eBay continues to bet on live shopping after record quarter
eBay touted an increase in eBay Live’s gross merchandise volume as it plans to expand it to more international markets in the coming weeks and months.
Commerce
Ex-Spotify employees raise $10M to bring the AI behind its recommendations to e-commerce
The startup’s platform predicts what product a shopper wants next, learn their general taste, and fine-tune continuously based on what they do in real time.
eBay reaches $56M settlement with e-commerce newsletter writers it terrorized in 2019
Ina and David Steiner inspired the ire of high-level eBay executives after occasionally criticizing the company in their newsletter. In 2019, a plot was concocted to intimidate the couple into halting their negative coverage.
Uber’s $14.8B Delivery Hero deal would nearly double its global footprint
Uber has agreed to acquire Delivery Hero in a $14.8 billion all-stock deal that would nearly double the company’s global footprint and create one of the world’s largest food-delivery platforms outside China.
Yes, you can now order DoorDash from the command line
DoorDash is opening a limited beta of dd-cli, a command-line tool that lets developers and AI agents search stores, build carts, and place orders from the terminal, marking another step toward software designed for AI agents instead of just humans.
Apple quietly reveals how its Maps ads will differ from Google’s
Apple has published the policies governing its upcoming Maps advertising business, revealing a strategy that differs from Google’s. The new rules prohibit home services businesses like plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, and roofers from advertising on Apple Maps, along with several other sensitive categories, suggesting Apple is taking a more curated approach to these ads.
Whatnot acquires Shaped to power real-time live shopping recommendations
Livestream shopping platform Whatnot has acquired AI startup Shaped, a machine learning company focused on real-time recommendations and search. The deal will bolster Whatnot’s personalization and discovery features as it expands into new product categories.
Google will now disclose which ads are made with AI
While Google prohibits misleading and deceptive ads, an ad can still leverage AI to create some type of synthetic or digitally altered content. Until now, that’s something Google only required election ads to disclose.