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| Here's a look at today's Tech briefing: - Apple receives 36% of Google search revenue from Safari.
- Nepal's government bans TikTok.
- Amazon cuts jobs in games division as it refocuses on Prime Gaming.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Google gives Apple a 36% share of its ad revenue for searches conducted through Apple's Safari browser on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The previously confidential figure was disclosed during the U.S. Justice Department's ongoing antitrust trial against Google. More: - Since 2002, Google has been the default search engine in Apple's Safari. Both companies have sought to keep details of the agreement under wraps, citing the potential for anticompetitive impacts.
- The search default agreement is at the core of the DOJ's case. The Justice Department has scrutinized the agreement as evidence that Google is unlawfully preserving its dominance in the search engine and advertising markets.
- During the antitrust trial, University of Chicago economics professor Kevin Murphy revealed the number during testimony in Google's defense.
- According to Bloomberg, Google's top lawyer reacted with visible discomfort when the revenue data, intended to be confidential, was disclosed.
Zoom out: - In 2021, Google paid Apple roughly $18B to secure its position as the default search engine on Safari.
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| 2 | | Nepal's government has decided to ban TikTok, citing disruption to "social harmony" and family structures. The country's cabinet endorsed the ban on Monday, and internet service providers have been asked to cut access to the ByteDance-owned app. More: - Political parties reached a consensus to ban TikTok following lengthy talks on "how to control the tendency to spread disharmony, disorder, and chaos in the society," Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said.
- According to local media cited by Reuters, Nepal has seen over 1,600 TikTok-related cybercrime cases in the past four years.
- However, some of Nepal's opposition leaders still criticized the move, arguing that it lacked "effectiveness, maturity and responsibility."
Zoom out: - Other countries have either partially or completely banned TikTok, usually citing data and security concerns due to its parent company's alleged ties to Beijing.
- India, Nepal's neighbor, banned TikTok in June 2020.
- Countries including the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada have limited TikTok usage on government-issued devices.
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| 3 | | Amazon has eliminated roughly 180 jobs in its gaming division as part of a broader restructuring. The company is discontinuing its Crown Channel on Twitch and its Game Growth team to refocus efforts on Prime Gaming. 
Details: Christoph Hartmann, Amazon Games' VP, mentioned that the restructuring will place more focus on areas with great potential for growth, including Prime Gaming, its service offering free monthly games to Prime subscribers. What the numbers show: In the U.S., 24% of video game subscription users say they use Amazon Prime Gaming, and 18% are likely to use it again. Prime Gaming has a brand awareness of 67% among video game subscription users, with 26% expressing a liking for the service. In terms of buzz, 25% of U.S. game subscription users said they had heard about Amazon Prime Gaming in media, social media, or advertising in recent months. The bigger picture: The gaming job cuts are part of a larger restructuring that reportedly included layoffs in Amazon's streaming and podcast divisions last week. It marks Amazon's second round of games division cuts this year, with the first round in April eliminating around 100 jobs. Overall the company has cut an estimated 27,000 jobs since last fall. | | | |
| 4 | | Smartphone brand Nothing is launching an app that's compatible with Apple's iMessage. The company announced iMessage integration in its latest Android phone, the Phone 2, using the "Nothing Chats" app powered by Sunbird. The app will make texts from the Nothing phone appear blue rather than green on iPhones. More: - Nothing said "messaging services are dividing phone users" and it wants "to break those barriers down."
- According to Nothing CEO Carl Pei, the app will initially support individual/group chats, typing indicators, full-size media sharing, and voice notes.
- Read receipts, message reactions, and replies will be added at a later date, he said.
- The app will debut on Nov. 17 in the U.S., U.K., and EU.
Zoom out: - Nothing, the consumer tech startup led by Oppo co-founder Pei, began selling its Phone 2 in the U.S. and elsewhere this past summer.
- The company said it aims to provide U.S. consumers with an alternative to iPhones, claiming high iOS to Android switch rates.
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| 5 | | Airbnb acquired Gameplanner.AI, a secretive AI startup, for a reported $200M. Gameplanner.AI marks Airbnb's first acquisition since 2019, and its first since going public. More: - GamePlanner.AI, a 12-person startup, specializes in AI and design, focusing on crafting AI-driven experiences.
- According to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, the Gameplanner team will help accelerate specific AI projects and integrate its tools into Airbnb's platform.
- Gameplanner was co-founded by Adam Cheyer and Siamak Hodjat in 2020.
- Cheyer co-founded the startup Siri, which Apple acquired in 2010, serving as the basis Apple's AI-driven assistant.
- Hodjat and Cheyer worked together at Viv Labs, a company Samsung acquired to launch its AI assistant Bixby.
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| 6 | | Google is in discussions to potentially invest "hundreds of millions" in Character.AI, an AI chatbot startup known for its virtual versions of celebrities and historical figures. Character.AI is also in talks with VC investors to secure more equity funding, potentially valuing the company at more than $5B. More: - Earlier this year, Character.AI closed a $150M funding round that valued the startup at $1B.
- Besides offering its own chatbots, users can also create their chatbots and AI assistants.
- Character.AI recently launched Character Group Chat, which lets subscribers create group chats with its themed AI chatbots and human participants.
- The company claimed 100 million monthly website visits within the first six months of its launch.
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 | AI and technology writer | | Beth is an editor and writer of Inside's AI and Tech newsletters, with a career spanning journalism since 2007. She has written for publications including The Arizona Republic and USA Today and authored a book on the solar industry in 2016. Reach her at Beth.Duckett@yahoo.com. | | This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia | |
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