Google Probe Finds No Antitrust Issues
Morning Business Memo…
Federal regulators spent more than a year and a half looking into whether Google favored its own products in search results. They didn't come up with much. The Federal Trade Commission has decided not to bring charges. The announcement is a blow to Microsoft and other Google competitors. Google is by far the biggest name in search. The company has argued its search engine benefits users. The commission says Google has voluntarily agreed to license some patents to mobile phone rivals and stop the practice of including snippets from other websites in its search results. Read our full story.
Apple's iPhone and Google's Android continue to gain market share in the smart phone market, while other competitors continue to lose ground, according to the latest report by ComScore. Mashable reports: "In the three-month period ending November 2012, Google had a 53.7% share up from 52.6% in August. Apple's market share rose from 34.3% to 35%, while RIM, Microsoft and Symbian all lost market share, dropping to 7.3%, 3% and 0.5% respectively."
Many Americans, especially younger workers, are looking for something different in their next job: stability. A new report from the Council on Employee Benefits says priorities are shifting for many job seekers. "We're looking for places that offer long-term opportunities," says Meghan Casserly of Forbes Magazine. "It used to be the trend that workers were looking to work for the next big thing - for the Google or some cool place where they could bring their dog to work. And now, more and more, we're looking for mature, more established companies that we can plan for the long term. People aren't just happy to have a job anymore." Compensation is important, Casserly tells ABC News Radio, but younger workers don't want work to be all consuming. "The issues of balancing work life with our home life have become they're for everybody. It's no longer a woman's issue."
University professor is the least stressful job you can have, says a career website. CareerCast.com says teaching at the college level combines a median annual salary of more than $62,000 with prestige and a comfortable environment. "Their students are largely those who choose the classes they attend, and thus want to be in class," the website said. "Unlike elementary and secondary educators, the performance of college professors isn't evaluated based on standardized tests." The website says enlisted men and women in the armed forces have the most stressful jobs.
Actor Patrick Dempsey may have scored a win against Starbucks in his bid to buy a small coffee chain in Seattle. The actor, who played Dr. McDreamy in the hit TV series, Grey's Anatomy, told a KOMO-TV reporter that his investment group appears to have the winning bid for Tully's Coffee. He noted that a bankruptcy judge will have the final say next week, but tweeted "We got it! Thank you Seattle!" Tully's Coffee has 47 company-owned locations in Washington and California. Tully's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October. After the auction, Starbucks spokesman Zack Hutson confirmed his company participated and "is currently in a back-up position" for some of Tully's assets.
Richard Davies Business Correspondent ABC NEWS Radio ABCNews.com twitter.com/daviesabc
