David Lidsky's Blog, page 58

More than 300,000 Fords just got recalled for a brake issue you can’t ignore

The company says the software controlling electric brake boosters could malfunction while driving.

Ford is recalling more than 300,000 vehicles over concerns that problems with the power brake assist system could lead to a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued the safety notice, noting that the issue could extend stopping distances for a vehicle in motion. 

A Medicare experiment could change who gets Ozempic

The government’s five‑year experiment could be the first step toward broad public coverage of GLP‑1 drugs.

If a new experiment pans out, Medicaid and Medicare could begin covering the costly weight-loss drugs that price out many Americans who might want to try them.

The economy is limping, not booming, and the costs of Trump’s tariffs can be seen all over this week’s data

Big Tech may be thriving, but after an action-packed week of earnings and economic data, it’s hard to be bullish about much else.

If you’re interested in understanding the current state of the U.S. economy and corporate America, and what the rest of the year might look like (and who isn’t?), this was the week for you—with five days packed full of earnings reports, policy announcements, and economic data.

Why is COIN stock down today? Coinbase earnings have investors spooked

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency prices may have rallied in the second quarter of 2025, but Coinbase profits didn’t meet analyst expectations.

Coinbase, the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, reported second-quarter earnings on Thursday. Why is the stock tumbling? Here’s what to know.

Why your student debt balance may start climbing again this week

Starting today, those in the SAVE plan forbearance will see their student loan balances grow if they don’t cover interest with payments.

Millions of student loan borrowers are about to see a jump in their monthly payments. That’s because an interest-free pause under the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan has ended as of Aug. 1.

What the World Court’s latest climate change ruling means for the U.S.

The U.S. has not consented to ICJ jurisdiction in previous climate cases.

The International Court of Justice issued a landmark advisory opinion in July 2025 declaring that all countries have a legal obligation to protect and prevent harm to the climate.

Google loses appeal in antitrust battle with Epic Games

It’s a major victory for Epic Games, which launched a legal crusade against Google’s Play Store and Apple’s iPhone app store nearly five years ago.

A federal appeals court has upheld a jury verdict condemning Google’s Android app store as an illegal monopoly, clearing the way for a federal judge to enforce a potentially disruptive shakeup that’s designed to give consumers more choices.

The unanimous ruling issued Thursday by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivers a double-barreled legal blow for Google, which has been waylaid in three separate antitrust trials that resulted in different pillars of its internet empire being declared as domineering scofflaws monopolies since late 2023.

The unsuccessful appeal represents a major victory for video game maker Epic Games, which launched a legal crusade targeting Google’s Play Store for Android apps and Apple’s iPhone app store nearly five years ago in an attempt to bypass exclusive payment processing systems that charged 15% to 30% commissions on in-app transactions.

The jury’s December 2023 rebuke of Google’s app store for Android-powered smartphones began a cascade of setbacks that includes monopoly judgements against the company’s ubiquitous search engine last year and the technology underlying its digital ad network earlier this year.

Although not as lucrative as Google’s search engine or ad system, the Play Store for Android apps has long been a gold mine that generated billions of dollars in annual revenue by taking a 15% to 30% cut from in-app transactions funneled through the company’s own payment processing system.

Following a month-long trial, a nine-person jury determined that Google had rigged its system to thwart alternative app stores from offering better deals to consumers and software developers. That verdict resulted in U.S. District Judge James Donato ordering Google to tear down digital walls shielding the Play Store from competition, triggering the company’s appeal to overturn the jury’s finding and void the judge’s mandated shakeup.

But a three-judge panel that heard Google’s appeal in February rejected its lawyers’ contention that Donato erred by allowing the case to be determined by a jury that deviated from the market definition outlined by another federal judge who mostly sided with Apple in Epic’s case against the iPhone maker’s app store.

Epic’s lawsuit “was replete with evidence that Google’s anticompetitive conduct entrenched its dominance, causing the Play Store to benefit from network effects,” the judges wrote in the decision.

The ruling “will significantly harm user safety, limit choice, and undermine the innovation that has always been central to the Android ecosystem,” Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland said in a statement.

Unless Google can extend the enforcement delay placed on Donato’s order issued last October, the company will have to begin an overhaul that includes making the Play Store’s entire library of more than 2 million Android apps available to would-be rivals and also help distribute the alternative options. Google has argued that the required revisions will raise privacy and security risks by exposing consumers to scam artists and hackers masquerading as legitimate app stores.

But Epic’s lawyers have ridiculed Google’s warnings about the changes as scare tactics in a desperate attempt to protect the fortunes of its corporate parent Alphabet Inc.

Although Epic fell short in its attempt to have the iPhone’s app store declared a monopoly, that case resulted in a judge issuing an order that required Apple to surrender exclusive control over the payment processing of in-app transactions and allow links to alternative systems without collecting a commission.

Besides being hit with Donato’s order, Google still faces further trouble ahead that could leave an even bigger dent in its finances.

As part of the effort to address Google’s illegal monopoly in search, a federal judge is weighing a proposal by the U.S. Justice Department that would require the sale of its Chrome web browser and ban the multibillion dollar deals that company has been making with Apple and others to lock-in its search engine as the main gateway to the internet.

Google is also facing a proposed breakup of its advertising technology as part of the countermeasures to its monopoly in that business. A trial on that proposal is scheduled to begin in September.

How to unlock e-commerce in Africa

Small and medium-sized businesses need better credit access.

Africa’s e-commerce sector is experiencing a renaissance. In 2025, Africa’s retail e-commerce is expected to reach over $39 billion, and $55 billion by 2029. This growth is driven by ambitious brands, from contemporary fashion labels to innovative lifestyle businesses, capturing both local and international demand. These businesses are leveraging digital commerce and modern payment rails to reach more customers than ever before. E-commerce is also emerging as a critical lever to help businesses recover from economic shocks and unlock the trade potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Stop funding the wrong future

A manifesto for funding AI-native nonprofits

It’s time to admit it: Too much of the social impact sector is still funding yesterday’s solutions while claiming to advance towards a better tomorrow.

This TikToker is trying to hit every McDonald’s in the U.S. and rate them all

@donnyboys10 has already visited 275 out of 13,589 McDonald’s locations, dropping ratings and viral reviews along the way.

How many McDonald’s locations do you think you’ve been to across the U.S.? Ten, maybe twenty? One TikTok creator is aiming to hit all 13,589 of them.