The USPS resumes accepting China and Hong Kong mail hours after suspension due to Trump's EO, disrupting e-commerce, and is implementing “the new China tariffs”
WATCH NOW — The U.S. Postal Service said Wednesday it will resume accepting inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong …
Alphabet reports Q4 revenue up 12% YoY to $96.47B, net income up 28% YoY to $26.54B, Services revenue up 10% to $84.1B, and Other Bets revenue down 39% to $400M
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - February 4, 2025 - Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL) today announced financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
Google drops language from its AI Principles that said it would not pursue AI applications “likely to cause overall harm”, such as for weapons and surveillance
In 2018 the company updated its policies to explicitly exclude applying AI to weapons. Now that promise is gone.
a16z hires former Marine Daniel Penny, who in December a New York jury acquitted in a controversial subway chokehold case, to work on its American Dynamism team
“Daniel acted with courage in a tough situation,” said partner David Ulevitch in a statement explaining the hire.
Google releases Gemini 2.0 Flash via its API, an experimental Gemini 2.0 Pro version via its apps, Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking, and 2.0 Flash-Lite in AI Studio
Gemini 2.0 AI updates include cheaper access for developers, and AI that can use other Google apps like YouTube.
The EU unveils e-commerce shipping rules that would add more customs checks and fees, potentially impacting Chinese platforms like AliExpress, Shein, and Temu
Mathieu Pollet / Politico :
Sources: China's State Administration for Market Regulation is examining Apple's policies, including its up to 30% App Store fees, ahead of a potential probe
- Company under fire for app commissions, barring outside stores — Beijing is investigating Google as response to new US tariffs
Sources: Sonos will release an Android-based streaming box in the coming months, priced between $200 and $400, combining Netflix, Max, Disney+, and more content
After the most tumultuous nine months in Sonos' history, the brand is trying to find its footing again.
OpenAI unveils a visual rebrand, featuring a new bespoke typeface called OpenAI Sans, a refined “Blossom” logo, and a new color palette based in greys and blues
A new typeface, word mark, symbol and palette underpin all the ways in which OpenAI's technology interacts with the real world
Alphabet expects 2025 capex of ~$75B, vs. ~$58B est., and reports Google Cloud Q4 revenue up 30% YoY to $11.96B, vs. $12.16B est.; GOOG drops 7%+
but investors aren't impressed Neil Rozenbaum / The Motley Fool : Google Earnings: What Went Wrong and Why I'm Buying More Georgia Butler / DatacenterDynamics : Google expects 2025 capex to surge to $...
The US OPM plans to make each government agency's chief information officer a political appointee who can be fired at will, helping Trump exert more control
The change could smooth Elon Musk's efforts to access the technology systems of various federal agencies through his Department of Government Efficiency.
Sources: the US SEC is moving to scale back a special unit of 50+ lawyers and staff members that had been dedicated to bringing crypto enforcement actions
Some in a special unit of 50 lawyers and staff members that had been assigned to regulate cryptocurrency are being reassigned in the agency.
Uber reports Q4 revenue up 20% YoY to $12B, Gross Bookings up 18% to a record $44.2B, operating profit up 18% to $770M, and trips up 18% to 3.1B; UBER drops 5%+
Ride-hailing group's weaker forecast comes after record fourth quarter — Uber's shares fell almost 6 per cent on Wednesday …
AMD reports Q4 revenue up 24% YoY to $7.66B, Data Center revenue up 69% to $3.86B, vs. $4.09B est., and forecasts Q1 sales of $6.8B to $7.4B, vs. $7.04B est.
- Results suggest the chipmaker is still lagging behind Nvidia — Company fares better in PC market, making gains on Intel
In 2024, ransomware attackers received ~$813.55M in payments from victims, down 35% on 2023's record $1.25B, as more victims refused to pay
The ransomware landscape experienced significant changes in 2024, with cryptocurrency continuing to play a central role in extortion.
Uber opens a waitlist to request a driverless Waymo vehicle in Austin, ahead of a planned launch later in 2025; Austin rides will be limited to 37 square miles
Natalie Lung / Bloomberg :
Lina Khan says that DeepSeek's breakthroughs highlight that there isn't enough US competition and that foreign startups could surpass Big Tech in AI innovation
When Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek shocked Silicon Valley and Wall Street with its powerful new A.I. model …
Brookhaven, a top title on Roblox with 120M+ monthly players, was sold by its anonymous creator Wolfpaq to game developer Voldex for an undisclosed sum
Popular Roblox life simulation game “Brookhaven” has been acquired by game developer Voldex in a deal funded by Raine Partners and Shamrock Capital.
Analysis: European AI startups raised ~$8B in 2024, with 70% going to seed, Series A, and Series B rounds, led by UK startups, followed by France and Germany
In just a few days, France will host the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, with heads of state flocking to Paris to meet global tech leaders.
Robinhood withdraws its plans to offer betting contracts on the Super Bowl, in partnership with online prediction market Kalshi, after pushback from the CFTC
CFTC asked the brokerage to stop offering customer access to contracts, warning they might be illegal blurring of financial markets and gambling
Microsoft says Microsoft Build 2025 will run from May 19 to May 22 in Seattle, where AI, Copilot, and Surface updates are expected to be announced
Microsoft Build 2025 is being held in Seattle again this year. — Microsoft Build 2025 is being held in Seattle again this year.
