All of the world's trillion-dollar companies (with the exception of Saudi Aramco) are reportedly having what Protocol's Issie Lapowsky characterizes as "heart palpitations" over the appointment of Lina Khan as FTC chair. But don't expect anything drastic to happen soon.
Why it matters: Khan is the most fearsome foe that Big Tech could have imagined in America's top antitrust role — and her fans in Congress are making waves as well. But you'd never guess that from the giants' share prices, which have been hitting new all-time highs since the announcement.
Microsoft on Thursday offered a first look at Windows 11, coming this holiday season. The new version changes both the look of the operating system as well as its underlying business model, as well as supporting Android apps for the first time.
Why it matters: Windows has been steadily losing market share on the desktop, which has itself lost prominence to smartphones.
Google says it plans to officially cease support for third-party cookies by late 2023, after initially promising to do so by the beginning of 2022.
Why it matters: The tech giant says it needs more time to work with industry partners to incorporate and test feedback about new cookie-replacement proposals from the ad industry, including Google's proposed cookie alternative, a contextual targeting solution called "FLoC."
Major legislation aimed at reining in the power of tech giants advanced to the House floor Thursday after marathon debate that extended through the night.
The big picture: The House Judiciary Committee approved a package of six bills, blocking most of a blizzard of amendments and beating back a wave of lobbying from the affected companies — Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon.
Making more semiconductors in the U.S. is an urgent matter of both economic and national security, commerce secretary Gina Raimondo told Axios on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The U.S., which once accounted for more than a third of global chip production, now makes just 12%.
A recent trailer for a game called “Palworld” turned heads, because it appears to put cute Pokémon-style characters into a world filled with poaching and gunfire.
Why it matters: As corporate and polished as gaming is these days, small creators still regularly break through, often thanks to concepts that are too wild to ignore.
Eidos-Montréal will include the ability to toggle licensed music on and off in its upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy" game, a move that will allow streamers to broadcast safely.
Why it matters: The licensed soundtrack of "Guardians of the Galaxy" would have made it impossible for streamers to play the game on platforms like Twitch or YouTube.
Kickstarter announced Tuesday that it plans to experiment with a four-day work week in an effort to offer workers more flexibility and additional time to spend on creative pursuits.
The big picture: Lots of tech companies are planning to offer flexibility around where employees work post-pandemic. Now some companies are also rethinking when people work.
For the last several weeks I have been trying out the Infinity Game Table, a touchscreen tabletop PC dedicated to playing card and board games, including popular titles like Scrabble and Monopoly.
State of play: One clear sign the game's makers are on to something: the only time my mother-in-law stops playing solitaire on it is when my son and I are playing a game of Sorry.
Online grocery was a minuscule part of food retail before the pandemic. Now, about 60% of U.S. consumers have bought groceries online in the last 12 months, and most of them plan to keep doing so post-pandemic, according to a report from Coresight Research.
Why it matters: The rise of online food shopping is leaving behind smaller chains or mom-and-pop grocers that can't afford to offer delivery — turning grocery into a survival of the biggest players.
When Microsoft debuted its giant Surface tabletop computer back in 2007, executives predicted it might only take three to five years for a version to make its way to consumers. That never happened, but 15 years later, tabletop computing is back — this time in a new, game-focused vision from another company.
Why it matters: Long ago both Bill Gates and "Minority Report" promised a future in which every wall and surface becomes a digital screen where information can be displayed and manipulated by touch. That future is finally beginning to materialize.
Apple warned Wednesday that new antitrust legislation would place iPhone customers' privacy and security at risk by limiting the company's control over what apps users can install.
Driving the news: Apple CEO Tim Cook called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats to argue that the antitrust bills would hurt innovation and consumers, per a New York Times report.
Apple Daily, Hong Kong's biggest pro-democracy newspaper, announced Wednesday that it will close at the weekend following the freezing of its assets under China's national security law.
Why it matters: It's the latest blow to the Asian financial hub's democracy movement and to free speech. Authorities have used the law that gives the government broad power to limit people's political freedom to arrest several journalists at the news outlet, founded by imprisoned tycoon Jimmy Lai.
American officials seized 36 news website domains linked to Iran's government for spreading disinformation as part of a propaganda campaign, the Department of Justice said Tuesday.
Why it matters: The action comes at a time of heightened tension between the two countries, with Iran's hardline President-elect Ebrahim Raisi on Monday ruling out negotiating over missiles or meeting with President Biden as the two nations hold talks on returning Tehran to the 2015 nuclear deal.
