Tech

Tensions are escalating among tech workers at Amazon, Facebook, and Google as layoffs, return-to-office mandates, and other concerns fuel dissatisfaction and unrest. Unrest is so high at Amazon that workers are reportedly planning a walkout. The Washington Post reports that layoffs, mandatory return-to-work schedules, and other issues are escalating tensions among tech workers at Google, Amazon, and Facebook (now known as Meta). A week after the company’s annual shareholder meeting on May 31, Amazon employees at the Seattle headquarters of the company have announced plans to stage a walkout. The walkout is a reaction to a number of problems, such as layoffs, the mandate to return to work, and worries about Amazon’s climate commitments. Google boss Sundar Pichai is masked up ( Drew Angerer /Getty) Amazon CEO Andy Jassy (Isaac Brekken/AP) “Morale feels like it’s at an all-time low,” said a Los Angeles-based Amazon employee who plans to participate, speaking on the … [Read more...] about Trouble for Tech Titans: Employee Tension Grows at Facebook, Google, Amazon

Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla is backing AliveCor, a startup specializing in heart-monitoring technology, in a protracted legal battle against tech giant Apple. AliveCor alleges that Apple stole its heart monitoring technology and stifled its capacity to offer its services on the popular Apple Watch platform. Describing Apple, Khosla said, “I think it’s really important that they not bully people and so we decided to make it a public battle.” Bloomberg reports that Vinod Khosla, a legendary Silicon Valley venture capitalist, is supporting heart monitoring tech startup AliveCor in a protracted legal dispute with technology behemoth Apple. According to AliveCor, Apple stole its technology and prevented it from being able to sell its product on the popular Apple Watch platform. Apple CEO Tim Cook poses for a goofy selfie ( Justin Sullivan/Getty) A decade ago, Khosla’s company made an investment in AliveCor, a producer of cardiac monitoring devices with FDA … [Read more...] about Goliath Vs. Goliath: Venture Capital Titan Vinod Khosla Takes on Apple Alleging Theft of Health Tech

The “live in the pod, eat the bugs” ideology is coming for video games, with a leading tech publication, CNET, attacking gamers who use high-powered gaming PCs as a threat to the climate, while praising developers who deliberately restrict the quality of their games in order to save resources. CNET, one of the earliest media outlets dedicated solely to tech coverage, recently adopted a new tagline: “your guide to a better future.” It has also grouped together its coverage of emissions-reducing tech under a category called “ CNET Zero .” In this Aug. 20, 2019 file photo, gamers play latest video games from Electronic Arts at the Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. For three decades, the Zurich-based organizers of soccer have enjoyed a flourishing, mutually beneficial relationship with EA Sports producing annual edition of the FIFA game, alongside related products, and raking in billions of dollars. It so lucrative that FIFA thinks, it can be making even more cash. Now they are … [Read more...] about Tech Press: Gamers Are Destroying the Environment with High-Powered PCs

Doug Rushkoff, a leading theorist on digital culture, has voiced his concerns about the current state of technology, suggesting that tech billionaires are in “escape mode,” planning for catastrophic events and creating virtual realities to escape from societal realities that their own industry are causing. Speaking of Mark Zuckerberg and those like him, Rushkoff says, “They’re torturing themselves now, which is kind of fun to see. They’re afraid that their little AIs are going to come for them. They’re apocalyptic, and so existential, because they have no connection to real life and how things work.” The Guardian reports that leading digital culture theorist Doug Rushkoff has expressed his concerns about the state of technology today, claiming that tech billionaires are in “escape mode,” preparing for catastrophic events and building virtual worlds to escape from societal realities that their own companies are helping create. Elon Musk’s Halloween costume (Taylor Hill … [Read more...] about Pundit: Tech Billionaires Are in ‘Escape Mode’ Preparing for Calamity Caused by Their Own Companies

HONG KONG — China has suspended a policy that would have effectively pushed foreign technology companies out of the country’s banking sector, according to a note sent by Chinese regulators to banks. Dated Monday, the letter called for banks to “suspend implementation” of the rules , which have been at the center of a brewing trade conflict between the United States and China. The rules, put into effect at the end of last year, called for companies that sell computer equipment to Chinese banks to turn over intellectual property and submit source code, in addition to other demands. At stake is billions of dollars of business for major American companies that make the advanced computing hardware and software that crunches numbers for banks across China. Trade groups representing companies including Microsoft, IBM and Apple have complained that such policies are protectionist . Yet the development is only a small reprieve for American tech companies. The suspension is temporary … [Read more...] about China Halts New Policy on Tech for Banks

WASHINGTON — As the Trump administration moves to take on China over intellectual property, Washington will find it has limited firepower. Beijing has a strong grip on American technology companies, and global trade rules could favor China. Technology is proving a major battleground for China and the United States, as both sides vie to protect their economic and national security interests. Beijing has forced a long list of American companies to enter joint ventures or share research with Chinese players, part of a broader push to create its own technology giants. From makers of smartphones to chips to electric cars, American businesses have reluctantly agreed, fearful of losing access to China, which has the second-largest economy in the world. China’s ambitions have set off alarms in Washington, with concerns on both sides of the aisle. Robert E. Lighthizer, the United States trade representative, is now preparing a trade case accusing China of extensive violations of … [Read more...] about As Washington Tries to Protect Tech, China Could Fight Back