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DOJ antitrust case against Google; why Quibi failed
Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of WIRED, helps us make sense of today's stories in technology:
Why is the Department of Justice suing Google?
Well, they are suing Google because Google is a giant, massive company that has a dominant position in search. In fact, on your phone, you almost can't use any other search engine or at least your phone is preloaded with Google as a search engine and you probably don't know how to change it. The Department of Justice alleges that Google has used its power and its muscle to maintain its position, and that violates the antitrust laws.
Goodbye Quibi. Why did the video streaming platform fail?
Well, Quibi failed in part because of timing, it launched right at the start of the pandemic, which was very, very hard. Secondly, they just didn't have the right content, nothing seemed magical. And third, they made a bunch of tactical errors. They didn't allow people to screenshot and share stuff from the videos they saw. They weren't available on every platform. They made some mistakes. And now, unfortunately, they're gone.
Facebook civil rights audit; TikTok in Hong Kong
Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of WIRED, provides his perspective on technology news:
Will the new audit of Facebook civil rights practices change the way the company operates?
Yes. It came under a lot of pressure from civil rights activists who organized an advertising boycott. And then an internal audit on Facebook's effect on civil rights came out. It was quite critical. Those two things, one after the other, will surely lead to changes at the company.
What is happening with TikTok in Hong Kong?
Well, China passed its oppressive new security law in Hong Kong. All the tech companies are suddenly in a difficult situation. To comply with the law, violating some of your fundamental principles or do you withdraw? Most of them are delaying. TikTok acted quickly but that was an easy choice for them and their parent company, ByteDance, which already owns a TikTok competitor in China.
Is Quibi officially a bust?
Not yet, but they really, really, really need a hit.
What are the privacy concerns with Zoom?
Nicholas Thompson, EIC of Wired, helps us make sense of today's stories in technology: What are privacy concerns with Zoom and what happened to Skype?
The privacy concerned with Zoom is if you don't password protect the meeting, someone can zoom-bomb-it and take over your screen and share a bunch of nasty stuff. So, password protect your meetings. What happened to Skype? They didn't innovate. They got surpassed. Huge mistake.
Why aren't there more efficient tech solutions to the medical supply shortage?
Because it's hard and massive. The big problem is that most of our medical supplies are made in China, not here. China needs them. It would have been much better if we had diversified, if we had many more ventilator production factories in the United States and mask production factories.
How many Quibi videos can I watch during lockdown?
A Quibi video goes up to about 10 minutes. The company has just launched. 43,000 minutes in a month. So, I guess you could watch 4,300 Quibi's in a month. So, three months, 12,900 Quibi's.