All articles tagged with #big tech
Google News is reportedly showing Polymarket bets and odds alongside traditional stories, appearing in the For You feed and in search results; rollout details are unclear and may be tied to existing Polymarket/Kalshi partnerships, prompting concerns about betting content in news results.
Several major tech firms, including Google, Amazon, Meta, Pinterest, and Atlassian, have framed recent job cuts as a consequence of AI-driven productivity, arguing they can accomplish more with fewer people. Analysts say the narrative serves investor-satisfaction goals and signals discipline as these companies also plan to invest hundreds of billions in AI; while AI tools may boost efficiency, layoffs reflect cost pressures and strategic shifts amid growing AI expenditure.
Two separate juries finding Meta and Google’s YouTube harmed children, with New Mexico ordering $375 million and a Los Angeles verdict totaling $6 million in damages against Meta and YouTube, heighten regulatory and political pressure on Big Tech to redesign platforms and tighten safeguards for minors as lawmakers consider federal and state online-safety rules and debates over Section 230.
Juries are increasingly holding social media platforms and Big Tech accountable for harm to children, signaling a shift in public sentiment and cracking the industry’s invincible aura as lawsuits and high-profile trials mount.
Gavin Newsom calls the LA and NM verdicts against Meta and YouTube a moment of reckoning for Big Tech, urging a renegotiation of the industry's social contract as juries find design features fueled addictive use among teens; Meta and YouTube plan appeals, while California continues to push stricter kids' online-safety laws.
Disney’s $1 billion OpenAI deal for the Sora project is dead, with OpenAI retreating from generative video and Disney re-evaluating its AI strategy and potential investments; the split underscores Hollywood’s dependence on tech platforms and raises questions about recouping investment and future AI partnerships.
Amazon plans to cut USPS shipments by at least two-thirds later this year after USPS ended negotiations in favor of a new bidding process; Amazon last year accounted for about 15% of USPS parcel deliveries, and bidding results are due in mid-2026 with contracts likely finalized by Q3. Amazon says it submitted a February 2026 bid but has not received a response, and it remains ready to continue the partnership despite the uncertainty.
Lovable’s head of growth Elena Verna says OpenAI, Google, and Apple have the strongest competitive edge due to their distribution power, more so than newer vibe-coding startups. The Stockholm-based company recently reported a 30% monthly ARR increase to about $400 million and plans to double headcount from 146 to 350 by the end of 2026, while handling roughly 200,000 new vibe-coding projects daily and competing with Cursor, Replit, and Emergent.
Big Tech including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Meta are increasing purchases of permanent and other carbon credits to offset emissions from energy-intensive AI infrastructure, signaling a shift toward carbon removal to meet net-zero goals amid the AI surge; Microsoft leads in reported credits, though data gaps and varying credit types complicate the picture.
Meta is reportedly planning to cut up to 20% of its staff in upcoming layoffs, per Reuters, with no final date or headcount disclosed. End-2025 figures placed Meta’s headcount at about 78,865 and quarterly revenue near $60 billion (over $200 billion for the year). Meta called Reuters’ report speculative, noting previous reductions (roughly 1,000 in Reality Labs and about 5% earlier) and ongoing AI investments in startups like Moltbook and Manus.
Tasnim lists about 30 Middle East sites of Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, IBM, NVIDIA and Palantir as 'enemy technology infrastructure,' highlighting locations in Dubai and Tel Aviv; two UAE Amazon data centers were hit on March 1 and a Bahrain center was damaged by debris from another attack, with IRGC-linked sources tying these sites to AI and cloud operations amid broader tensions in the region.
Google, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft have joined Anthropic’s lawsuit against the Defense Department’s decision to label Anthropic a “supply chain risk,” arguing the action and related pressure on its customers infringe on free speech and could chill innovation. A joint amicus brief from the Chamber of Progress and other tech groups, alongside briefs from OpenAI/Google employees and dozens of former military officials, warned the government’s stance could have broad negative consequences for the tech sector. Meta did not participate. Anthropic contends the DoD’s move amounts to retaliation for its public stance on AI use; the DoD and Justice Department did not fully deny pressuring customers, and Anthropic plans to sue the Pentagon, highlighting the tension between national security concerns and speech rights in AI policy.
French President Emmanuel Macron denounced tech giants' claims to defend free speech, insisting platforms must be transparent about how their algorithms work and acknowledging inherent biases; he made the remarks during a New Delhi event on India-France university partnerships, framing the debate within broader EU tech rules and his push to curb youth access to social media.
The Department of Homeland Security has issued hundreds of administrative subpoenas seeking personal data from online users who criticized ICE, targeting major platforms like Google, Meta, Reddit and Discord. The requests seek identifiers such as usernames, emails, phone numbers and IP logs, with companies typically notifying users and allowing challenges within 10–14 days. The move raises First Amendment concerns cited by the ACLU amid protests against ICE, as DHS and the platforms emphasize privacy review processes and legal safeguards.
Reddit, Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and Google reportedly complied with hundreds of DHS administrative subpoenas seeking the identities of users who criticized ICE, a tactic DHS is expanding beyond traditional court orders; Google says it reviews demands and informs users when possible, while activists push back with a Resist and Unsubscribe campaign, and related reporting highlights data-sharing concerns connected to Amazon Ring and law enforcement access.