The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed an antitrust complaint to try and block Microsoft's proposed $68.7B purchase of Activision Blizzard. The FTC began probing the deal after it was announced in January. On Thursday, the agency argued that the takeover could stifle competition in the gaming console, subscription content, and cloud-gaming businesses. More: - In its complaint, the FTC alleged that the deal would provide Microsoft with the "means and motive to harm competition," potentially affecting video game prices, quality, and experiences.
- The agency pointed to Microsoft's prior acquisitions, including Bethesda Softworks, as examples of Microsoft making some games Xbox exclusive despite vowing not to do so.
- The lawsuit filing was previously approved by FTC commissioners in a 3-1 vote during a closed-door meeting. The dissenting vote came from the commission's sole Republican member.
Response: - Microsoft president Brad Smith said the company has addressed competition concerns since the start, including concessions proposed to the FTC earlier this week.
- On Wednesday, Microsoft announced a 10-year deal to bring "Call of Duty" games to Nintendo platforms once the acquisition closes.
- Microsoft has pressured Sony to make a similar deal, which the Playstation maker has so far refused to sign.
THE WASHINGTON POST 
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A U.S. factory producing batteries for electric vehicles has voted to unionize for the first time. Workers at the Ultium Cells facility in Ohio, a General Motors joint venture, voted overwhelmingly to join the United Auto Workers union, which has represented other U.S. auto factory workers for decades. More: - The Ultium Cells facility in Warren, Ohio, is jointly owned by General Motors and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution.
- The employees recently voted 710 to 16 to join UAW, the National Labor Relations Board said on Friday.
- While the UAW has represented GM’s other U.S. factory workers for years, the Ohio joint venture is considered a separate entity and not included in the larger labor contract.
- The vote was considered a test of the UAW's ability to organize workers who manufacture EV batteries and components as automakers prepare to open more of these plants in the coming years.
- In Q3 of this year, fully-electric vehicles made up 5.5% of all new vehicles sold in the U.S., up from 3.1% a year ago.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
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Amazon has launched a TikTok-like shopping experience in its app for some U.S. customers. The Inspire feed features short-form videos and photos of product content created by consumers, brands, and influencers, according to Amazon. More: - Amazon began testing Inspire among a small group of employees earlier this year.
- On Thursday, it rolled out the feed to select customers and will make it available to all U.S. app users in the "coming months."
- The service is accessible via a lightbulb-shaped icon in the Amazon app's bottom navigation bar. Users can choose from 20+ interests, such as gaming and pets, to customize their feeds.
- While Amazon is hoping to encourage customers to discover new products through the experience, data shows that more than one in every four purchases on its platform is done in three minutes or less.
- Google and Meta previously launched YouTube live shopping and Instagram storefronts, which have experienced "mixed success," according to Axios.
TECHCRUNCH
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Facebook parent Meta has barred employees from discussing controversial topics at work, such as vaccines, abortion, and gun rights, according to Fortune. In a leaked company memo, Meta's head of people Lori Goler said the company believes it's the correct move to minimize disruption and support "the long-term health of our internal community.” More: - Other topics that are reportedly off-limits include pending legislation, civil movements, and elections.
- The rules were outlined in new "community engagement expectations" announced at Meta this week.
- They do not apply to employees' social media posts or other external communications, as well as workers who need to discuss such topics as part of their roles.
Zoom Out: - Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June, Meta told employees not to openly discuss the matter, citing “a heightened risk of creating a hostile work environment.”
- In 2019, Google released new community guidelines discouraging employees from engaging in disruptive conversations, such as a "raging debate over politics or the latest news story."
FORTUNE
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Turkish quick-commerce platform Getir completed its purchase of German competitor Gorillas in a deal worth about $1.2B, according to Bloomberg. The deal underscores the growing consolidation of the once-booming instant grocery delivery space, which is now moving into a path of profitability. More: - Berlin-based Gorillas, last valued at $3B in late 2021, was sold at a hefty discount.
- The company launched in May 2020, when many people spent heavily on grocery deliveries due to the pandemic lockdowns, and promised delivery times as low as 10 minutes.
- In May, Gorillas laid off about 300 employees and exited the markets of Belgium, Denmark, Italy, and Spain.
- Through the takeover, Getir will be able to access Gorillas customers in the remaining six countries where it operates.
- The acquisition valued the Getir group at about $10B, down from $11.8B in March.
- Last year, Getir acquired Weezy, a U.K.-based fast grocery delivery startup, for an undisclosed amount.
REUTERS
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Following pushback from civil rights groups, San Francisco supervisors reversed a decision and voted to ban police use of robots for deadly force. Last week, the Board of Supervisors voted 8-3 to authorize police use of potentially lethal remote-controlled robots when "risk of loss of life to members of the public or officers are imminent." On Tuesday, the board backpedaled by voting 8-3 to explicitly ban such use. More: - The policy was originally proposed by the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) following a newly-enacted law requiring California officials to specify how military-grade equipment can be used.
- Under the original policy, the SFPD could have equipped ground-based robots with explosives "to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspects." Such force would have required approval from a high-ranking official.
- Civil rights groups worried such a law could lead to the gradual weaponization of military hardware against civilians.
- Supervisors on Tuesday sent the matter back to a committee to review further, meaning it could come up again in future discussions.
BBC
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- FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried said he is willing to testify next week before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee to answer lawmakers’ questions and concerns about the crypto exchange’s recent collapse.
- Fintech startup Plaid let go of 260 employees, or about 20% of its workforce, as cost growth outpaced revenue growth.
- One, a fintech venture majority-owned by Walmart, plans to offer a buy now, pay later loan service as early as 2023. It would be available at Walmart's stores and website, as well as those of other retailers.
- A Wall Street Journal quiz asks readers if they can tell the difference between tweets written by famous people and those written by OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot.
- New Mexico has issued more restrictions to better regulate how the federal government disposes of nuclear waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in the southeast corner of the state.
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 |  | Beth is a writer and editor at Inside.com covering artificial intelligence and daily technology news. You can reach her at Beth.Duckett@inside.com. |   | | Editor | Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is the author of "Things You Can Do," an illustrated book about climate action. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade. | |
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