[BIG TECH]

SoftBank Group Corp. is pursuing a $10 billion loan to refinance debt tied to its investment in OpenAI. The funding move comes as the Japanese conglomerate manages its exposure to the AI sector.

X has launched NFL Gametime, an integrated platform combining live scores, statistics, and creator content for NFL fans. The partnership runs through the 2027 Super Bowl.

A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Trump administration's February designation of AI company Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk was illegal and baseless. The decision blocks sanctions that could have cost the Claude maker billions in lost business.

OpenAI has experienced significant departures among its executive ranks, prompting scrutiny over the company's leadership stability and direction. The exits raise questions about whether current leadership structures align with the organization's trajectory.

YouTube creators can now tag Amazon products directly in videos and livestreams, earning commissions on resulting purchases. Amazon has officially joined YouTube Shopping's affiliate program, available to US-based creators.

Adobe is rolling out new capabilities in Photoshop, including a Markup feature that lets users draw directly on images to specify desired edits. The update also brings Lightroom-inspired controls to the desktop version.

Germany's digital policy minister warned that surging demand for artificial intelligence is straining the country's data center infrastructure. The shortage threatens to limit AI development and deployment across Europe's largest economy.

A new GitHub Outage Tracker tool has emerged to help developers monitor service disruptions in real-time. The tracker provides visibility into GitHub's uptime and incident history.

Brazil's government has filed a lawsuit against Discord seeking 500 million reais ($97 million) in damages, alleging the chat platform failed to comply with laws protecting children and teenagers. Discord disputes the claims, calling the lawsuit disproportionate.

Adobe is launching a beta update to Photoshop that consolidates its AI tools into a dedicated interface. The new 'AI Assisted Editor' view brings prompt-based editing, background removal, image extension, and other generative features into a single toolbar.

Nvidia has agreed to acquire Hugging Face, the popular open-source AI model repository, for $12.9 billion. The deal consolidates Nvidia's control over critical infrastructure in the generative AI ecosystem.

Nvidia forecasted third-quarter revenue of $108 billion, exceeding Wall Street's $104 billion estimate, while projecting fiscal 2028 revenue growth of approximately 70%. The stock jumped more than 4% in after-hours trading.

Bluesky has increased its maximum video upload length to 10 minutes, while also boosting file size limits and improving upload speeds across the platform.

SoundCloud now allows artists to sell music directly from their profiles in beta, eliminating the need for third-party services and ensuring 100% of revenue goes to creators.

SoundCloud is expanding its platform to let users purchase music directly from artists. The feature aims to create a new revenue stream for creators beyond streaming payments.

Meta has agreed to implement new safety restrictions on Facebook and Instagram for teenage users as part of a settlement with multiple US states. The landmark deal requires the company to add time limits and parental controls to curb excessive scrolling and protect younger users.

Amazon Web Services has acquired DuckDB, the open-source analytical database engine. The deal strengthens AWS's data analytics portfolio and brings the popular in-process OLAP database under the cloud giant's umbrella.

Meta Platforms agreed to pay up to $16.7 billion to settle a multistate lawsuit over alleged harms to young users on its social media platforms. The settlement includes both financial penalties and mandatory platform changes.

Meta explored massive workforce reductions across multiple teams to become "AI native," but reversed course after employee pushback and data showed AI agents were ineffective, internal documents reveal.

Malaysia's Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced plans to regulate e-commerce platforms through a registration mechanism, responding to complaints from users and merchants.

Europe, India, Brazil, and China are attempting to challenge Big Tech dominance, but their efforts continue to face significant obstacles, according to analysis from "The Rulers: Corporate Power in the Age of AI and the Cloud."

X has forced Nitter, an open-source alternative frontend, offline by sending cease-and-desist letters. The project allowed users to read X posts without logging in or using the app.

Huawei is offering to build AI data centers for Egypt's military and government sectors, marking a significant test of Chinese tech influence as the US scrambles to counter the proposal.

Apple confirmed that iCloud+ Hide My Email addresses will continue operating on the icloud.com domain. The announcement clarifies the future of the privacy feature following recent domain changes.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday filed a lawsuit against Snap, alleging Snapchat fails to protect teens from compulsive use. The action follows a similar suit against TikTok filed two weeks prior.

