Why it matters: From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.
Photo Illustration: Mykola Tys/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The outage across Facebook's online platforms on Monday was caused by an error during routine maintenance, the company said Tuesday.
Driving the news: The six-hour outage came at a moment in which Facebook was already facing intense scrutiny by lawmakers and stockholders.
Image: Ubisoft
Ubisoft's next "Ghost Recon" game is a 100+ player free-to-play contest in which players race to grab intel and safely extract via helicopter.
Why it matters: It's called "Ghost Recon Frontline" and it's not going over well with its first public audience.
Image: Nintendo
Nintendo’s mighty crossover game, “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,” capped off three years of ambitious expansion with the announcement that “Kingdom Hearts” hero Sora will be added to the Switch fighting game’s roster on Oct. 18.
Why it matters: This wasn’t just the addition of a character that had secretly topped Nintendo’s official fan request poll six years ago. It was a stream watched by more than 500,000 people that demonstrated the convergence of some of the industry’s major trends.
Image courtesy of The Embracer Group
The scale of deals in gaming in 2021 is already double the full dollar amount from 2020, according to a new industry report.
Why it matters: 2021 has seen a dizzying amount of mergers, acquisitions and investments as everyone wants in on the sector, and as the big players already inside it are spending a lot to get bigger.
Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) talk with Frances Haugen before hearing. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told lawmakers Tuesday she believes the social media giant won't change its ways unless Congress makes it.
Why it matters: Haugen is finding a receptive audience among senators who have pledged to pass laws on online privacy, altering online liability shields and increasing algorithmic transparency.
Facebook's latest string of controversies is beginning to seriously weigh on its stock performance — a clear indication of the tech giant's vulnerability to long-term business headwinds, even if its ads business continues to grow for now.
The big picture: In the past, investors have mostly shrugged at blows to Facebook's reputation, including Capitol Hill hearings and leaks, and instead have focused on ad and user growth as metrics for success.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Like an aging rock star seeking to reach a new audience, Microsoft is betting Windows 11 will help it connect with a new generation.
Why it matters: Microsoft could once count on a huge portion of the computing market automatically choosing Windows because their business demanded it or they needed a specific app that wasn't available elsewhere. Today, many businesses are putting the choice between Mac or Windows in the hands of individual workers.