Week 15, 2025
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highlights
- Trump's tariff bombshell sent tech stocks into freefall as panic gripped Wall Street.
- OpenAI scored a jaw-dropping $40B funding round at $300B valuation while ChatGPT users crashed servers creating 700M+ images since March.
- Meta launched Llama 4 as Google unveiled API pricing for its most expensive model, Gemini 2.5 Pro.
- Microsoft enhanced Copilot with "Memory" and camera-based "Vision".
- The education AI battle intensified. Anthropic launched "Claude for Education" with Socratic learning tools while OpenAI offered students two months of free ChatGPT Plus subscriptions.
- Microsoft slammed brakes on global data center expansion while Intel and TSMC agreed to form a landmark joint venture, with TSMC taking 20% stake in Intel's U.S. factories.
- X suffered catastrophic security failure with 2.8B user records reportedly leaked.
- TikTok's sale saga continues with Trump extending the deadline 75 days as Amazon and a16z, backing Oracle, join the bidding war.
- Meta clinched UFC partnership as "official fan technology partner."
- Tesla posted worst quarter since 2022 with deliveries plunging 13%, as rumors swirl of Musk's imminent government exit despite his denials.
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stories you might have missed
AI - Deals / Strategy
OpenAI secures $40B funding: SoftBank leads massive round valuing OpenAI at $300B for AI research and infrastructure scaling.
ChatGPT users create 700M+ images: 130M+ users generated over 700M images since March 25, overwhelming servers and causing brief outages.
- OpenAI tests image watermarking: Company experimenting with watermarks on free users' GPT-4o images to identify AI-generated content.
Gemini 2.5 Pro pricing unveiled: Charges $1.25/M input tokens and $10/M output tokens, making it Google's priciest AI model yet.
Google reshuffles AI leadership: Josh Woodward, Google Labs head, replaces Sissie Hsiao as consumer AI leader.
DeepMind spinoff raises $600M: Thrive Capital leads first external round for Isomorphic Labs, Google's AI drug discovery startup.
Runway secures $308M funding: General Atlantic leads Series D for AI video startup, pushing valuation beyond $3B.
Scale AI revenue hits ~$870M: Company targets $2B for 2025 as it expands in the AI data annotation market.
xAI's Grok trademark suspended: USPTO halts application due to potential confusion with Groq and Grokstream trademarks.
Perplexity rules out IPO before 2028: CEO cites strong funding and growing revenue as reasons to delay going public.
Manus launches subscription tiers: New $39/month Starter plan (3,900 credits, 2 concurrent tasks) and $199/month Pro plan (19,900 credits, 5 concurrent tasks).
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AI - Models / Apps
Meta releases Llama 4: Meta's newest models Scout and Maverick use a Mixture-of-Experts architecture for more efficient task processing.
- OpenAI to launch o3 and o4-mini soon: Intermediate models coming within weeks as GPT-5 gets delayed for months to enhance capabilities.
Microsoft upgrades Copilot: New 'Memory' enables personalization while 'Copilot Vision' lets the AI interact with surroundings through device cameras.
Anthropic launches Claude for Education: New platform features 'Learning Mode' with Socratic questioning, with Northeastern among first adopters.
- OpenAI counters with student offer: Two months of free ChatGPT Plus for verified US and Canadian college students.
Google unveils Sec-Gemini v1: New cybersecurity AI combines reasoning abilities with real-time threat intelligence for better security operations.
Amazon launches Nova Act: SDK enables developers to build autonomous web browser AI agents, advancing web automation.
Amazon introduces Alexa+: Enhanced assistant offers natural conversations and service booking, free for Prime members or $19.99/month.
Microsoft demos AI-powered Quake II: Classic game runs on Microsoft's Muse AI model, showcasing new possibilities for AI gaming.
Midjourney launches V7: New 'Draft Mode' generates images 10x faster at half the cost, with upscaling and retexturing coming soon.
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AI - Other
Musk-OpenAI suit gets trial date: March 2026 jury trial set for Musk's lawsuit claiming OpenAI betrayed its nonprofit mission.
DeepMind publishes AGI safety paper: 145-page document outlines strategies for mitigating AGI risks and implementing proactive safety measures.
- DeepMind scientists frustrated by bureaucracy: Researchers claim growing bureaucracy and publication restrictions are stifling scientific progress.
Anthropic finds reasoning models may hide processes: Research reveals Chain-of-Thought models often fail to disclose when they use external hints.
DeepSeek-Tsinghua combine reasoning methods: New technique merges Generative Reward Modeling with Self-Principled Critique Tuning to enhance AI reasoning.
Microsoft closes Shanghai lab: Company shuts IoT & AI Insider Lab amid broader reduction of Chinese operations due to geopolitical tensions.
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Chips / Cloud
Microsoft pauses data center projects: Tech giant freezes expansion across continents as it reassesses infrastructure strategy amid market shifts.
Intel, TSMC to form joint venture: TSMC will take 20% stake in Intel's U.S. factories, potentially transforming American chip manufacturing landscape.
- Intel to divest non-core assets: New CEO Lip-Bu Tan sheds peripheral businesses to focus on custom semiconductor development.
- Intel revives classic branding: "That's the power of Intel Inside" campaign returns as company fights to reclaim its computing dominance.
TSMC starting 2nm production: Advanced 2nm chips set to roll out from Kaohsiung facility in second half of this year.
Google leasing Nvidia chips: Company turns to CoreWeave to rent scarce Blackwell AI chips as demand outstrips direct supply.
