Automatic

📊 A US federal judge declared Google a monopolist and ruled against its practice of paying Apple billions to remain the default search engine on its devices. This stance may slow Google's innovation, already challenged by AI advancements like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Google's "10 blue links" model faces existential threats from AI competitors capable of providing direct answers. Despite Google's early AI developments and $165 billion in revenue from search ads in the first six months of 2024, talent departures and lack of new hit products suggest potential decline, similar to the fate of once-dominant companies like IBM and AT&T. The shift towards AI interaction models and voice/gesture commands could reshape the internet, diminishing the relevance of traditional search.

🚗 Uber and BYD announced a multi-year strategic partnership to deploy 100,000 BYD electric vehicles (EVs) across global markets including Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Uber, with the largest on-demand EV network, and BYD, a leader in EV production, aim to lower EV ownership costs and promote their use on the Uber platform. The collaboration extends to future autonomous-capable BYD vehicles for Uber, enhancing urban mobility and sustainability.

🏨 On August 19, 2024, Search Engine Roundtable reported hackers manipulating Google Hotel listings, marking some hotels as permanently closed and altering contact details, including phone numbers switched to WhatsApp contacts.