Amazon Web Services will discontinue Mechanical Turk on September 30, 2026, ending the 21-year-old crowdsourcing platform that connected businesses with human workers for task completion.

Instagram has introduced an automatic video trimming feature for Reels that handles basic editing tasks without user intervention. The tool, called First Draft, streamlines the process of preparing clips for the platform.

X has issued cease-and-desist letters to Nitter, an open-source project providing privacy-focused frontends for the platform. The company demands removal of Nitter instances and its code repository, citing alleged scraping violations.

SpaceX will construct a second major spaceport in Louisiana at an estimated cost of $100 billion. Construction begins in 2027, with Starship launches targeted for 2029.

Microsoft has rolled out a Classic Outlook theme for users of Outlook on the web and New Outlook for Windows, offering an alternative visual option for the modernized email client.

Instagram is rolling out First Draft, a new editing feature for Reels that automatically trims video clips to highlight key moments. The feature is now available on iPhone and serves as an editable starting point for creators.

Waymo plans to launch driverless ride-hailing services in Germany by the end of 2027, marking its first expansion into the European Union and third international market overall.

Uber is expanding its teen account safety features with live video streaming, allowing parents to view rides through drivers' selfie cameras in real time.

Deutsche Bank is accelerating its artificial intelligence strategy by adopting a new Google Cloud service to boost revenue and reduce operational costs.

Eight months after Australia banned under-16s from social media platforms, TikTok usage among teenagers remains near pre-ban levels. Data from Qustodio shows 26% of children aged 13-15 were using the app in July, down just one percentage point from before the legislation took effect.

One-click applications and AI-driven hiring are flooding companies with submissions, drowning out qualified candidates and frustrating job seekers. The ease of applying is creating problems for everyone.

Restrictive American immigration policies are deterring international AI researchers and entrepreneurs from building companies in the U.S., potentially ceding technological advantage to competitors like China.

Nvidia's upcoming earnings report will be crucial for the chipmaker to demonstrate it can maintain its position as the leading AI platform, with analysts warning that simply beating estimates may not satisfy investors.

Sources say Elon Musk is poised to invest $100M to $200M in the November midterm elections, targeting voter turnout in competitive races including Texas, according to Trump officials.

President Trump purchased SpaceX shares approximately two weeks after the company's initial public offering, acquiring stock in the mid-$150 range. SpaceX shares closed Monday at $135, below Trump's purchase price.

Oura Health, maker of smart rings that monitor health and sleep, is targeting up to $3 billion in valuation for its US initial public offering, according to sources familiar with the plans.

TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque attributed surging nuclear power interest to hyperscaler data center companies, with his firm planning to announce a deal for a new nuclear plant this year.

Apple is reducing headcount across Vision Pro, Siri, and Intelligent Systems teams while redirecting resources toward artificial intelligence and next-generation hardware. The restructuring signals a shift in the company's strategic priorities.

Nearly 20% of established US LinkedIn users have edited past job descriptions or titles years after leaving those roles, according to Stanford University and Revelio Labs research. Tech workers engage in this practice at nearly triple the rate.

Autonomous taxi services are launching in major cities, but labor unions and lawmakers are mounting fierce resistance to their broader rollout. Regulatory uncertainty is slowing legalization efforts across multiple states.

China's video platform Bilibili is relaunching its international app and building an English-language site as it seeks to compete with YouTube globally. The company has been recruiting major Western creators like MrBeast to expand its reach beyond China.

Australia's data-center electricity consumption is projected to rise almost sevenfold over the next decade. The surge underscores urgent infrastructure needs as coal plants retire across the country.

Federal regulators are intensifying scrutiny of brake malfunctions in General Motors electric vehicles after reports of dangerous failures. One 2024 Blazer EV driver steered into a concrete curb to avoid a collision when brakes failed.

ByteDance is merging resources from two AI developer products into Doubao, its leading chatbot, to strengthen its position against competitors like Tencent in China's competitive AI market.

