Apple and Fortnite-maker Epic Games kick off their “high-stakes” trial over App Store fees, Apple’s payment system, and breach of contract. At the core of the dispute is Apple’s incredibly lucrative App Store, which charges...more
5/3/2021
/ 3M Company ,
Apple ,
BaFin ,
Berkshire Hathaway ,
Breach of Contract ,
Commercial Leases ,
Credit Suisse ,
Deutsche Bank ,
EPIC ,
Google ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Creation ,
Military Service Members ,
Mobile Apps ,
Multidistrict Litigation ,
Product Defects ,
Quarterly Report ,
Unemployment ,
Verizon ,
Warren Buffett
A Senate antitrust subcommittee hearing on Thursday turned into an airing of grievances session for smaller tech companies focusing on their issues with Apple and Google’s app stores and their “stranglehold on the business of...more
4/22/2021
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Apple ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Tech ,
Buyouts ,
Credit Suisse ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Ford Motor ,
Google ,
Manufacturing Facilities ,
Microchip Technology ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Advertisements ,
Private Equity ,
Supply Chain
Chinese antitrust officials hit Alibaba with a “record” $2.8 billion fine over the weekend—the “biggest move yet in the government’s campaign to tighten its supervision of Big Tech.” ...more
4/12/2021
/ Alibaba ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Ameriprise Financial ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Big Tech ,
Boeing ,
China ,
Data Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Google ,
Labor Relations ,
Newspapers ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Unions
Back at it. Let’s get caught up . . . Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is calling for a global minimum tax rate on multinational corporations, a move aimed at helping “prevent companies based in other countries from having a...more
4/6/2021
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Credit Suisse ,
Digital Currency ,
Fair Use ,
Financial Crisis ,
Financial Markets ,
Google ,
Java ,
Multinationals ,
NLRB ,
Oracle ,
Oracle v Google ,
SCOTUS ,
Subprime Loans ,
Tax Rates ,
Tax Reform ,
Unfair Labor Practices
Thursday delivered some welcome good news in the slow push for a labor market recovery. The Labor Department reported that new jobless benefits claims “fell to their lowest weekly level in the last year, a sign that the...more
3/26/2021
/ Car Accident ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Facebook ,
Ford Motor ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Inflation Adjustments ,
Insurrection ,
Maritime Transport ,
NLRB ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shipping Cargo ,
SoftBank ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Supply Chain ,
Tesla ,
Twitter ,
Unemployment ,
Union Organizers ,
Wrongful Termination
Uber will officially classify its British drivers, all 70,000 of them, as “workers” following a “major legal defeat” for the ride-hailing company in the British Supreme Court last month. The move entitles the drivers to “a...more
3/17/2021
/ Activist Investors ,
Alibaba ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
FOMC ,
Gig Economy ,
Globalization ,
Google ,
Independent Contractors ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Internships ,
JPMorgan Chase ,
Misclassification ,
Mobile Apps ,
On-Demand Services ,
Sales Commissions ,
Share Price ,
Social Media ,
Telecommunications ,
Uber ,
Wage and Hour
Purdue Pharma has outlined its own plan to remove Sackler family control and restructure the pharmaceutical giant on the other side of bankruptcy—a 300-page effort that amounts to the company’s “formal bid to end thousands of...more
3/16/2021
/ Alibaba ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Google ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Investment ,
Opioid ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Purdue Pharma ,
Radio Stations ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Share Price ,
Unemployment ,
Volkswagen
Six-hundred million in its latest funding round means that payments company Stripe’s valuation now tops $95 billion, “making it the most valuable start-up in the United States”....more
3/15/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Biden Administration ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Credit Suisse ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
E-Commerce ,
Economic Downturn ,
Federal Funding ,
Foreign Policy ,
Google ,
Imports ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Microsoft ,
Mobile Apps ,
Retail Market ,
Shopify ,
Startups ,
Tax Evasion ,
Telecommunications ,
Theranos ,
Tribal Governments ,
Whistleblowers
Jobs Report Friday again! Here’s what we’re looking for in the February numbers, which are expected to be relatively modest...more
3/5/2021
/ Bonds ,
Capital Investments ,
China ,
Congressional Budget Office ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Infrastructure ,
Minimum Wage ,
Oil & Gas ,
Online Advertisements ,
Price Gouging ,
Severe Weather ,
Unemployment ,
Wage and Hour
Digging deeper into Google’s announcement that “its ad tools would no longer support individual tracking of users across websites starting in 2022,” a move that—with the site’s previously unveiled plans to stop supporting...more
3/4/2021
