The biggest and most influential technology companies – Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon – were once the darlings of Wall Street, the media, and consumers. But the tone has decisively shifted in recent months. Most news reporting focuses on data impropriety, privacy issues, and, increasingly, the pure size and scope of the…
Read MoreThe era of minimal oversight for the biggest technology companies appears to be ending. The Justice Department and FTC will split oversight of Google and Amazon, and the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead to a long-simmering antitrust suit against Apple. Taken together, it is becoming clear that lawmakers are poised to take…
Read MoreBig Tech is part of everyday people’s lives in ways that were once the province of fantasy. Companies like Google and Amazon are ubiquitous around the world, and the products and services they offer are relied on by millions. Unfailingly ambitious (and extraordinarily profitable), it would appear that things have never better…
Read MoreSocial media has accumulated remarkable power. Large companies like Facebook have aggressively expanded into new territories, further fueling growth and revenue – Facebook has a staggering 2.38 billion monthly active users as of March 31, 2019. But growth at all costs has come at a price. Facebook has taken its share of…
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence technology is transforming previously unfathomable ideas into concrete realities on a daily basis. One flagship application is facial recognition technology, which has been embraced by law enforcement for identifying suspects – a development that has its detractors but remains touted for its crime prevention potential. For all its potential, however,…
Read MoreBig Tech took some unprecedented hits in 2018. For the first time in memory, previously unassailable companies found themselves squarely in government and public crosshairs alike, answering for a series of (often data-centric) misdeeds. But even as questions loom and skepticism increases, these issues – and the ensuing public backlash – remain…
Read MoreGoogle CEO Sundar Pichai completed his much-anticipated testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on December 11—the culmination of months of tension between lawmakers in the US and abroad and one of the world’s largest and most recognizable companies. In short, Pichai’s hearing laid bare the gulf in understanding between Washington and Silicon…
Read MoreThe never-ending technological arms race between companies seeking an edge has turned to physics for inspiration. Quantum computing is the latest frontier to be explored not only by giants like Google, IBM, and Alibaba, but also researchers and startups. Each party is trying to become the first to develop a computer whose…
Read MoreFew could imagine a functional life without Google, Amazon, or Facebook. But the overwhelming surge of influence and clout has brought with it a series of complicated questions. Key among them is an issue governments worldwide continue to grapple with: how do you properly tax companies whose economic activity is primarily generated…
Read MoreThe biggest names in tech have increasingly found themselves in lawmakers’ crosshairs at home and abroad. Facebook and Twitter have borne the brunt of the scrutiny domestically, whether for data misuse, failure to prevent harmful actions or hate speech, accusations of inaction with regard to foreign election tampering, and more. Google had…
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