Connected newsletter: Google suffers Epic setback
Connected at the Business Post is your source for the news that matters in technology and innovation, all told from an Irish perspective
The march to Christmas is under way with a slow down in tech news this week. But there was still some notable stories that passed our way, not least the announcement of hundreds of new jobs for Limerick, and a big win for Epic over Google.
In case you missed it, my colleague Donal MacNamee, revealed how Ireland’s data watchdog had launched a stinging attack on Europe’s top privacy regulator, in a sign of rising tensions over the policing of tech giants headquartered in Dublin.
As his related analysis shows, the back and forth ahead of Meta’s move to a subscription model displays the weaknesses in the way Europe’s data protection rules are enforced.
In news that happened after the last Connected newsletter went out, EU regulators agreed a ‘historic’ world-first deal to regulate AI
Starting off the week on a high, Verizon, the multinational telecommunications conglomerate, announced 400 new jobs with the establishment of a new Global Centre of Excellence in Limerick.
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It wasn’t all good news on the jobs front though as a new survey from ManPowerGroup Ireland forecast that more tech companies expect to lay off staff in 2024 with more staff expected to be let go than taken on for the first time in three years.
Talking of job losses, 72 workers recently lost their jobs when Elon Musk’s X cancelled a trust and safety contract with Irish outsourcing company CPL.
Google this week lost an antitrust court fight to Fortnite maker Epic Games that threatens to upend the mobile app economy and could end up costing the technology giant billions of dollars in revenue.
And Apple faces a potentially hefty fine as well as a ban on App Store rules it allegedly used to thwart music-streaming rivals, in the European Union’s latest crackdown on Big Tech.
Closer to home, newly filed accounts for Wayflyer, the fintech, show pre-tax losses rose more than threefold last year.
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Send on your news and views to connected@businesspost.ie
All the best,
Charlie
Scientists just built a massive 1,000-qubit quantum chip, but why are they more excited about one 10 times smaller? (LiveScience)
Why even a partial digital detox is a good idea this Christmas (Wired)
