Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. The move will make Microsoft the world's third largest gaming company. But it could also cut off gamers from their favorite titles. Console makers have always used exclusive titles to get gamers to purchase their devices. But as the industry consolidates, titles that were previously third-party games will become first-party exclusives.
Tesla shareholders urged a judge on Tuesday to charge Elon Musk $13 billion for his role in the company's acquisition of SolarCity. SolarCity is a company that installs solar panels for residential, commercial and industrial customers. It was acquired by Tesla in 2016 after Musk presented it to the board.
Google is ending its free Workspace version of its G Suite productivity software. The company will transition users to paid accounts starting on May 1st. Users who don't migrate to a paid plan automatically won't be billed for at least two months. Google will suspend accounts of those who don’t input billing information by July 1st, however.
Coinbase and Mastercard team up to make buying NFT easier. The NFT market is expected to be worth more than $40 million in 2021. NFT buyer and seller have been surprised by high costs of buying and selling NFTs. The move is aimed at making the process easier for new NFT users.
Instagram Subscriptions is now in early testing with 10 U.S. creators. Subscribers will be able to offer their followers paid access to exclusive Instagram Live videos and Stories. There are eight price points to choose from, starting at $0.99 per to month.
The American innovation and choice online Act would keep big tech companies from excluding competitors. Over forty companies have signed an open letter of support for the bill. The bill would also prevent companies from using data to discriminate against competitors. Apple and Google have both argued that the bill will harm their products.
Amazon has an insatiable appetite for electric vans. But the auto industry barely produces any of the vehicles yet. Amazon would not say if Rivian delivered the first 10 production vans in December, as was expected. Other automakers are not manufacturing at scale yet, either.
My 2022 app will be used to monitor health of Winter Olympics participants. Canadian researchers say the app fails to authenticate the identity of certain websites, leaving personal data open to attackers. The app is mandatory for all participants in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
JiDU Auto unveiled the logo for its robot car on Tuesday. The logo is also the visual design of the JiDu brand, which is inspired by the robot car. The company will unveil its first concept robot car in the first half of 2022, with mass production and delivery starting in 2023.
The Biden administration is reportedly investigating Alibaba's cloud-computing unit. The investigation is focused on the Chinese e-commerce giant's data storage practices for US clients. The review was ordered shortly after President Biden took office in January. The Commerce Department under former President Donald Trump also expressed concern about the unit.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering two pieces of legislation that could loosen Big Tech's grip on consumers. Both Apple and Google have written letters publicly opposing the legislation. A coalition of smaller tech companies has voiced their support of the bills. The bills would allow users to sideload apps, which are not subject to the same safety and security standards as Apple apps.
More than 20% of new vehicles sold in the EU and Britain were electric in December. Diesel vehicles accounted for half of new car sales in Europe in 2015, but now account for less than 19%. The decline began after Volkswagen admitted to using illegal software to make its diesel cars appear cleaner.