Capital One Financial’s monumental $35.3 billion deal to acquire Discover Financial has sent ripples through the financial industry, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape for payments behemoths Visa and Mastercard. The all-stock transaction, announced on Monday, heralds a significant shift in the payments ecosystem and could pave the way for regulatory approval, albeit amidst concerns from certain quarters. The acquisition positions Capital One to leverage Discover’s extensive network of payments processing and settlement…

Google has recently implemented significant layoffs across various teams, including the Voice Assistant, hardware, engineering, and ad sales departments. This move underscores the tech industry’s ongoing trend of reducing workforce expenses to streamline operations and prioritize key product initiatives. Hundreds of employees within the Voice Assistant unit, as well as teams responsible for Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit products, have been affected by the layoffs. Additionally, a considerable portion of the augmented reality…