The delays facing Amazon’s satellite internet system, Project Kuiper, has prompted a group of shareholders to sue the company for allegedly snubbing SpaceX as a launch provider.
A merger that’s good for workers and consumers
14.08.2023 - 20:59 / techcrunch.com
After an exhaustive review by regulators in the United States and across the globe, Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard is on track to close later this year. The European Commission approved the transaction in May, the Federal Trade Commission has suspended its administrative challenge, and negotiations are underway with the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority.
As the newly elected president of the Communications Workers of America, I am extremely encouraged by these developments. Thanks to the regulatory process, this deal will significantly enhance competition in the video game industry while securing workers’ rights and consumer interests.
In a complaint filed to block the acquisition, the FTC commissioners expressed concern that Microsoft would stifle competition by withholding popular Activision video games from other game consoles and streaming services. The concessions Microsoft has made to win approval from the European Commission not only address those concerns, but they also expand the availability of Activision titles to additional cloud gaming services that did not previously carry titles like Call of Duty.
That’s a significant win for consumers. Under the terms of the merger, Microsoft will be doing more to ensure that its games are available on multiple platforms than Activision Blizzard is currently doing and more than its chief competitor, Sony, which blocks U.S.-based competitors from competing in Japan’s gaming market.
For workers, the potential benefits are even more dramatic.
The technology and video game industries are notorious for enabling toxic and discriminatory work environments and for fighting workers who want to organize a union. I have seen this firsthand. Prior to my election as president of CWA, as district vice president for the south-central region of the United States, I supported the historic efforts of YouTube music contractors who successfully voted to join our union. Now YouTube parent company Alphabet is refusing to recognize the union. At Apple, my region’s Oklahoma City store was the second in the United States to win union representation, and in the course of our organizing, we uncovered evidence of racial inequities in the opportunities available to workers.
Employer resistance to workers’ collective action has been particularly prevalent at Activision Blizzard. When quality assurance workers at two studios decided to address their low pay and other poor working conditions by organizing to join our union, the company responded with a relentless and illegal campaign to prevent them from even holding a vote.
Microsoft has taken a different approach. The company worked with us to negotiate an unprecedented, enforceable labor
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