Tech Roundup: Amazon as Grocery Retailer, Tumblr Tip Jar & More

[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]

• The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) designates Amazon as a grocery retailer, subject to the same rules followed by supermarket chains with strict regulations on vendor relations.
• Microsoft lays out new Open App Store Principles to "ensure we’re providing the best possible experience for creators and customers of all sizes," including equal treatment and allowing third-party payment processing, in a bid to sidestep regulatory scrutiny faced by the likes of Apple and Google over their tight control of the app marketplaces in iOS and Android.
• Disney adds 11.8 million new Disney+ subscribers in Q1 2022, touching196.4 million total paying subscribers across its family of streaming services, including Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu. (Netflix added 8.3 million new subscribers last quarter, bringing its global total to 222 million.)
• Uber reports revenue of US$ 5.78 billion, up 83% YoY, and net income of US$ 892 million, as delivery gross bookings surge 34% YoY to US$ 13.4 billion and mobility gross bookings jump 67% YoY to US$ 11.3 billion.
• Meta-owned Facebook Messenger adds Vanish Mode to chat messages, bringing feature parity amidst the company's continued push at integrating WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger; also rolls out a "Split Payments" feature to all iOS and Android users in the U.S.
• Reddit expands Talk, the platform's Clubhouse-like audio-only chatrooms, with support for recordings and unveils plans to roll out the feature to desktop web later this month.
• WordPress' sister platform Tumblr launches a tip jar, initially in the U.S., on iOS, Android, and the web; to neither take a cut nor use Apple or Google's billing systems (though standard credit card fees apply).
• The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) clears the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia, paving the way for combining Warner Bros.’ TV and movie assets with Discovery’s huge catalog of television programming.
• Samsung unveils Galaxy S22, S22+ and Ultra (replacing the Note lineup) smartphones alongside Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+ and Tab S8 Ultra tablets at its annual Unpacked event; promises "up to four generations of One UI and Android OS upgrades" and five years of security updates for its flagship devices.
• Microsoft-owned LinkedIn tests a no-politics setting for select U.S. users' feeds, filtering out content about political parties and candidates and election outcomes.