Business news

Business

Google wins delay in opening Android app store to rivals

A US judge on Friday let Google delay opening Android-powered smartphones to rival app shops, suspending a November 1 deadline ordered in an antitrust case brought by Fortnite-maker Epic Games.

Business

A giant biotechnology company might go bust. What will happen to the millions of people's DNA it holds?

Since it was founded nearly two decades ago, 23andMe has grown into one of the largest biotechnology companies in the world. Millions of people have used its simple genetic testing service, which involves ordering a saliva ...

Business

Researchers study how to create a public–private network for the urban distribution of goods

Estimates suggest that 4 million parcels are delivered every day in Spain, most of which are destined for the metropolitan areas of large cities, which is where 55% of the country's population lives.

Business

AI bots easily bypass some social media safeguards, study reveals

While artificial intelligence (AI) bots can serve a legitimate purpose on social media—such as marketing or customer service—some are designed to manipulate public discussion, incite hate speech, spread misinformation ...

Business

New York Times takes aim at another AI company

The New York Times has sent a cease and desist letter to Perplexity, a hot AI startup often touted as a promising competitor to Google search, over alleged copyright infringement.

Business

Amazon wants to be everything to everyone

Amazon is bolstering its e-commerce empire while continuing a march deeper into people's lives, from robots to health care and entertainment.

Consumer & Gadgets

Exploring the hidden costs of free apps

Procrastination, sleep deprivation and reduced focus are part of the price we pay for free mobile apps. This is according to researchers at Linköping University and RISE, who have investigated the costs hidden behind the ...

Business

US weighs Google breakup in landmark trial

The US Department of Justice said on Tuesday it would demand that Google make profound changes to how it does business and even consider the possibility of a breakup, after the tech juggernaut was found to be running an illegal ...

Business

NFT craze fuels $4.3 bn French football card startup

Sorare, the French startup behind a game that lets players trade virtual football stickers for hefty sums, on Tuesday said it had raised a record $680 million from investors, valuing the group at $4.3 billion.

Business

UN agency: Innovation continued even as coronavirus emerged

The U.N.'s intellectual property agency said Monday that innovation marched forward last year despite the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Technology, pharmaceuticals and biotech industries boosted their investments, even ...

Business

Universal Music worth $53 bn as shares soar on stock debut

Shares in Universal Music, the world's biggest major label with a lineup of megastars from The Beatles to Taylor Swift, surged on its stock market debut Tuesday, giving the company a valuation exceeding $50 billion.

Business

Critics warn of Apple, Google 'chokepoint' repression

The global dominance of tech giants serves as a convenient online chokepoint for authoritarian governments to crack down on dissent or rig elections, critics of Apple and Google said Friday.

Business

British computing inventor Clive Sinclair dies at 81

Clive Sinclair, the British inventor and entrepreneur who arguably did more than anyone else to inspire a whole generation of children into a life-long passion for computers and gaming, has died. He was 81.

Business

Regulators frown as crypto players move into banking

With offers of loans and interest-earning accounts, more new cryptocurrency firms are straying into the world of traditional banks, to the consternation of US financial regulators.

Business

US regulators wary of Big Tech swallowing startups

US anti-trust regulators signalled Wednesday greater scrutiny of Big Tech giants' smaller acquisitions, a potential new avenue in efforts to curb the dominance of the companies.