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TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

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Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#121

Post by babypuncher »

alaricus wrote: post #107
acchow wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For example ISP-level adblocking. Google could circumvent this if ISPs tried this. How would an ISP block ads coming in encrypted as normal content?

The same way as PiHole does. It's not hard to block Google adds on 3rd party sites with a DNS or IP-level block.

If advertisers felt motivated enough, circumventing PiHole would be trivial. Since all they do is block DNS requests based on a blacklist, an ad company just needs to serve their content from a trusted domain. Google owns plenty of domains which few PiHole users are likely to tolerate being blacklisted. They already do this with ads on YouTube.

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#122

Post by perlgeek »

tdfx wrote: post #88
scotty79 wrote: post #85

I used to work for TomTom maybe 10 years ago. I was there when Google started offering turn by turn navigation for free. Other issue was live traffic information. As you might imagine all this caused some concern among employees because that was, I think, the main source of revenue for the company. They were already doing some other stuff like fitness wearables but they didn't seem to be leaning into it. Main idea fo…

If it makes you feel better, Google doesn't have a second gold vein yet, either.

What about cloud?

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#123

Post by ratww »

alaricus wrote: post #111
acchow wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If ISPs actually tried to do this en-masse, Google would move all ad serving to google.com

This is basically what youtube is doing. PiHole does not work on Youtube, but uBlock origin does (so does NewPipe, FreeTube and a bunch of software). This would solve Google's immediate problem, but it's such a huge escalation that I expect lots of unintended effects not to Google's benefit. There is a reason they haven't done this, despite widespread adblocking use.

Yeah, the industry is definitely moving to that. Admiral, probably the most known ad-blocker-blocker already successfully circumvents PiHole and other DNS blocking by being served by the same domain.

I also expect Google to double down on Chrome Manifest v3 limitations if ad-blocking keeps getting more popular. Or even using DNS-over-HTTPS as a default on Chrome if ISP blocking ever becomes a thing.

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#124

Post by perlgeek »

scarface74 wrote: post #92
alFReD-NSH wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something that most commenters are missing is that TomTom's most revenue comes from B2B deals, which are mostly deals with automotive companies for car screens experience and also providing maps data for products like Bing Maps.

And most consumers would much rather have either CarPlay or Android Auto than the crappy software that is made my the manufacturers.

... and yet car makers still feel obliged to provide turn-based navigation out of the box.

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#125

Post by random314 »

tdfx wrote: post #88
scotty79 wrote: post #85

I used to work for TomTom maybe 10 years ago. I was there when Google started offering turn by turn navigation for free. Other issue was live traffic information. As you might imagine all this caused some concern among employees because that was, I think, the main source of revenue for the company. They were already doing some other stuff like fitness wearables but they didn't seem to be leaning into it. Main idea fo…

If it makes you feel better, Google doesn't have a second gold vein yet, either.

Isn't the phrase gold mine?

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#126

Post by rompic »

chzblck wrote: post #50

I know most people in the states think of them as the old Navi company but in europe they are the market leader in telematics (tracking driving) Also up until 2020 they were supplying apple maps with map data.

TomTom telematics afaik was sold to Bridgestone and is called webfleet now.

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#127

Post by chiefstorm »

wonderbore wrote: post #100
alaricus wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google is fk'ed if wide-scale ad blocking really picks up. For example ISP-level adblocking.

Of course they’re not. It just might get more complicated for users but it’d be super easy for them to set up cloaking. uBlock could deal with that, ISP won’t. Either way that will never happen obviously; Why would an ISP “block ads”? They’re literally hosting Google hardware (specifically YouTube’s cache)

In France, Free (one of the major telcos) has done exactly that. They block ads from the router that they give to their subscribers.

I guess they may be doing that to save bandwidth... They also have a tendency to offer features that few of their subscribers use, or even know about (some of their routers come with built-in VPN servers and torrent seedboxes).

In French: https://www.universfreebox.com/article/19260/Comment-fonctio...

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#128

Post by [deleted] »

grvdrm wrote: post #110
scarface74 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And most consumers would much rather have either CarPlay or Android Auto than the crappy software that is made my the manufacturers.

Is that true? Not saying you are wrong but is it just an anecdote? I anecdotally know lots of people that just use their car GPS and don’t bother with CarPlay/AA

[deleted]

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#129

Post by jpgvm »

ChrisLomont wrote: post #75
jrockway wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're right. Garmin has other big-ticket lines of business (Marine, Aviation) but "Fitness" is where they're making most of their money: https://www8.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/reports/202... "Auto" is notably sitting in last place. I'm surprised that you can make more money from bike accessories than from aircraft avionics, but I guess everyone needs a bike accessory and nobody really NEEDS a G1000…

>I'm surprised that you can make more money from bike accessories than from aircraft avionics Maybe if you're Garmin, and make very little aircraft avionics. They've never made much on it, since they only make a tiny piece of what aircraft use. Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, GE (still in the game?) make enough on aircraft avionics to buy Garmin many times over. Garmin never made it into the space of high end aircra…

Flew yesterday in a Cessna 172 with G1000 glass cockpit for the first time. It's a pretty sweet product so hopefully they find more success in avionics.

Re: TomTom to cut 10% of jobs due to improved automation

#130

Post by sp332 »

agloeregrets wrote: post #104
tdfx wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it makes you feel better, Google doesn't have a second gold vein yet, either.

Google bought their other Gold. Youtube, Android, Google Search on iOS, ChromeOS. All of it is a moat to protect the first.

YouTube doesn't make a lot of money. Android might if you include the Play store.
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