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Google Buys Local Recommendations App-Maker Clever Sense

Google has acquired Clever Sense, makers of the Alfred app for Android, for an undisclosed sum. Dubbed “Pandora for the real world,” Alfred is a app in the form of a personal robot. Alfred can learn users’ tastes when they teach it about their favorite places, and recommends places based on user favorites.

Babak Pahlavan, co-founder and CEO of Clever Sense, writes the company will join hands with Google in “curating the world around us.” “Discovering local information is extremely important to both users and businesses, and the acquisition of Clever Sense will benefit both,” he adds.

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Vercel raises $250M

San Francisco-based Vercel, a frontend cloud platform provider, has secured $250 million in Series E funding, bringing the company's valuation to $3.25 billion.

Worky raises $6M (Mexico)

Mexico City-based Worky, a provider of HR and payroll software solutions for Mexican companies, has closed a $6 million Series A financing round.

Amazon announces $1.31B investment in France

Amazon has announced a new investment of about $1.31 billion (€1.2 billion) in France, which the company says will lead to the creation of over 3,000 permanent jobs in the country.

Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky to step down — CNBC

Adam Selipsky, CEO of Amazon’s cloud computing business, will step down from his role next month. Matt Garman, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Amazon Web Services, will succeed Mr. Selipsky after he exits the company June 3, writes Annie Palmer. 

Palo Alto Networks, Accenture expand alliance to offer generative AI services

Palo Alto Networks and Accenture have announced the expansion of their strategic alliance to provide new offerings that combine Palo Alto Networks' Precision AI technology with Accenture's secure generative AI services.