Biden signs order for the US to buy electric; Amazon fined $1.3 bln in Italy; Architect Balkrishna Doshi named for RIBA gold medal 2022

US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on December 8 outlining a multi-billion-dollar plan for the federal government to achieve ‘net zero’ by 2050, The Verge reports. Under the plan, the US government will switch to electric vehicles, upgrade federal buildings, and use the power of the government to shift to cleaner forms of electricity. The government will stop purchasing petrol-powered passenger cars in 2027 but would only achieve 100 percent electric vehicle purchases by 2035. Biden’s order will direct the government to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 65 percent by the end of the decade before reaching full carbon neutrality by 2050. Amazon has been fined € 1.13 billion ($1.28 billion) by Italy's anti-trust regulator, CNBC reports. The Italian competition regulator, AGCM, has found that Amazon abused its market dominance by promoting its own logistics service, called Fulfilment Amazon. It claimed businesses had to use the FBA service to access benefits such as selling products with Prime delivery and participation in Black Friday sales. Amazon said, it "strongly disagrees" with the decision, and would appeal. Instagram's chief Adam Mosseri has called on US lawmakers to help regulate the platform, at a Senate hearing on December 8, which examined the harmful impact of social media on the mental health of teen users, BBC reports. Mosseri argued that Instagram is actively working to address the app's negative effects. However, he called for the creation of industry-wide regulations to police how social media platforms can operate. Inrupt, a startup co-founded by Tim Berners-Lee—widely credited as the leading figure in the creation of the internet—has raised about $30 million in Series A funding, TechCrunch reports. Forte Ventures led Inrupt’s new round, the two said on Thursday, but both declined to disclose the size of the deal. The round saw participation from all existing investors, including Akamai Technologies and Glasswing Ventures, as well as new investors Allstate and the Minderoo Foundation’s Frontier Technology Initiative. At Inrupt, Berners-Lee, the creator of the standards of the world wide web, and co-founder John Bruce are attempting to “reshape the internet” by building a platform that gives users control of their data. Miro, a visuals-based collaboration software maker, is seeking $17 billion in a new round of venture capital funding, Financial Times reports. The 10-year old startup describes itself as an online whiteboard platform for team collaboration. Miro’s ‘infinite canvas’ enables teams to lead engaging workshops and meetings, design products, and brainstorm ideas. Miro claims 25 million users worldwide, including more than 100,000 enterprise customers and 95 percent of the world’s 100 biggest companies. Miro was founded by Andrey Khusid and Oleg Shardin in 2011. Meanwhile, Pleo, a Danish startup that makes expense management tools aimed at SMBs, has raised $200 million in fresh funding that doubles its value to $4.7 billion, TechCrunch reports. Jeppe Rindom, Pleo’s co-founder and CEO, said it will use the money for acquisitions, accelerating expansion to new markets, adding more functionality to its product. Pleo helps SMBs issue company cards and better manage how employees spend money. Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi has been awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal for 2022, Dezeen magazine reports. Awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and personally approved by the Queen, the Royal Gold Medal celebrates those who have shaped the "advancement of architecture”. Doshi was selected in recognition of his 70-year career and his influence on the direction of architecture in India.

Om Podcasten

Every week day, Forbes India's Hari Arakali, Editor - Tech & Innovation, brings you his take on one piece of tech news that caught his attention, covering everything from big tech to India's growing tech startup ecosystem.