2023 layoffs expose Big Tech’s dirty laundry: Tone deafness, overexpansion, and lack of focus on security are the industry’s pressing problems that need to be resolved before the economy recovers.
It’s time for podcast advertising to mature with its audience: The format has reached mainstream success, but ad solutions are lagging behind.
Google expands its cloud but pivots to a simplicity sprint to counter the down economy: Innovation could be dialed down further for 2023 as Big Tech’s most multifaceted behemoth rethinks its strategies.
Meta trapped in the middle of its past and future: One year after its bold pivot to the metaverse, Meta is wrestling with poor VR user adoption while desperately trying to resuscitate legacy apps in a flagging ad-revenue reality.
Smartphone consolidation continues: Apple’s iPhone continues to gain share in the high end of the smartphone market while consumers get fewer options for affordable or entry-level 5G devices.
Is Apple the next advertising titan? Apple committed to developing its ad business in 2022, but it faces stiff opposition from other Big Tech giants.
We look at 2022’s biggest tech flexes that changed the landscape of business or left us scratching our heads. The year saw Tesla’s CEO buying Twitter, Google exiting games, Amazon bringing back the dead, and TikTok expanding into various other segments.
2022’s outages increased and took longer to resolve: Wired and wireless networks continue to be under duress as Big Tech, streaming services, and cloud gaming proliferate while legacy infrastructure and overloaded systems buckled.
US government intensifies stance against TikTok: A permanent ban from government devices could push the public sector to further remove TikTok from devices. But some fear the service is too big to fail.
European Commission probes Broadcom’s VMware acquisition: Investigations could derail consolidation and spur the UK’s CMA and the US' FTC to undertake their own antitrust queries, possibly delaying the merger.
Microsoft’s attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard in what could essentially create a video game monopoly has many, including the Federal Trade Commission, keeping a close eye on the gaming industry. The $68.7 billion acquisition would give Microsoft a leadership position with franchises like Call of Duty, Candy Crush Saga, World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch.
FTC’s biggest antitrust test: Successfully blocking Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard could define Lina Khan’s tenure in the FTC. A legal skirmish with Big Tech will be long and expensive.
Government resistance against TikTok intensifies: The list of states banning TikTok on government devices keeps growing. Could intensifying scrutiny lead to an all-out US TikTok ban?
China eases COVID-19 mandates: Restrictions are lifting as Beijing softens its stance on zero-COVID, but uneven implementation, worker shortages, and production migration could prolong economic recovery.
On today's episode, we discuss the various chapters of social media, teens' relationship with the medium, and what this tells us about its future. "In Other News," we talk about how people view companies that advertise on the current version of Twitter and sneak a peek at one of our 2023 social media trends. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Debra Aho Williamson and Jasmine Enberg.
US chip production accelerated by uncertainty in China: TSMC is fast-tracking plans to ramp up to 4-nanometer chips and will build an additional fab in Arizona. The tech gap between the US and China widens.
We unpack the biggest takeaways and action items from our US Mobile Banking Emerging Features Benchmark.
The wealthiest person vs. the most valuable company: Elon Musk is attacking Apple for ceasing advertising and threatening to pull Twitter from its App Store, setting up a monumental clash he can’t possibly win.
Whether shopping online or in physical stores, most US consumers prefer to use mobile devices to engage with loyalty programs, and less than half prefer email, according to Yotpo’s survey.
China’s protest flashpoint: Citizens are taking to the streets in the most significant protest against the Communist Party’s tightening grip since the Tiananmen crisis. Geopolitical strife could shut down the world’s factory.