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Google Fights $17 bln UK Lawsuit over adtech Practices

The google app is seen on a smartphone. Reuters
The google app is seen on a smartphone. Reuters
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Google Fights $17 bln UK Lawsuit over adtech Practices

The google app is seen on a smartphone. Reuters
The google app is seen on a smartphone. Reuters

Google parent Alphabet has urged a London tribunal to block a mass lawsuit which accuses it of abusing its dominance in the online advertising market, in the latest case to focus on the search giant's business practices.

The lawsuit seeks damages of up to 13.6 billion pounds ($16.9 billion) on behalf of publishers of websites and apps based in the United Kingdom, who say they have suffered losses due to Google's allegedly anticompetitive behaviour, Reuters reported.

Lawyers for Ad Tech Collective Action asked the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) to certify the case to proceed towards a trial at the start of a three-day hearing on Wednesday.

Google, however, said the case was incoherent and did not explain how alleged anticompetitive conduct had supposedly caused losses to the publishers.

Ad Tech Collective Action's lawyer Robert O'Donoghue said the London lawsuit was "the latest in a series of major set-preferencing abuse cases involving Google".

The case comes amid ongoing probes by regulators into Google's adtech business, including by Britain's Competition and Markets Authority and the European Commission, which O'Donoghue said was concluding imminently.

O'Donoghue also referred to two multibillion-euro fines levied on Google by the European Commission, over its online shopping search service and the requirement to pre-install Google Search and its Chrome browser on Android mobile devices.

Google is also fighting two lawsuits in the U.S., one brought by the Department of Justice and another by Texas and other states, accusing the company of anticompetitive conduct.

The company "strongly rejects the underlying allegations against it", its lawyers said in court documents for the CAT case. "Google's impact in the ad tech industry has been hugely procompetitive."

Ad Tech Collective Action's proposed lawsuit is the latest against a tech giant at the CAT, which already this year has certified a $3.8 billion case against Facebook parent Meta and a nearly $1 billion case against Apple. (

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Technology

Meta Slashes 8,000 Jobs, or 10% of its Workforce, as Microsoft Offers Buyouts

Meta co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg (Reuters)
Meta co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg (Reuters)
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Meta Slashes 8,000 Jobs, or 10% of its Workforce, as Microsoft Offers Buyouts

Meta co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg (Reuters)
Meta co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg (Reuters)

Meta is laying off about 8,000 workers, or about 10% of its workforce, the company said Thursday as it continues to ramp up spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and highly paid AI-expert hires.

The company said it was making the cuts for the sake of efficiency and to allow new investments in parts of its business, as first reported by Bloomberg, which also said the company will leave about 6,000 jobs unfilled.

Also Thursday, Microsoft said it was offering voluntary buyouts to thousands of its US employees, The Associated Press reported.

The software giant plans to make the offers in early May to about 8,750 people, or 7% of its US workforce, according to two people familiar with the plan who were not authorized to speak about it publicly.

While an alternative to the sudden layoffs removing tech workers from peers like Meta and Oracle, the savings are likely tied to a similar industry upheaval that is requiring huge spending on the costs of artificial intelligence.

Meta has already warned investors that its 2026 expenses will grow significantly — to the range of $162 billion to $169 billion — driven by infrastructure costs and employee compensation, particularly for the artificial intelligence experts it’s been hiring at eye-popping pay levels.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives welcomed Meta’s cuts in a note to investors Thursday.

He said he sees it as part of a strategy of using AI tools to “automate tasks that once required large teams, allowing the company to streamline operations and reduce costs while maintaining productivity driving an increased need for a leaner operating structure.”

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, has spent billions of dollars operating an ever-expanding global network of data centers powering cloud computing services, AI systems and its own suite of productivity tools, including the AI assistant Copilot.

CNBC reported earlier Thursday on a memo from Microsoft's chief people officer, Amy Coleman, announcing the voluntary retirement plan.

“Our hope is that this program gives those eligible the choice to take that next step on their own terms, with generous company support,” Coleman wrote, according to CNBC.

