The Google mothership enters into a bit of a storm. It’s a tough course from here. How shall the calm captain fare?
IT’S a rough patch for Sundar Pichai, steering Google through its ‘Microsoft moment’ as many are calling the crisis facing the global tech giant now. Google was hit with a record $5 billion fine by the EU in July for breaking antitrust laws. The European Commission says Google abuses its Android market dominance by forcing phone-makers to pre-install ‘Search’ and Chrome along with Android, if they want a Play Store licence; that it pays manufacturers and mobile operators to install only Google Search on their phones and that it prevents them from using alternative versions or ‘forks’ of Android. Through history, regulators have gunned for the most powerful companies: IBM, AT&T, Microsoft. Now it’s Google’s turn, and Pichai Sundararajan is at the helm.
No, the fine won’t break Google, though it will take away three-fourth of its second-quarter earnings. The bigger question for Pichai is: What happens to Android, if Google has to comply with the EU directives? Pichai answered that in a plaintive blog post on July 18, titled Android Has Created More Choice, Not Less. He said that Android remaining a free service depends on the suite of Google products being distributed along with it: Search, Chrome, Gmail, and others, “some of which make money for us”.
Denne historien er fra August 20, 2018-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra August 20, 2018-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Layers Of Lear
Director Rajat Kapoor and actor Vinay Pathak's ode to Shakespeare is an experience to behold
Loss and Longing
Memories can be painful, but they also make life more meaningful
Suprabhatham Sub Judice
M.S. Subbulakshmi decided the fate of her memorials a long time ago
Fortress of Desire
A performance titled 'A Streetcart Named Desire', featuring Indian and international artists and performers, explored different desires through an unusual act on a full moon night at the Gwalior Fort
Of Hope and Hopelessness
The body appears as light in Payal Kapadia's film
Ruptured Lives
A visit to Bangladesh in 2010 shaped the author's novel, a sensitively sketched tale of migrants' struggles
The Big Book
The Big Book of Odia Literature is a groundbreaking work that provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to the rich and varied literary traditions of Odisha
How to Refuse the Generous Thief
The poet uses all the available arsenal in English to write the most anti-colonial poetry
The Freedom Compartment
#traindiaries is a photo journal shot in the ladies coaches of Mumbai locals. It explores how women engage and familiarise themselves with spaces by building relationships with complete strangers
Love, Up in the Clouds
Manikbabur Megh is an unusual love story about a man falling for a cloud. Amborish Roychoudhury discusses the process of Manikbabu's creation with actor Chandan Sen and director Abhinandan Banerjee