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Bonds ,
Chapter 11 ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Cookies ,
Data Collection ,
Disney ,
Exploration and Production Assets ,
Financial Markets ,
Google ,
Insolvency ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Market Volatility ,
Michaels ,
Mobile Apps ,
NFL ,
Oil & Gas ,
OPEC ,
Quicken Loans ,
Retailers ,
Russia ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Stock Trades ,
Targeted Digital Advertising ,
Web Tracking
Ousted eccentric WeWork co-founder and CEO Adam Neumann is reportedly closing in on a deal with SoftBank that would shave about $500 million (roughly half) off the total Masa Son would pay to buy Neumann’s shares. ...more
2/23/2021
/ Aerospace ,
Aircraft ,
Aircraft Equipment ,
Australia ,
Economic Downturn ,
Equipment Failure ,
Facebook ,
Goodyear ,
Google ,
Inflation Adjustments ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Internet ,
Jay Z ,
Manufacturers ,
NASA ,
News Stories ,
Outer Space ,
Retail Market ,
SoftBank ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Supply Chain ,
Twitter ,
Unemployment ,
Websites
Boeing needs another aircraft problem like a hole in the head, but that’s just what it got after a right-engine explosion on one of its 777-200 models that had just left Denver en route to Hawaii. ...more
2/23/2021
/ Aircraft Equipment ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Bias ,
Biden Administration ,
Boeing ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Disney ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Elon Musk ,
Financial Markets ,
GameStop ,
Google ,
IBM ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Job Creation ,
Market Manipulation ,
OMB ,
Opioid ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Product Defects ,
Reddit ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Tesla ,
United Airlines
Your Big Tech vs. Australia update: after raising a “well, then, no search engine for you” fuss in response to the country’s proposed law requiring tech giants to “pay news organizations for the news articles that are shared...more
2/18/2021
/ Australia ,
Biden Administration ,
China ,
Corporate Governance ,
GameStop ,
Google ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Market Manipulation ,
National Security ,
News Stories ,
Reddit ,
Retail Sales ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Startups ,
Stock Prices ,
Stock Trades ,
Tariffs ,
Theranos ,
Virtual Meetings ,
Zoom®
After more than half a year without a leader, the WTO is poised to welcome its “first woman and first African” to the role in the form of Nigerian economist and former finance minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. ...more
2/16/2021
/ American Express ,
Apple ,
Biden Administration ,
Big Tech ,
Bristol-Myers Squibb ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Credit Cards ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Downturn ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fraudulent Marketing ,
Goldman Sachs ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Infrastructure ,
Interest Rates ,
Investment Portfolios ,
Nissan ,
OCC ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Recovery Plans ,
Robinhood Financial ,
Sanofi ,
Severe Weather ,
Small Business ,
Tesla ,
White Collar Crimes ,
WTO
Consulting standard-bearer McKinsey & Co. will pay $573 million to resolve state investigations and allegations related to its role “in helping ‘turbocharge’ opioid sales, a rare instance of it being held publicly accountable...more
2/4/2021
/ Automotive Industry ,
Bitcoin ,
Cannabis Products ,
DaimlerChrysler ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Donald Trump ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Markets ,
GameStop ,
General Motors ,
Google ,
Jazz Pharmaceuticals ,
MassMutual ,
Microchip Technology ,
Microsoft ,
Opioid ,
Pain Management ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Robinhood Financial ,
Semiconductors ,
Stock Prices ,
Stock Trades ,
Substance Abuse
Seismic news out of Seattle yesterday, with Amazon founder and CEO informing employees that he’s stepping out of the top spot at the e-commerce giant this summer after a nearly 30-year run and transitioning “into the role of...more
2/3/2021
/ Aluminum Sales ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Automobile Recall ,
Biden Administration ,
CEOs ,
Chrysler ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Fiat ,
Financial Markets ,
Fuel Efficiency ,
GameStop ,
Google ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hormel ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Jeff Bezos ,
Kraft ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Relief Measures ,
Robinhood Financial ,
Stock Trades ,
Tariffs ,
Tesla ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Toyota ,
Uber ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
New CBO projections suggest that even without additional Congressional aid, the “American economy will return to its pre-pandemic size by the middle of this year.” While encouraging, the report offers cold comfort for the...more
2/2/2021
/ Apple ,
Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Downturn ,
Economic Growth ,
Facebook ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Ford Motor ,
GameStop ,
GME ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mobile Apps ,
Recovery Plans ,
