Axios

A judge found that Apple violated a single Qualcomm patent by producing iPhones with Intel Corp. chips, but refused to place a ban on some phone imports into the United States, Reuters reports.

Why it matters: Qualcomm initially accused Apple of violating six patents and requested a ban on imports in a lawsuit filed against the company. But a judge found that "public interest factors" weighed heavily against the request. The fight isn't over — Qualcomm has another pending patent case against Apple coming soon.

Slack, the popular workplace instant-messenger, with more than 8 million daily active users is preparing to go public next year at a valuation well in excess of $7 billion, per The Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: After years of staying private, tech companies "are now increasingly being drawn toward the IPO market, ... one of the best in years," WSJ's Maureen Farrell writes. As of now, more than 40 tech companies went public, up 50% this year per Dealogic.

Facebook crossed into new territory on Friday as it publicly disclosed a massive security breach that gave away the keys to as many as 50 million Facebook user accounts — just months after CEO Mark Zuckerberg said such an event had never occurred on its platform.

Why it matters: The Cambridge Analytica scandal was about gaming Facebook’s systems to scrape user data. This is something different: what looks like the biggest intrusion taking advantage of flaws in Facebook’s code since the social network was created on Harvard’s campus in 2004.

Facebook today revealed a “security issue” in which a code flaw could have allowed hackers to take over upwards of 50 million user accounts.

“We face constant attacks from people who want to take over accounts or steal information…We need to do more to prevent this from happening in the first place."

The big picture: This is just the latest in a long string of recent problems for Facebook, including executive defections, social media interference, privacy concerns, and accusations of anti-conservative bias.

European competition chief Margrethe Vestager said at an Axios event on Friday that she wouldn’t revisiting Facebook’s purchase of WhatsApp, even though the app’s founder claimed this week he had been coached to tell regulators it would be tough to link the platforms, when the company was actively exploring doing so.

What she’s saying: Vestager said that a previous $122 million fine she levied on Facebook for misleading regulators while the deal was being vetted had addressed the issue. She said that “when we did the post merger case on not giving full information, the wording of the decision reflects the seriousness” of the issue.

The top antitrust regulators of the U.S. and Europe — EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager, and Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, who leads the Justice Department's Antitrust Division — speak with Axios' Mike Allen in Washington, D.C. These two are among those who wield the most power to chip into the dominance of the tech giants.

Human drivers are faulted for most accidents involving autonomous vehicles, but closer inspection reveals the responsibility for such incidents is more complex and shared: many appear to have occurred when an AV took an action that was technically legal and safe, but which a human driver did not expect.

The big picture: As more AVs are tested and put into mainstream service, developers must ensure that humans interact safely and efficiently with them, whether on the road or as pedestrians. If not integrated into a larger change-management plan, AVs could end up causing more accidents, congestion and public resistance.

A recent study from the American Automobile Association found that 73% of Americans said they would be too afraid to ride in a driverless vehicle and 63% would feel unsafe sharing the road with one.

Why it matters: Mistrust of robotic decision-making, and doubts about safety, are changing the focus of the autonomous vehicle industry. Increasingly, the critical question for companies is shifting from who can build the technology first to who can win people’s trust.

The recent pace of emission reductions in New York and New England is insufficient to meet 2050 CO2 emissions targets, set at an 80% reduction from 1990 levels, according to the most recent data published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In fact, at recent emission reduction rates, the Northeast region will struggle to make it even halfway to its goal. 

The big picture: While the power sector has made progress, transportation emissions across the Northeast remain stubbornly at or above 1990 levels, and now account for over 40% of all energy-related emissions (e.g., transportation, heating and power generation). Without continued decarbonization of the electric sector, electrification of the transportation sector, and accelerated progress in the heating sector, the Northeast will fall far short of its goal.