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Bloomberg
Google faces a deadline to tell the European Union how it plans to comply with an order to stop discriminating against rival shopping search services under threat of new fines that would add to a record $2.9 billion penalty.
The EU gave the Alphabet Inc. unit 60 days to propose how it would “stop its illegal content” and 90 days to make changes to how the company displays shopping search results when users start seeking a product. Those changes need to be put in place by Sept. 28 to stave off a risk that the EU could fine the company 5 percent of daily revenue for each day it fails to comply.
“The obligation to comply is fully Google’s responsibility,†the European Commission said in an emailed statement, without elaborating on what the company must do to comply. Google declined to comment.
The onus is on Google to find a solution that satisfies regulators, who’ve learned from past battles with Microsoft Corp. and Intel. Corp. Microsoft’s failure to obey a 2004 antitrust order and charge reasonable fees for software licenses saw it fined 899 million euros four years later. Microsoft argued that its prices were fair and it shouldn’t be compelled to give away patented innovation.
‘Mystified’ Lawyer
Intel’s lawyer said in 2009 that he was “mystified†as to what regulators wanted the company to do to comply with an order to halt anti-competitive rebates for chip sales to computer makers. Intel may finally receive clarity when the EU’s top court rules on its legal challenge to a 1.06 billion euro fine on September 6.
The EU now has a month to check if Google’s planned changes will fit the bill. Regulators are also expected to levy fines in separate investigations into Google’s Android mobile-phone software—possibly as soon as next month—and the AdSense advertising service. Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust chief, has also threatened further probes on travel or map services.
Regulators sought technical help in June to evaluate how Google complies with the order, setting a budget of up to 10 million euros to pay for experts in search engine optimisation and search engine marketing.
Google has the option of challenging the fine and the antitrust order to the EU courts, which can take years to reach a final decision.
Facebook’s ‘Sayman’ joins Google
Bloomberg
Facebook Inc. hired Michael Sayman for an internship when he was 17 years old, and gave him a full-time engineering job at 18. Now, the wunderkind is leaving for Alphabet Inc.’s Google. He turned 21 last week.
At Facebook, Sayman was a product manager who helped the social-media giant understand how his generation uses their phones, advising on experimental products for teens and helping executives understand trends. At Google, he’ll be a product manager for Assistant, a voice-based service built on the search engine’s giant database.
Assistant is a top priority for Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai. The Mountain View, California-based company is working to embed the tool across a range of its own products and on other companies’ devices, facing stiff competition from Amazon.com Inc.’s Alexa and Apple Inc.’s Siri. Google confirmed on Monday that Sayman was hired for the Assistant team.
Facebook discovered Sayman, who taught himself to make mobile apps at 13, because he was using the company’s developer tools for an iPhone application he created.