google

Bilingual

As Reddit stock falls, CEO questions value of Google's AI Overviews
2 months ago
- Reddit CEO Steve Huffman criticized Google's AI Overviews during quarterly earnings, arguing it reduces user trust and harms publishers.
- Huffman's investor letter emphasized Reddit's value as a source of authentic human perspectives, contrasting with AI-generated synthetic content.
- He stated AI Overviews have not replicated the positive impact of Google's traditional '10 blue links' on the broader ecosystem.
- Reddit is reportedly considering ending its $60 million licensing deal with Google, following a Wall Street Journal report.
- Other major publishers like The Economist, Reuters, and Politico are also contemplating cutting ties with Google over AI Overviews.
- A Pew Research study found AI Overviews reduce referrals to publisher sites by nearly half compared to standard search results.
How Google helped destroy adoption of RSS feeds (2023)
2 months ago
- Google removed the RSS button from Chrome without notice, discouraging user adoption.
- Google acquired FeedBurner, then shut down its APIs and removed key services like email subscriptions, breaking RSS feeds for many users.
- Google killed Google Reader in 2013, claiming low usage, which led many users to abandon RSS entirely.
- Google removed RSS feeds from Google Alerts in 2013, only reinstating after backlash, but damage was done.
- Google removed its RSS browser extension (then reinstated it claiming it was a mistake), eroding user trust.
- Google deprecated and later shut down RSS integration in Google News in 2017, forcing users to find alternatives.
- Despite announcing RSS support for Chrome in 2021, no official launch has occurred, highlighting a pattern of neglect.
Google shuts down Nobel Prize winning AlphaFold
2 months ago
- Google has shut down its Nobel-prize winning AlphaFold project, reassigning key team members to focus on Gemini.
- AlphaFold, an AI program that predicts protein structures in minutes, solved the 50-year-old protein folding problem and won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
- Some original AlphaFold authors, including VP John Jumper, left DeepMind to join Anthropic, while others were moved to Gemini projects or Isomorphic Labs.
- The decision reflects Google's strategic shift to prioritize resources on developing its Gemini AI model.
Commission fines Google €890 million for breaches of the Digital Markets Act
2 months ago
- The European Commission fined Google €460 million for self-preferencing its own services on Google Search, violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
- Google was fined an additional €430 million for imposing restrictions on app developers that prevent them from directing consumers to alternative, cheaper purchase channels on Google Play (anti-steering).
- The Commission ordered Google to cease its non-compliance with the DMA.
"Google and Reddit do not own the Internet," web scraper says after court win
2 months ago
- Google is using the DMCA to sue SerpApi for circumventing anti-scraping technology and selling scraped search results, despite search results not being copyrightable.
- Reddit filed a similar lawsuit against SerpApi and Perplexity, accusing them of scraping Reddit content from Google search results.
- Both companies are leveraging the DMCA as a tool to combat the rise of AI scraping, even though the law was not designed for this purpose.
- The lawsuits aim to block malicious scraping that disrupts rights holders' control over their content and undermines Google's ability to profit from search services.
Google burning through cash with spiralling AI costs
2 months ago
- Google's parent company Alphabet reported negative free cash flow of $5.9 billion for the first time in at least a decade, driven by high AI infrastructure spending.
- Alphabet's AI-related capital expenditures are expected to reach up to $205 billion this year, up from $190 billion, with $45 billion spent in Q2, 60% on servers and 40% on data centers.
- Despite quarterly revenue of $119.8 billion (up 23% year-over-year), Alphabet's stock fell 4% in after-hours trading, reflecting investor concerns over spending levels.
- Google CFO Anat Ashkanazi stated that AI demand still outpaces investment, and the company will continue investing as long as opportunities exist.
- CEO Sundar Pichai described the AI shift as still early stages with potential for extraordinary returns, while maintaining disciplined financial planning.
- Tesla also reported negative free cash flow of $1.1 billion for Q2 due to rising investment costs, with expected spending of up to $25 billion this year, more than double 2025's capital spending.
- Tesla's stock dropped 4% in after-hours trading, similar to Alphabet, as both companies face investor scrutiny over high spending on AI and technology infrastructure.
EU fines Google €890M for competition breaches over search and apps
2 months ago
- Google fined €890m by EU for breaching competition laws via search and app store services.
- EU found Google gave priority to own services (shopping, hotels) in search results over rivals.
- Google prevented app developers from directing users to cheaper offers outside its app store.
- Fines: €460m for search breach, €430m for app store violation.
- EU orders Google to treat third-party services fairly and allow external offers.
