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Rockstar recruits the team behind the biggest ‘GTA V’ roleplay community
The team behind the most popular Grand Theft Auto V roleplay mod has joined Rockstar Games.
Lyft plans to ditch surge pricing, which riders hate 'with a fiery passion'
Lyft plans to kill off surge pricing in an attempt to boost its rider numbers. On the company's second-quarter earnings call, CEO David Risher admitted the controversial practice is a "a bad form of price raising" that riders loathe "with a fiery passion."
FTC puts internal trial over Microsoft-Activision deal on hold
The Federal Trade Commission has formally put its administrative trial over Microsoft's pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard on hold. That opens the door for the companies to amicably resolve the FTC's concerns about the merger as they attempt to get the $68.7 billion deal over the line.
Microsoft and Activision extend the deadline for their $68.7 billion merger to October 18th
Microsoft wasn't able to complete its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard by a July 18th deadline. There are still some regulatory issues to clear up. However, the companies have agreed to extend their merger agreement to get the deal done.
Microsoft and a UK regulator have been granted more time to resolve Activision merger issues
Microsoft has been granted more time to resolve a UK regulator's concerns over its proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. A tribunal has paused Microsoft's appeal against the CMA's decision to block the deal.
Appeals court rejects the FTC’s last-ditch attempt to stop Microsoft from buying Activision
Microsoft and Activision Blizzard can close their merger as early as Saturday.
FTC appeals ruling that would have let Microsoft’s Activision takeover move forward
The Federal Trade Commission isn't giving up on its attempt to halt Microsoft's pending $68.7 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard. The agency has appealed Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley's denial of its request for a preliminary injunction to temporarily stop the deal from going through.
Tesla reportedly suspected Musk was using company funds to build a literal glass house
Tesla is said to have investigated Elon Musk over claims he was using company funds to build a house.
Hitting the Books: Amazon's unique 'threat' to digital commerce
In Winner Sells All, journalist Jason Del Rey recounts the titanic battles both between and within these titans of industry as Amazon and Walmart spend big to further entrench their market positions.
Google refutes claims it violated its own guidelines and misled advertisers
Google has denied "extremely inaccurate claims" that it may have violated its own rules and misled advertisers over ad viewership on third-party websites.
Sony plans to keep making smartphones for at least a few more years
Qualcomm's Snapdragon platforms will continue to power Sony smartphones as part of a multi-year agreement.
Microsoft is raising Xbox Series X and Game Pass prices in most countries
In the US, Xbox Game Pass will soon cost $11 per month (up from $10) and Game Pass Ultimate is going up by $2 per month to $17. Microsoft is also increasing the price of the Xbox Series X in most countries, but not the US, Japan, Chile, Brazil or Colombia.
Uber will start showing video ads in its apps this week
Users in the US will start seeing video ads in Uber, Uber Eats and Drizly this week. The ads are muted by default in the apps, but will run for as long as 90 seconds.
Reddit's CEO reportedly told staff that the community's API protest will blow over
Reddit's CEO reportedly told staff to ignore the noise from a protest against the company's decision to charge for API access. Steve Huffman said a collective action by thousands of subreddits 'will pass.'
Spotify has been fined $5.4 million for violating GDPR data rules
A Swedish regulator has fined Spotify SEK 58 million ($5.4 million) after determining that the company had violated the European Union's data protection rules. The issue concerns how Spotify handles users' right to access their personal data.
Embracer announces layoffs and game cancellations after a $2 billion deal falls through
Embracer Group is cancelling some games, closing or selling studios and laying off an unknown number of workers as it tries to reduce costs and make the business more efficient. The news comes soon after the company said a deal that would have been worth $2 billion in revenue fell apart.
Grubhub lays off 15 percent of its employees
Grubhub has announced that it will be laying off 15 percent of its corporate workforce today. It's unclear if the company will be offering any sort of compensation or severance pay.
Netflix's password sharing crackdown seems to be working
While some users canceled their Netflix accounts after a crackdown on password sharing got underway, it seems like the move is paying off for the company.
Third-party Reddit app Apollo will shut down on June 30th
Reddit's controversial decision to charge for API access has led the creator of Apollo to shut down the third-party app. 'Apollo will close down on June 30th,' Christian Selig wrote. 'Reddit’s recent decisions and actions have unfortunately made it impossible for Apollo to continue.'
Peloton's revamped fitness app restricts most equipment workouts to new, more expensive tier
As of today, the software offers three different standalone subscription tiers.