ALSO I N BUSINESS
T-mobile US said Wednesday that it would buy Ka’ena, the owner of budget service provider Mint Mobile, which is backed by actor Ryan Reynolds, for up to $1.35 billion, as the telecom operator looks to maintain growth in a competitive market. The deal will allow T-mobile to tap a larger share of the pay-asyou-go customer base, whose numbers are expected to swell as credit-challenged people shy away from hefty monthly bills. It will also provide a boost to TMobile’s business at a time when promotions from rivals Verizon and AT&T have driven up its churn rate, which refers to the percentage of customers who stop using a service.
Honda is recalling a half-million vehicles in the United States and Canada because the front seat belts may not latch properly. The recall covers some of the automaker’s top-selling models including the 2017 through 2020 CR-V, the 2018 and 2019 Accord, the 2018 through 2020 Odyssey and the 2019 Insight. Also included is the Acura RDX from the 2019 and 2020 model years. Honda says in documents posted Wednesday by U.S. safety regulators that the surface coating on the channel for the buckle can deteriorate over time. The release button can shrink against the channel at lower temperatures, increasing friction and stopping the buckle from latching. If the buckle doesn’t latch, a driver or passenger may not be restrained in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Hundreds of Google employees
staged a walkout Wednesday at the company’s office in Zurich, after more than 200 workers were laid off. In January, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs around the world, equivalent to 6 percent of its global workforce. The decision came amid a wave of job cuts across corporate America. Workers at Google’s Zurich office, home to about 5,000 employees, already staged a walkout last month, protesting the impending layoffs. A representative for IT workers union Syndicom said more than 2,000 staff members had offered to reduce their wages and working hours in an attempt to prevent job cuts. Google apparently rejected this proposal.