Good news for Microsoft: The U.K.’s antitrust regulator says that the tech titan’s high-profile acquihire of the team behind AI startup Inflection doesn’t cause competition concerns, and thus it won’t be pursuing a full-scale investigation. However, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says that the deal does fall under its regulatory purview as a “relevant merger situation,” meaning similar deals in the future may still be investigated on competition grounds — even if a full acquisition has not take ...

Core Viewpoint - Halliburton has confirmed a cyberattack that resulted in unauthorized access and exfiltration of information, and the company is currently assessing the impact and nature of the stolen data [1][2]. Group 1: Cyberattack Details - Halliburton took some of its systems offline after detecting the cyberattack and is working to identify the effects on its oil and fracking operations [1][2]. - The company is conducting an ongoing investigation and response, which includes system restoration and assessment of impacted data [2]. - A ransom note linked to the incident claims that a ransomware gang named RansomHub is responsible for the attack, although Halliburton has not confirmed this connection [3]. Group 2: Company Background and Financials - Halliburton is one of the world's largest energy companies, employing close to 48,000 people across various countries [2]. - The company reported $23 billion in revenue for 2023, and its CEO received $19 million in total executive compensation during the same year [4]. Group 3: Ransomware Context - RansomHub has claimed over 210 victims since its inception in February 2024 and is also linked to a cyberattack on Change Healthcare [3]. - The gang has not yet listed Halliburton as a victim on its dark web leak site, which is typically used to extort victims by publishing stolen files [3].

Amazon announced Friday evening that it has hired Covariant’s founders — Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan — along with “about a quarter” of the startup’s employees. It’s also signed a non-exclusive license to use Covariant’s robotic foundation models.Earlier this year, Chen told TechCrunch that Covariant is building “a large language model, but for robot language.” In other words, it’s creating AI models for robots, with an initial focus on robotic arms performing common warehouse tasks like bin pi ...

Core Viewpoint - Redfin is responding to a new startup, Landian, which offers a flat-fee service for homebuyers, aiming to disrupt traditional real estate commission structures [1][2]. Group 1: Startup and Market Changes - Landian, co-founded by Josh Sitzer, aims to change how homebuyers search for and purchase homes by eliminating commissions through a flat-fee model [1][2]. - The National Association of Realtors (NAR) settled a lawsuit with Sitzer, agreeing to pay $418 million in damages and abolishing the Participation Rule, which is expected to significantly impact the real estate market [2]. Group 2: Redfin's Position - Redfin expresses skepticism about the flat-fee model, citing past experiences where a similar approach did not succeed due to competitive market challenges [3]. - The company emphasizes its current model, which charges commissions as low as 1% for home sellers and 2% for homebuyers, claiming to have saved customers $1.6 billion in fees [3]. - Redfin differentiates itself by not charging for tours and not requiring customers to hire agents without prior interaction, unlike Landian [3]. Group 3: Future Considerations - Redfin indicates a possibility of experimenting with a flat-fee itemized service in the future, but remains cautious about the approach [4].

Nvidia and Apple are reportedly in talks to contribute to OpenAI’s next fundraising round — a round that could value the ChatGPT maker at $100 billion. Per its sources, the New York Times says earlier OpenAI investor Thrive Capital would lead the deal should it happen. (Bloomberg was the first to report Nvidia’s involvement, and The WSJ broke the story of Apple’s potential interest.) Microsoft — which already owns 49% of OpenAI — may participate as well.OpenAI needs capital. Its annualized revenue reportedl ...

Core Viewpoint - Google faces significant legal challenges regarding its monopoly in online search and advertising technology, with implications for its business practices and the competitive landscape of the internet [3][4]. Group 1: Online Search Case - U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google acted illegally to maintain its monopoly in online search, with the consequences yet to be determined [3]. - The case focuses on how Google maintained its monopoly through anti-competitive contracts, such as agreements with Apple to be the default search engine on iPhones [6]. - Speculation exists that Google may be forced to alter its business practices, but breaking up the company may not be the most likely outcome [7]. Group 2: Upcoming Ad Tech Case - Opening arguments for the ad tech case are set for September 9, 2023, where the DOJ alleges that Google created a monopoly in advertising technology that stifles competition [4]. - The DOJ's complaint centers on Google's dominance in display ads, claiming it controls critical parts of the ad tech ecosystem, allowing manipulation of ad pricing [4][5]. - Google's acquisition history, including the purchase of DoubleClick and AdMeld, will be scrutinized, although Google may argue these acquisitions were approved by regulatory bodies at the time [5]. Group 3: Impact of Generative AI - Generative AI is reshaping how information is searched and could threaten Google's traditional business model, with smaller companies like OpenAI leading innovations [8]. - The shift in digital advertising models, such as Perplexity's approach, may challenge Google's existing ad pricing mechanisms and create new competitive dynamics [8]. - In the future, AI could enable smaller firms to compete more effectively against larger organizations, potentially altering the antitrust landscape [8].

Atlassian on Thursday announced that it has acquired Rewatch, an AI-powered meeting notetaker, screen recording tool and video hub. The company plans to integrate Rewatch into Loom, the asynchronous video messaging platform it acquired for $975 million last October. But maybe even more importantly, it also plans to integrate it into its recently launched Rovo AI platform so that meeting notes can quickly become Jira issues, for example, and the transcripts become searchable within the overall business conte ...

It seems that the Ministry of Truth has been busy at Tesla. Some sharp-eyed folks, including reporters at Electrek, noticed that Tesla has deleted all of its blog posts prior to 2019. Those blog posts are a digital history of the company, covering everything from CEO Elon Musk’s original master plan, to the first Autopilot fatality in a Model S, to declarations on the capability of its EVs. The company, nor Musk, have explained why. Lucky for us, archive.org still has a record. This isn’t the first time Tes ...

Spotify claims Apple may be again in violation of European regulation, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires interoperability from big technology companies dubbed “gatekeepers.” This time, the issue isn’t about in-app purchases, links or pricing information, but rather how Apple has discontinued the technology that allows Spotify users to control the volume on their connected devices.When streaming to connected devices via Spotify Connect on iOS, users were previously able to use the physical button ...

It’s been more than a year since Tesla agreed to open its Supercharger network to electric vehicles from other automakers, like General Motors and Ford. But Tesla’s network of nearly 30,000 fast-charging plugs in the U.S. and Canada still remains unavailable to non-Tesla vehicles, according to a New York Times report. The delays come amid declining sales as the automaker faces increased competition in the EV market. They also follow Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s decision earlier this year to gut the company’s Super ...