Here are the top trending news from the world of technology. News that we feel every tech enthusiast should keep a tab on.
1)
‘Total Bs’: Musk on Affair with Google co-founder’s wife
Elon Musk has flatly denied sensational media reports claiming that he had a scandalous affair with Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s wife. The Tesla and SpaceX’s CEO took to his Twitter account and termed the allegations as ‘total BS,’ meaning the accusations are nonsense and completely untrue. Musk also added in his tweet that he has met Brin’s wife Nicole Shanahan only twice in three years and there is no romantic connection between the two. While the tech billionaire has flatly denied the allegation of having an affair, this allegation has cropped up at a time when Brin and his wife Shanahan have filed for a divorce.
2)
Zomato’s share price crashes to historic low
The freefall in Zomato’s stock prices continues on Dalal Street. The foodtech giant’s shares dropped by more than 14% on Monday, taking down the company’s share price to merely Rs 47 per share. Following the continuous slide in its stock, the company’s valuation has also taken a big hit. The Gurugram based company is now valued at little over $5 Bn as against $12 Bn during its listing last year. Zomato is not the only startup whose share prices are trading way below its IPO price. The shares of almost all the newly listed startups are currently trading below the IPO price. This includes the likes of Paytm, Policybazaar and CarTrade
3)
Kardarshian slams Instagram for copying TikTok
Famous socialite Kim Kardarshian and her celebrity Kylie Jenner have criticized Instagram for blindly imitating TikTok features. Both Kardarshian and Jenner, who have millions of followers on Instagram, posted a message on the photo sharing platform: “stop trying to be TikTok I just want to see cute photos of friends and loved ones.” Both popular socialites are not entirely wrong in criticizing the Meta owned platform. In the past few months Meta’s platforms like Instagram and Facebook have introduced many TikTok like features on its platforms. Analysts have claimed that this is Meta’s desperate attempt to compete with TikTok, which today has emerged as its top competitor.
4)
Auto Giant Volkswagen (almost) sacks its CEO
German auto giant Volkswagen’s CEO Herbert Diess stepped down on Monday in a rather unceremonious fashion. Many have termed Diess’ unceremonious removal as good as sacking. The incumbent CEO’s removal comes in the aftermath of his constant clash with Volkswagen’s trade union body and the company’s inability to make transition into the electric vehicle space. Volkswagen, which also sells cars in India, reported pretty impressive sales in the first half of 2022. The company sold nearly 22,000 vehicles during this period.
5)
Google Play Store gets a new logo & fresh look
It was Google play Store’s happy birthday on Monday, with Google’s app market place celebrating its 10th anniversary. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, the tech giant rolled out a new logo and a brand-new look for the play store. The new logo still has the traditional right pointing arrow but the logo now looks much bigger and also pretty attractive. Not surprisingly, today the play store is the most dominant Android marketplace in the world. According to a rough estimate, users downloaded nearly 111 Bn mobile apps from the play store in 2021.