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| Here's a look at today's Tech briefing: - Rockstar Games will release a Grand Theft Auto VI trailer in December.
- Google wants the EU to make Apple's iMessage compatible with other platforms.
- Amazon is offering a primary-care discount to Prime members.
- Google will delete inactive accounts starting in December.
Beth
p/beth-duckett | |
| 1 | | Rockstar Games says it will release the first trailer for the next Grand Theft Auto video game in December. The sixth installment in the blockbuster franchise is expected to have the first female protagonist, inspired by Bonnie and Clyde, and be set in a fictionalized Miami reminiscent of 2002's GTA: Vice City. More: - Rockstar Games, a division of Take-Two Interactive Software, could formally announce Grand Theft Auto VI as early as this week.
- The game publisher is releasing the trailer as part of its 25th-anniversary celebration.
- The company confirmed in February 2022 that it was working on the latest GTA installment. A large amount of game footage was also leaked that year, as confirmed by Rockstar.
- While no release date is confirmed, reports suggest the game may hit the shelves in 2024 or 2025.
Zoom out: - The most recent game, Grand Theft Auto V, was released in 2013 and ranks as the second best-selling video game ever.
- It achieved record-breaking sales, earning $800M within the first 24 hours of release.
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| 2 | | Google and major telecom companies are urging European regulators to classify Apple's iMessage as a "core" service, which could force Apple to make it compatible with other messaging platforms. In response, Apple argues that iMessage is "small scale" compared to other messaging services, despite having an estimated 1.3 billion users, or roughly 16.25% of the global population. 
Background: The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is investigating whether iMessage complies with the strict regulations governing tech giants under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA). The law, which takes effect in 2024, says tech "gatekeepers" must not show preference for their own systems or restrict third-party interoperability. The latest: A Google SVP and telecom executives recently sent a letter to the EU Commission, arguing that iMessage qualifies as a core platform service under the DMA. This means iMessage should be subject to the rules to "benefit European consumers and businesses," they wrote. Zoom out: Apple's Messages app can send cross-platform SMS messages, but its advanced features, like encryption and higher-quality photos, are limited to iMessage. Apple users also communicate with blue text bubbles, while others like Android use green bubbles. Some argue blue bubbles are a sign of status and play a major role in keeping iPhone users loyal to the hardware. Why it matters: If the EU enforces the DMA rules on Apple, it might require that iMessage extend its features to Android users, ensure compatibility with other messaging platforms, and incorporate Rich Communication Services (RCS), the advanced communication protocol for mobile messaging that's meant to replace SMS. | | | |
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| 3 | | Amazon announced discounted memberships for One Medical, its primary care service, for Prime members. It marks Amazon's major foray into healthcare since acquiring One Medical for $3.9B in February. More: - One Medical usually costs $199 per year, but Prime members can now get it for $9 monthly or $99 a year.
- Members can also include up to five family members for $6 a month or $66 a year per person.
- The service offers 24/7 virtual health care via an app, along with online scheduling for same- or next-day appointments, whether in-person or remote.
- Virtual care is fully covered by the membership fee, while office visits at its 200+ primary-care practices can be covered by insurance or paid for directly.
Zoom out: - Besides One Medical, Amazon acquired online pharmacy PillPack for around $750M in 2018.
- Amazon Clinic, its virtual healthcare marketplace, expanded nationwide this summer.
- Amazon also introduced $5 monthly generic prescriptions through RxPass earlier this year.
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| 4 | | Starting in December, Google will begin deleting Gmail and other accounts that have been inactive for at least two years. The company plans to send multiple warnings to users and do the account purges in phases, starting with accounts that were created but never revisited. More: - The move goes further than Google's 2020 policy, which only involved wiping content from unused services but not deleting the accounts themselves.
- To keep an account active, users need to sign in and perform an action like reading or sending an email, watching a YouTube video, or doing a search.
- The policy only applies to personal accounts and not businesses or schools.
Zoom out: - Google internal data shows older accounts are at greater risk due to reused passwords and a lack of modern security measures like two-step verification, making them vulnerable to phishing, hacking, and spam.
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| 5 | | ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, has launched a new round of share buybacks, offering $160 per share to current and laid-off employees. The move is meant to boost employee morale after a challenging year for the company, during which multiple jurisdictions have tried to ban or limit TikTok. More: - On Wednesday, ByteDance told staff outside the U.S. that it will buy their restricted stock units or options for $160 each, up from the $155 offered back in April.
- The $160 per share price aligns with the offer it made to current and former U.S. employees in October.
- ByteDance is also offering $128 a share for employees who resigned.
- However, that 20% lower offer has faced criticism from former U.S. employees as ByteDance's IPO plans remain on hold.
Zoom out: -
ByteDance typically conducts buybacks twice a year. The program offers liquidity to employees and is a sign of the company's confidence in its future. | | | |
| 6 | | German startup Aleph Alpha, a provider of AI models similar to OpenAI, has closed a $500M Series B, one of Europe's largest AI funding rounds. Bosch Ventures and Schwarz Group, along with Ipai, led the investment with participation from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, SAP, and others. More: - Aleph Alpha's "Luminous" family of AI language models includes three neural networks with 13 billion, 30 billion, and 70 billion parameters each.
- The models handle text in multiple languages and can also process images.
- Aleph Alpha provides the models through an API for developers to integrate into their apps, with all three models featuring built-in AI explainability.
Zoom out: - Aleph Alpha is promoting the concept of "data sovereignty," which acknowledges that data stored in a country is subject to local laws.
- The startup's data powering its AI models is grounded in Europe.
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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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