Tag: European Union

Microsoft’s OpenAI ties face potential European Union merger investigation

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Microsoft Corp’s $13 billion investment into OpenAI Inc is facing the potential of a full-blown European Union merger probe, after a mutiny at the ChatGPT creator laid bare deep ties between the two companies.

The European Commission said on Tuesday that it’s examining whether Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI might be reviewable under the bloc’s merger rules. If found to reach the necessary conditions, regulators may start a formal probe into whether the arrangement should be allowed. The EU move follows a similar step by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.

Microsoft has benefited richly from its investments, totaling as much as $13 billion, in OpenAI. By integrating OpenAI’s products into virtually every corner of its core businesses, the software giant very quickly established itself as the undisputed leader of AI among big tech firms. Rival Alphabet Inc’s Google has been racing to catch up ever since.

The recent firing — and subsequent rehiring — of Sam Altman as chief of OpenAI exposed how inextricably linked the two companies have become. Microsoft shares fell immediately after OpenAI’s board ousted Altman. Microsoft chief executive officer Satya Nadella personally helped negotiate and advocate for his return to the company — at one point offering to hire Altman himself, along with other employees at OpenAI who wanted to leave.

On Tuesday, the EU’s antitrust enforcers also announced a call for feedback on competitive issues that may arise in the field of generative artificial intelligence and virtual worlds.

“We are inviting businesses and experts to tell us about any competition issues that they may perceive in these industries, whilst also closely monitoring AI partnerships to ensure they do not unduly distort market dynamics,” a statement from Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner, read.

The Brussels-based commission added that venture capital investment in AI in the EU is estimated at more than 7.2 billion euros in 2023 and the size of the virtual worlds market in Europe is estimated to have reached more than 11 billion euros in 2023. The exponential growth is likely to have a major impact on how businesses compete, the commission said.

Also Read: OpenAI addresses the New York Times lawsuit, claiming that it is ‘not telling the full story’

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

European Union opens proceedings against X in first probe under new rules

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

The European Union on Monday said it would launch an investigation of social media company X, formerly known as Twitter, over a suspected breach of obligations in its first such probe under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The DSA, which entered into force in November last year, requires very large online platforms and search engines to do more to tackle illegal content and risks to public security, and to protect their services against manipulative techniques.

The proceedings will focus on countering the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, and the effectiveness of measures taken to combat information manipulation, notably of the “community notes” system, the Commission said.

It will also focus on the measures taken by X to increase the transparency of its platform and a suspected deceptive design of the user interface such as checkmarks linked to subscription products, the so-called Blue checks.

The Commission said it will now carry out an in-depth investigation as a matter of priority and continue to gather evidence by sending additional requests for information, conducting interviews and inspections.

X, owned by Elon Musk, is part of a group of large tech companies facing increased scrutiny under the DSA.

Following Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, EU industry chief Thierry Breton sent letters to X, Meta, TikTok and Alphabet reminding them of their obligations under the DSA to tackle harmful and illegal content.

The platforms responded promptly to Breton, highlighting steps they have taken to stop disinformation on their platforms but Musk challenged Breton over the disinformation charge.

Only X received a formal request for information under the DSA and has responded to the request.

The Commission said a preliminary investigation conducted so far included an analysis of a report submitted by X in September, X’s transparency report published in November, and X’s replies to a formal request for information about illegal content in connection to Hamas’ attacks against Israel.

X did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

The DSA imposes new rules on content moderation, user privacy and transparency. Any firm found in breach faces a fine worth up to 6% of its global turnover.

Also Read: X sues Media Matters after report on ads next to antisemitic content, says ‘data wins over manipulation’

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Ukraine’s a step closer to joining the EU-Here’s what it means, and why it matters

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Ukraine got a green light Thursday to start sped-up talks on joining the European Union. That’s a big boost for war-ravaged Ukraine and a loud message to Vladimir Putin—but it could be years before the country actually becomes a member of the EU.

Here’s a look at what Thursday’s decision means and why joining the EU is especially important, and especially hard, for Ukraine.