Hugging Face, a major artificial intelligence platform, is gauging buyer interest for a potential sale valued at $13 billion or more, according to Business Insider. The company has engaged in preliminary discussions with prospective acquirers.

A class action lawsuit alleges Amazon used Twitch streamers' content to train AI models without obtaining consent from the creators. The suit challenges whether the streaming platform had the right to use creator content for machine learning purposes.

Authors discover their published works have been used to train AI models without consent or compensation, raising complex questions about copyright law and fair use in the age of artificial intelligence.

Apple is preparing to launch a foldable iPhone while restructuring retail locations to accommodate its expanding home product lineup. Price increases for existing iPhone models are also expected.

A Los Angeles jury found Meta Platforms and Google negligent in platform design, awarding $6 million to a 20-year-old plaintiff in the first personal injury case to reach trial. The verdict signals potential legal exposure for tech giants facing lawsuits over addictive design practices.

Ulanqab, a city in Inner Mongolia, has emerged as a major data center hub with approximately 100 facilities built or under construction. The region's competitive advantages—cheap energy, abundant land, and proximity to Beijing—are driving rapid infrastructure expansion.

Instagram users can now restrict the platform from leveraging their off-app activity to personalize ads and train AI models. The setting gives users more control over their data privacy.

Elon Musk promoted Starlink as an internet solution for India's rural regions while the satellite service remains blocked from launching in the country due to security concerns.

A city in Inner Mongolia has emerged as a critical hub for China's AI infrastructure boom, driven by cheap electricity, abundant land, and strategic proximity to Beijing.

Amazon has increased prices on its Echo smart speakers, Fire TV devices, Kindle e-readers, and eero mesh networking systems. The company cited rising memory and storage costs as the reason for the adjustments.

OpenAI cut API and credit prices for its frontier GPT-5.6 Sol model by over 20% for three months. Input tokens now cost $4 per million, while output tokens cost $20 per million.

LinkedIn's "Seems like AI slop" button, launched July 30th, has been clicked more than 1 million times in just weeks. The feature lets users report AI-generated posts directly from the three-dot menu.

TikTok will pay $400 million to resolve a Justice Department lawsuit over child privacy violations. The settlement follows significant improvements the platform has made to its privacy protections since the suit was filed in 2024.

Apple is laying off more than 200 employees across its Siri and Vision Pro teams as the company reallocates resources toward artificial intelligence and new device development. The cuts include approximately 100 positions from the Vision Pro unit and 100 from the Siri team.

Walmart has reversed its long-standing stance against digital wallets, announcing support for Apple Pay and Google Pay at its stores. The retail giant's decision marks a significant shift in its payment strategy.

Meta is defending itself in court over child safety allegations in a case that could force substantial changes to Facebook and Instagram's core features. The lawsuit represents a significant legal challenge to the company's platform operations.

Waymo has developed its own processor for its autonomous vehicle fleet, decreasing reliance on Nvidia's hardware. The move signals a shift toward vertical integration in the robotaxi industry.

The UK government is backing emerging chip designers to establish a homegrown artificial intelligence semiconductor industry. The funding push aims to reduce reliance on foreign chipmakers and capture growing demand for AI hardware.

European governments are deploying public funding to support domestic AI companies across frontier labs, software, and chip sectors. The move reflects fears of falling behind the U.S. and China in the artificial intelligence race.

A proposed hyperscale datacentre in outer London would generate over 1 million tonnes of CO2 annually—equivalent to 27,000 transatlantic flights—according to planning documents.

Nevada's transportation authorities approved Uber, Tesla, and Waymo to operate paid robotaxi services in the state. The decision marks a significant regulatory milestone for autonomous vehicle commercialization.

Nvidia is acquiring Poolside's Model Factory software platform and 109 employees for $6 billion, expanding its AI model development capabilities.

Danfoss A/S expects its data-center cooling business to at least double its share of total sales this year, capitalizing on surging AI infrastructure spending.

The European Union has determined that copyright protection does not extend to content created solely by artificial intelligence, establishing a key legal boundary for AI-generated works.

