Big Tech

Exclusive news, analysis, and commentary on the companies driving innovation, including Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta.

Politics

The Ever-Trickier Geopolitics of Being Elon Musk

Photo by Ministry of Communications of Brazil via CC BY 2.0

Elon Musk’s fight with Brazil has highlighted how his interlocking array of companies can put him in a difficult geopolitical spot.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Google Patent Eyes Hydrogen for Data Centers as Energy Use Soars

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

The tech could signal that Big Tech is looking for creative solutions to AI’s power demand.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Tech Firms Inch Closer to Users with AI Wearables

Photo by Gian Prosdocimo via Unsplash

Your data may be more valuable than the money made from selling devices themselves, experts told Patent Drop.

5 min read
Patent Drop

Google Image Patent Highlights Potential of Consumer AI Tools

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

As the company builds AI image editing tools, it may be seeking to normalize the tech for the average consumer.

2 min read
Big Tech

Google’s AI Energy Thirst Runs into a Problem in Ireland

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski via Unsplash

Google’s hopes for a new data center just outside Dublin were dashed this week when South Dublin County Council refused planning permission.

2 min read
Big Tech

IBM Shutters Its China R&D Division

Photo by Mark Ahsmann via CC BY-SA 3.0

IBM announced it would be shutting down its Chinese research and development team, shifting some operations to other locations.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Apple Ring Patent Highlights Potential Plan to Expand Product Lineup

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Though the company has competitors in the space from Samsung and Oura, its walled garden ecosystem could give it an advantage.

2 min read
Big Tech

A Small Union Win Casts a Big Shadow Over Amazon

Photo by Todd Van Hoosear via CC BY-SA 2.0

Prosecutors for the NLRB concluded that a group of 84 unionized Amazon drivers in Palmdale, California are employed by Amazon.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Meta Glucose Measurement Patent May Face Data-Collection Obstacles

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

A recent Meta patent aims to measure your glucose through light reflections in your eyes.

2 min read
Big Tech

Big Tech’s AI Fever Could Kill Its ESG Credentials

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Big Tech companies have reportedly found a workaround in the carbon credit system to downplay their greenhouse gas emissions.

2 min read
Policy & Power

As the Election Draws Near, New Sectors are Trying their Hands at Lobbying

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While the usual suspects are steadily spending more money on political lobbying, specific and quite new industries are diving in headfirst.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Salesforce Patent Highlights Alternatives to Third-Party Cookies

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

The tech highlights the ongoing privacy conversation surrounding these bite-sized trackers.

2 min read
Patent Drop

What’s Next for Microsoft, Bing in the Google Antitrust Decision?

Photo of Microsoft's Informational Grounding Generative Model patent via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Microsoft’s generative AI search patents could help it gain ground against Google — especially amid its recent antitrust loss.

2 min read
Big Tech

The DoJ Won, But Google’s Monopoly Status May Have Already Been in Peril

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The DOJ prevailed in its lawsuit arguing Google illegally conducted business to maintain a monopoly in the search engine industry.

2 min read
Artificial Intelligence

The UK Investigates Amazon’s Partnership with Anthropic

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The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is probing whether Amazon’s $4 billion partnership with Anthropic might break antitrust rules.

2 min read
Social Media

TikTok Retreats From Get-Paid-to-Use App Under European Scrutiny

Photo by Olivier Bergeron via Unsplash

TikTok agreed to permanently withdraw a rewards program that it had on “TikTok Lite,” essentially a pared-down version of its core app.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Google Adds Error-Correction Patent to Arsenal as Quantum Race Heats Up

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Quantum computing faces major roadblocks, but the payoff for overcoming them stands to be tremendous.

2 min read
Patent Drop

Microsoft Patent Tracks Down Software Vulnerabilities, Cyberattacks

Photo via U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

In the face of a wide-spread outage, such as what occurred with Crowdstrike last Friday, there’s only so much the company can do, one expert said.

2 min read
Big Tech

Silicon Valley Gears Up for Crucial Earnings Week

Photo by Anthony Quintano via CC BY 2.0

Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta all report earnings this week. Wall Street is dying for any hint that heavy investment in AI is paying off.

2 min read
Media & Entertainment

Even Apple is Getting Tired of the Streaming Industry Treadmill

Photo by Omid Armin via Unsplash

After years of spending big with little to show for it, Apple is attempting to rein in costs at Apple TV+.

2 min read