The US Department of Justice is investigating a possible violation of competition laws. Also: EU Commission bans Tiktok on company cell phones and Alibaba exceeds quarterly expectations.
Good morning! While you slept, work continued elsewhere in the digital scene.
The top topics:
The map service Google Maps has come under the scrutiny of the US judiciary. The US Department of Justice is currently examining a possible abuse of power by the Internet company, as reported by several media. The authority takes special Googles dealing with developers. For example, the Mountain View technology company requires its partners not to include extended information or ratings in competing services. This could violate US competition law.
Only a day earlier, the Stuttgart carmaker Mercedes-Benz announced a partnership with Google. The Swabians want to integrate Google Maps into their operating system in the future. In 2015, a consortium of Audi, BMW and Mercedes the map service Here Bought from the Netherlands to avoid becoming dependent on Google. [Mehr bei Bloomberg und Handelsblatt]
On the founding scene: Actually goes Maya Leinenbach still at school, she is in the middle of preparing for her Abitur. Besides that, she already earns thousands of euros. In the social networks she is under the name Fitgreenmind known and publishes short videos for vegan dishes. The influencer told our editor Maybrit Martschin how she wants to further develop her business. [Mehr bei Gründerszene+]
And here are the other headlines of the night:
Employees of the EU Commission may in future Tiktok no longer install and need to delete the Chinese social media app from their service devices. In addition, the video app must be removed from private devices on which apps from the EU Commission are used by March 15. The Commission made the decision based on cybersecurity concerns. It was also said that it was a provisional regulation that should be checked regularly. [Mehr bei CNBC, Tagesschau und Wall Street Journal]
Ali Baba has reported third-quarter earnings that beat analysts’ expectations and pushed the US-listed tech company’s shares up 6 percent. In the quarter through December, however, sales only increased by two percent. The company hopes for a rebound this year after China reversed its zero-Covid policy in December. [Mehr bei CNBC, Financial Times und The Information]
Netflix has lowered the prices of its subscriptions in some countries. The streaming provider is thus trying to maintain subscriber growth. According to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news, the price cuts took place in some countries in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia. Netflix stock fell nearly 5 percent. The streaming industry is experiencing intense competition as the pandemic-driven boom slows and consumers rein in spending amid fears of a potential recession. [Mehr bei Reuters und Wall Street Journal]
Doordash is now working with the discounter in the USA Aldi together. This makes the US delivery service the competitor Instacart Druck, which has been offering deliveries from Aldi since 2017. In the future, Doordash will offer deliveries from more than 2,100 Aldi locations in the USA. Doordash is about his daughter Wolt also represented in Germany. [Mehr bei The Information]
Blockformerly known as Square, reported fourth-quarter revenue and gross profit that beat Wall Street expectations. Gross profit increased 40 percent to $1.66 billion from $1.53 billion a year earlier. Block’s cash app ended the year with 51 million active users, a 16 percent increase from 2021. The payments company’s stock was up almost eight percent in extended trading. [Mehr bei CNBC und The Information]
Our reading tip on Gründerszene: A year ago is the football app Onefootball Having risen to become a unicorn, the Berlin startup has surprisingly fired a third of its team. Even before Christmas there was a wave of layoffs, but it was much smaller. [Mehr bei Gründerszene]
Don’t want to miss anything? Then subscribe to our Gründerszene newsletter! It appears every morning at 8:30 a.m. and brings you all the important news straight to your inbox.
Happy Friday!
Your Gründerszene editors
Source: https://www.businessinsider.de/gruenderszene/missbraucht-google-maps-seine-marktmacht/