GitHub reported a sharp surge in commits over the past four months, with activity doubling on the platform. The spike in traffic triggered capacity failures that caused recent service outages.

Roblox has become the first platform to undergo independent audits under the Online Safety Act, with results revealing inadequate protections against adult predators targeting children on the platform.

Chinese video platform Bilibili is launching an international app and English-language website as it pushes into global markets. The expansion marks a significant step for the Beijing-based company beyond its domestic user base.

Google is rolling out a new feature allowing readers to designate publishers as preferred sources across Search, Discover, and Google News. The tool aims to help publishers combat traffic losses as AI search results redirect clicks away from traditional web content.

Google is expanding customization options for Search and Discover, allowing users to add their preferred news sources to personalize results.

UK cinemas are considering restricting Meta's smart glasses to combat film piracy, with the UK Cinema Association noting that local chains may introduce camera-blocking policies.

Alphabet's Waymo has developed a proprietary chip designed to enhance robotaxi performance and reduce reliance on external semiconductor suppliers like Nvidia.

Despite US import restrictions on DJI camera drones, the Osmo Pocket 4 and Pocket 4 Pro are readily available through mainstream platforms including Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress with fast shipping and no legal consequences.

Australia's safety regulator has identified fresh child safety lapses on Roblox, including adults still able to contact children directly. The company has committed to making changes following the investigation.

Meta is spending hundreds of millions annually on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to process trillions of AI tokens weekly, cementing its position as one of the tech giant's largest AI customers.

Messages promoting GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are proliferating across social media platforms, raising concerns about how the marketing affects teenagers' perceptions of healthy bodies and drug use.

Alibaba Group's profit dropped more than 75% as the Chinese e-commerce giant increased artificial intelligence investments amid weakening domestic consumption. The sharp decline reflects intensifying pressure on China's tech sector.

Divine, the reboot of the defunct short-form video platform Vine, is now available to everyone without requiring an invite code. The platform has amassed over 2 million videos from Vine's original archive.

YouTube is offering top creators millions of dollars to post videos exclusively on its platform for set periods and will penalize those who simultaneously upload to Netflix, according to sources.

Waymo has completed a full rollout of its Ojai driverless vans across San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. The service is now available to all riders in these three cities.

Meta platforms ran advertisements for an application designed to create fake nude images of female politicians, including at least one deepfake video resembling a US politician.

Arturo Béjar, a former Meta employee who spent six years developing child safety tools, told a jury that he didn't fully grasp the threats facing young users on Instagram until his own 14-year-old daughter joined the platform.

TerraPower is leveraging its nuclear technology to compete for data center contracts, offering a competitive edge in powering the energy-intensive facilities driving AI infrastructure.

Amazon is rolling out its AI-powered Alexa Plus assistant to all Fire TV device owners in the U.S. at no cost, eliminating the previous requirement for Prime or Alexa Plus subscriptions.

A wave of lawsuits is challenging automated employment systems, with plaintiffs claiming AI hiring tools discriminate and operate without transparency. One case involves a product manager who applied to thousands of jobs without receiving a single interview.

Nvidia is working to sustain artificial intelligence demand as the semiconductor supply crunch eases and competition intensifies. The company aims to maintain growth when chips become more widely available.

Amazon is rolling out its drone delivery service to suburban Chicago, Atlanta, and at least three additional states in coming months. The expansion marks a significant step toward commercializing the company's decade-long drone development program.

China's government has approved shipments of roughly 10,000 Nvidia H200 chips each to ByteDance and Tencent at their mainland facilities in recent weeks, according to sources cited by the Financial Times.

Code discovered in Apple's latest macOS beta reveals references to a HomePod with a built-in display, featuring watch-like interface designs called "Faces."

Research reveals X's recommendation system prioritizes inflammatory content that disproportionately affects Democratic politicians and causes. The findings raise questions about algorithmic bias on the platform.

Google's Gmail verification program allows political campaigns to reach users' inboxes while other senders face spam filtering. The program creates a two-tier email system based on sender verification status.

TikTok is developing a feature that enables users to send money directly through the app's messaging system. The move marks the latest expansion of TikTok's financial services offerings.