Will Silicon Valley Companies Band Against Google? As the Federal Trade Commission officially launches an antitrust probe into Google’s competitive behavior, Silicon Valley is wondering which companies will offer evidence for or against the search giant. During the case against Microsoft, the industry banded against Redmond, with companies ranging from Apple to Intel providing the government with both evidence and witnesses to testify. Politico Silicon Valley's More Exciting Than Wall Street for Data Analysts: Professionals who excel in math and statistics are more enamored with Silicon Valley tech firms than Wall Street financial firms. The reason: Financial regulation and formal hierarchies in investment banks can make young data analysts feel stuck, while helping launch a start-up offers more freedom and exposure. Financial Times Skype Sale Short Changes Former Employees: When private equity firm Silver Lake agreed to sell Skype to Microsoft, it pocketed more than $4 billion. But Skype employees lost out because of the way the deal was structured, contrary to the way the Valley's VCs usually operate. New York Times China's Huawei Seeks Talent, But Congress Could Get in the Way: Huawei wants to develop new hardware and software for telecom networks and corporate computer systems. Last year, the company more than doubled the staff at its Santa Clara research center to 430 employees. This year, it wants to hire 200 more. However, members of Congress contend the company's efforts to acquire technology or sell communications gear to U.S. carriers could pose a threat to national security. San Jose Mercury News San Francisco Offers Tax Incentives to Tech Companies: The tax breaks are for businesses that relocate to the city’s blighted neighborhoods. Twitter was the first to take advantage by opening an office on mid-Market Street. But some question whether San Francisco’s efforts will revitalize areas when companies like Twitter have employee cafeterias, which keep employees in the office and out of the neighborhood. New York Times Zynga's $1 Billion IPO Will Be Good for Facebook: Zynga, the creator of the four most popular Facebook games, announced plans to raise $1 billion in an IPO, which would make it the biggest offering for a U.S. Web company since Google went public in 2004. Among other things, the money will help Zynga pay for $500 million worth of advertising on Faceboook. Bloomberg Patent Reform Could Lead to a Local Patent Office: Silicon Valley accounted for 12.5 percent of last year's U.S. patents, so the region seems an ideal place to locate a new federal patent office. New legislation calls for a third patent office to be established, and while the location hasn't been decided, there's much speculation it will be in Silicon Valley. San Jose Mercury News