What is the European Union and how do you join?

The European Union was born after World War II as a trading bloc with a bold ambition: to prevent another war between Germany and France. The six founding members were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Since then, the EU has steadily expanded to contain 27 democratic nations, many from the former communist bloc in Eastern Europe, inspired by the idea that economic and political integration among nations is the best way to promote prosperity and peace.

This notably led to the creation of the shared euro currency in 1999, the continent’s open borders, and trailblazing rules to reduce carbon emissions and regulate tech giants.

To join the EU, candidate countries must go through a lengthy process to align their laws and standards with those of the bloc and show that their institutions and economies meet democratic norms. Launching accession talks requires approval by consensus from the current member nations.

Why joining is important to Ukraine

Ukraine is one of several countries that have long wanted to join the EU, seeing it as a path to wealth and stability. While the EU is not a military alliance like NATO, membership in the bloc is seen by some as a rampart against Russian influence.

Ukraine officially applied for EU accession less than a week after Russia invaded in February 2022. Its capital, Kyiv, faced the threat of capture, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government faced the threat of collapse.

The start of membership talks less than two years later is only one step in a long journey. But it sends a strong signal of solidarity with Ukraine just as U.S. support for Ukraine’s military is faltering and a Ukrainian counteroffensive is stalled—and as Putin appears increasingly emboldened.

And it offers a ray of hope for Ukraine even as EU members failed Thursday to agree on a more immediate boost in the form of 50 billion euros ($55 billion) in aid to keep the Ukrainian economy afloat.

Why Ukraine’s membership journey is rocky

EU officials had said talks couldn’t officially begin until Ukraine addresses multiple issues, including corruption, lobbying concerns, and restrictions that might prevent national minorities from studying and reading in their own language. While EU officials say Ukraine has made progress on these issues in recent months, it still has a long way to go.

Every EU country has gradually agreed to support Ukraine’s bid—except Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Putin’s greatest ally within the EU. Orban maintains that Ukraine isn’t ready to even start talking about EU membership.

In a surprise move, Orban stepped aside Thursday and abstained from the vote to allow Ukraine’s membership talks to begin. It is just the beginning, and many steps remain. Debt crises, waves of migration, and Brexit had all contributed to the bloc’s skittishness toward expanding its ranks in recent years. So, too, did the growth of Euro-skeptic political forces in many member countries.

But the urgency created by Russia’s invasion and Ukraine’s request for expedited consideration upended the EU’s go-slow approach to adding new members and reversed years of ‘enlargement fatigue.’ Thursday’s decision also has an impact on other would-be members, who feel the EU is showing favouritism.

Who are the other candidates?

Turkey applied for membership in 1987, received candidate status in 1999, and had to wait until 2005 to start talks for actual entry. Only one of more than 30 negotiating chapters has been completed in the years since, and the whole process is at a standstill as a result of various disputes.

Several countries in the Balkans, meanwhile, have become discouraged by the bloc’s failure to live up to its lofty membership promises. North Macedonia submitted its entry bid in 2004. Even after subsequently changing its name to settle a longstanding dispute with EU member Greece, the country is still waiting for membership talks to begin because Bulgaria threw up a hurdle related to ethnicity and language.

Bosnia remains plagued by ethnic divisions that make reform an almost impossible challenge. The commission said last month that it should only start membership talks after more progress is made. It expressed concern about the justice system and other rights failures in the Bosnian Serb part of the country. Serbia and Kosovo refuse to normalize their relations and stand last in the EU’s line.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Europe set for a showdown with Hungary over aid to Ukraine

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

European Union heavyweights are set for a showdown with Hungary this week over giving Ukraine billions of euros in aid and the chance to start membership negotiations, both key objectives for Kyiv as its war with Russia stalls.

European Union leaders will meet for a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to decide on proposals to grant 50 billion euros of economic support to Kyiv, assign a further 20 billion euros to Ukraine‘s military and launch accession talks.

Securing fresh financial assistance from Europe is critical as doubts mount over future US support for Kyiv, which relies on Western financial aid for its war with Russia.

But Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who boasts about his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has threatened to veto the aid and enlargement talks at the Dec 14-15 summit.

All three decisions – as well as a fourth one on what would be the EU’s 12 package of sanctions against Russia since the invasion begun in February, 2022 – require unanimous backing of all the bloc’s 27 countries.

“We are in a key moment,” a senior EU official said, in referring to a stalemate on the battlefield and the US Congress not having approved President Joe Biden’s $60 billion aid package for Ukraine.

“It’s very important that… the Ukraine will show clear and full support to Ukraine,” the official said under condition of anonymity. “That message wouldn’t be only for Moscow, it would also be a message for Washington, it would also be a message for Kyiv.”

Europe’s own credibility is also at stake with the bloc having previously vowed to stand by Ukraine as long as it takes.

“We count on positive decisions,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday evening. “Europe must defend its values and unity decisively.”

What Orban wants

Orban is not new to causing a stir in the European Union.

Hungary has watered down sanctions against Russia and last December vetoed a deal to grant Ukraine 18 billion euros in 2023.

It eventually allowed that assistance through after haggling for days over EU aid to Hungary blocked over concerns of democratic backsliding under Orban.

As the EU finds itself again seeking to win Orban’s support for Ukraine, the executive European Commission is expected to unlock Budapest’s access to 10 billion euros this week.

In opposing opening membership negotiations with Kyiv, Orban initially complained about Ukraine’s treatment of the country’s Hungarian minority. He has since said Ukraine was too corrupt and not ready to join the EU.

Instead of deciding on new aid to Ukraine, he demanded the bloc hold a “strategic discussion” on its support for Kyiv.

Diplomats said related bids by Georgia and Bosnia to advance their hopes to join the EU – both backed by Orban – would fall through if Hungary vetoes Ukraine.

“Our feeling was that Orban always knew how far he could go and that he would know exactly when it was time to climb down the tree,” said a second senior EU diplomat.

Those expecting Orban to budge described a possible compromise throwing the start on negotiations with Ukraine to March under final conditions. Others, however, worry that this time the Hungarian leader may not be persuaded.

Orban will be up against German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, among others, who has said Berlin backs starting negotiations for Kyiv to join the EU someday.

Financial and Military aid

While Orban may be the loudest critic of extending more support to Ukraine, a ruling last month by Germany’s constitutional court further complicated the EU talks by blowing a massive hole in its richest member’s budget.

Should Hungary veto assigning 50 billion euros to Ukraine through the bloc’s shared budget, the 26 other EU countries could extend their contributions bilaterally to Kyiv – a more complicated and expensive way.

Uncertainty also hangs over the future of the EU’s military aid to Ukraine, where Russia now controls nearly a fifth of territory.

A proposal to use an EU-run military fund – the European Peace Facility (EPF) – to give Ukraine 20 billion euros in arms and other support over the next four years has run into resistance from Germany.

Some EU members are pushing for the summit at least to pledge five billion euros to Ukraine via EPF next year, a plan EU foreign ministers will discuss on Monday with their Ukrainian counterpart.

Despite the gloomy outlook, some Brussels diplomats believe the bloc will avoid the worst-case scenario and deliver on some of the promises made to Ukraine.

“Will it be difficult? Yes. Will it be extremely difficult? Most likely. Will there be blood in the air at some point? Probably,” said a second senior EU official. “But I continue to think it’s possible to find solutions.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Explained: What are Europe’s landmark AI regulations?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

European Union policymakers and lawmakers clinched a deal on Friday on the world’s first comprehensive set of rules regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in tools such as ChatGPT and in biometric surveillance.

They will thrash out details in the coming weeks that could alter the final legislation, which is expected to go into force early next year and apply in 2026.

Until then, companies are encouraged to sign up to a voluntary AI Pact to implement key obligations of the rules.

Here are the key points that have been agreed:

High-risks systems

So-called high-risk AI systems—those deemed to have significant potential to harm health, safety, fundamental rights, the environment, democracy, elections and the rule of law—will have to comply with a set of requirements, such as undergoing a fundamental rights impact assessment, and obligations to gain access to the EU market.

