Tag: technews

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse finally has a positive update. Sony has named the directors for the third animated film in the Spider-Verse trilogy.

Whether you’re shopping for friends or family or you’re in dire need of a TV for a guest bedroom, the Insignia 43-inch F30 Series is only $140 today.

Grubhub has agreed to pay $25 million to settle charges from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Illinois Attorney General. The company was accused of a laundry list of sketchy behavior, including misleading customers about delivery charges, deceiving delivery drivers about income and listing restaurants on the platform without consent. Last month, the food delivery startup Wonder bought Grubhub for one-tenth of what it was worth during the pandemic.

Under the proposed settlement, Grubhub has to make changes to remedy the problems. The requirements read like a “stop doing that” list, one per charge. This includes notifying customers of full delivery costs, being honest with drivers about pay and listing restaurants only with their consent.

The FTC says Grubhub, to appear more robust than it was, added as many as 325,000 unaffiliated restaurants to the platform without permission since at least 2019. Customers ordering from those businesses discovered added fees and “numerous ordering problems.” Meanwhile, the agency says the restaurants “bore the brunt of diners’ ire,” leading to damaged reputations and lost money.

The company also allegedly added junk fees after advertising to customers that they’d pay a low-cost, flat rate for deliveries. The FTC says Grubhub labeled them “service fees” or “small order fees,” but they were simply delivery fees under another name. The agency quotes a former Grubhub executive as calling it a “pricing shell game.”

The FTC also accused the company of blocking customers’ accounts with large gift card balances, leaving them no way to regain access. The agency said diners who complained to the company either weren’t told their accounts were blocked or weren’t given any meaningful way to contest the ban.

The false pay allegations include advertising that Grubhub drivers could make up to $40 hourly in the New York area. In reality, the median driver pay in that area was around $10 hourly — and only 0.1 percent of drivers are said to have made the advertised rate. And in Chicago, an ad promised earnings of up to $26 hourly when the median was $11.

Grubhub denies the allegations but says it settled to put the matter behind it. “At Grubhub, we’re committed to transparency so that every single day diners, restaurants and drivers can make well-informed choices to do business with us,” the company wrote in a statement. “While we categorically deny the allegations made by the FTC, many of which are wrong, misleading or no longer applicable to our business, we believe settling this matter is in the best interest of Grubhub and allows us to move forward.”

“Our investigation found that Grubhub tricked its customers, deceived its drivers, and unfairly damaged the reputation and revenues of restaurants that did not partner with Grubhub — all in order to drive scale and accelerate growth,” FTC Chair Lina M. Khan wrote in a statement. “Today’s action holds Grubhub to account, putting an end to these illegal practices and securing nearly $25 million for the people cheated by Grubhub’s tactics. There is no ‘gig platform’ exemption to the laws on the books.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/grubhub-settles-with-the-ftc-over-adding-restaurants-without-their-consent-221006330.html?src=rss

Threads is previewing yet another significant new feature before the end of the year. The app will “soon” begin testing the ability for users to schedule posts ahead of time, according to an update from Meta exec Adam Mosseri.

Mosseri shared a screenshot of the upcoming feature, which shows a simple tool to set a date and time for a post to go live in Threads’ post editor. Interestingly, Mosseri said that users will only be able to schedule new posts, not replies to existing posts because the company wants to continue to prioritize “real-time conversation.” Though he didn’t give any indication of when the tool may roll out more broadly, he said that the feature had been in the works “for months,” so it’s likely Meta plans on releasing it more widely at some point.

The ability to schedule posts will be particularly useful for brands, creators and others who use the service to manage professional accounts. Though there are already third-party tools that enable post scheduling, many require a paid subscription.

Post scheduling is the latest sign that Meta is looking to add more features geared toward brands, businesses and other social media professionals to the 300 million-user app. The service also began testing post analytics earlier this month. Both features could come in handy when Meta decides to flip the switch on advertising for the platform — a change rumored to be coming next month.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-is-working-on-scheduled-posts-215537909.html?src=rss

Elon Musk and SpaceX are under three federal reviews from three different US military departments for allegedly failing to comply with reporting protocols. The New York Times reported that Musk and his private aerospace company have repeatedly disregarded requirements to disclose trips and meetings with foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The three reviews of Musk and SpaceX’s suspected activity were opened by the Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General, the Air Force and the Pentagon’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. The Air Force also reportedly denied Musk’s request for high-level security access because of concerns over potential security risks if he were allowed to handle certain pieces of classified information.

