk from a serious vulnerability in the BlackBerry QNX operating system, US federal agencies warn
OpenAI Codex Translates English Into Programming Code
No more developers or programmers? Updated machine learning Codex from OpenAI translates English language into programming code
Apple Drops Corellium Lawsuit
Apple has dropped its copyright lawsuit against Corellium at the last minute, before the two sides were due to go to court again
Google May Cut Salaries Of Home Workers
Google staff who opt to work from home on a permanent basis in the United States, may have their salaries adjusted, it is being reported
NSA Awards $10bn Contract To AWS, But Microsoft Files Complaint
Revenge for the JEDI? Microsoft files an official complaint with government regulator, after NSA awards $10 billion contract to AWS
Google’s Larry Page Granted New Zealand Residency
Armageddon bolthole? Co-founder of Google, Larry Page, was granted residency in New Zealand earlier this year after medical emergency
Bill Gates Officially Divorced From Melinda
Marriage of 27 years between Microsoft's co-founder and former CEO Bill Gates and Melinda officially ended this week after court filing
Accelerating AI: Managing the Machines
As the Biden administration creates a national AI task force, how will AI develop over the next few years? And how will these developments be managed to ensure safety and ethics are maintained?
Google, Facebook To Require Covid Vaccinations For Office Return
Employees looking to return to work in the offices of Facebook and Google will be required to be vaccinated
Google Reveals ‘New Chapter’ For Bug Bounty Program
Google's 'vulnerability reward program' has found over 11,000 bugs and paid out $29m over past ten years, but now has a 'major makeover'
Microsoft Thrives Thanks To Azure Growth
Software giant posts record results, as certain business segments (Azure) thrive during Coronavirus pandemic, but others struggle
Government To Compensate Victims Of Post Office Horizon Fiasco
Compensation promised by government for wrongly convicted postmasters, after Post Office Horizon scandal over past two decades