The AI Action Summit's focus in Paris on February 10 and February 11 will be on open source, clean energy, and a consensus on AI principles, not new regulation
All eyes are on the French capital next week to see if U.S. President Donald Trump's administration can find common ground …
LG CNS, an IT services affiliate of LG, made a weak debut in South Korea, falling ~10% to ~$38.44, cutting its market cap to $3.72B from $4.13B during the day
LG Corp., the holding company for LG Group, has a 45% stake in the company — LG CNS , an information-technology services affiliate …
Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman poaches three former Google DeepMind colleagues; two of them built NotebookLM's Audio Overviews and worked on AI agent Astra
Rival companies in fierce battle for talent in race to build powerful artificial intelligence ‘agents’
Global semiconductor revenue rose 18.1% YoY to ~$626B in 2024, led by Samsung, which regained the top spot, Intel, and Nvidia, and is set to reach $705B in 2025
Overview — Samsung Electronics Regained No. 1 Spot from Intel and Nvidia Climbed to 3rd Place X: @1p_semicon and @nano_arun X: @1p_semicon : Top 10 Semiconductor Vendors by Revenue, Worldwide, 2024 (...
Oura Ring 4 review: comfortable, better data collection, and gorgeous, clean app, but requires a paid subscription to use basic features and colors cost more
It remains the smart ring to beat, but is still limited by its form. — Smart rings have been a niche inside a niche in the wearables world for more than a decade.
Thailand cuts power, internet, and fuel supplies to parts of Myanmar suspected of housing online scam centers, ahead of PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra's China visit
Patpicha Tanakasempipat / Bloomberg :
An interview with Twitch CEO Dan Clancy on competition with YouTube and Kick, exclusivity contracts, content moderation, Twitch's expansion plans, and more
Business leaders are often reluctant to speak about their competition. It's rare that you'll hear Netflix's Ted Sarandos talk about Disney+ …
Sources: OpenAI has spent months talking about Sora's creative and commercial potential with film studios, which are worried about their data and labor unions
- Startup has met with Hollywood studios about commercial deals — Studios worry about business implications of new technology
Chinese chip firms blacklisted by the US are turning to universities, state-backed labs, and “pilot production lines” to keep their development efforts on track
TAIPEI — Chinese chip and chip equipment makers blacklisted by the U.S. are turning to universities and state-backed chip labs and …
Robotics startup Figure exits its February 2024 OpenAI deal, which aimed to develop AI models for robots, to focus on in-house AI after a “major breakthrough”
Brian Heater / TechCrunch :
EA reports Q3 net bookings down 6% YoY to $2.22B vs. $2.32B est., net revenue down 3%, forecasts Q4 bookings below est., and announces a $1B share buyback plan
Zaheer Kachwala / Reuters :
Bengaluru-based payments startup Cashfree raised a $53M Series C led by Krafton, bringing its total funding to nearly $100M, a source says at a $700M valuation
Manish Singh / TechCrunch :
The EC releases its prohibited AI practices guidelines under the EU's AI Act, like using AI to track employees' emotions or to manipulate app and website users
Foo Yun Chee / Reuters :
AWS aims to use “automated reasoning”, which uses mathematical logic to encode knowledge in AI systems in a structured way, to prevent AI models' hallucinations
Belle Lin / Wall Street Journal : Bluesky: @quinnypig.com Bluesky: Corey Quinn / @quinnypig.com : The automated reasoning group at AWS absolutely does not play around. I'm inclined to take this seri...
A look at Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's arrest in Paris and its aftermath; a source says more than half of Telegram's $1B revenue in 2024 came from its ad platform
www.wired.com/story/pavel-...
Worldpay: cash will make up 14% of transactions in Asia by 2027, down from 49% in 2019, driven by the adoption of QR codes and other smartphone-based payments
Nikkei Asia : Bluesky: @lorak Bluesky: Lora Kolodny / @lorak : cash is still awesome. but. it's going extinct possibly. [embedded post]
Former Google engineer Linwei Ding faces new charges of economic espionage by the US DOJ for allegedly stealing trade secrets to boost China's AI industry
Malathi Nayak / Bloomberg :
Austin-based SailPoint, which sells identity management tools, and parent Thoma Bravo aim to raise up to $1B in SailPoint's US IPO, targeting a $11.5B valuation
Arasu Kannagi Basil / Reuters :
Netflix hopes its expansion into live programming boosts its nascent ad business; Bernstein estimates its two NFL games generated up to $180M in US advertising
Christopher Grimes / Financial Times : X: @dwnews X: @dwnews : The streaming giant Netflix is investing billions into live sports. What's behind this strategy? [video]
LatticeFlow AI, which measures the regulatory compliance of AI models, says DeepSeek's R1 ranks the lowest in cybersecurity among leading AI models
Parmy Olson / Bloomberg :
Ampere predicts streamers will outspend commercial broadcasters on content for the first time in 2025, and overall content spend will rise 0.4% YoY to $248B
Max Goldbart / Deadline :
Sources: Meta is merging Facebook's and Messenger's teams into one unit and shuffling its generative AI group, as it prepares for company-wide layoffs next week
The Information :
How India kept its satellite internet market closed to Starlink, Amazon, and more, despite poor rural connectivity; a regulator is set to publish rules in 2025
Bloomberg :
Sources: BlackRock plans to hire ~1,200 people to build its AI teams in India and will inherit ~500 staff in Bengaluru through its proposed Preqin acquisition
Preeti Singh / Bloomberg :
Shopify: Revolutionizing Commerce with Winter Edition '26
Over 150+ new features transform how merchants build, design, and grow—with technology that amplifies creative vision.
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control
Picture this: It's Monday morning. You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data
Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.