- Google has started testing search changes; EU says substantial progress toward compliance.
- Consumers will benefit as search results in Europe will change.
- Timing risks US ire; EU asserts sovereign right to regulate US tech firms.
- Google can appeal and request interim measures including suspension.
EC: 'Guidance to Google for AI Interoperability on Android'
2 months ago
- EU Commission issued two binding measures under DMA: one for equal AI access on Android devices, another for sharing Google Search data with competitors.
- Third-party AI assistants must be given APIs to match Gemini's capabilities, including access to Google's own app data like Gmail and Calendar.
- Third-party apps that support one system-level AI provider must support all, preventing selective data sharing.
- Potential outcomes range from wasted engineering effort with no adoption to privacy risks or Google pulling Gemini from the EU.
- Future Android AI features may be delayed or withheld in the EU due to compliance burdens, similar to Apple's DMA experience.
4,500 Google Employees Sign Petition Demanding Layoff Protections
2 months ago
- Over 100 Google employees rallied at the company's Mountain View headquarters to demand job security protections.
- Union leaders delivered a petition signed by 4,500 workers to CEO Sundar Pichai and other executives, responding to widespread tech layoffs.
- Demands include guaranteed severance, elimination of performance quotas, and the option to take severance as extended paid leave.
- The union president emphasized the need for a secure work environment free from fear and job instability.
- ABC7 News has contacted Google for a response to the protest and employee demands.
Google pulls the plug on Tenor API, killing GIF pickers around the web
3 months ago
- Tenor API is shutting down on June 30, 2026, as part of Google's resource refocusing.
- New API sign-ups were halted earlier in 2024, and existing integrations will stop working after the shutdown.
- Twitter/X, Discord, WhatsApp, and Bluesky are among the affected platforms, with Twitter/X already migrating away.
- Tenor.com remains accessible for searches, and integrations within Google products like Gboard continue to function.
Google must pay €4.1B fine for using Android to 'block' rivals
3 months ago
- Google fined €4.1bn by Europe's top court for using Android to block rivals.
- Fine originally €4.3bn in 2018, reduced to €4.1bn in 2022; Google's appeal dismissed.
- Google argues it invested in open Android; adapted agreements to comply in 2018.
- Illegal actions included pre-installation requirements, exclusive payments, and preventing forked Android versions.
- European Commission previously fined Google for shopping service dominance and online ad practices.
- Largest fine not on Google; Russian court imposed astronomical fine over YouTube restrictions.
Top EU court upholds Google Android fine in landmark antitrust case
3 months ago
- Europe's top court dismissed Google's appeal against a €4.1 billion Android antitrust fine.
- The ruling upheld a 2022 judgment that Google abused its dominant position by imposing restrictions on smartphone makers and mobile operators.
- The fine was adjusted from €4.34 billion to €4.125 billion, marking a major victory for the European Commission in its antitrust battle with Big Tech.
Google's exponential path to climate-wrecking digital bloat
3 months ago
- Google's electricity consumption surged from 31 TWh in 2024 to 43 TWh in 2025, marking the largest increase ever and surpassing Microsoft.
- The exponential growth in energy use is driven by generative AI systems, causing emissions to rise faster than grid decarbonization.
- Google's climate report includes misleading claims, such as 'avoided emissions' from products like Google Earth and efficiency metrics that mask absolute consumption increases.
- The company's focus on per-query energy efficiency distracts from the overall climate impact, with AI infrastructure accelerating beyond renewable energy capacity.
- Google's water consumption for data centers is compared to golf courses, highlighting resource use for few, similar to generative AI's environmental burden.
- Despite clean energy deals, Google's power consumption emissions are climbing, with scope 3 emissions largely excluded from headline figures.
- The article criticizes Google's 'AI solutionism' and greenwashing, noting that previous claims about AI reducing global emissions have been toned down but remain problematic.

google

As Reddit stock falls, CEO questions value of Google's AI Overviews

How Google helped destroy adoption of RSS feeds (2023)

Google shuts down Nobel Prize winning AlphaFold

Commission fines Google €890 million for breaches of the Digital Markets Act

"Google and Reddit do not own the Internet," web scraper says after court win

Google burning through cash with spiralling AI costs

EU fines Google €890M for competition breaches over search and apps

EC: 'Guidance to Google for AI Interoperability on Android'

4,500 Google Employees Sign Petition Demanding Layoff Protections

Google pulls the plug on Tenor API, killing GIF pickers around the web

Google must pay €4.1B fine for using Android to 'block' rivals

Top EU court upholds Google Android fine in landmark antitrust case

Google's exponential path to climate-wrecking digital bloat