News

Uber loses $2.9 billion, offloads bike and scooter business

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Uber lost $2.9 billion in the first quarter as its overseas investments were hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, but the company is looking to its growing food delivery business and aggressive cost-cutting to ease the pain. The ride-hailing giant said Thursday it is offloading Jump, its […]

Virus tracing app raises privacy concerns in India

By SHEIKH SAALIQ Associated Press NEW DELHI (AP) — As India enters an extended coronavirus lockdown, the government is actively pursuing contact tracing to help control infections. At the heart of the effort in the country of 1.3 billion people is a smartphone app that evaluates users’ infection risk based on location services such as […]

Czechia, US to cooperate on security of 5G networks

PRAGUE (AP) — Czechia and the United States have signed a joint declaration Wednesday for cooperating on security of 5G technology. The Czech government office said the document was signed remotely by Czechia Prime Minister Andrej Babis and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The signing comes amid a global battle between the U.S. and […]

Uber lays off 3,700 as virus upends sharing economy

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — In a world where the coronavirus pandemic has turned social distancing into a new way of life, companies whose business models bank on people’s willingness to share their personal space are now struggling. Uber said Wednesday it’s cutting 3,700 full-time workers, or about 14% of […]

Airbnb laying off 1,900 employees due to travel decline

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Airbnb says it is laying off 25% of its workforce as it confronts a steep decline in global travel due to the new coronavirus pandemic. It’s a serious setback for the 12-year-old home-sharing company, which just a few months ago was valued at $31 billion and planning a hotly […]

Here come COVID-19 tracing apps - and privacy trade-offs

By MATT O’BRIEN and CHRISTINA LARSON Associated Press As governments around the world consider how to monitor new coronavirus outbreaks while reopening their societies, many are starting to bet on smartphone apps to help stanch the pandemic. But their decisions on which technologies to use — and how far those allow authorities to peer into […]

Amazon executive says he quit to protest employee firings

By JOSEPH PISANI AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — An Amazon executive said he quit his job at the online-retail giant to protest the firing of employees who spoke up about the conditions inside the company’s warehouses and its record on climate change. Tim Bray, a vice president at the company, wrote in a […]

European virus tracing apps highlight battle for privacy

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer LONDON (AP) — Goodbye lockdown, hello smartphone. As governments race to develop mobile tracing apps to help contain infections, attention is turning to how officials will ensure users’ privacy. The debate is especially urgent in Europe, which has been one of the hardest-hit regions in the world, with nearly […]

Cyprus backs voluntary tracking app use to halt virus spread

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS Associated Press NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The government of Cyprus is encouraging the voluntary use of a locally developed cellphone application designed to locate people who may have come into contact with someone carrying the coronavirus. The country’s Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy said Saturday that the COVTRACER app, […]

House panel wants Bezos to testify in antitrust probe

By MARCY GORDON AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — House lawmakers investigating the market dominance of Big Tech are asking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to testify to address possible misleading statements by the company on its competition practices. In a letter to Bezos on Friday, leaders of the House Judiciary Committee from both parties are […]