AI systems considered to pose limited risks would be subject to very light transparency obligations, such as disclosure labels declaring that the content was AI-generated to allow users to decide on how to use it.

Use of AI in law enforcement

The use of real-time remote biometric identification systems in public spaces by law enforcement will only be allowed to help identify victims of kidnapping, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and to prevent a specific and present terrorist threat.

They will also be permitted in efforts to track down people suspected of terrorism offences, trafficking, sexual exploitation, murder, kidnapping, rape, armed robbery, participation in a criminal organisation and environmental crime.

General purpose AI systems (GPAI) and foundation models

GPAI and foundation models will be subject to transparency requirements such as drawing up technical documentation, complying with EU copyright law and disseminating detailed summaries about the content used for algorithm training.

Foundation models classed as posing a systemic risk and high-impact GPAI will have to conduct model evaluations, assess and mitigate risks, conduct adversarial testing, report to the European Commission on serious incidents, ensure cybersecurity and report on their energy efficiency.

Until harmonised EU standards are published, GPAIs with systemic risk may rely on codes of practice to comply with the regulation.

Prohibited AI

The regulations bar the following:

– Biometric categorisation systems that use sensitive characteristics such as political, religious, philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, race.

– Untargeted scraping of facial images from the internet or CCTV footage to create facial recognition databases;

– Emotion recognition in the workplace and educational institutions.

– Social scoring based on social behaviour or personal characteristics.

– AI systems that manipulate human behaviour to circumvent their free will.

– AI used to exploit the vulnerabilities of people due to their age, disability, social or economic situation.

Sanctions for violations

Depending on the infringement and the size of the company involved, fines will start from 7.5 million euros ($8 million) or 1.5% of global annual turnover, rising to up to 35 million euros or 7% of global turnover.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

EU approves around 1.2 billion euros of aid for cloud computing

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

The European Commission approved on Tuesday up to 1.2 billion euros ($1.30 billion) of state aid for a European cloud computing project in a bid to boost the involvement of EU business in a field dominated by US companies.

The project, called IPCEI Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI CIS), was jointly notified by seven European Union states, namely: France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain.

Those countries will provide up to 1.2 billion euros in public funding, which in turn is expected to unlock 1.4 billion euros in private investments, the European Commission said.

The European Union’s IPCEIs are designed to bring together research, finances and business to boost EU economic growth and competitiveness and drive its green and digital transitions.

The EU had previously approved six IPCEIs in batteries, hydrogen and microelectronics and communication technologies.

The European cloud technology project features 19 companies, including French companies Atos and Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Telecom Italia and Telefonica Espana.

The three biggest players in cloud computing are Amazon, Microsoft and Google.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

TikTok asks EU court to suspend gatekeeper label until its ruling

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Chinese conglomerate ByteDance’s TikTok has asked Europe’s second highest court to suspend its designation as a gatekeeper under onerous new EU tech rules until judges rule on its challenge against the label.

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires TikTok and other designated gatekeepers Alphabet’s Google, Meta Platforms, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft to make their messaging apps interoperate with rivals and let users decide which apps to pre-install on their devices.

They are not allowed to favour their own services over rivals’ or prevent users from removing pre-installed software or apps.

TikTok last month challenged the EU decision at the Luxembourg-based General Court, saying its designation risks undermining the DMA goal of protecting gatekeepers from newer competitors like itself.

“We have applied for interim measures,” a spokesperson said.

The bar for the court to approve interim measures is very high. Companies must show that the situation is urgent and that they would suffer irreparable harm without an interim measure.

Meta and Apple have also sued the Commission over their gatekeeper status.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Meta’s paid ad-free service is targeted in EU consumer groups’ complaint

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Meta Platforms’ paid no-ads subscription service, which it rolled out in Europe this month, breaches EU consumer laws, Europe’s largest consumer group said on Thursday as it took its grievance to consumer protection authorities.

