Business

Bloomberg News reports: Apple Inc. was hit Monday with a €1.8 billion ($2 billion) penalty from the European Union over an investigation into allegations it shut out music-streaming rivals, including Spotify Technology SA, on its platforms. The European Commission also ordered the Cupertino, California-based firm to stop preventing music-streaming apps from informing users of cheaper deals away from Apple’s App …

Bloomberg News reports: Elon Musk, a cofounder of OpenAI who is no longer involved in the company, sued OpenAI and its Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman late Thursday, alleging the company’s close relationship with Microsoft Corp. has undermined its original mission of creating open-source technology that wouldn’t be subject to corporate priorities. OpenAI Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon pushed back …

The New York Times reports: The two largest pharmacy chains in the United States will start dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone this month, a step that could make access easier for some patients. Officials at CVS and Walgreens said in interviews on Friday that they had received certification to dispense mifepristone under guidelines that the Food and Drug Administration issued …

Reuters reports: A California state judge tentatively ruled that nearly 6,000 Black factory workers can sue Tesla as a group for the electric vehicle maker’s alleged failure to address rampant race discrimination and harassment at its Fremont plant. California Superior Court Judge Noel Wise in Oakland said in a written order issued on Wednesday that the lawsuit presents questions common …

The Associated Press reports: Wendy’s says that it has no plans to increase prices during the busiest times at its restaurants. “Wendy’s will not implement surge pricing, which is the practice of raising prices when demand is highest. We didn’t use that phrase, nor do we plan to implement that practice,” the company said. Wendy’s said that its digital menu …

Bloomberg News reports: Apple Inc. is canceling a decadelong effort to build an electric car, according to people with knowledge of the matter, abandoning one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the company. Apple made the disclosure internally Tuesday, surprising the nearly 2,000 employees working on the project. The decision was shared by Chief Operating Officer Jeff …

Courthouse News reports: Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton this week sued a major online porn distributor in an effort to enforce a new state law mandating age verification and purported health warnings on adult websites. The lawsuit, filed in state court in Austin on Monday, accuses the adult-entertainment company Aylo of violating House Bill 1181, a new state content-warning …

The Associated Press reports: Wendy’s is looking to test having the prices of its menu items fluctuate throughout the day based on demand, implementing a strategy that has already taken hold with ride-sharing companies and ticket sellers. During a conference call earlier this month, Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner said that the Dublin, Ohio-based burger chain will start testing dynamic pricing, …

NBC News reports: Family Dollar Stores was this week ordered to pay $41.6 million for using a rodent-infested warehouse to distribute food, cosmetics and medical devices to more than 400 stores across the South. The largest criminal penalty of its kind comes after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation found “live rodents, dead and decaying rodents, rodent feces, urine, …

CBS News reports: Macy’s on Tuesday said it plans to close roughly 150 underperforming stores over the next three years, the struggling retailer’s latest effort to energize its business as it seeks to fend off a proposed takeover by activist investors. The department store chain said it plans to focus on expanding its luxury brands, Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury. Macy’s will …

The New York Post reports: Kellogg’s CEO Gary Pilnick advised shoppers chalking up more of their paychecks to soaring grocery bills than they have in the past three decades to just eat cereal instead. “The cereal category has always been quite affordable, and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure,” Pilnickan said in an interview …

CBS News reports: The Federal Trade Commission on Monday sued to block a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, saying the $24.6 billion deal could result in higher prices for millions of American consumers. The FTC filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oregon, alleging that the deal is anticompetitive and could harm shoppers by boosting prices …

Bloomberg News reports: “Based on our initial review, we believe that the outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used as we were expanding our network, not a cyber attack,” an AT&T spokesman said in a statement. AT&T said all wireless service was restored Thursday afternoon, capping a day of frustration that began in the …

Mediaite reports: Major hard-right media outlets saw their online traffic plummet in January of 2024 when compared to January 2020, according to new data from The Righting. Townhall, Washington Free Beacon, and Breitbart have seen their digital traffic plummet a whopping 87% in the two years, according to the Comscore data set. Other major drops were registered by the Daily …

Mashable reports: A new app has just dropped for seekers of LGBTQ-owned businesses, queer-friendly artists and advisors, and inclusive community spaces — or for supporters seeking a tangible way to defy the current political tide. Launched by Everywhere is Queer, an LGBTQ business directory that gained popularity in 2022, it’s Yelp for the queer-led revolution. The just-released Everywhere is Queer …

The Associated Press reports: Capital One Financial said it will buy Discover Financial Services for $35 billion, in a deal that would bring together two of the nation’s credit card companies as well as potentially shake up the payments industry, which is largely dominated by Visa and Mastercard. Under the terms of the all-stock transaction, Discover Financial shareholders will receive …

The Associated Press reports: Stuck in a dating app loop with no date in sight? A lawsuit against Match Group claims that is by design. Tinder, Hinge and other Match dating apps are filled with addictive features that encourage “compulsive” use, the proposed class-action lawsuit claims. The lawsuit filed in federal court in the Northern District of California on Wednesday …

Reuters reports: Walmart is in talks to buy smart-television manufacturer Vizio for more than $2 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, a move that could bolster its advertising business and give it control of more than a fifth of the U.S. television market. Vizio shares closed up 24.6% on Tuesday. The reported offer price is nearly 30% higher …

Reuters reports: A federal judge ordered Elon Musk to testify again in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s probe of his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, giving the regulator and the billionaire a week to agree on a date and location for the interview. Judge Laurel Beeler’s order, issued on Saturday night, formalized a tentative ruling she made in December …

“When thousands of attendees come together for Chick-fil-A’s annual NEXT conference, they can expect to be served some content that isn’t part of traditional program fare. The three-day event will go beyond product announcements and outlines of new business initiatives for the quick-service brand. Sure, the program aims to educate thousands of owner-operators of the restaurant’s locations and Chick-fil-A’s headquarter …