Microsoft has reportedly pulled back on data center projects around the world, according to a new report from Bloomberg. This move indicates that the tech giant may be approaching its cloud infrastructure growth more cautiously, despite major investments announced earlier this year. The company has either halted talks or delayed development for several planned sites in the U.K., Australia, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, Bloomberg reports. A Microsoft spokesperson explained that the company plans its infrastructure “years in advance,” and these changes showcase “the flexibility of [its] strategy.” In February 2025, Microsoft reaffirmed its commitment to spend more than $80…
Author: Cooper
Spotify announced Gen AI ads, among other changes to its advertising business, at an event in New York City on Thursday. Notably, the company introduced a new programmatic offering, the Spotify Ad Exchange (SAX), which allows advertisers to reach Spotify’s logged-in users via real-time auctions. Expanding on the SAX news, Spotify said it inked new partnerships with Google’s demand-side platform, Display & Video 360, and Magnite, with Yahoo DSP, Adform, and others to come “soon.” The Trade Desk is also supported. SAX will offer “full addressability” and measurement capabilities, the company said. Partners will initially be able to advertise within…
Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, Tumblr, and WooCommerce, has announced layoffs affecting 16% of its workforce, impacting employees across various departments and regions. The decision, revealed in a blog post on April 2, 2025, comes as the company seeks to streamline operations and improve financial stability. Over 270 Employees Affected by Layoffs Before the layoffs, Automattic employed 1,744 people, meaning that over 270 employees have lost their jobs. While the company has not disclosed an exact figure, reports suggest that 281 employees were affected. The decision follows a turbulent year for Automattic, marked by a legal battle with WP…
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has once again taken aim at Apple and Google, accusing them of anti-competitive and monopolistic practices. Speaking at a Y Combinator event on April 2, 2025, Sweeney described the two tech giants as “gangster-style businesses” that exploit their dominance while disregarding legal rulings. Sweeney’s criticism stems from Epic’s ongoing legal battles with Apple and Google over their restrictive app store policies. While Epic Games won its lawsuit against Google, it lost against Apple—though the ruling did force Apple to allow developers to link to alternative payment methods. However, Epic continues to fight Apple over what…
Nintendo has officially announced details about the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, marking its first new console release since the original Nintendo Switch debuted in 2017. The Nintendo Switch 2 will be available on June 5, 2025, with a starting price of $450. It will be sold separately and in a bundle with Mario Kart World, an exclusive game for the new console. Enhanced Design and Features Building on its predecessor’s hybrid design, the Nintendo Switch 2 will be larger with a bigger 1080p LCD screen supporting 120fps and HDR. While some users may miss the OLED display, the dock…
During the COVID-19 pandemic, mortgage interest rates dropped to historic lows, reaching as low as 2.5%. However, by 2023, these rates surged to nearly 8%, leaving many potential homebuyers unable to afford homes. As of April 1, 2025, the national average 30-year fixed mortgage APR remains at 6.84%. A possible solution to this affordability crisis lies in assumable mortgages, where an outstanding home loan can be transferred from the seller to the buyer—allowing new homeowners to lock in historically low rates. Enter Roam, a New York-based startup dedicated to helping buyers access “thousands” of homes with assumable mortgages across the…
Amazon has reportedly submitted a bid to acquire TikTok, according to a report by The New York Times. This unexpected move comes as TikTok faces an April 5 deadline to either separate from its Chinese ownership or risk being banned in the United States. However, sources cited by The New York Times suggest that the involved parties are not considering Amazon’s bid a serious offer. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with officials on Wednesday to discuss the future of TikTok. Earlier this week, he stated that an agreement with ByteDance is expected to be finalized before the…
OpenAI has faced multiple allegations regarding the use of copyrighted content for AI training without permission. Now, a new study from the AI Disclosures Project claims that OpenAI may have relied on non-public books from O’Reilly Media to enhance the training of its GPT-4o model. The study, led by media mogul Tim O’Reilly and economist Ilan Strauss, presents compelling evidence that OpenAI’s latest model exhibits strong recognition of paywalled O’Reilly book content, despite the absence of a licensing agreement between the two companies. AI Models and Their Training Data AI models, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, function as complex prediction engines trained…
