Amazon, Walmart, and other companies are using artificial intelligence “to decide whether it makes economic sense to process a return,” reports the Wall Street Journal: For inexpensive items or large ones that would incur hefty shipping fees, it is often cheaper to refund the purchase price and let customers keep the products. The relatively new approach, popularized by Amazon and a…
Tag: The Wall Street Journal
Stripe ‘Will No Longer Process Payments’ For Trump’s Campaign Site
“It might be easier at this point to ask which tech platforms President Donald Trump can still use,” jokes TechCrunch. The Wall Street Journal reports:
Stripe Inc. will no longer process payments for President Trump’s campaign website following last week’s riot at the Capitol, according to people familiar with the matter. The financial-technology company handles card payments for millions of online businesses…
EPA Finalizes Rule Limiting Research Used for Public Health, Environmental Policy
The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule that limits scientific research used in the crafting of public health and environmental policy. From a report: Researchers argue the rule that prioritizes studies with all data available publicly “essentially blocks” research that uses personal information and confidential medical records that can’t be released because of privacy conditions, per the New York Times,…
Apple’s China App Store Sheds Videogames as Beijing Tightens Internet Control
Apple is booting thousands of videogame apps [Editor’s note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source] from its platform in China as the government clamps down harder on such content, illustrating the tech giant’s vulnerability to state pressure on its business. From a report: The iPhone maker this month warned Chinese developers that a new wave of paid gaming apps are…
How Amazon Wins: By Steamrolling Rivals and Partners
The Wall Street Journal: To keep customers happy, which Mr. Bezos has long said is Amazon’s fixation and growth strategy, executives behind the scenes have methodically waged targeted campaigns against rivals and partners alike — an approach that has changed little through the years, from diapers to footwear. No competitor is too small to draw Amazon’s sights. It cloned a line…
Google, Facebook Agreed To Team Up Against Possible Antitrust Action, Draft Lawsuit Says
Facebook and Google agreed to “cooperate and assist one another” if they ever faced an investigation into their pact to work together in online advertising, according to an unredacted version of a lawsuit filed by 10 states against Google last week. From a report: The suit, as filed, cites internal company documents that were heavily redacted. The Wall Street Journal reviewed…
AI-Enabled Cheetos Offer Promise of the Perfect Puff
Microsoft says in a blog post that PepsiCo is using their Project Bonsai “machine teaching” service to “help ensure its Cheetos cheese-puff snacks all have the same texture, crunch and shape,” reports The Wall Street Journal. From the blog post: PepsiCo built a computer vision system that continually monitors Cheeto attributes. Data about qualities such as density and length are fed…
Creator of DirectX Dies at Age 55
The Wall Street Journal looks back to the days when Windows was “a loser in the world of computer games.” But to change that, Eric Engstrom and his cohorts “secretly hired programmers to get the work done, and they had to do an end run around partners like Intel,” remembers VentureBeat. Long-time Slashdot reader whh3 shares The Wall Street Journal’s report:
Windows…
Google Considers ‘Severe’ Penalties For Allegedly Deceptive Chrome Extension Maker
Engadget reports:
The Wall Street Journal has learned that Google is considering “severe penalties” against internet giant IAC (InterActive Corp) over allegedly deceptive practices in its Chrome extensions. The browser extras reportedly promise features that never materialize, point users toward additional ads, or even trick users into installing them. A Google audit reportedly found that some of IAC’s voting ads not only…
One In Six Cadillac Dealers Opt To Close Instead of Selling Electric Cars
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Drive: General Motors knows all too well that a fully electric future is coming. As a company, GM wants to have 30 EVs for sale by 2025 and Cadillac will reportedly be leading the Detroit automaker’s electric charge in the United States. Recently, it was reported that GM told dealerships to invest in…