Amazon will give your overworked delivery driver $5 if you ask Alexa to say thank you

Last year, an Amazon delivery driver said that the high volume of orders during holiday season “makes life hell.” This year, these contracted workers can get a $5 tip if their customer says, “Alexa, thank my driver.” Meanwhile, news also broke today that Amazon is being sued by the DC Attorney General, seeking penalties for…

Thoma Bravo adds record $32B in new capital to fuel buyout funds

There has been widespread speculation that investors are sitting on substantial amounts of money for investing in startups and for acquisitions, depending on the firm’s goals. Today, private equity firm Thoma Bravo announced that it has raised a record $32.4 billion to be spread across three separate buyout funds. The company is assigning $24.3 billion…

Today’s best deals include a Roomba at Black Friday pricing, a Fire TV for a new record low, and half-off Paramount+ subscriptions

We gathered the best deals we could find on Dec. 7 all in one place — here are some of our top picks: BEST AMAZON DEVICE DEAL: Amazon Fire TV 75-inch Omni Series 4K UHD Smart TV — $549.99 $1,099.99 (save $550) BEST APPLE DEAL: Apple Watch Series 7 (41mm, GPS + cellular) — $339 $499 (save…

Amazon joins Open Invention Network to keep its Linux patents safe

Amazon and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have joined the patent non-aggression consortium the Open Invention Network (OIN). Founded in 2015, the OIN buys patents and then licenses them royalty-free to its members, who have all agreed not to enforce their own patents against Linux-based projects, within limits.  This can help to fight an activity that is…

Congress axes media revenue sharing bill after pushback from Google and Meta

A US government attempt to compensate publishers for web links has fallen apart, as Congress has cut the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) from the annual national defense spending bill. The measure would have made temporary exceptions to antitrust law letting media outlets negotiate revenue sharing deals, such as receiving a cut of ad…