Bill Gates tests positive for COVID-19, says he's experiencing mild symptoms The 66-year-old wrote in a tweet Tuesday that he is experiencing mild symptoms and is "following the experts' advice" by isolating himself until he's healthy. Jonathan Franklin
Week in Review: Politics, viruses, and corporate giants Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with freelance journalist Jane C. Hu, political analyst and contributing columnist Joni Balter, and former publisher of Washington State Wire DJ Wilson. Kevin Kniestedt Bill Radke Play AudioListen 51 mins
FTC sues to block the $69 billion Microsoft-Activision Blizzard merger The Federal Trade Commission said Microsoft's planned takeover of the video game company could suppress competitors to Microsoft's Xbox game consoles and its growing games subscription business. The Associated Press
Microsoft's $69 billion deal to acquire Activision-Blizzard faces FTC suit In a deal that may go down as the largest video-game merger of all time, Microsoft, the maker of the Xbox, is attempting to buy Activision Blizzard, which is responsible for the games, "World of Warcraft," "Diablo," and "Call of Duty," as well as the company that makes "Candy Crush." Hans Anderson Libby Denkmann Noel Gasca Play AudioListen 15 mins
Video game testers approve the first union at Microsoft Quality assurance workers at Microsoft's ZeniMax Studios began voting on a union in December. Microsoft pledged to remain neutral through the process and let employees decide if they want to join. Ayana Archie
ZeniMax Studios forms biggest union in gaming — and the first for Microsoft Before video game players get to solve a puzzle, swing a single axe, or save that princess, a quality assurance tester has tried to break the game in thousands of different ways. That tester may also be subject to difficult contract cycles, a grueling schedule, and low compensation. Libby Denkmann Alec Cowan Play AudioListen 16 mins
Microsoft's new unlimited vacation policy may not be so simple Microsoft has a new unlimited vacation policy as of this week. Some analysts say the policy could benefit the company more than its employees. Katie Campbell Angela King Play AudioListen 6 mins
Microsoft slashes 10,000 jobs, the latest in a wave of layoffs Amazon, Salesforce and Goldman Sachs have also announced cuts during a brutal January for corporate workers. Mary Yang
Microsoft joins the chorus of tech companies announcing layoffs Big tech companies are slimming down. Amazon, Salesforce, and Twitter are just some of the companies that have announced thousands of layoffs in recent weeks. Wednesday morning, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella confirmed that the company would also be making significant layoffs. Libby Denkmann Sarah Leibovitz Play AudioListen 14 mins
As tech companies announce layoffs, the clock is ticking for immigrant workers The big news in the tech world today is, of course, the announcement from Microsoft that it’ll lay off roughly 10,000 employees by April. Other tech giants have already announced big reductions. Let’s run down some of the numbers: Twitter has cut 3,700 jobs. Meta — 11,000. Salesforce — 7,000. And today, Amazon begins its planned reduction of 18,000 people. While the leaders of these companies are largely blaming macro-economic conditions, each layoff is felt at the personal level. Libby Denkmann Alec Cowan Play AudioListen 22 mins
