A union representing Google employees is demanding the tech giant lift what it called an illegal “gag order” barring them from discussing landmark antitrust cases that could upend the company’s business.On Aug. 5, US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google is a “monopolist” with an illegal stranglehold over the online search market. That same day, Google president of global affairs Kent Walker instructed employees not to comment on the case inside or outside the workplace. 3 Google president of global ...

Google parent Alphabet topped third-quarter revenue expectations on Tuesday, helped by steady growth in its digital advertising business and an AI-driven jump in demand for its cloud services.Shares of the company rose more than 3% in extended trading.CEO Sundar Pichai said investments in AI were “paying off” through use and sales in its Search and Cloud businesses.CEO Sundar Pichai said investments in AI were “paying off.” AFP via Getty ImagesYouTube revenue surpassed $50 billion over the past four quarter ...

By 2040, there will be at least 10 billion humanoid robots priced between $20,000 and $25,000, Elon Musk said at the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, which began Tuesday in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh. The Optimus robot is the humanoid robot under development by Tesla and could multiply the company's valuation, according to Musk, who joined the conference via videolink. "Robotic taxis makes Tesla about a $5 trillion company," Musk said. "The Optimus Robot, I think, makes Tesla a $25 trillion ...

Core Viewpoint - McDonald's experienced a significant decline in sales and customer visits due to an E. coli outbreak linked to its Quarter Pounder burgers, with a notable impact on consumer confidence and restaurant traffic [1][2][4]. Sales Impact - Following the outbreak, customer visits to McDonald's dropped by 6.4% nationwide and 24% in Colorado on the day after the outbreak was reported [2] - By the end of the week, visits had decreased by 10% across the US and 33% in Colorado [3] Response to Outbreak - McDonald's plans to resume sales of Quarter Pounder burgers without slivered onions after confirming that its beef patties tested negative for E. coli [4] - The company has removed all onions supplied by the affected facility and ceased sourcing from that location indefinitely [6] Financial Performance - Despite the outbreak, McDonald's reported adjusted earnings per share of $3.23, surpassing analysts' expectations of $3.20, and revenue of $6.87 billion, exceeding expectations of $6.82 billion [11][12] - Global same-store sales fell by 1.5%, worse than the anticipated 0.6% decline, while US same-store sales grew by 0.3%, which was below the expected 0.5% growth [12] Consumer Behavior - The company noted a trend of consumers, particularly low-income individuals, opting to eat at home more frequently due to inflationary pressures [11][14] - Special deals and value offerings have helped McDonald's gain market share among low-income consumers for the first time in over a year [13]

Starbucks has reportedly warned corporate employees that they will lose their jobs if they don't report to the office three days per week — just weeks after sparking backlash for allowing its new CEO to work from his Southern California home. The Seattle-based coffeehouse chain will institute a new policy in January that will include a "standardized process" to hold employees accountable if they fail to adhere to the company's return-to-office policy, according to a memo that was circulated to one of the co ...

Meta Platforms is working on an artificial intelligence-based search engine as it looks to reduce dependence on Alphabet’s Google and Microsoft’s Bing, the Information reported Monday.The AI search engine segment is heating up with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, Google and Microsoft all vying for dominance in the rapidly evolving market.Meta’s web crawler will provide conversational answers to users about current events on Meta AI, the company’s chatbot on WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, according to the report, w ...

McDonald's on Sunday ruled out beef patties as a source of the E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounder hamburgers, which has killed at least one person and sickened nearly 75 others. "We remain very confident that any contaminated product related to this outbreak has been removed from our supply chain and is out of all McDonald's restaurants," the fast-food chain's Chief Supply Chain Officer Cesar Pina said in a statement. McDonald's will resume distribution of fresh supplies of the Quarter Pounder and t ...

Amazon, which recently told 350,000 employees it wants them all back in the office five days a week, apparently needs more room for them.Jeff Bezos’ tech and retailing behemoth is in talks to lease  all of HSBC’s 350,000 square feet at 452 Fifth Ave. when the bank moves to The Spiral next year, sources said.Amazon is negotiating with tower owner PBC, an Israeli real estate giant. Different teams of JLL brokers are working both sides of the talks but none could be reached for comment.Amazon may rent space at ...

Boeing's Space Business Challenges - Boeing is exploring the sale of parts of its NASA business, including the Starliner rocket and operations supporting the International Space Station, as part of efforts to turn around the company [1][2] - The Starliner spacecraft has faced years of development delays and technical problems, resulting in over $1.8 billion in private cost overruns [2] - Boeing's space business suffered a $3.1 billion loss on $18.5 billion in revenue in the first nine months of this year [3] Labor and Production Issues - Boeing's largest labor union has rejected two contract proposals and extended its six-week strike, halting production [3] - The company faces financial crisis due to the strike, which has ground production to a halt [1] Leadership and Strategic Shifts - New CEO Kelly Ortberg has indicated that everything except the core commercial and defense businesses is under consideration for sale [3] - Ortberg fired the head of Boeing's defense and space business in September [3] - Prior to Ortberg's tenure, Boeing had been in talks with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to take over some of its NASA programs [4] NASA and Space Station Operations - Boeing remains the primary contractor for the International Space Station, but NASA plans to de-orbit the station by around 2030 [4] - The Starliner was intended to transport astronauts to and from the space station, but safety concerns have cast doubt on its future [4] - Boeing is likely to maintain its role in overseeing the Space Launch System, a large rocket for future lunar missions, despite quality-control issues [2]

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was awarded a $30 million pay raise — 63% more than what he earned last year — even as the Windows maker slashed its workforce by 2,500 people. Stock awards for Nadella, who earned $48.5 million in 2023, climbed to about $71 million from $39 million a year earlier, according an SEC filing. The raise comes after Microsoft shed 1,900 people from its gaming workforce following the company's $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Satya Nadella offered to take a pay cut becau ...