Chris O'Brien
Judge shoots down settlement in Apple, Google hiring collusion case
US District Judge Lucy H. Koh rejected a proposed settlement in a case involving Apple and Google in which they were accused of secretly agreeing not to hire each others' employees.
The $324.5 million deal was part of a case that originally involved several of Silicon Valley's biggest companies. The settlement was reached in a case that had already proved deeply embarrassing to the tech companies involved.
Intel and Adobe Systems were also named in the lawsuit brought by former employees of the companies. To thwart even more disclosures, the companies announced a settlement to avoid a trial in the spring of 2014. Judge Koh said the payment was too low.
Silicon Valley heading toward another tech bubble, some investors say
Venture capital rising to levels not seen since 2001. Companies with no profits going public. Billions of dollars being paid for start-ups.
These and other signs that the tech boom may be taking an irrational turn are leading some notable investors to utter the dreaded word "bubble," waking up the ghosts of an era many in Silicon Valley would prefer to keep buried.
Apple campaign touts progress on reducing environmental impact
Under Chief Executive Tim Cook, Apple has become increasingly vocal about its efforts to reduce the company's effect on the environment.
The company launched a revamped website that highlights its progress and discloses some new efforts as well. The new site, which includes a solemn video narrated by Cook, coincides with Earth Day (which has already started in some parts of the world) and announces Apple's lofty goal: "We want to leave the world better than we found it."
"Better," says Cook in the video. "It's a powerful word. And a powerful idea. It makes us look at the world and want more than anything to change it for the better."
Though Apple has previously made disclosures about its environmental impact, the new site dramatically expands the scope and detail in terms of efforts to reduce harmful materials in its products and progress toward using only renewable energy at its facilities.
Just recently, Apple was praised by Greenpeace for reducing its reliance on so-called "conflict materials" that come from areas subject to human rights abuses. The environmental group also recently lauded Apple for having among the most environmentally friendly data centers in the tech industry. Indeed, according to the new website, Apple's data centers now run on 100% renewable energy. And across all Apple facilities, the company uses 94% renewable energy, up from 35% in 2010.