Technology

Saudi Arabia to Host Fourth UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI in Riyadh

Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser 
Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser 
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Saudi Arabia to Host Fourth UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI in Riyadh

Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser 
Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), and the UNESCO will co-host the fourth edition of the Global Forum on the Ethics of AI, in collaboration with the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE).

The forum will take place in Riyadh from September 14 to 17, 2026, reflecting growing international confidence in Saudi Arabia’s standing and reinforcing its leadership in advancing global efforts toward responsible and ethical AI.

This builds on Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts to strengthen international partnerships with UNESCO and its sustained support for the development of ethical AI frameworks. The International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE), a Category 2 Center headquartered in Riyadh under the auspices of UNESCO, plays a pivotal role in advancing international research and policy on AI ethics, SPA reported.

The hosting of the forum reflects Saudi Arabia’s firm commitment to promoting the responsible use of AI and to actively shaping an ethical and inclusive digital future, while also supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The UNESCO Global Forum on the Ethics of AI serves as a high-level international platform dedicated to addressing the ethical challenges and opportunities associated with the development and use of AI technologies. It brings together leading decision-makers, experts, ministers, and representatives of international organizations from across the globe to support the implementation of relevant international principles and to balance technological advancement with social responsibility.

Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the forum in Riyadh coincides with the designation of 2026 as the Year of Artificial Intelligence, as well as SDAIA’s organization of the fourth edition of the Global AI Summit, scheduled to take place from September 15 to 17, 2026. The summit will be held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of SDAIA’s Board of Directors, further reinforcing Riyadh’s position as a leading global destination for major international AI events.

Technology

Microsoft Bets Big on AI in Australia with $18 Billion Investment

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
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Microsoft Bets Big on AI in Australia with $18 Billion Investment

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

Microsoft said on Thursday that it will invest A$25 billion ($17.9 billion) in Australia by the end of 2029 to boost computing and artificial intelligence capacity, betting on growing demand for the technology in the country.

The US tech giant's latest investment reflects rising demand for AI technologies and positions Australia as a key growth market.

According to Reuters, Microsoft said the investment will support the expansion of its Azure AI supercomputing and cloud infrastructure, strengthen cybersecurity and promote AI skills development across the country.

"Australia has an enormous opportunity to translate AI into real economic growth and societal ⁠benefit," Microsoft CEO ⁠Satya Nadella, currently visiting Sydney as part of the company's global AI tour, said in a statement.

He described the initiative as Microsoft's largest investment in Australia to date.

Microsoft and its Big Tech rivals Alphabet, Amazon and Meta will collectively invest about $650 billion to scale up AI-related infrastructure this year, according to Bridgewater Associates.

"This is a serious vote of confidence in Australia as a tier-one AI market," ⁠eToro Analyst Josh Gilbert said.

"For a long time, the AI capex conversation has been a US story, with occasional nods to Japan, Singapore, and even the Middle East. The fact that Microsoft is now putting this kind of capital behind Australia, alongside similar moves across the globe, shows the region is squarely in the AI build-out plan," Gilbert added.

The investment also comes at a time when Microsoft faces growing competition in AI assistants, with its Copilot tool competing against offerings such as Anthropic's Claude and Google's Gemini. The Windows maker has been racing to improve Copilot to drive better adoption.

Microsoft also announced plans to ⁠expand its commercial cloud ⁠and AI, including graphics processing unit offerings, for Australian customers by more than 140% by the end of 2029.

For Microsoft, the investment "is about defending Azure's turf, locking in enterprise customers, and buying distribution in a market where the AI race is still wide open," eToro's Gilbert added.

The latest commitment builds on Microsoft's A$5 billion investment in 2023 aimed at expanding its hyperscale cloud computing and AI infrastructure in Australia.

"More training, better technology and new opportunities for Australians to get ahead. That's what the massive AI investment Microsoft announced today will mean for Australia," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a post on X.

The Australian government welcomed the announcement, and said it will collaborate with Microsoft to forecast infrastructure needs and strengthen the country's energy systems.