Google Avoids Another Breakup Attempt; FTC Alleges Amazon Rigged Ad Auctions; Uber Deleting 3,000 Jobs; Apple Joins Google in Shameful ‘Lake America’ Label

When I read about attempts to break up Google…or for that matter, Meta or Amazon, I keep coming back to the government’s years long work on breaking up AT&T. How’d that work out? The pieces of AT&T basically reassembled as a couple large telcos, and now we have really 3 big cell companies…two of which are Verizon and AT&T…both large chunks of the old AT&T that was supposedly broken up. With that said, Google has dodged the bullet on another break up attempt by the government. Theverge.com reports that a US district Judge, Leonie Brinkema, has declined the Justice Departments’s request to make Google sell off parts of its ad tech business. The court DID say it would adopt most of the behavioral changes proposed by the parties, with some modifications. But those won’t become public until the parties meet to work out any additional proposed revisions and to review the judge’s opinion for confidential information that must be redacted. They could include proposals like restricting Google from using self-preferencing ad auction tactics or letting third-party ad tech tools access the same real-time information as Google. Google can still appeal, but they may really want to go with this deal, and at least put off risking a ruling that does force them to spin off part of their very lucrative ad business.

The Federal Trade Commission and 22 states have sued Amazon, alleging that it has conducted a secret scheme to overcharge advertisers for seven years. According to arstechnica..com, the filing asserts that Since 2019, Amazon.com, Inc. has secretly and systematically overcharged its approximately 1.2 million advertising customers by manipulating the ‘auctions’ that it uses to set the price of ads on its platform,” the lawsuit said. “Amazon represents, and advertisers believe, that competitive auctions set the prices for advertising on its leading e-commerce website. But, in reality, Amazon overrides and replaces the actual auction results with higher prices set by Amazon to increase its profits.” Amazon says the ‘FTC cherry-picked’ details, and that the lawsuit is ‘misguided.’ The FTC says customers paid more than they would have if Amazon operated the auction in the way it claimed it did. This should be an interesting trial to follow, unless the online giant decides to settle…with the Feds and 22 states after them, that might be their best option. 

Uber has chopped about 3,000 jobs, as it moves to what it claims is a more efficient organization. This will be close to 10% of the 34,000 employees of the ridesharing firm. Engadget.com says they are removing management layers and aiming to be  “simpler and faster.” Uber will continue to have its global teams based in New York and San Francisco, and will continue to have tech hubs, as well as regional and country-based teams. 

Apple has joined Google in caving to the whims of Donald Trump and his latest antic of renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America. They had previously done so with the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Techcrunch.com reports that the foolish name will only appear on the Maps app in the US, and not elsewhere. Reportedly, this came after a call direct from the White House to the C Suite at Apple. Also according to reports, rank and file Apple employees are furious that the top suits gave in to Trump on this ridiculous move. This has also caused Apple Maps users….like Google Maps users…to leave in sizable numbers and switch to Mapquest, which has stayed at the top of Apple’s App Store downloads, besting ChatGPT…which had been at the top for some time. It is rather appalling that huge tech firms fear a megalomaniacal president enough that they feel like they have to go along with such foolish and childish moves. It’s sad for us that we will have to put up with this clownish behavior for the next two years. As for me, I am unaffected…I will just keep using the Inrix map software in my car that I haven’t paid to update…so the lake will remain Ontario, as the gulf has stayed Mexico!

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.