Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard King for $69 Billion on 2023-10-13

True I couldn’t find any more recent articles about that. A lot could changed since then.
And that doesn't mean they aren't happy, they may just be keeping quiet because of the ongoing legal actions. It's an unknown at this point.
 
And that doesn't mean they aren't happy, they may just be keeping quiet because of the ongoing legal actions. It's an unknown at this point.

I could see some that would be afraid to say anything in case the acquisition gets denied and then they are stuck with their current employers who now might not look so kindly on them if they talked at length about how much better it would be to work under the MS umbrella. Especially if they are part of the group attempting to form a Union and if the ABK deal doesn't go through and it gets squashed.

Regards,
SB
 
I find the US labour laws perplexing. If people have a legal right to form a union, why are so many US employers opposed to it and how do employers legally prevent it if it's a legal right?

As a European, unions are just a thing.
 
I find the US labour laws perplexing. If people have a legal right to form a union, why are so many US employers opposed to it and how do employers legally prevent it if it's a legal right?

As a European, unions are just a thing.
Exactly...
If there are laws in the US about this, how can Activision oppose a union? Can't the workers sue, and advance anyway?
If in the US a union has to be approved by the company, then there are no laws and everyone does as it pleases.
I just don't understand this, because as you say, in Europe, unions are just a thing.
 
Goes back to like the 1930s. American businesses realized the country was headed for European style socialism if they let the labor movement get any kind of momentum.

They made sure to kill it.

Tech companies started up in the '70s and 80s as non union shops. They do everything they can to keep unions out.
 
I find the US labour laws perplexing. If people have a legal right to form a union, why are so many US employers opposed to it and how do employers legally prevent it if it's a legal right?

As a European, unions are just a thing.

Federally, it's not a legal right, but it's not illegal. There's no prohibition to forming a Union, but businesses aren't legally bound to allow a union. There are however, laws about whether or how a business can oppose the formation of a union. These came about due to some violent confrontations between some (a small minority) businesses and workers attempting to form a union which resulted in the death of some of the workers.

So, while there is nothing preventing workers from trying to start a union, there's also nothing preventing Businesses from just hiring other people that are willing to work without being part of a union. And there's a lot of people in the US who would prefer not to work as part of a Union since being a member of a Union means tithing some percentage of their pay as membership dues.

Now some states may make it a legal right but others do not. I'm obviously not familiar with all the laws on the books for all 50 states. :p

As well, some states force workers to be part of a union if a union exists at a job site. In other words at a unionized job site, it is illegal to work there unless you are a member of the union(s) involved at that job site. Some states on the other hand allow workers the freedom to choose whether they want to be part of the union or not.

Also, some companies may force workers to be part of a Union as part of the negotiated deal between the Union and the business.

Regards,
SB
 
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BTW, MS retracted one of their arguments that the FTC is unconstitutional.

A lot of articles are presenting what I take as the wrong view of this. They originally filed with it to preserve their ability to appeal any decisions should they desire on those grounds.

Many take the view that this move was done for expediency and they are working towards an agreement. Whether that's the reality is not known right now.
 
A lot of articles are presenting what I take as the wrong view of this. They originally filed with it to preserve their ability to appeal any decisions should they desire on those grounds.

Many take the view that this move was done for expediency and they are working towards an agreement. Whether that's the reality is not known right now.
This is exactly why they did it. It was 100% intentional to include it.. and it's 100% intentional to retract it.
 

Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Nvidia Corp. have expressed concerns to the Federal Trade Commission about Microsoft Corp.’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., adding fuel to the government’s case against the $69 billion deal, according to people familiar with the matter. The companies joined Sony Group Corp. in raising issues with the transaction, which the FTC sued to block in December. The commission has argued that the deal would hinder competition in the video-game industry and has scheduled an in-house trial for August. Either company could be called to testify as part of the FTC trial. Google and Nvidia provided information that backs a key FTC contention — that Microsoft could gain an unfair advantage in the market for cloud, subscription and mobile gaming — according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the process is confidential. In its remarks to the FTC, Nvidia stressed the need for equal and open access to game titles but didn’t directly oppose the acquisition, according to one of the people
 
Is Microsoft one of the publishers that rejected any of their titles from being available on GeForce Now?
 
Is Microsoft one of the publishers that rejected any of their titles from being available on GeForce Now?
Probably.
VERY high probability.
but to be fair...
ABK never signed with GFN and would never move their services to streaming without this type of acquisition, so seems like a moot point.
A lot of folks pulled on GFN.
At about the same time.

The future of cloud streaming is…complicated​

So, from the looks of it, this disagreement is over the fact that there’s a public-facing and commercial product being used to stream these games, according to The Verge. While GeForce NOW was in beta, and subsequently when NVIDIA wasn’t charging for access, there wasn’t a single issue with Activision. But, now that NVIDIA is charging for the service, the companies aren’t very happy as to how things are being handled.
 
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Probably.
VERY high probability.
but to be fair...
ABK never signed with GFN and would never move their services to streaming without this type of acquisition, so seems like a moot point.
A lot of folks pulled on GFN.
At about the same time.
It makes sense. Nvidia is basicly charging a subscription to access other companies games. I would imagine that any dev/publisher would want a cut of the sub fee.
 
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