Apple and Google can take a breath after the U.K. competition watchdog announced Wednesday it’s closing a pair of investigations into their respective mobile app ecosystems, citing administrative priorities.Since March 2021, the U.K. regulator had been investigating Apple’s conduct in relation to the distribution of apps on its iOS and iPadOS mobile devices, with a particular focus on terms and conditions governing developers’ access to its App Store. Since June 2022, a similar probe had also been looking i ...

After tech giant Cisco announced plans for its second round of layoffs this year, employees tell TechCrunch that they will not know if they are affected for close to a month.Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Cisco was planning a second round of layoffs this year, after letting go of around 4,000 workers in February. Cisco confirmed last week in a SEC filing that it is cutting 7% of its workforce. While employees have now been informed that there will be a new round of job cuts, the company has refu ...

PayPal is poised to take advantage of the iPhone’s newly opened-up NFC capabilities by developing a mobile wallet of its own for EU users. Earlier this month, Apple announced it would allow third-party developers to access new NFC (near-field communications) and Secure Element APIs, which today power contactless transactions and payments — like those enabled by Apple Wallet. Though PayPal has not yet explicitly confirmed it will now develop a competing wallet thanks to these new APIs, the company has broadl ...

As TikTok Shop gains traction, YouTube is expanding its partnership with Shopify to onboard more brands for its YouTube Shopping affiliate program, the company announced on Tuesday. The expanded partnership means creators will get access to thousands of new brands to tag in their shopping videos, marking a significant increase from the few hundred brands they currently have access to.As part of the expansion, all eligible Shopify Plus and Advanced merchants in the U.S. can now sign up for the Shopping affil ...

Waymo disclosed Tuesday it’s now giving more than 100,000 paid robotaxi rides every week across its three main commercial markets in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix.Those figures were shared by Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana in a social media post on X. The new 100,000 figure is double what the company has previously disclosed. Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai noted on the company’s earnings this summer call Waymo was delivering well over 50,000 paid rides per week, a number that Waymo also note ...

General Motors is cutting around 1,000 software workers around the world in a bid to focus on more “high-priority” initiatives like improving its Super Cruise driver assistance system, the quality of its infotainment platform and exploring the use of AI.The job cuts are not about cost cutting or individual performance, GM spokesperson Stuart Fowle told TechCrunch. Rather, they are meant to help the company move more quickly as it tries to compete in the world of “software-defined vehicles.” For example, F ...

AMD, the chipmaker hot on the heels of Nvidia in the AI computing race, today announced a big acquisition to boost its position as an “ecosystem” partner for companies building big artificial intelligence computing businesses: it announced that it will acquire ZT Systems, which provides compute design and infrastructure for so-called “hyperscalers” (the biggest technology firms) for AI, cloud and more general purpose computing, for $4.9 billion. The deal is a mix of cash and stock and includes what AMD desc ...

Amazon is considering shifting its payments offerings in India into a standalone app, three sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch, as the e-commerce giant aims to boost usage of Amazon Pay in the country.Amazon Pay is currently housed within the company’s primary e-commerce app in India, and lets users transfer money to individuals and merchants, pay bills, purchase insurance and travel tickets, invest in mutual funds and digital gold, and buy travel tickets. The U.S. tech giant has been contemp ...

Apple is reportedly shifting into the world of home robots after the wheels came off its electric car. According to a new report from Bloomberg, a team of several hundred is working on its potential first product: a robotic arm with an “iPad-like” display attached. The home product would take a page out of Amazon’s dynamic Echo Show 10 and one of Meta’s bygone Portal devices.The product has reportedly been in the works for around two years, though the team has ramped up efforts far more recently. Apple isn’ ...

The Commission is seeking more information from Meta following its decision to deprecate its CrowdTangle transparency tool. The latest EU request for information (RFI) on Meta has been made under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA) — an online governance framework which empowers enforcers to punish non-compliance with fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover. Back in April the Commission opened formal DSA infringement proceedings against Meta, citing a range of election security concerns — including it ...