EA DICE
A Reddit comment from EA about "Star Wars: Battlefront 2" was revealed to be the most downvoted comment of all time.
Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Tuesday.
- Fifty state attorneys general launched a formal probe into whether Google has engaged in anticompetitive practices in its ads business. The investigation, announced on Monday from the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, is being led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
- Apple is expected to launch the new iPhone 11 lineup during a big event today - here's everything we know so far. One of the most notable changes expected is a new three-lens camera system.
- WeWork's biggest outside shareholder, SoftBank, is reportedly asking for the IPO to be put on hold because investors don't seem interested. This is the latest blow to WeWork, which has also reportedly cut its projected valuation to under $20 billion - less than half the $47 billion valuation it got from its last fundraising round.
- EA's comment on a Reddit thread about "Star Wars: Battlefront 2" set a Guinness World Record for the most downvoted comment of all time. "Star Wars: Battlefront 2" was embroiled in controversy for featuring "loot boxes" that got users to pay for access to key characters like Princess Leia and Darth Vader.
- Google's upcoming Pixel 4 phones will reportedly wait on hold for you during a call so that you don't have to. Smart voice assistant Google Assistant will be able to tell when you're on hold, and alert you when a customer service representative gets on the phone.
- A new video shows a Tesla driver who appears to be asleep while driving down the Massachusetts Turnpike. Tesla vehicles are capable of turning on an advanced autopilot mode that make it possible to steer, brake, and accelerate within their lane, but the mode still requires active driver supervision.
- Dozens of Google employees told Recode they've experienced retaliation for reporting harassment. This comes after the company set up new reporting systems following the mass employee walkout.
- Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma is stepping down on his 55th birthday on Tuesday, and his hand-picked successor could face a daunting challenge. Under Ma's leadership, Alibaba has grown to become Asia's most valuable listed company.
- Nintendo's wildly popular Switch console could be getting a bizarre VR headset. Unlike most VR headsets, this one doesn't have a headstrap, so users would have to physically hold the visor up to their face.
- Apple apps ranked first in over 700 tracked searches for popular search terms according to a new report from The New York Times. Apple executives Phil Schiller and Eddy Cue said the App Store algorithm has since been "improved" to no longer prioritize Apple apps in some searches, but refused to call the past rankings or algorithm a mistake or issue that needed fixing in the first place.
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