FCC Chair Under Investigation, Snap CEO Defends App Redesign
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is under investigation for collusion. Last year, Pai and the FCC changed the law which dictates how many stations a TV broadcaster can own. This paved the way for Sinclair to buy Tribune Media for $3.9 billion. Now, investigators are looking into whether Pai improperly colluded with Sinclair to change these rules.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is doubling down on the controversial app redesign after facing fierce backlash. At a conference, Spiegel said the widespread criticism actually validates Snapchat's mission. The update rolled out globally a few days ago and has faced sharp backlash from teens and even celebrity influencers like Chrissy Teigen. The new Snapchat separates friends and family from celebrities and media content. A petition to revert back to the old version has already picked up 1 million signatures.
Ten electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles will be eligible for a $7,500 U.S. tax credit, while another seven could get $3,750 under new federal rules that go into effect on Tuesday.
Amazon has confirmed that its voice assistant service Alexa and cloud computing division Amazon Web Services (AWS) are back in business after a short outage over the weekend.
Norwegian battery startup Freyr is planning its next factory in an Atlanta suburb because a new U.S. clean energy law offers generous tax credits for local production.