iWorld
Global app downloads totalled 36.1 bn in Q4 2021
Mumbai: Global app downloads reached 36.1 billion in Q4 2021, a 2.7 per cent year-over-year increase on Google Play, according to the latest data published by Sensor Tower.
The mobile app space is still in a state of transformation amid the ongoing global pandemic. While categories such as shopping, finance, and entertainment dominated the download list, others too bounced back amid the pandemic lockdowns across the world.
According to Sensor Tower’s Q4 202 Store Intelligence Data Digest, finance and tools were among the quarter’s top categories with 39 per cent and 26 per cent year-over-year growth on Google Play, respectively. However, cryptocurrency and investing apps gained momentum with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) emerging as a top trend.
Instagram had its best quarter since at least 2014, with installs up 10 per cent from its previous high in Q32021. Instagram was Meta’s first app to take the top spot since Whatsapp in Q42019.
The last quarter was also the second time in the past two years that Tik Tok was not the top app by worldwide downloads. The last app to surpass Tik Tok in a quarter was Zoom in Q2 2020.
Meanwhile, record-breaking eight mobile games, including PUBG Mobile from Tencent, Honor of Kings from Tencent, and Genshin Impact from miHoYo generated more than $1 billion globally from the App Store and Google Play in 2021. PUBG Mobile, localised as Game For Peace in China and Battlegrounds Mobile in India, and Honor of Kings rank as the number one and number two revenue-generating mobile titles worldwide this year, accumulating $2.8 billion each, up nine per cent and 14.7 per cent year-over-year, respectively.
iWorld
OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk’s lawsuit ahead of trial
Company calls claims “baseless” and accuses Musk of trying to disrupt a rival.
MUMBAI: When the stakes are measured in billions and egos are involved, even Silicon Valley titans can turn a courtroom into a battlefield. OpenAI has issued a sharp public response to Elon Musk’s ongoing lawsuit, accusing the billionaire of filing the case to harass a competitor rather than address genuine concerns. In a strongly worded statement shared on its official X account, OpenAI described Musk’s allegations as “baseless” and suggested the lawsuit is an attempt to disrupt the company as the case heads toward trial later this month in Oakland, California.
The response comes after Musk’s legal team recently amended the complaint, proposing that any damages potentially exceeding $150 billion should go to OpenAI’s nonprofit entity rather than to Musk personally. OpenAI questioned the timing and motive behind this change, calling it a late-stage attempt to “pretend to change his tune” on the nonprofit structure.
The company further labelled the lawsuit a “harassment campaign”, arguing that Musk’s actions are driven by personal rivalry, ego, and a desire for greater control and financial upside.
At the heart of the dispute is Musk’s claim that OpenAI has abandoned its original nonprofit mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. A co-founder who left in 2018, Musk is seeking governance changes, including the removal of CEO Sam Altman from the nonprofit board, and the return of certain financial gains linked to Altman and President Greg Brockman.
OpenAI has firmly rejected these allegations, maintaining that its current hybrid structure, a public-benefit corporation overseen by a nonprofit parent remains true to its long-term goals. The company has also previously accused Musk of anti-competitive behaviour aimed at weakening its leadership.
As the case prepares for a jury trial, this public exchange highlights the deepening rift between two of the most influential figures in the AI revolution and raises broader questions about governance, mission, and power in the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence.
In the high-stakes game of AI, it seems the real drama isn’t just inside the models, it’s playing out in courtrooms too.
