Microsoft has closed on its approximately $16 billion acquisition of speech recognition company Nuance.
The deal, which was announced last year, helps Washington-based Microsoft become better entrenched in hospitals and the health care industry through Nuance's widely-used medical dictation and transcription tools. The acquisition is Microsoft's largest yet after its $26bn purchase of career networking service LinkedIn in 2016.
Nuance’s artificial intelligence technology helped power Apple’s Siri digital voice assistant upon its release on iPhones more than a decade ago. The Burlington, Massachusetts-based company has since shifted focus to physicians and other tailored uses of its Dragon line of voice recognition tools.
Microsoft announced it was buying the company in April 2021 but faced a setback in December when British regulators said they were opening an investigation into whether it could result in a “substantial lessening of competition” in the UK market. The British agency announced it cleared that deal on Wednesday.
The merger was separately cleared later in December by regulators in the European Union, which Britain left in 2020. The EU’s highest antitrust authority said Microsoft and Nuance “offer very different products” and would continue to face strong competition in their respective markets.
Microsoft continued to shop this year, in January announcing that it would spend nearly $70bn to acquire video game maker Activision Blizzard.
Mark Benjamin will continue to serve as chief executive of Nuance and report to Scott Guthrie, the head of Microsoft's cloud computing and artificial intelligence division.
Shares of Microsoft declined slightly amid a broader market sell-off on Friday.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Price, base / as tested: Dh101,140 / Dh113,800
Engine: Turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 148hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm @ 2,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed CVT
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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2. Prayer
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4. Shahada
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
