One Thing Today in Tech
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Number of Facebook users fall first time ever; Cognizant posts strong Q4 numbers; Chargebee raises $250 million
Facebook saw its first-ever quarterly decline of daily users globally. Parent company Meta warned of a slowdown in the growth of ad sales that sent its shares plunging by 20 percent on Wednesday. US IT services giant Cognizant joined its rivals in posting strong December quarter numbers. Chargebee, a SaaS company raised a quarter of a billion dollars with a big jump in valuation
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India to introduce CBDC, tax cryptos; Google parent Alphabet reports record sales, announces stock split
India will introduce a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) to "give a big boost to the digital economy," Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her speech yesterday outlining the government's budget proposals for the coming fiscal year that starts April 1. India will also tax crypto transactions at the rate of 30 percent, she said. And Google's parent Alphabet reported record revenues for 2021, as ads and cloud sales surged
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Wordle goes to New York Times; Sony buys Halo maker Bungie; IT services M&A deals surge to nearly $300 billion
Wordle, the super hit online web-only word game, has been bought by The New York Times, according to a tweet by the game's creator Josh Wardle. New York Times will integrate the daily word puzzle into its suite of word games, Wardle said. Sony has bought video game maker Bungie for $3.6 billion. Plus, IT sector M&A and PE deals saw strong interest in 2021
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87 percent children's apps in India seek dangerous access; Google to invest $1 bln in Bharti Airtel; 5Gi merger with 5G closer
The vast majority of mobile apps aimed at children in India ask for dangerous permissions, according to the latest annual survey by Arrka, a company that offers a privacy management platform to businesses. Overall, Google—no surprise—by far is the biggest tracker of personal data in India, according to Arrka. Separately, Google is investing $1 billion in Bharti Airtel for an equity stake and joint go-to-market strategies
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India's IT-BPM sector has concerns over exemptions in data bill; Apple posts record sales; Lee Fixel's Addition backs SuperOps.ai
India's IT services and business process management companies will petition the government over concerns that the broad exemptions sought by lawmakers in the proposed Data Protection Bill will adversely impact the $190 billion sectors in the European Union, Economic Times reports. Apple reports record Q1 sales. SuperOps.ai raises money from Lee Fixel's Addition
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TCS, Infosys overtake IBM, Microsoft's Satya Nadella top guardian, Tata's Chandrasekaran shines
Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys have overtaken IBM to become the second and third most valuable IT services brands in the world. Only Accenture remains ahead, retaining its top spot four years in a row. Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran is the lone Indian among the top 25 brand custodians as ranked by Brand Finance for 2022. Microsoft's Satya Nadella is the number one CEO in the Brand Guardianship Index. Apple remains the top brand
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Google is always tracking users, US states allege; Boeing adds $450 mln to air taxi venture; DarwinBox turns unicorn
Google tracks people's movements using information from its search engine, Maps app, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth services even after users turn off location tracking, three US states allege in a lawsuit, Reuters reports. Boeing is pumping more money into an air taxis venture with Larry Page. And India's latest unicorn is DarwinBox, an HR software SaaS company in Hyderabad
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Facebook urged to release India impact report; US Senate panel backs bill curbing Big Tech; Stader valued at $450 mln
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and other activists have urged the social networking giant to release a long-awaited report on its impact in India, alleging the company is purposely obscuring human rights concerns, The Guardian reports. Meanwhile, a US Senate panel backed a bill that proposes some curbs on Big Tech. And in startup news, blockchain venture Stader has raised more money, at a hefty valuation
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Former SpaceX engineers announce electric train startup; GM expands H2 tech; SaaS Labs, Rocketlane raise funding
Parallel Systems, a company founded by former SpaceX engineers to reimagine the railroad system, has raised $49.55 million in Series A funds to build autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles that move freight, the company said in a press release yesterday; Meanwhile GM said it is expanding its hydrogen fuel cells beyond vehicles to power homes, offices and malls
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Microsoft to buy Activision in $68.7 bln deal; US airlines warn of 'catastrophe' from 5G; and Scripbox, Kula raise funds
Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard in an all-cash deal valued at $68.7 billion, to become the "third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony," the maker of Windows and Azure software said in an investor release; US airlines warn of disruptions from 5G; and Scripbox, Kula raise funds
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UGC, AICTE warn edtech startups, institutes; Walmart has metaverse plans; Sony enters Tamil cinema with Kamal Haasan
The Universities Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education, which govern higher education in India, have warned that outsourcing of various programmes to edtech startups is not permitted, and said that action could be taken against the startups and the institutes. Walmart has big metaverse plans, CNBC reports; and Sony's debut Tamil film will be in partnership with Kamal Haasan