Google cuts jobs and funding at new 'idea incubator', says report

Google is making cuts to Area 120, its in-house incubator for new projects, according to people familiar with the matter, as the tech giant moves to control spending and focus more tightly on artificial intelligence.

Some teams at Area 120 were notified this week that their projects had been reorganised or cancelled. 

Previously, there were 14 projects housed in Area 120, and this has been cut down to just seven, according to TechCrunch. The affected workers will need to find new roles at Google by the end of January 2023 or lose their jobs. 

Indonesia’s anti-trust agency said on Thursday it was investigating potential unfair business practices by Google over the use of proprietary payment services for its software distribution platform Google Play Store.

Microsoft’s $69-bn Activision deal caught in UK’s crosshairs

Microsoft’s planned $69-billion purchase of computer games developer Activision Blizzard faces an in-depth probe in the UK after regulators said the deal could hamper competition. 

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it decided to kick-start a longer review after Microsoft turned down the chance to offer remedies to address its concerns. 

The CMA usually only accepts one-off measures to restore the market at this stage, rather than any agreements on future behaviour.