The US government’s road safety agency has opened an investigation into 2.4m Tesla vehicles with the automaker’s Full Self-Driving software after four reported collisions, including a fatal crash.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Friday said it was opening the preliminary evaluation after four reports of crashes where Full Self-Driving was engaged during reduced roadway visibility like sun glare, fog or airborne dust.In one crash “the Tesla vehicle fatally struck a pedestrian. On ...

Core Insights - Netflix expects to double its profits this quarter after adding over 5 million new subscribers during the summer [1] - The company reported a record 282.7 million paying subscribers, with revenue rising 15% to $9.83 billion and net income increasing 41% to $2.36 billion [1] - Netflix aims to shift focus from audience growth to profitability, forecasting net income of $1.85 billion for the current quarter, up from $938 million in the same period last year [1] Subscriber Growth and Revenue - Netflix's subscriber base grew by 5.1 million in the three months before September 30, reaching a total of 282.7 million [1] - Revenue increased by 15% to $9.83 billion, while net income rose by 41% to $2.36 billion [1] Strategic Initiatives - The company has implemented measures such as cracking down on password sharing, introducing advertisements, and investing in live TV to strengthen its business [1] - Netflix has invested heavily in live broadcasting, including a decade-long deal with WWE and acquiring rights for two NFL games on Christmas Day [3] Competitive Position - Analysts believe Netflix has established a significant lead in the streaming market, with competitors struggling to replicate its successful business model [3] - The company is focused on improving its service and delivering healthy revenue and profit growth as it looks ahead to 2025 [2]

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has reportedly fired about 24 staff at its Los Angeles offices for using their $25 meal credits to buy items such as toothpaste, laundry detergent and wine glasses.The tech firm, which is worth £1.2tn and also owns the messaging platform WhatsApp, is said to have dismissed workers last week after an investigation discovered staff had been abusing the system, including to send food home when they were not in the office.That included one unnamed worker on a $400,000 ...

Google has signed a “world first” deal to buy energy from a fleet of mini nuclear reactors to generate the power needed for the rise in use of artificial intelligence.The US tech corporation has ordered six or seven small nuclear reactors (SMRs) from California’s Kairos Power, with the first due to be completed by 2030 and the remainder by 2035.Google hopes the deal will provide a low carbon solution to power datacentres, which require huge volumes of electricity.The US company, owned by Alphabet, said nucl ...

A federal watchdog on Friday criticized the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight of Boeing airplane production, saying it did not have an effective system to oversee the US plane maker’s individual manufacturing facilities.The transportation department’s office of inspector general said in a report the FAA’s current audit processes “are not comprehensive enough to adequately identify key discrepancies and noncompliances within the Boeing production line” and said the FAA has not addressed longstandin ...

Core Viewpoint - The US government is considering legal actions to break up Google's monopoly in the internet search market, citing antitrust violations and the need to restore competition [1][2]. Group 1: Legal Actions and Proposals - The Department of Justice (DoJ) is contemplating "structural remedies" that would limit Google's use of its products like Chrome, Android, and Play, which are seen as giving it an unfair advantage [1][2]. - Other potential actions include prohibiting Google from paying for its search engine to be pre-installed on devices, which could impact its market dominance [1][2]. - The DoJ's recent filing follows a court ruling that found Google controls 90% of the global search market and has built an illegal monopoly [2]. Group 2: Impact on Competition - The filing emphasizes that Google's conduct has caused "interlocking and pernicious harms" to users, highlighting the critical need to restore competition in the market [2]. - The judgment suggests that remedies should prevent Google from leveraging its products to favor its search engine over competitors, including emerging technologies like artificial intelligence [2][3]. - Google's dominance in distribution channels has left rivals with little incentive to compete, necessitating measures to ensure future competition [3]. Group 3: Google's Response - Google has stated it will challenge the DoJ's proposals, arguing that they represent an "overreach" that could harm consumers and businesses [1][3]. - The company claims the case is focused on search distribution contracts, but the government's approach could have broad implications across various industries [4]. - Google is expected to submit its proposed remedies by December 20, following the DoJ's detailed proposals due by November 20 [4].

A US judge on Monday ordered Alphabet’s Google to overhaul its mobile app business to give Android users more options to download apps and to pay for transactions within them, following a jury verdict last year for the Fortnite game maker Epic Games. The injunction by US district judge James Donato in San Francisco outlined the changes Google must undertake to open up its lucrative app store, Play, to greater competition, including making Android apps available from rival sources.Donato’s order said that fo ...

Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, announced on Friday it had built a new artificial intelligence model called Movie Gen that can create realistic-seeming video and audio clips in response to user prompts, claiming it can rival tools from leading media generation startups like OpenAI and ElevenLabs.Samples of Movie Gen’s creations provided by Meta showed videos of animals swimming and surfing, as well as clips using people’s real photos to depict them performing actions like painting on a canvas.Mov ...

Nike pulled its financial guidance for the year, reported a steep drop in revenue and postponed a highly anticipated update for shareholders, days after announcing the replacement of its CEO.Profits at the American sportswear giant, grappling with falling sales and intense competition from fast-growing rivals, also declined. “A comeback at this scale takes time,” it said.Shares in the firm dropped 8% during out-of-hours trading in New York.Revenue at Nike fell 10% to $11.59bn in the three months to 31 Augus ...

The US Department of Justice sued Visa for alleged antitrust violations on Tuesday, accusing one of the world’s largest payment networks of suppressing competition by threatening merchants with high fees and paying off potential rivals.Visa processes more than 60% of debit transactions in the US, bringing it $7bn each year in fees collected when transactions are routed over its network, the justice department said. The company protects that dominance through agreements with card issuers, merchants and compe ...