Business news

Business

Ubisoft shares jump following reports of Tencent, Guillemot family considering buyout

Shares of Ubisoft jumped more than 30% Friday, following reports that Tencent and the Guillemot family are considering a buyout of the video game maker.

Business

Solving the urban air mobility problem: Researchers develop an algorithm for future flying taxi companies

Urban air mobility (UAM) is a mode of transportation that avoids traffic congestion by flying people and cargo above it at low altitudes. It may sound like science fiction or something from the cartoon "The Jetsons," which ...

Business

Is big tech harming society? To find out, we need research, but it's being manipulated by big tech itself

For almost a decade, researchers have been gathering evidence that the social media platform Facebook disproportionately amplifies low-quality content and misinformation.

Business

What next for OpenAI after $157 billion bonanza?

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has become an AI powerhouse after securing Silicon Valley's largest-ever funding round. The company now faces the challenge of delivering on its promise to become the next Apple or Google.

Business

Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition

Ireland's data watchdog said Friday it will probe whether budget airline Ryanair's use of facial recognition to check the identity of customers booking through third-party websites violates EU privacy laws.

Business

Green subsidies may have hidden costs, experts warn

Government subsidies for business practices and processes should be approached with caution, even when they seem to be environmentally friendly, writes a group of scientists and economists in this week's Policy Forum in the ...

Business

Google is working on reasoning AI, chasing OpenAI's efforts

Google is working on artificial intelligence software that resembles the human ability to reason, similar to OpenAI's o1, marking a new front in the rivalry between the tech giant and the fast-growing startup.

Business

Revolut urges Meta to step up on cyber fraud reimbursement

British online bank Revolut on Thursday urged Facebook owner Meta to reimburse victims of password security breaches, blasting the US tech giant's data-sharing partnership with several UK banks as "woefully" inadequate.

Business

PFF adds an in-game grading feature to its NFL analysis

Pro Football Focus changed how many fans followed the NFL by providing grades and advanced statistics to help quantify how every player performed on a play-by-play basis from high-profile quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes ...

Business

Dutch airline KLM unveils 'firm' cost-cutting measures

Dutch airline KLM on Thursday announced a sweeping package of "firm" cost-cutting measures it hopes will lead to a boost in operating profits of around 450 million euros ($496 million) "in the short term."

Business

Historic funding round values OpenAI at $157 billion

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, secured $6.6 billion in new funding, propelling its valuation to $157 billion and cementing its position as the world leader in artificial intelligence.

Business

Oracle to invest $6.5 bn in Malaysian cloud services region

Tech giant Oracle on Wednesday said it plans to invest more than $6.5 billion on cloud services data centers in Malaysia, joining a list of US titans rushing to build up their AI infrastructure in Southeast Asia.

Internet

Elon Musk's Twitter drops government-funded media labels

Twitter has removed labels describing global media organizations as government-funded or state-affiliated, a move that comes after the Elon Musk-owned platform started stripping blue verification checkmarks from accounts ...

Business

BuzzFeed News to be shuttered in corporate cost cutting move

Pulitzer Prize winning digital media outlet BuzzFeed News is being shut down as part of a cost-cutting drive by its corporate parent that's shedding about 15% of its entire staff, adding to layoffs made earlier this year.

Business

Amazon seeks first incentive funds from Virginia HQ2 project

Amazon is asking Virginia for nearly $153 million in state incentive payments, which would be the first tranche of funds to be paid out since the tech giant agreed in 2018 to build a headquarters complex in the state.

Business

US imposes $300mn penalty on Seagate over Huawei shipments

US authorities on Wednesday imposed a $300 million penalty on Seagate Technology, to resolve alleged violations of export controls related to selling hard disk drives to Huawei Technologies, the Commerce Department said.

Business

Snapchat seeks path to profit without losing its way

Snapchat parent Snap on Wednesday unveiled new tactics including the increased use of artificial intelligence in its struggle to expand beyond the app's loyal user base and reach profitability.

Business

EasyJet CEO 'confident' after last summer's travel chaos

The aviation sector has endured chaos at airports after the end of Covid restrictions, high inflation and strikes, but easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren is upbeat about the British airline's future.

Business

Nokia profits down, sees economy impacting client spending

Wireless and fixed-network equipment maker Nokia on Thursday reported lower than expected profits as it warned that the current economic situation was starting to impact spending by operators and other customers.

Business

Netflix reports a first-quarter burst in subscriber growth

Netflix began the year with another burst in subscriber growth that eclipsed analysts' projections for the third consecutive quarter, providing further evidence the video streaming service has regained its momentum after ...

Business

Microsoft agrees to buy $50m Foxconn parcel in Wisconsin

Microsoft has agreed to buy a $50 million parcel of land in southeastern Wisconsin meant for Foxconn after the world's largest electronics manufacturer failed to fulfill grandiose promises to build a massive facility that ...