The joint complaint from the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and 18 of its members to the network of consumer protection authorities (CPC) came two days after advocacy group NOYB filed a complaint with the Austrian privacy watchdog, saying Meta’s new service amounted to paying a fee to ensure privacy.

Meta has said it launched the paid no-ads subscription service, which applies to Facebook and Instagram, to comply with EU rules requiring companies to give users a choice on whether their data can be collected and used for targeted ads.

BEUC singled out several issues.

“Meta is breaching EU consumer law by using unfair, deceptive and aggressive practices, including partially blocking consumers from using the services to force them to take a decision quickly, and providing misleading and incomplete information in the process,” BEUC Deputy Director General Ursula Pachl said in a statement.

BEUC said it was likely that users’ data would continue to be collected and used for other purposes even if they select the new service. It also took issue with the “very high subscription fee for ad-free services” which could deter users.

“At this price, consumers are simply going to consent to Meta’s profiling and tracking, which is exactly what the tech giant wants. People should not be asked to pay for protecting their privacy,” Pachl said.

The ad-free service cost 9.99 euros ($10.96) monthly for Web users and 12.99 euros for iOS and Android users. Meta has said these prices are in line with Google’s YouTube and Spotify’s premium services and with Netflix.

Also Read: Taylor Swift is Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2023, ending Bad Bunny’s 3-year reign

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Businesses, tech groups warn EU against over-regulating AI foundation models

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Businesses and tech groups on Thursday warned the European Union against over-regulating artificial intelligence systems known as foundation models in upcoming AI rules as this could kill nascent start-ups or drive them out of the region.

The plea came as EU countries and EU lawmakers head into the final stretch of negotiations on rules that could set the benchmark for other countries.

One of the biggest bones of contention is foundation models, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which are AI systems that are trained on large sets of data, with the ability to learn from new data to perform a variety of tasks.

“For Europe to become a global digital powerhouse, we need companies that can lead on AI innovation also using foundation models and GPAI,” DigitalEurope, whose members include Airbus, Apple, Ericsson, Google, LSE and SAP, said in a letter.

“As European digital industry representatives, we see a huge opportunity in foundation models, and new innovative players emerging in this space, many of them born here in Europe. Let’s not regulate them out of existence before they get a chance to scale, or force them to leave.”

Thirty-two European digital associations also signed the letter. GPAI refers to general-purpose artificial intelligence.

The signatories, who said just 3% of the world’s AI unicorns come from the European Union, backed a joint proposal by France, Germany and Italy to limit the scope of AI rules for foundation models to transparency requirements.

They also said the current broad scope of the draft AI rules could clash with existing legislation in certain sectors such as healthcare.

“We are increasingly frustrated at what we see as a lack of interest in the effects on the medical sector. Our impression is that people don’t care about the content any more, they just want to get it done. We are simply collateral damage,” said spokesperson Georgina Prodhan at Siemens Healthineers.

The companies also rebuffed calls from creative industries for the AI rules to tackle copyright issues.

“The EU’s comprehensive copyright protection and enforcement framework already contains provisions that can help address AI-related copyright issues, such as the text and data mining exemption and corresponding,” they said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Amazon likely to win unconditional EU nod for iRobot deal

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Amazon is set to win unconditional EU antitrust approval for its $1.4 billion acquisition of robot vacuum maker iRobot, three people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Antitrust enforcers around the world have stepped up scrutiny of Big Tech acquiring smaller rivals, concerned about the accumulation of troves of data by a few companies and big players leveraging their dominance into new markets.

The European Commission, which acts as the EU’s competition watchdog, warned Amazon in July that the deal could reduce competition in robot vacuum cleaners and reinforce the US company’s dominant position as an online marketplace provider.

The Commission, which is due to decide on the deal by February 14, declined to comment. Amazon did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The deal announced in August would add iRobot‘s Roomba robot vacuum to US online retail giant Amazon’s portfolio of smart devices, includes the Alexa voice assistant, smart thermostats, security devices and wall-mounted smart displays.

The UK antitrust agency cleared the deal unconditionally after a preliminary review.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow