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Google cuts about 200 staff in global business unit, The Information reports

Google cuts about 200 staff in global business unit, The Information reports

Yahoo07-05-2025
FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: People walk next to a Google logo during a trade fair in Hannover Messe
(Reuters) -Google on Tuesday cut about 200 jobs across its global business unit, which is responsible for sales and partnerships, The Information reported on Wednesday, citing a person with knowledge of the situation.
Big Tech players have been redirecting spending towards data centers and AI development, while scaling back investments in other areas.
The company told Reuters in a statement that it was making a small number of changes across teams "to drive greater collaboration and expand our ability to quickly and effectively serve our customers."
The Information reported last month that Google had laid off hundreds of employees in its platforms and devices unit, which houses the Android platform, Pixel phones and the Chrome browser among other applications.
In January 2023, Google-parent Alphabet announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce. It had 183,323 employees as of December 31, 2024, according to a filing in February.
Among other major job cuts, Facebook-parent Meta laid off about 5% of its "lowest performers" in January, while pushing ahead with the expedited hiring of machine learning engineers.
Microsoft also trimmed 650 jobs in its Xbox unit in September. Amazon laid off employees in several units, including communications, while Apple eliminated about 100 roles in its digital services group last year, according to media reports.
(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh and Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
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Exclusive-Chinese consumer complaints show widespread padding of car sales figures
Exclusive-Chinese consumer complaints show widespread padding of car sales figures

Yahoo

time32 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Exclusive-Chinese consumer complaints show widespread padding of car sales figures

(Reuters) -A tactic used by Chinese automakers and dealers to inflate car sales has grown increasingly common in recent years in response to a bruising price war in the world's largest auto market, a Reuters analysis of consumer complaints has found. Earlier this month, Reuters reported EV brands Neta and Zeekr had arranged for cars to be insured before buyers purchased them, a scheme that effectively inflates sales numbers and gives the appearance the companies were hitting periodic targets. Switch Auto Insurance and Save Today! Affordable Auto Insurance, Customized for You The Insurance Savings You Expect Great Rates and Award-Winning Service But the controversial tactic was not limited to the two companies and was employed elsewhere in the industry, according to a Reuters review of 97 separate consumer complaints published on three widely used Chinese websites. In more than a dozen cases, buyers said they were informed by dealerships that the practice was specifically designed to meet sales targets. The allegations cover some of China's largest domestic and foreign brands by sales volume, including homegrown champion BYD and Toyota, Volkswagen and Buick. The three foreign brands operate their China businesses in partnerships with state-owned giants GAC and SAIC Motor Group. While the earliest complaints date back to 2021, the majority were published this year and last as a price war squeezed an industry crucial to China's export-driven economy. Reuters reviewed complaints posted on a third-party site used for consumer dispute resolutions, and two other similar sites. The platforms require owners to verify their identity and submit proof of their allegations. In most of the cases reviewed, the automakers responded publicly, saying they sought to resolve problems. Reuters was not able to independently verify the complaints or their resolutions. It is not clear what portion of China's car sales were inflated by the insurance scheme. SAIC, which is a China joint venture partner for Volkswagen and Buick-owner General Motors, said it is committed to providing users with high-quality and standardised sales services but did not elaborate. The practice effectively disguises how much inventory automakers actually held, said Yale Zhang, managing director at consultancy Automotive Foresight. "That could lead to a misjudgment of monthly demand within the industry and result in increased production scheduling," Zhang said. CONSUMER ANGER Between 2021 and 2025, 48 separate buyers said on that they purchased new cars only to later discover they were already insured by the dealer. Many of the buyers said they felt deceived by the dealerships, especially when they realised the insurance on their cars was registered in other names. Likewise, there were 26 separate complaints published between 2021 and 2025 on the 315 auto consumer complaint platform, run by the state-owned China Internet Information Center. Another 23 were posted between 2022 and 2025 on Black Cat, a widely used consumer complaint platform run by tech firm Sina. In 14 complaints on the three platforms, buyers of BYD-, Neta-, Toyota-, Buick- and Chevrolet-branded cars said they were told by dealers the practice was aimed at booking sales early to meet targets. One complaint, filed in December against a SAIC GM dealer on alleged the automaker required 60 cars to be insured without buyers to meet sales targets. Another complaint on filed in April alleged a BYD store in Shaanxi told a buyer it had 12 cars insured in a batch to inflate sales last July. Buyers of Li Auto, Changan, FAW-Volkswagen and Geely also reported cars being insured pre-purchase. A Volkswagen Group China spokesperson said it refused to boost sales figures through insurance and that complaints would be investigated. DEALER COMPLAINTS Separately, Reuters identified 29 official media reports from 2020 to 2025 that detailed complaints against dealers of major brands, including BYD and Changan and foreign brands Volkswagen, GM, Toyota, Nissan and Honda, run by their joint ventures with state-owned Chinese automakers. The media outlets, across 15 provinces and cities, are controlled and owned by the regional governments. In nine cases, dealers representing FAW Hongqi, SAIC Roewe, SAIC VW, Dongfeng Nissan, GAC Toyota, GAC Honda and SAIC GM told official media that insuring unsold vehicles was for booking purchases early to meet sales targets. A Honda spokesperson said that GAC Honda prohibits dealers from taking out compulsory insurance before selling new cars and that any dealers found doing so would be dealt with severely. FAW Hongqi said it does not use insurance plans to pre-confirm sales and any such activity was not official company action. GM China said it does not require wholesale vehicles to be insured pre-purchase and that it counts deliveries, not insurance, in its sales reports. BYD, GAC Toyota, Geely, Changan, Nissan and Li Auto did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters also identified five articles published by Chinese courts between March 2023 and March 2025 about consumers taking dealers to court for concealing pre-purchase car insurance. In three of those, the court ruled for the buyers who demanded compensation. Verdicts for the other two were not publicised. 'ZERO MILEAGE' Vehicles booked as sold before reaching buyers are called "zero-mileage used cars" in China. The practice emerged out of the cut-throat competition as the market deals with a years-long price war caused by chronic overcapacity. 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Pixel Watch 4 leak once again points to life-saving feature (APK teardown)
Pixel Watch 4 leak once again points to life-saving feature (APK teardown)

