Microsoft faces worker protests

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Tech Across the Globe

Rideshare agreement: Uber and Lyft backed a state-supervised way for California drivers to unionize and collectively bargain on industrywide pay and benefit guarantees, under a new legislative deal that provides the companies relief on insurance costs. 

Court hearing: South Korean prosecutors sought a 15-year prison term for Kakao founder Brian Kim, accusing the billionaire of manipulating stock prices during a takeover battle for K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment.

Stargate India: OpenAI’s globe-spanning Stargate venture to build AI data centers is eyeing India for its next location.  The ChatGPT maker is scouting local partners to set up a data center with at least 1GW of capacity in the world’s most populous country.

Revalued

Gaming technology startup PlaysOut is considering raising as much as $15 million in a round that would value the company at more than $150 million. The firm, which raised $7 million in seed money in March, offers a platform and tools that allow mini-games to be published inside super apps such as Tencent’s WeChat.

Must Read

A group of Microsoft employees, angered by the company’s business with Israel in light of the war in Gaza, distracted security at the Redmond, Washington, headquarters, last week and occupied President Brad Smith’s office for a few minutes, Matt Day reports in today’s Tech In Depth. It’s the latest protest movement among Big Tech workers, but it’s uncertain how long it will continue in the face of firings and other responses from Microsoft, he writes.

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This Week in Soundbite

Kill Tony , a comedy podcast with a Netflix distribution deal, filled up Madison Square Garden last year and again recently, making $3.8 million through those two shows, per Pollstar, Ashley Carman reports in this week’s Soundbite. Live podcasts, once conceived of as basement comedy club affairs, are becoming a big business, she writes.

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