Google denies Android favoritism, what tech bubble?, and more news

Google will be charged with violating the EU’s competition rules for allegedly favoring its own services on Android phones. Google denies favoritism. But it is only one of many American tech giants facing backlash over their “perceived dominance over how people in the 28-member bloc get access to digital services,” writes The New York Times’ Mark Scott.

Venture capitalists raised more money through March than in any quarter in the past 10 years despite (or perhaps fuelling) chatter of an impending Silicon Valley bubble. So which side is right? Perhaps both. Although VC capital grew, investments in early-stage startups — which increasingly need to show “impeccable growth, revenue, or engagement numbers” to get more than a first-round investment — fell.

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Netflix shares dropped sharply after a weak Q2 forecast that outlined growth of 500,000 U.S. subscribers (vs. Wall Street’s predicted 586,000). Netflix also has yet to “reap the benefits of its costly expansion” and prove itself top dog given increased competition (read what my colleague John Abell wrote yesterday about Amazon’s new service aimed directly at Netflix).

Call it the internet of clothing: 10 billion pieces of apparel are coming with digital enhancements that will let you check on (for example) the history of your shirt but mostly let marketers stay close at hand for after-sale engagement and to (for example) make sure your return is legit. “This is probably the biggest deal the [Internet of things] industry has had,” says Everythng CEO Niall Murphy, who is working with label giant Avery Dennison on this great leap forward, assuming you want to socialize with your pants.

New York Primaries Kick Off: The race is on (again) between presidential front-runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the city they both call home. Today’s primaries will give them the chance to create significant distance between themselves and their opponents. Polls close at 9 p.m. ET., but it’s possible we won’t know the final delegate count for at least a few days as there are technically 28 different races that need to be tallied.

WeChat, already China's most popular messaging app, is trying to crack the enterprise market. Tencent, which owns WeChat, launched WeChat Enterprise in mainland China in a move meant to “secure its position in China’s growing office-productivity software market” against competitors like Alibaba, who already operates an office-communication app called Ding Ding. For those in China looking to try out the service right away, there’s a catch: Before employees can use WeChat Enterprise, their companies must have an official Chinese business license and then register.

Cover Photo: Hot air balloons are seen over rock formations near the town of Goreme as peak tourist season begins in Turkey's famous Cappadocia region. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)