Android Authority

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  • Android Authority

Pixel Watch 4 leak once again points to life-saving feature (APK teardown)

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority TL;DR Recent code findings in the Satellite Gateway app corroborate that the Pixel Watch 4 could feature emergency satellite communications. This satellite connectivity feature appears to be exclusive to Pixel Watch devices, with code specifically referencing 'isPixelWatch.' It's possible the feature could be routed through a satellite-compatible Pixel phone, potentially allowing it to come to older Pixel Watch generations in the future. The Pixel Watch 4 is expected to introduce some nifty changes, like its polarizing new charger, which you can love and hate simultaneously, and even a Breathing Emergencies tool to detect when your oxygen level falls too low. Leaks have suggested that we can look forward to Emergency Satellite Communications on the Pixel Watch 4. Now, we've spotted more clues to corroborate that this feature is indeed coming to Google's upcoming smartwatch. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. The Satellite Gateway app is one of the apps responsible for the Satellite SOS features on Pixel phones. In the latest v20250707 of the Satellite Gateway app, we've spotted several bits of code that directly reference the feature within the context of a smartwatch: Code Copy Text " Here, ' references the Adaptive Connectivity Service app, which helps direct the UI for pointing your device towards a satellite for connection. We also see a mention of 'watchui' in the activity, which clearly indicates the feature making its way to a smartwatch. But is the emergency satellite communications feature coming to all Wear OS smartwatches? Several parts of the obfuscated code for the satellite connectivity feature includes checks like 'isPixelDevice:%s' and, more importantly, 'isPixelWatch:%s,' indicating that the feature is most likely destined only for the Pixel Watch. The next question is whether the emergency satellite communications feature will be exclusive to the Pixel Watch 4. We haven't spotted any code that specifically ties the emergency satellite communications to the Pixel Watch 4. Further, devices need specialized hardware for satellite connectivity. We've seen Google's biggest competitor, Apple, offer features like Emergency SOS via satellite for the Apple Watch, but this connection is routed through a compatible iPhone rather than undertaken through the smartwatch itself. It would make sense if Google adopts a similar route, as internal space is significantly constrained within a smartwatch. Suppose Google routes Pixel Watch 4's upcoming emergency satellite communications feature through the phone (potentially a Pixel phone only, i.e., serving merely as an extension for Satellite SOS on Pixel). In that case, there's also the possibility that the feature could come to older generations of the Pixel Watch. Don't hold your breath, though, as the company might keep the feature exclusive to the new watch hardware and only open it up to older watches through software updates farther in the future. Google hasn't shared any confirmation for the Pixel Watch 4 or its leaked Satellite SOS feature. We'll keep you updated when we learn more. Follow

I Love an Old Pair of Shoes I Purchased Years Ago. I Asked AI to Find Me a Similar Style
I Love an Old Pair of Shoes I Purchased Years Ago. I Asked AI to Find Me a Similar Style

CNET

timean hour ago

  • CNET

I Love an Old Pair of Shoes I Purchased Years Ago. I Asked AI to Find Me a Similar Style

Every woman can sympathize with this: You finally find jeans that make you feel good or a pair of heels that are both comfortable and stylish. And then, suddenly, it's out of season or style, and there's no way of finding that item again. But some styles are timeless, and you'll want to replace them when they've seen too many red wine spills or look a little weathered. The world of fashion moves faster than a Tinder swipe. Maybe artificial intelligence can help locate links to the original item sold elsewhere, or find a similar look. If AI can help find the best deals online, be used as a shopping assistant and even as a personal assistant, maybe it can help replace my gorgeous pair of heels that I can't find anywhere. With ChatGPT Search, I can upload a photo of my shoes, and it can search the internet for shopping links -- like a Google reverse image search on steroids. There's even specific AI shoe finder GPTs I could test out. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.) Can ChatGPT magically find my favorite heels from a photo? The first step was to take a few photos of my beloved shoes from different angles, making sure to capture the brand name. I bought these shoes close to a decade ago, when I was still living in Australia. I made sure to snap any defining features and codes, like a sticker that miraculously stayed on the sole through just about every terrain -- grass, gravel, pavement and floorboards. Next, I opened up ChatGPT, logged in and uploaded four photos with this prompt: "This is an old pair of shoes I love. I want to replace them with either the same item or something similar. I'm a US size 8. The code on the sole is 8M/38½. Here are four photos of the heels." I made sure to select the Web Search button. ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET It gave me some identifying information in order to help me direct my own Google search, but I wanted it to do it for me. The point was to save time using AI. ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET I responded with this prompt: "Can you search the internet for links to the exact item?" ChatGPT sourced a bunch of links with resale items and suggested I set up an alert using specific terms like "Lucky Brand Bertel black suede 8M." While it didn't provide the specific product link, I liked being able to sort through the resale pages to see similar styles too. ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET Before I get deep into online thrifting mode on eBay, I asked ChatGPT to find five new styles that are similar, either from Lucky Brand or the others mentioned. This was fun! I learned that this product is a block-heel suede look, which is helpful to know for whenever I need to do my own searches: ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET My only critique so far is I'm not familiar with some of the stores ChatGPT provided links to. I wasn't sure if it was just pulling from eBay and unknown websites because it was trying to find resale items. ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET So, I asked it to search sites that I'd usually buy shoes from, like DSW and Nordstrom. It came back with direct links to these websites with the search pre-populated as "Lucky Brand" or "women's block heel sandals." This saved me some searching time, taking me straight to things like this Nordstrom page: ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET It suggested Marshalls/TJ Maxx, which I had forgotten in my previous prompt. I liked the recommendations it gave, such as a specific style for comfort or for a higher heel. It also provided tips on when these brands typically run sales. ChatGPT found me two heels I loved, but one was sold out: ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET I found another two pairs of Lucky Brand finds from the links ChatGPT provided, only to discover they weren't even my size, even though I included that in my prompt: ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET It was also interesting how the model didn't add any links from the Lucky Brand site itself, only third-party sellers. Always back up your ChatGPT activity with your own manual research. AI chatbots can be a handy tool to get fashion advice, outfit recommendations, product comparisons and insights about your personal style. However, for online shopping, you're better off going directly to the brands and sites you love. That's the fun part anyway.

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