Some SpaceX workers with knowledge of the reviews expressed their concerns to the Times about Musk’s ability to handle sensitive data when he posts openly about meetings on his X account. He already has top-security clearance at SpaceX that allows him to view certain pieces of classified material such as information on the US’ advanced military technology. Musk is required to disclose certain details about his personal life and travel habits to the Defense Department but some employees allege that he and his company have failed to meet those requirements as far back as 2021.

Sources also told the newspaper that Musk allegedly failed to provide department officials with his full itinerary including meetings with foreign leaders. He also may not have provided reports on his personal and prescription drug use as part of his vetting procedure even though he smoked marijuana with Joe Rogan on his The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and talked about microdosing ketamine on his X page. and with former CNN anchor Don Lemon.

America isn’t the only country concerned about Musk’s ability to keep a lid on classified information. Nine other countries “including in Europe and the Middle East,” raised security concerns about Musk sitting in meetings with US defense officers over the past three years, according to The New York Times. Employees who were concerned about the lax reactions to these vetting requirements failed to report the behavior out of fear of losing their jobs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/elon-musk-spacex-reportedly-under-federal-review-for-undisclosed-meetings-with-foreign-leaders-213817035.html?src=rss

Not content with meddling in politics, Elon Musk’s next venture is an attempt to reimagine the United States’ education system. The South African billionaire is now funding a Texas preschool called Ad Astra, which recently received a state permit to educate up to 21 students. The Montessori private school’s website states that it is open to students aged three to nine, however an in-depth report from Bloomberg said that there are no signs of children or teachers yet at the facility.

The school is located outside of Bastrop, Texas, which is becoming a hub for Musk-owned businesses. The Boring Co. tunneling business is based close by, as is a production site for SpaceX Starlink satellites. Construction is also happening in the area for a building owned by X, formerly Twitter. 

Bloomberg noted that Musk has frequently had educational offerings, sometimes with the same Ad Astra name, attached to his businesses, so this new preschool could be meant for the children of his employees. A job posting for an instructor at Ad Astra reads: “While their parents support the breakthroughs that expand the realm of human possibility, their children will grow into the next generation of innovators in a way that only authentic Montessori can provide.” 

Musk was a vocal and financial supporter of Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and both have made comments disparaging recent diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in education.

He’s hardly the first tech figurehead to apply his opinions on education onto US schools. Mark Zuckerberg tried to personalize the experience with Summit Learning. Jeff Bezos put his name and resources into a series of preschools. And Bill Gates has a long history of proposing ideas for public education that yielded dubious improvements for students, such as charter schools and the Common Core State Standards.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/elon-musk-is-opening-a-preschool-near-his-texas-business-operations-211430042.html?src=rss

Honda and Nissan are reportedly set to discuss a merger. The Japanese publication Nikkei said the two automakers plan to sign a memorandum of understanding to sort out shared equity stakes in a new holding company for the consolidated rivals.

The potential merger would combine the assets of Japan’s second- and third-biggest automakers, giving them a better shot of competing with the nation’s market leader, Toyota. Bloomberg adds that it would also put them in a better position against Tesla and Chinese EV makers. Nikkei says Mitsubishi could join the talks later.

Earlier this year, Honda and Nissan said they would work together on software development, batteries and other EV components. That “combine-and-compete” alliance followed Toyota’s acquisition of stakes in Subaru, Suzuki and Mazda. With today’s news that the pair are ready to take the next step, the landscape is clearly heading toward fewer (but bigger) legacy automakers competing for customers.

Bloomberg also reported on Tuesday that Honda is stepping up production of hybrid vehicles as demand for electric / gas vehicles remains high outside of China. The automaker is aiming to double its annual hybrid sales by 2030. “The goal is still to become carbon neutral by 2050, but demand for hybrids will remain high for the foreseeable future,” Honda Chief Officer Katsuto Hayashi said on Sunday. “We see most of that growth happening in North America.”

Speaking of North America, US President-elect Donald Trump reportedly plans to reverse President Biden’s EV policies. His transition team is said to have recommended ending government support for EVs and charging stations and focusing instead on blocking cars, components and battery materials sourced from China. Climate scientists have warned that transitioning from gas-powered to electric vehicles is necessary to reduce carbon emissions and head off the most catastrophic projections for our planet.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/honda-and-nissan-reportedly-open-merger-talks-205454769.html?src=rss

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