Reddit ,
Relief Measures ,
Robinhood Financial
Private equity behemoth Apollo Global Management’s CEO, Leon Black, is stepping down after an outside inquiry by Dechert—“ordered by the firm’s board at Mr. Black’s behest in October”—revealed that Black “had paid more than...more
1/26/2021
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Freight Forwarding ,
GameStop ,
Google ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Janet Yellen ,
Jeffrey Epstein ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Secretary of the Treasury ,
Senate Confirmation Hearings ,
Stock Prices ,
UPS ,
Vimeo ,
Wall Street ,
Web Browsers ,
Web Tracking ,
White Collar Crimes
Google has threatened to pull its search engine from the entirety of the Australian continent “if the government approved legislation that would force tech companies to pay for journalism shared on their platforms.” Facebook...more
1/22/2021
/ Alphabet Company ,
Australia ,
Automotive Industry ,
Big Tech ,
Bitcoin ,
Churches ,
Embezzlement ,
Facebook ,
Google ,
Housing Market ,
Internet ,
Janet Yellen ,
Journalism ,
Layoffs ,
London Stock Exchange ,
Money Laundering ,
Nasdaq ,
Search Engines ,
Stock Prices ,
UK ,
Unemployment ,
Wall Street ,
Websites ,
White Collar Crimes
A big jump in unemployment claims, as reported yesterday, confirmed fears that a “resurgent pandemic” is challenging U.S.’s economic recovery. Some 1.15 million workers filed initial claims for state unemployment benefits...more
1/15/2021
/ Antitrust Provisions ,
Biden Administration ,
CARES Act ,
Cisco ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fitbit ,
General Electric ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Misappropriation ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Siemens ,
TikTok ,
Trade Secrets ,
Unemployment
Intel has ousted CEO Robert Swan “as the company faces pressure from an activist investor and grapples with the loss of leadership in producing ultrafast chips.” Swan had been at the helm since January 2019...more
1/14/2021
/ Airplane Accidents ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Auto Parts ,
Automotive Industry ,
BlackRock ,
Cargill ,
China ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Data Collection ,
Data-Sharing ,
Economic Growth ,
Facebook ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Google ,
Intel ,
Microchip Technology ,
Misappropriation ,
Mobile Apps ,
National Bank Charters ,
OCC ,
White Collar Crimes
Another day, another new Google antitrust lawsuit—this time thanks to a group of 30-plus states that have accused the company of “illegally arranging its search results to push out smaller rivals.” Oh, and money likely won’t...more
12/18/2020
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Biden Administration ,
Bitcoin ,
Coca Cola ,
Coinbase ,
Credit Suisse ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Google ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Relief Measures ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Trading Platforms ,
Unemployment ,
Universal
The Fed’s Open Markets Committee meeting wrapped on Wednesday, and in remarks following the meeting, Fed Chair Powell called the case for fiscal policy right now “very, very strong,”—a not-so-subtle nudge to Congress to act...more
12/17/2020
/ Accounting Fraud ,
Apple ,
AT&T ,
Bitcoin ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Google ,
HBO ,
Infectious Diseases ,
iPhone Tracking ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Monopolization ,
Online Advertisements ,
Relief Measures ,
Roku ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
EU and British authorities unveiled new proposals this week to “crimp the power of ‘gatekeeper’ platforms like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, which policymakers argue deserve more oversight given their outsize...more
12/16/2020
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Apple ,
Bonds ,
Climate Change ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Counterfeit Goods Regulation ,
Cyber Espionage ,
EU ,
Facebook ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FOMC ,
Google ,
Hate Speech ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Internet Retailers ,
Investment Management ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Microsoft ,
Online Advertisements ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Relief Measures ,
Stock Markets ,
UK ,
Vanguard
The latest lame-duck Covid relief package proposal would trim about 150 billion dollars (and a number of key sticking points, including funds “to bolster state and local governments, and a temporary coronavirus liability...more
12/15/2020
/ Adidas ,
Algorithms ,
Amazon Marketplace ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Big Tech ,
Boeing ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Collection ,
Data Protection ,
DoorDash ,
Facebook ,
Fannie Mae ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Freddie Mac ,
Gender Discrimination ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Google ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Ireland ,
Manufacturing Defects ,
Pinterest ,
Public Utilities Commission ,
Reddit ,
Reebok ,
Relief Measures ,
Search Engines ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Snapchat ,
Social Media ,
Trade Wars ,
Twitter ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Uber ,
WhatsApp ,
YouTube