The FTC is suing to block Microsoft from buying Activision

The FTC announced Thursday that it would sue to block Microsoft’s acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard. Microsoft announced plans to buy the company, which has been plagued by sexual harassment and discrimination allegations and labor disputes, back in January for $68.7 billion. The deal would be mark a seismic shift in the gaming industry … Read more

Critical mass

Greetings from…somewhere. As I mentioned the other week, I’m taking a few weeks off. It’s the first time off I’ve had this year and the most consecutive days I’ve taken off in 15+ years of being a tech journalist. It’s been a hard/weird last few years, and burnout has a way of sneaking up on … Read more

Airtable chief revenue officer, chief people officer and chief product officer are out

As part of Airtable’s decision to cut 20% of staff, or 254 employees, three executives are “parting ways” with the company as well, a spokesperson confirmed over email. The chief revenue officer, chief people officer and chief product officer are no longer with the company. Airtable’s chief revenue officer, Seth Shaw, joined in November 2020 … Read more

Prepare data from Amazon EMR for machine learning using Amazon SageMaker Data Wrangler

Data preparation is a principal component of machine learning (ML) pipelines. In fact, it is estimated that data professionals spend about 80 percent of their time on data preparation. In this intensive competitive market, teams want to analyze data and extract more meaningful insights quickly. Customers are adopting more efficient and visual ways to build … Read more

Pixel Fold renders arrive with detailed size and spec rumors for Google’s foldable phone

This is what Google’s foldable Pixel smartphone might look like. | Image: OnLeaks and HowToiSolve New leaks appear to reveal what to expect from Google’s long-rumored foldable phone. Leaker OnLeaks has teamed up with the website HowToiSolve to share renders, a 360-degree video, and measurements of the foldable Pixel device. According to OnLeaks and HowToiSolve, … Read more

Tech companies fueled the rise of Homeland Security and domestic surveillance, report finds

Kristen Radtke / The Verge Big tech companies including Microsoft, LexisNexis, and Palantir have helped fuel the militarization of local police forces and the Department of Homeland Security’s demand for high-tech surveillance, according to a new report from The Action Center on Race & the Economy (ACRE), LittleSis, MediaJustice, and the Surveillance, Tech, and Immigration … Read more