Core Insights - Amazon has launched a pilot package delivery service in Frankfurt, Germany, integrating electric road and rail transport [1] - The service utilizes vans to transport goods to the first tram stop, where the Gütertram service will then deliver the goods to cargo bikes [1] - This initiative aligns with Amazon's broader strategy to enhance its logistics network, including a recent contract to use rail transport between fulfillment centers in Germany and Italy [1] - Amazon's efforts to improve its environmental impact come in response to previous negative environmental reports, although it has recently scaled back its carbon neutrality goals for shipments by 2030 [1] Industry Context - The use of trams for cargo transport is not new in Europe, with previous examples including the CarGoTram in Dresden and a similar pilot by Deutsche Post DHL in Schwerin [2] - The trend of repurposing trams for cargo delivery highlights ongoing innovations in urban logistics within the industry [2]

Google has once again lost in its bid to overturn a 2017 antitrust decision by the European Commission. The bloc found its shopping comparison service had broken competition rules — hitting Alphabet, Google’s parent, with an at-the-time record-breaking €2.42 billion penalty (around $2.7 billion at current exchange rates) and ordering changes to how it operates the service.Google appealed the decision and, in November 2021, the General Court of the European Union largely dismissed the challenge. It confirmed ...

Elon Musk has denied a report that one of his companies, Tesla, has discussed sharing revenue with another of his companies, xAI, so that it can use the startup’s AI models.The Wall Street Journal wrote yesterday that under a proposed agreement described to investors, Tesla would use xAI models in its driver-assistance software (known as Full Self-Driving or FSD). The AI startup would also help develop features such as a voice assistant in Tesla vehicles and software for its humanoid robot Optimus. Writing ...

A federal judge says he will deliver a punishment in Google’s antitrust case by August 2025, according to The New York Times, after ruling earlier this month that Google had abused its monopoly power over the search industry.Judge Amit P. Mehta established a timeline for the remedies phase of Google’s antirust trial during a hearing in Washington D.C. on Friday, the outcome of which could upend how people find information on the internet. Prosecutors have until the end of the year to submit their proposals, ...

Meta on Friday published an update on how it plans to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European law that aims to promote competition in digital marketplaces, where the law concerns the company’s messaging apps, Messenger and WhatsApp.As Meta notes in a blog post, the DMA requires that it provide an option in WhatsApp and Messenger to connect with interoperable third-party messaging services and apps. Meta says it’s building notifications into WhatsApp and Messenger to inform users about these ...

More antitrust woes for Google. The U.K’.s competition watchdog said on Friday that it suspects the company of adtech antitrust abuses. The tech giant will now have a chance to respond to the provisional findings before the regulator reaches a final decision.Confirmed violations of U.K. competition law can lead to corrective orders and fines of up to 10% of annual worldwide group turnover. So the outcome of this case is likely to be closely watched. The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has be ...

Salesforce has acquired Own Company, a provider of data management and protection solutions, for $1.9 billion in cash. In a press release, Salesforce GM Steve Fisher said that Own “underscores [Salesforce’s] commitment to providing secure, end-to-end solutions that protect our customers’ most valuable data.” “Data security has never been more critical, and Own’s proven expertise and products will enhance our ability to offer robust data protection and management solutions to our customers,” he continued.En ...

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 ...