EU opens probe into Microsoft’s £59bn deal to buy Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard November 8, 2022 The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into Microsoft’s proposed $68.7bn (£59.5bn) acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard. The commission said it was concerned that the proposed deal may reduce competition in the market. A preliminary investigation found that the transaction may significantly reduce competition, including multi-game subscription services and cloud game [...]
Google and Microsoft drag tech stocks both sides of the Atlantic October 26, 2022 Disappointing results from both Google owner Alphabet and Microsoft have dragged down tech shares both sides of the Atlantic. Nasdaq was down two per cent at the opening bell, whilst European tech stocks fell 1.8 per cent to lead sectoral losses. It comes after Alphabet said third-quarter revenue grew six per cent to $69.1bn, raising [...]
Microsoft cuts more staff as Big Tech slowdown continues October 18, 2022 Microsoft continued to cull its workforce this week as the software giant feels the sting of stagnating growth, with sources telling the Business Insider that 1,000 people lost their jobs in a fresh wave of cuts. Impacted teams within the software giant included the Xbox division, the Strategic Missions team, and the office of the Chief [...]
Ofcom widens net for Big Tech probe September 22, 2022 Ofcom will be widening the scope of its probe into Big Tech, digging into competition concerns surrounding the cloud services space. The media regulator said this morning that it would launch a market study into the sector to ensure that markets are working well for people and businesses in the UK. Cloud services have exploded [...]
Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal faces deeper competition probe September 15, 2022 The competition regulator has referred Microsoft’s $68.7bn snap up of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard for an in-depth investigation, spelling danger for the gaming sector's monster deal.
Game on: Why Big Tech is betting big on gaming September 14, 2022 When Bill Gates said “content is king” back in 1996, he opened a can of worms that has become increasingly hard to contain. This content obsession has evolved in different ways in the last two decades, with the latest bet from Big Tech being on gaming. While the evolution of video games has been progressing [...]
Watchdog flags competition concerns for Microsoft and Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard’s £50bn deal September 1, 2022 Regulators have flagged competition concerns over Microsoft’s $68.7bn acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard, giving the US giants until next week to provide evidence.
UK LinkedIn users targeted in hacking scam via connection requests ‘in disguise’ August 30, 2022 LinkedIn is being used by hackers to spread data stealing malware via sending connection requests in disguise of people working with reputed companies. Researchers reportedly found that scammers are exploiting Microsoft-owned LinkedIn’s chat and job posting features to share links and files that are laced with stealer malware. Since most LinkedIn users accept any and [...]
Microsoft in trademark row with UK children’s reading firm Word Windows August 22, 2022 US tech titan Microsoft is locked in a trademark dispute with a woman in Northampton after she named her business Word Windows. Kate McKenzie’s company sells handheld tools designed to help children with reading. But on 1 July, nine days before the product was due to be launched, she received a letter from lawyers representing [...]
Big Tech feels a big drop as Google and Microsoft struggle to maintain growth July 27, 2022 Both Google parent firm Alphabet and Microsoft posted weaker-than-expected earnings last night, as they grapple with the testing macroeconomic backdrop.