Broadcom to acquire VMware for $61 bln; Meta updates privacy policies; Google exploring joining India’s ONDC

Broadcom has agreed to pay $61 billion for VMware, as the semiconductor giant looks to expand into cloud software for enterprises, making it the biggest tech deal this year after Microsoft’s $68 billion deal to buy games maker Activision Blizzard in January. Facebook parent Meta is updating its privacy policies. And Google is exploring ways to join India’s open network for digital commerce, Economic Times reports. Notes: Broadcom has agreed to pay $61 billion for VMware, as the semiconductor giant looks to expand into cloud software for enterprises. This will be the biggest tech deal this year after Microsoft’s $68 billion deal to buy games maker Activision Blizzard in January. The 50:50 cash-and-stock deal is at a 44 percent premium to VMware’s closing price on May 25, and the transaction is expected to close in Broadcom’s fiscal year 2023, the company said in a press release. Facebook’s parent Meta is updating its privacy policy, which willcome into effect from July 26, the company said in a blogpost yesterday. Users will be getting in-app notifications right away, though. These updates don’t allow Meta to collect, use or share your data in new ways, Michel Protti, chief privacy officer, product at Meta, said in the blog post. The updates include more detailed explanations of Meta’s privacy policy including how it uses and shares information with third parties. “And we’ve paired it with the Privacy Center and new controls to manage your experience, like who sees your posts and the topics you want to see ads about,” Protti writes. Google is in talks to find ways in which it could join India’s Open Network for Digital Commerce, Economic Times reports, citing sources familiar with the developments. This new network, ONDC, is being presented as a first-of-its-kind platform worldwide. It will make it easy for millions of small sellers in the country to go online and for consumers to find them irrespective of which app or site they use to shop. The network started with a pilot via Paytm’s buyer app, and Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart unit may also be joining it, according to ET. In more Google news, the company is highlighting how its Chromebook laptops can work in ‘zero trust’ corporate environments with its new Chrome Enterprise Connectors Framework, The Verge reports, citing a blog post from John Solomon, VP for Chrome OS at Google. The new integration system is designed to make the Chrome browser and Chrome OS devices easier for IT departments to implement with existing security, endpoint, and authentication solutions as well as other management tools. Solomon describes the new tools as a “plug and play” solution that lets other companies access Chrome OS management functions like remote-wiping a Chromebook using BlackBerry Unified Endpoint Management or flagging malware downloads with Splunk, according to The Verge. Theme music courtesy Free Music & Sounds: https://soundcloud.com/freemusicandsounds