TECHNOLOGY
Amazon exploiting sellers, to pocket $121 bn this year: Report
In 2019, Amazon pocketed $60 billion in seller fees and this year, its take will soar to $121 billion, according to the report titled 'Amazon's Toll Road' by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Even as these exorbitant fees bankrupt sellers, they are generating huge profits for Amazon, a fact that the tech giant conceals in its financial reports. "These profits are not only the spoils of Amazon's monopoly power. They are the essential fuel that feeds its market-domination strategies, enabling it to absorb massive, predatory losses designed to lock-in market control and fund breakneck expansion," said study author Stacy Mitchell.
Microsoft introduces ‘Teams Essentials' for small businesses
Called Microsoft 'Teams Essentials', the offering brings together features small businesses need to serve customers, including unlimited group video calls for up to 30 hours, group chat, file sharing, and calendaring. "With Teams Essentials, small businesses from restaurants to retailers to professional services can easily meet, collaborate, communicate, and serve customers in new ways," said Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365.
Jack Doresy's firm Square changes its name to Block
This announcement came after Square Founder Dorsey, who is a staunch supporter of Bitcoin, stepped down as Twitter CEO. "We built the Square brand for our Seller business, which is where it belongs," said Dorsey. "Block is a new name, but our purpose of economic empowerment remains the same. No matter how we grow or change, we will continue to build tools to help increase access to the economy," he said in a statement late on Wednesday.
Now connect with people on LinkedIn in Hindi
With this launch, LinkedIn aims to break down language barriers, providing greater access to professional and networking opportunities to Hindi speakers in India and around the world. With the launch of Hindi, LinkedIn now supports 25 languages globally. "We have witnessed high engagement and member growth in the last year, and it is at this exciting inflection point that we are strengthening our vision to create economic opportunity for 'every' member of the workforce, and taking down language barriers for Hindi speakers across the world," Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn said in a statement.
WhatsApp says banned over 2 mn accounts in India in Oct
The Meta-owned platform also received 500 grievance reports in the same month, and took action on only 18 of those. "In accordance with the IT Rules 2021, we've published our fifth monthly report for the month of October. This user-safety report contains details of the user complaints received and the corresponding action taken by WhatsApp, as well as WhatsApp's own preventive actions to combat abuse on our platform," said a WhatsApp Spokesperson.
CRED to acquire expense management firm Happay
The acquisition is expected to be a cash and stock deal potentially valuing Happay at $180 million. "With professional expenses forming a significant portion of credit card spends, bringing professional expense management into the CRED ecosystem is a natural extension of our proposition," Kunal Shah, founder, CRED, said in a statement. "Happay's product strength, customer experience, and vision align with our intent at CRED to reward responsible financial behaviour and we're excited to partner them in their journey towards leading the category," Shah added.
Apple launches new limited-edition Beats Studio Buds
The limited-edition Beats Studio Buds mark Union's 30th anniversary, featuring a bold red, black, and green design and packaging that draws inspiration from the Pan-African flag and pays tribute to Union's roots as a Black-owned business. The new Buds will be available exclusively at Union's Los Angeles and Tokyo stores and on its website starting December 1, with pricing set at $149.99 in the US.
Twitter bans sharing of images, videos without people's consent
The micro-blogging platform already covers explicit instances of abusive behaviour under its policies, the expansion of the policy will allow the platform to take action on media that is shared without any explicit abusive content, provided it's posted without the consent of the person depicted. "Sharing personal media, such as images or videos, can potentially violate a person's privacy, and may lead to emotional or physical harm," Twitter said in a blog post late on Tuesday.
Twitter launches dedicated search prompt for HIV
The notification prompt will provide valuable and authoritative resources around HIV and encourage people to reach out and get help when they need it. "We are committed to protecting the health of the public conversation on Twitter -- ensuring individuals can find credible information from authoritative sources is a key part of that mission," Shagufta Kamran, Public Policy, Twitter India, said in a statement.
OPPO Reno7, Reno7 Pro India price revealed ahead of launch
The Reno7 is likely to be priced between Rs 28,000 to Rs 31,000, while the Pro model will go for anywhere between Rs 41,000 to Rs 43,000, reports GSMArena. OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G features a 6.55-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,400 pixels) AMOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and a 90Hz refresh rate. The phone is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 1200-Max SoC, coupled with up to 12GB of LPDDR4x RAM.
Don't Miss
Advertisement