Google said on Wednesday that it would allow some apps, such as Spotify, to offer their own billing system within the Google Play store as part of a pilot program. The move would allow those apps to bypass Google’s own payment system and the main commissions that it charges. The change comes as Google and Apple, the two biggest app store operators, face complaints from regulators and developers that they are abusing their dominance in mobile software to force companies to use their… Source link

The Brooklyn Nets will get Kyrie Irving back full time after all. New York City relaxed its COVID-19 vaccine mandate Thursday, allowing exemptions for athletes and entertainers. This change will allow Irving to play in home games for the Nets at the Barclays Center, and allows unvaccinated New York Mets and Yankees players to play in home games this season. The NBA and NBPA released a joint statement Thursday thanking New York Mayor Eric Adams for making the decision. The league and its players… Source link

U.S. equity futures were little changed in extended trading Wednesday after stocks retreated from a mini-comeback to resume losses in the trading session as investors continued to juggle a number of risks, including the Federal Reserve’s inflation flight and Russia’s war in Ukraine. Contracts on Wall Street’s main benchmarks hovered around breakeven headed into overnight trading. Wednesday marked two years since the S&P 500 bottomed in the 2020 global stock market crash after the World… Source link

Spotify Technology SA has reached a deal with Google to offer an alternative payment method within its app for users, the latest sign of the weakening grip that app stores have over third-party software. The streaming music service and Alphabet Inc.’s search giant announced the deal Wednesday, allowing Spotify’s SPOT 0.75% app within the… Source link

Starbucks (SBUX) is facing accusations of union-busting tactics after two employees in Phoenix alleged that they were punished for taking part in pro-union activities. The coffee chain workers at the Arizona store claim that store managers are responsible for “interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees” as an attempt to dissuade them from unionizing, a complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleged. “[This is] the first step in holding Starbucks… Source link

A view shows a fragment of a Hyundai Sonata automobile during an event, organized by Yandex company to present the new generation of its self-driving car developed in cooperation with Hyundai, in Moscow, Russia May 27, 2020. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register March 23 (Reuters) – Russian tech giant Yandex (YNDX.O) is facing heavy criticism online after a data leak exposed the personal details of more than 58,000 people on its food delivery… Source link

To become a Vogue Business Member and receive the Technology Edit newsletter, click here. As a global media and tech company, Yahoo reaches more than one-third of the US’s Gen Z audience, but it’s hoping to build on that — and it’s turning to fashion to do it. “Fashion is such a high-interest category of the Gen Z audience,” says Joanna Lambert, president and general manager of Yahoo. Yahoo has begun working with New York fashion designers on projects that use technologies… Source link

While the Moscow Exchange is set to reopen Thursday after a four-week shutdown, trading in Russian stocks listed on international exchanges remains on pause indefinitely — and the suspension is dramatically lifting the risk of default for these companies. Since stock exchanges worldwide halted trading of Russia-linked companies over the country’s invasion of Ukraine, the median one-year market signal probability of default for nearly two dozen foreign-listed Russian enterprises has spiked… Source link

Google is introducing a pilot to let “a small number of participating developers” offer a payment system in addition to Google Play’s. Spotify will be the first and will use both Google Play’s billing system and its own. “This pilot will help us to increase our understanding of whether and how user choice billing works for users in different countries and for developers of different sizes and categories,” Google’s Sameer Samat said in a blog post. Google plans to share more… Source link

It’s no surprise that Elizabeth Holmes’ co-defendant and former boyfriend, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, came out swinging against her Tuesday in opening statements to his criminal fraud trial, defense lawyers say. “Sunny Balwani did not start Theranos. He did not control Theranos,” Balwani’s attorney, Steve Cazares, told jurors in opening arguments, The New York Times and other media organizations reported. The description of Balwani’s role countered that of prosecutors, who Source link