Meta’s Vice President of AI Research, Joelle Pineau, has announced her departure from the company in May, marking the end of her tenure overseeing Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) lab. Pineau made the announcement in a Facebook post on Tuesday, stating that she plans to take some time off before embarking on a new professional endeavor. Pineau’s Impact on Meta’s AI Research During her leadership, Pineau played a pivotal role in advancing Meta’s AI research, collaborating closely with Yann LeCun, the company’s chief AI scientist. Under her guidance, FAIR made significant breakthroughs in areas such as reinforcement learning, natural language…
Venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz is reportedly in talks to invest in TikTok as part of a bid led by Oracle and other American investors aiming to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations from its Chinese owner, ByteDance. The news, first reported by the Financial Times, comes as TikTok faces a potential U.S. ban unless it is sold to a non-Chinese entity by April 5. The Pressure to Sell TikTok TikTok’s legal troubles in the U.S. stem from national security concerns regarding data privacy and Chinese government influence. Lawmakers have repeatedly called for stricter regulations on foreign-owned tech firms, leading to bipartisan…
ChatGPT may be the world’s most popular chatbot app, but competitors are rapidly gaining ground, according to data from analytics firms Similarweb and Sensor Tower. Similarweb, which tracks website traffic, has noted strong recent growth for bots like Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s OpenAI-powered Copilot. Gemini’s web traffic increased to 10.9 million average daily visits worldwide in March, up 7.4% month-over-month, while daily visits to Copilot reached 2.4 million — up 2.1% from February. Anthropic’s Claude also gained traction, hitting 3.3 million average daily visits in March, while Chinese AI lab DeepSeek’s chatbot surged past 16.5 million visits that same month.…
Skylight, a startup aiming to rival TikTok with a more open and decentralized approach, has officially launched its mobile app to the public after just 10 weeks of development. Backed by Mark Cuban and other investors, Skylight is built on the AT Protocol, the same underlying technology that powers the social network Bluesky and an increasing number of other decentralized applications. Developed by co-founders Tori White (CEO) and Reed Harmeyer (CTO), Skylight offers a short-form video experience with familiar features such as an in-app editor, the ability to like, comment, and share videos, user profiles, and a follow system. As…
OpenAI has successfully raised $40 billion in a private funding round, placing the company at a post-money valuation of $300 billion. This marks one of the largest funding rounds in history. The round was led by SoftBank, a global giant known for investing in transformative technology. Alongside SoftBank, Microsoft, Coatue, Altimeter, and Thrive also participated, all of whom have previously supported OpenAI in its growth. In a blog post, OpenAI emphasized that the funds would help the company continue advancing AI research and expand its compute infrastructure. The company’s goal is to further innovate and improve its products, like ChatGPT,…
CaaStle, a startup that initially launched in 2011 as a plus-sized clothing subscription service before transitioning in 2018 into an inventory monetization platform for clothing retailers, is now facing serious financial difficulties, according to a report by Axios. The company is reportedly running out of funds, with CEO Christine Hunsicker stepping down amid financial turmoil. Additionally, law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged financial misconduct within the company, as revealed in a leaked letter from the board. CaaStle has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the situation. Adding to concerns, TechCrunch observed that the company’s job board currently lists…
Amazon has unveiled Nova Act, a general-purpose AI agent designed to control web browsers and perform independent actions. Alongside this advanced AI technology, Amazon is also releasing the Nova Act SDK, a toolkit for developers to build agent prototypes powered by Nova Act. Developed at Amazon’s recently established San Francisco-based AGI lab, Nova Act is set to play a crucial role in the upcoming Alexa+ upgrade, an AI-enhanced version of Amazon’s voice assistant. However, the version available today is labeled as a research preview, indicating that it’s still in development. Aiming to Compete in the AI Agent Space Developers can…