AMD completes $4.9B acquisition: ZT Systems purchase strengthens AMD's data center capabilities in intensifying AI infrastructure competition.
Samsung targets Chinese customers: Semiconductor division pivots to Chinese tech firms amid difficulties securing major U.S. clients.
Oracle suffers security breach: Company notifies customers of stolen credentials from legacy system, marking second breach in weeks.
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Commerce
Amazon tests 'Buy for Me' button: The e-commerce giant's new AI assistant enables purchases from third-party sites within the Amazon app, extending its reach across the internet.
PDD commits $13B to merchant support: Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo is investing 100 billion yuan over three years to upgrade merchants, strengthening its ecosystem against rivals.
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Social Media
X leaks 2.8B user records: Billions of user records exposed in major breach, possibly with insider help, ranking among worst social media security failures ever.
TikTok gets 75-day reprieve: Trump extends deadline for finding non-Chinese buyer, giving TikTok more time to secure its future in the US.
- Trump offers tariff deal for TikTok sale: President proposes cutting Chinese tariffs if Beijing allows TikTok's US sale, mixing trade and security concerns.
- a16z backs Oracle's TikTok bid: Venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz joins Oracle in race to acquire TikTok, strengthening the offer.
- Amazon enters TikTok bidding: E-commerce leader submits bid for TikTok, adding another major player to the increasingly crowded field.
TikTok launches tools for musicians: New TikTok for Artists platform in test markets gives musicians better ways to promote their work.
TikTok shuts down Notes app: Company closes Instagram-like TikTok Notes and directs users to its similar Lemon8 app instead.
Meta partners with UFC: Multi-year deal makes Meta the fighting league's first "official fan technology partner," bringing its products to UFC events.
X to auction valuable usernames: Platform plans to sell inactive handles for up to $50,000 each as it seeks new revenue sources.
Substack copies TikTok format: Newsletter service adds scrollable video feed similar to TikTok's popular format to increase user engagement.
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Content / Entertainment
YouTube cuts off fake trailer creators: Popular channels posting AI-generated movie trailers can no longer earn money, stopping misleading content.
Amazon doubles down on theaters: MGM Studios will release up to 14 movies in cinemas next year and 16 by 2027, showing faith in traditional movie-going.
Roblox gives parents more control: New tools let parents block specific games, remove friends, and track how long kids play.
Nintendo reveals Switch 2: Coming June 2025 with bigger 7.9-inch screen, more storage, better controllers, and new social features including voice chat.
Epic Games buys AI tagging company: Acquisition of Loci will help automatically organize 3D assets, making life easier for game creators.
Spotify offers AI-made ads: New tool creates ad scripts and voiceovers for free, while also letting advertisers buy ad space through Spotify's marketplace.
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Device / Hardware
Meta designs smart glasses with displays: New "Hypernova" Ray-Bans will feature mini-display showing apps and notifications, launching for $1,000-$1,400.
Ring founder returns to Amazon: Jamie Siminoff rejoins as VP over Ring, Blink, and other smart home teams after leaving in 2023.
Foxconn doubles Indian iPhone production: Manufacturing giant to make 25-30 million iPhones in India this year as Apple reduces China dependence.
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App / Platform
Tinder launches AI flirting practice: "The Game Game" lets users practice conversations with AI personas in simulated dating scenarios.
Adobe adds AI tools to Premiere: New features include Generative Extend for stretching content and AI search for finding footage faster.
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EV / Mobility
Tesla hits 3-year low: Deliveries plunged 13% to 336,700 units as Musk's political role triggers consumer backlash, with analysts estimating 10% loss in future customers, particularly in Europe and China.
Amazon resumes drone deliveries: Prime Air operations restart in Texas and Arizona after two-month technical pause.
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Space
Amazon preps first Kuiper satellite launch: 27 satellites set for April 9 liftoff as Amazon enters satellite internet competition.
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Crypto / Finance
Visa offers $100M for Apple Card deal: Payment giant bids to replace Mastercard as Apple's credit card network partner.
Bybit closing NFT marketplace: Crypto exchange shuttering NFT platform and IDO services on April 8 amid market decline.
Circle files for NYSE listing: USDC stablecoin issuer submits IPO filing under ticker "CRCL" following revenue growth.
- SEC says major stablecoins are not securities: Regulator clarifies that fully-backed stablecoins like USDT and USDC don't qualify as securities.
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Policy / Regulation
Trump hints at Musk's departure: President suggests Musk will leave government role despite public denials.
- DOGE plans IRS data API hackathon: Government efficiency team's centralized taxpayer data project raises privacy alarms.
Zuckerberg lobbies Trump on antitrust: Meta CEO seeks presidential help to settle FTC lawsuit before trial.
EU preparing $1B+ penalty for X: Platform faces massive fine and mandated changes for Digital Services Act violations.
France hits Apple with €150M fine: Regulators penalize complex, discriminatory implementation of tracking controls.
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Earnings
Huawei revenue up 22.4% despite profit drop: Chinese giant reaches $118.8B in second-highest revenue ever, while profit falls 28% from higher costs.
Foxconn Q1 revenue jumps 24.2%: Apple manufacturer posts $49.5B quarterly revenue driven by AI server demand, warns of political uncertainties.
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Etc
Microsoft turns 50 amid employee protests: Company celebrates half-century with Copilot AI updates while workers demonstrate against Israeli military contracts.
Automattic cuts 16% of workforce: WordPress.com parent company lays off 280 employees in restructuring to ensure long-term sustainability.
North Korean IT workers infiltrate European tech: Remote workers from North Korea pose as freelancers to generate regime revenue and potentially gather intelligence.
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