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Lobbying: Big tech are the biggest spenders in Washington now

Lobbying: Big tech are the biggest spenders in Washington now

Waiting in the lobby

Move over big tobacco, big oil, big pharma and big defence — big tech is here, and they are outspending everyone when it comes to trying to influence politics in the United States.

According to the latest data (from Open Secrets), Facebook and Amazon are officially the biggest spenders in corporate lobbying of the US government, together shelling out more than $38m last year to lawyers and lobbyists.

You don't have to look very far to see why big tech are spending so much. Just this week three tech CEOs, including Mark Zuckerberg, were subject to a congressional hearing. Even if nothing concrete comes from these hearings, big tech is in the sights of regulators, and they know it. Will $19m a year in lobbying spend be enough to convince regulators to leave Facebook alone? Time will tell.

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Starbucks sells control of China business for $4 billion

Starbucks disclosed on Monday evening in a regulatory filing that it will sell control of its ailing China business to Boyu Capital for about $4 billion.

Under the agreement, Boyu will own a 60% stake in the China segment, which will become a joint venture between Boyu and Starbucks. The coffee chain will retain a 40% interest in the entity and will continue to own and license the brand and intellectual property.

Bloomberg reported earlier this year that the company was looking to sell its China segment. The American coffee giant has struggled to succeed in China, its second-largest market after the US.

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John Wayne Airport in Orange County tops the list of North America’s favorite airports

Despite a record year of passenger numbers, flight cancellations, and delays, a new survey has revealed that flyers have been increasingly satisfied about their experiences in North American airports. 

According to this year’s North America Airport Satisfaction Study from data analysts at J.D. Power, overall passenger satisfaction scores were up 10 points (on a 1,000-point scale), largely from “improvements in food, beverage and retail and ease of travel through the airport.” The annual survey measures overall traveler satisfaction across the region’s airports in seven categories (in order of importance): ease of travel, level of trust, terminal facilities, airport staff, airport departure experience, food and retail, and airport arrival experience.

Here are the regions favorites:

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