Social Media

Tech firms show usefulness in the face of tragedy

10 Oct 2019

Twitter, Facebook and others worked together to remove footage of a gunman who attacked a German synagogue. Social media is a potential channel for extremism, and Silicon Valley is making amends for past slow responses. This at least helps their claim to be part of the solution.

Global tax war inches towards a fragile peace

9 Oct 2019

The OECD wants companies like Facebook to pay tax partly based on where they make revenue, rather than where profit is declared. It makes sense. But even if countries agree with the idea, national interests mean it will be a long slog before the principle is put into practice.

Viewsroom: Mark Zuckerberg is stuck in 2006

3 Oct 2019

That’s when the Facebook CEO rejected Yahoo’s $1 bln takeover bid. Now he uses the decision to justify his grip on control and decisions on data, privacy and the chance of a breakup under a Democratic president. Plus: How a spat over shrubbery almost felled Credit Suisse’s CEO.

Zuckerberg grasps big problem with tech breakups

1 Oct 2019

The Facebook boss expects the U.S. to try and dissect the social network if Democratic detractors win office. His argument: Making tech firms smaller would be counterproductive in preventing election interference. He’s right on both counts. That could be Facebook’s best defense.

Facebook’s brain-computing goals are distant

24 Sep 2019

Mark Zuckerberg’s $533 bln social network is taking a step toward making computers even more omnipresent by purchasing CTRL-labs, a startup tapping nerve signals to control devices. It’s a little creepy, but it’s also a long-term spur for a company mired in near-term problems.

Facebook gives Match’s parent a reason to split

20 Sep 2019

Barry Diller’s IAC may separate its holdings in the $22 bln dating site to uncork value. It would give some agility to a company already experimenting with new ideas like video and gaming. Mark Zuckerberg moving on Match’s turf provides another good excuse to make the move.

U.S. antitrust effort cries out for a monopoly

19 Sep 2019

The U.S. Department of Justice and FTC admit to squabbling over turf as they target the likes of Amazon and Facebook. Both agencies also could use more money and people to take on deep-pocketed tech giants. Pooling resources and power through a merger is a natural solution.

Some startups truly make the world a better place

16 Sep 2019

Silicon Valley likes the idea of doing good, but it’s undermined by the power and missteps of firms like Facebook. New ventures aim to help people directly, connecting students at non-elite colleges to job leads or helping teachers buy homes. The trick will be making money, too.

Next step for China’s Pinduoduo is the hard part

2 Sep 2019

The Groupon-meets-Facebook outfit has established itself as a $38 bln nuisance to larger Alibaba. A savvy mix of social networking, group discounts and heavy marketing did the trick. Those can work only so long, though. It will take an impressive second act to be a killer app.

Peppa Pig buyer risks going too high on hog

23 Aug 2019

Hasbro has found juicy slabs of fat to cut to justify the $4 bln it is paying to buy UK studio Entertainment One, home to the porcine cartoon character. The U.S. toymaker is also larding up on debt and diluting shareholders for the deal. That could leave it stuck in some mud.

Breakdown: The global fight over Big Tech’s taxes

22 Aug 2019

OECD countries are trying to agree a new set of rules for the likes of Google. States in Europe and elsewhere want more income from digital behemoths but could well face U.S. intransigence. That makes a messy patchwork of local levies and American countermeasures likely.

Twitter deserves a follow for China mute and block

20 Aug 2019

The $32 bln social network suspended state-backed accounts trying to subvert protests in Hong Kong. It also will stop taking ads from government-controlled media. Beijing’s wedge issue is a good opportunity for Facebook, YouTube and others to reconsider profiting from propaganda.

Verizon’s best media strategy is not having any

13 Aug 2019

The wireless giant’s bet on internet advertising never made sense. The sad trajectory of high profile, low revenue Tumblr illustrates the divide. The site’s sale carries an embarrassing price tag. That’s another wake up call for Verizon to pull the plug on AOL and Yahoo.

Google can battle some authoritarian states

13 Aug 2019

Russia’s regulator is pressuring YouTube to remove invites to anti-government protests. Luckily for the tech giant, capacity building for extreme censorship takes a while. Unlike in China, Moscow’s muscle is capped by shortcomings in technology and risk of political blowback.

Top Trump beneficiary gets it from the other end

7 Aug 2019

Few stocks have surfed the president’s term like the New York Times. Far from “failing,” the publisher tripled in value and is nearly halfway towards its 2025 goal of 10 mln total subscribers. But as Q2 results show, dopey headlines are less of a threat than Trump’s exit.

Breakdown: Silicon Valley privacy caught in a jam

29 Jul 2019

IBM is the latest to call for changes to a 23-year-old law that exempts the likes of YouTube and Facebook from lawsuits over content on their sites. The provision no longer encourages the kind of policing their platforms need. Yet scrapping it wouldn’t solve that, either.

Viewsroom: UK’s new PM looks for the exit

25 Jul 2019

Boris Johnson helped persuade Britons to vote to leave the EU. London’s former mayor now leads the country – and may find his pledge to quit the European bloc hard to keep. Meanwhile, U.S. watchdogs are circling Amazon, Alphabet, Apple and Facebook. Plus: Protests rock Hong Kong.

Facebook ad gusher easily washes away its fines

24 Jul 2019

The social network reported a 28% rise in quarterly revenue hours after U.S. regulators fined it $5 bln. Privacy violations haven’t deterred advertisers or users. More inquiries are looming, including on antitrust issues. But if Facebook can maintain growth, it can pay the piper.

Weak Facebook penalty mirrors weak U.S. watchdog

23 Jul 2019

The social network will pay a $5 bln fine and must form a privacy oversight panel after accusations it mishandled user data. The Federal Trade Commission doesn’t have enough powers or staff to punch harder. Unless Congress acts, Big Tech can expect more slaps on the wrist.

ByteDance charts a global path for China tech

23 Jul 2019

The $75 bln outfit behind video app TikTok is mending relations with Indian officials to avoid a ban. Even so, boss Zhang Yiming has outshone peers like Tencent's Pony Ma abroad, growing fast in the U.S. and beyond. Deep pockets and bold ambition could deliver a big payback.