Month: January 2021

Enlarge / Exterior view of a Googleplex building, the corporate headquarters of Google and parent company Alphabet, May 2018. (credit: Getty Images | zphotos)

More than 225 workers at Google have formally launched a company-wide union membership drive, following an increasing drive toward organization inside the company over the past several years.

All 120,000 people who work for Google parent company Alphabet, including temporary, contract, and part-time workers, will be eligible for membership in the Alphabet Workers Union, according to a joint statement from the union and the Communications Workers of America, of which it is a part.

"Our company's motto used to be, 'don't be evil,'" the chair and vice chair of the new union wrote in a New York Times op-ed. "An organized workforce will help us live up to it."

Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin. (credit: TechCrunch)

Ether, the native currency of the Ethereum network and the second most valuable cryptocurrency, has soared above $1,000 for the first time since 2018. The rise is part of a broad cryptocurrency boom inspired by the continued rise in bitcoin's price.

Last month, bitcoin rose above $20,000, smashing its previous all-time record of around $19,500. Since then, it has continued to rise, breaking above $30,000 in recent days. As I write this, one bitcoin is worth around $31,000.

Cryptocurrencies tend to rise and fall together. So it's not surprising that other virtual currencies are also on the rise. Ether has seen dramatic gains over the last year. At the start of 2020, one ether was worth around $140. The price rose to around $600 in late November, the same month bitcoin started flirting with a new record. In the last few days, ether has been on a tear, rising from $600 on Christmas Day to more than $1,000 today.

Enlarge (credit: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

For the past few years, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has been looking to get married. After its advances were spurned by the likes of General Motors and Volkswagen, a merger with France's Renault looked possible, until FCA boss Sergio Marchionne died in 2018. Then, in October, news arrived that FCA had found a new French friend—Peugeot SA. On Monday, Peugeot's shareholders voted to approve the merger.

The new company, called Stellantis, will be headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, with its shares listed on exchanges in Milan, New York, and Paris. The combination of its 14 brands will make Stellantis the world's fourth-largest automaker, bringing Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, and Ram (FCA's brands) together with Citroen, DS, Opel, Peugeot, and Vauxhall (PSA's brands) under the same roof.

As mergers go, this one looks pretty sensible. Jeep and Ram have been FCA's two real success stories, which has meant the company has had to rely on North American sales. PSA, on the other hand, has no real presence in North America but has strong sales in Europe, as well as more modern vehicle architectures and a more advanced electrification program.

Enlarge / Just some of the prizes you could win by entering this year's sweepstakes.

Just before the holiday break, I implored you all to donate to the 2020 Ars Charity Drive sweepstakes and help us beat our previous annual Charity Drive record of $38,861. In the weeks since, Ars readers have come through with flying colors. If you weren't one of those readers, don't worry—you still have one final chance to join them today.

Thus far, over 700 readers have donated a record $51,000+ to either the Electronic Frontier Foundation or Child's Play as part of the 2020 charity drive (Child's Play is now leading in the donation totals by about $3,000). That's already an absolute shattering of 2016's previous annual record, and it brings the lifetime Ars Charity Drive haul close to $390,000 since 2007.

Today is the last day for the 2020 Charity Drive, so if you missed your chance to give during the holiday break, don't delay! See below for instructions on how to enter, and check out the Charity Drive kickoff post for a complete list of available prizes.