Tuesday's technology stories

Google will comply with EU requirements for search results
Google will comply with the European Union's demands that it stop discriminating against rival shopping sites, the company told Bloomberg ahead of its deadline to respond, though it declined to provide details about how it will do so. In June, the EU fined Google €2.4 billion ($2.7 billion) for skewing its search engine results.
Tension: EU regulators have dealt with major tech companies failing to comply in the past, as Bloomberg points out (Google will face additional fines if it doesn't do so by Sept. 28). At the same time, some companies have found the lack of guidance challenging as they attempt to devise plans that satisfy regulators' requirements.

Google to bring augmented reality to Android, challenging Apple
Google said Tuesday it is looking to bring augmented reality to a wider range of Android devices. The company is releasing a preview version of ARCore, a set of tools designed to make it easier to create AR apps that run on standard Android phones.
The backstory: While Google has been working on augmented reality for several years, Apple is poised to be the first company to bring it to the masses. With ARKit built into iOS 11, Apple is expected to bring augmented reality to hundreds of millions of devices this year.

What we lose when we automate human interactions
"It's an increasingly common scene as companies from Amazon to Little Caesars and Uber introduce more ways to go about daily tasks while avoiding face-to-face contact," USA Today's Katharine Lackey writes in a front-pager:
- "Uber is testing self-driving cars in a handful of cities."
- "Amazon opened an automated grocery store late last year, still in beta testing, where customers (currently only its employees) can grab items and go ... All that's needed is a smartphone, which tracks the items carted out the door."
- "Little Caesars unveiled The Pizza Portal, a machine that lets you buy and grab your pie without a cashier."
- Why it matters: "As technology leaves out the human element, some worry that we're 'walling ourselves off.'"

Uber to stop tracking riders post-trip
Uber is removing a sharply criticized feature from its app that enabled the company to collect data on riders for up to five minutes after their trip ended, a move the ride-sharing company hopes will help ease privacy concerns, per Reuters. The reversal back to enabling users' to share their location only "While using the app" is expected to be announced Tuesday and go into effect for iPhone users this week.
Flashback: Uber initially removed the "While Using the App" permission in the summer of 2016, a controversial move that forced users to choose between "Never" or "Always" sharing their location. Uber claimed the update would help it provide the most precise transportation service, but many critics argued the change was an intrusion on users' privacy.

Meet Uber's newly chosen CEO
On Sunday night, Uber's board of directors finally chose its next CEO: Dara Khosrowshahi, Expedia's chief executive. The Uber CEO job has been vacant since late Junem when co-founder Travis Kalanick stepped down after being pressured by a group of investors.
Why it matters: At $70 billion, Uber is the most valuable private company in the world. It's also a global business that's facing a multitude of challenges, including ongoing losses, an ugly trade secret theft lawsuit, an aggressive culture that has created an environment of sexual harassment and discrimination, and a strained relationship with drivers, among other things. Hopefully, Khosrowshahi's combination of dealmaking and management skills will help him navigate the above, along with managing a rambunctious board of directors (with one member currently suing another), and of course, working with Kalanick.

Expedia likely to turn to its financial chief if CEO leaves for Uber
While the attention has been on what the hiring of Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi would mean for Uber, there is also the question of what happens to top spot at the travel giant.
Expedia isn't commenting, but we're hearing that CFO Mark Okerstrom is the logical and likely choice to take over the top spot. Okerstrom joined Expedia in 2006, a year after Khosrowshahi and has been CFO since September 2011. Before joining Expedia he was a consultant for Bain & Co. in San Francisco.





