Today’s Cache | Google’s CCI compromise, Microsoft’s dampened outlook, and the end of Netflix password sharing

January 26, 2023 02:19 pm | Updated January 27, 2023 10:19 am IST

(This article is part of Today’s Cache, The Hindu’s newsletter on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, innovation and policy. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here.)

Google’s CCI compromise

The search engine giant announced in a blog post that it would comply with the Competition Commission of India (CCI)’s directions after the Supreme Court said it would not block them. Google said that changes to its Android and Play policies meant that users would be able to choose alternative billing systems alongside Google Play’s billing system from next month, and choose their preferred search engine when setting up a new Android device. However, Google is still appealing several sections of the CCI’s directives.

Microsoft’s dampened outlook

The software maker’s quarterly earnings report left investors and analysts on high alert as CEO Satya Nadella and other senior executives reportedly stressed on the need for caution. In spite of a fall in client spending and thousands of layoffs, Microsoft appears to be confident about investing billions in AI and in particular, the AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT and its maker OpenAI. Microsoft’s performance in particular affects the outlook of other top tech companies in the U.S.

Also Watch | What is ChatGPT?

Netflix password sharing at risk

Though more than one hundred million people share Netflix passwords, this section of the global population could be at risk. Netflix’s new co-CEO Greg Peters told Bloomberg that the streaming giant would adopt a “graduated approach” so that password borrowers would have to pay for their own accounts. The co-CEO admitted that not all customers would be pleased by the decision, but said he was confident of winning back most by putting out successful shows and movies on the platform, such as Wednesday and Glass Onion.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.