Aussie watchdog to probe Googleâs $2.7bn purchase The ACCC has warned of legal action against Google after the tech giant acquired Fitbit without the all-clear.
Business by Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson
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Subscriber only Australia s competition watchdog has launched an enforcement investigation into Google today and is weighing up legal action after the tech giant completed its $2.7 billion purchase of Fitbit despite ongoing probes into the move in Australia and the United States. The new Australian investigation will look into serious concerns that Google s Fitbit takeover could eliminate competition in the wearable technology market and frustrate efforts by rivals such as Samsung, Garmin and Oppo to offer smartwatches for Android smartphones.
Delta Lost More Than $12 Billion Last Year
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Empty Delta ticket counters at Salt Lake City International Airport in April. The airline reported a loss of nearly $12.4 billion for 2020.Credit.Rick Bowmer/Associated Press
Delta Air Lines lost $755 million in the fourth quarter, bringing its losses to nearly $12.4 billion in 2020, a year in which the airline industry was battered by a pandemic that crippled air travel.
“Our December quarter results capped the toughest year in Delta’s history,” Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive, said in a statement Tuesday morning. “While our challenges continue in 2021, I am optimistic this will be a year of recovery and a turning point that results in an even stronger Delta.”
Google claims Fitbit acquisition is complete, governments around the world disagree
2021/01/14
2021/01/15
Google s acquisition of Fitbit is now complete, according to an announcement made by the company earlier this morning. Claiming that the deal was always about Fitbit s hardware expertise and not customer data, Google says it has smoothed over regulatory concerns with a series of safeguards and commitments. However, we aren t sure if either US or Australian regulators concerns have actually been addressed given the ongoing state of both investigations.
Google secured the European Commission s blessing back in December for the long-awaited $2.1 billion deal. However, there were a few conditions attached to it, all of which seem to have been addressed based on Google s announcement. In short, Google has to keep Fitbit user data separated, where it can t be used for things like advertising, and third-party access to existing Fitbit web APIs must be maintained. Google also ca