Imagine being able to control your iPhone not with your hand, but with your eyes.Apple says that scenario could soon be a reality, part of a series of tools for users with physical disabilities announced Wednesday (May 15).“Each year, we break new ground when it comes to accessibility,” Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of global accessibility policy and initiatives, said in a news release.“These new features will make an impact in the lives of a wide range of users, providing new ways to communicat ...

Citi has reportedly announced in an internal memo the departure of two executives, including one who implemented the bank’s recently completed restructuring.Titi Cole, who was the head of legacy franchises and executed Citi’s plan to sell consumer banking businesses in nine non-core markets, has left to take a role at nonprofit, Reuters reported Tuesday (May 14), citing an internal memo it had seen.In addition, Mike Whitaker, head of the bank’s operations and technology team, is leaving the bank, according ...

Verizon Communications is reportedly placing a significant bet on artificial intelligence (AI) as its next major growth driver.The company, which is the largest retail wireless carrier in the United States, believes in the potential of AI to double its network over the next five years, Verizon Consumer CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath told Bloomberg in an interview posted Tuesday (May 14).While video traffic has been the primary driver of growth for Verizon’s network in recent years, Sampath foresees AI demand sur ...

Meta Platforms will be phasing out Workplace, its office collaboration tool, over the next two years.The platform will continue working as usual until Aug. 31, 2025, when it will stop functioning, and users will be able to view and download their data until May 31, 2026, according to an email the company sent to PYMNTS.“We are discontinuing Workplace from Meta so we can focus on building AI and metaverse technologies that we believe will fundamentally reshape the way we work,” a Meta spokesperson said in th ...

Apple’s App Store blocked over $7 billion in fraudulent activity from 2020 through 2023.It also stopped more than $1.8 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2023 alone, Apple said in a Tuesday (May 14) press release.To combat fraud, Apple has dedicated teams that monitor and investigate fraudulent activity daily, according to the release. These teams use tools and technologies to identify and remove bad actors from the platform.As a result, from 2020 to 2023, over 14 million stolen credit cards and more tha ...

Amazon’s all-important cloud computing division has a new leader.Adam Selpiski, who has headed Amazon Web Services (AWS) since 2021, is setting down from that position in June, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said in a message to staff Tuesday (May 14). Taking his place will be Matt Garman, head of the division’s sales and marketing operations.Jassy said that when he approached Selpiski to lead the division, it was with the understanding that it would be only for a few years.“He took over in the middle of the pandemi ...

Amid Alibaba’s declining profits, the eCommerce giant is seeing its online shoppers’ spending habits depend heavily on how trustworthy they feel the platform is.On a call with analysts Tuesday (May 17) discussing the Chinese multinational technology company’s most recent quarterly earnings report, CEO Eddie Wu spoke to how efforts to instill confidence in shoppers are paying off.“Our investments in … elevating the user experience have received positive consumer feedback,” Wu said. “We’ve seen tangible resul ...

Walmart is reportedly eliminating hundreds of corporate jobs and ending most remote work.That’s according to a report late Monday (May 13) by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources familiar with the matter.One of the sources says that the retail giant — and America’s largest employer — is asking staff at small offices in Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto to relocate to central hubs such Walmart’s corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., as well as Hoboken, N.J., or Northern California.Walmart will stil ...

Core Insights - Groupon is focusing on capturing the lucrative gift spending market despite overall revenue declines, with a significant increase in gift ordering noted in December [1] - A report indicates that consumers are prioritizing gift spending even while cutting back on other purchases, with a high percentage of shoppers taking measures to maintain their gift budgets [2] - The company plans to enhance its gifting business through improved marketing and features, aiming to reduce cart abandonment and improve the checkout experience [3][4] Group 1: Gifting Market Opportunity - Groupon's initial gifting offering led to a 50% year-over-year increase in gift orders in December [1] - The company believes gifting can evolve into a major business segment, positioning itself as a key destination for last-minute gifts [1] Group 2: Consumer Spending Behavior - A significant majority of holiday shoppers (94%) are actively ensuring they do not have to cut back on gift spending despite financial pressures [2] - The PYMNTS Intelligence report highlights that a large portion of consumers across income levels have reduced nonessential spending due to rising retail prices [2] Group 3: Strategic Enhancements - Groupon aims to improve its gifting features and marketing strategies, particularly in the U.S., while collaborating with merchants to highlight giftable products [3] - The company is focusing on enhancing the checkout process to reduce cart abandonment, which is a common challenge in eCommerce [3] - Reports indicate that 50% of consumers consider the ease of the checkout process when choosing a digital merchant, emphasizing its importance [3]