US District Court asks for information that Signal doesn’t keep, Microsoft’s market share briefly overtakes Apple’s and the labour shortage is expected to affect Amazon’s shipping.
 |
 |
 |
It’s all the tech news that’s trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Monday, November 1, and I’m your host, Tom Li.
The United States District Court has once again asked Signal for the private information of its users. In a subpoena order, the court demanded the communication platform forfeit information including transaction history, online behaviour, and activity log of a redacted account. The information it seeks pertains to an FBI investigation, wrote the court document. But the communication platform, known for its privacy, has declined the order as it doesn’t log any information about its users. In a blog post, the company wrote it’s impossible to turn over data that it’s never had in the first place.
Microsoft’s market cap briefly overtook Apple’s on Friday, reaching $2.46 trillion when Apple’s stock price fell slightly, lowering its market cap to $2.43 trillion. The two tech companies have been long-time rivals in the PC space, but Microsoft’s cloud business and SaaS models have propelled its earnings to new heights. Microsoft’s victory didn’t last long, however, as Apple’s stock rebounded before the market closed on Friday, sending its market cap to almost $2.6 trillion. Microsoft closed on Friday at $2.49 trillion. The competition between the two is expected to become even more intense in the next few years.
Amazon’s warehouse labour shortage will be cutting into its delivery promises this holiday season. According to Reuters, the e-commerce giant is now not only focused on staying on top as the largest online retailer, but also attracting more workers for its fulfilment centres. Last Thursday, Amazon chief financial officer Brian Olsavsky said there is “unfinished business” on the company’s one-day delivery promises. He hinted that Amazon’s capacity has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. This is another roadblock for Amazon on top of supply-chain issues, product shortages and rising transportation costs.
Now for something a little different. Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Friday that he’s thinking of starting a new university in Texas. According to Musk, the new school, which he hopes to have named the Texas Institute of Technology and Science, will have epic merch and will be universally admired. He didn’t reveal any more details beyond the quirky lines, and frankly, we don’t even know if he’s joking or not given his tendency for wacky tweets.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire Newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. If you have a suggestion or tip, please drop us a line in the comments or via email. Thanks for listening, I’m Tom Li.