Core Points - Meta has terminated approximately 20 employees for leaking confidential information, indicating a serious stance on internal information security [1][2] - The company has reiterated its policy against leaking internal information, emphasizing that employees are reminded of this policy upon joining and periodically thereafter [2] - The firings are a response to a rise in leaked details regarding internal meetings and undisclosed product plans, including sensitive information from a recent all-hands meeting led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg [2] - Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth mentioned that the company is close to identifying the individuals responsible for the leaks [3]

In Brief Waymo is logging more than 200,000 paid robotaxi rides every week, according to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, who shared the stat about the tech giant’s subsidiary on X.Waymo commercially operates robotaxis in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix. The 200,000-weekly trips milestone is notable for a company that was providing only 10,000 rides a week two years ago. As Pichai notes, the number of weekly paid rides has grown 20-fold in the past two years. In August, the company was providing 100,00 ...

Group 1 - Meta has resolved an error that led some users to encounter inappropriate graphic and violent videos in their Instagram Reels feed despite having the "Sensitive Content Control" enabled [1] - The company issued an apology for the mistake, acknowledging that the content shown violated their policy against graphic violence and disturbing imagery [1] - Meta's content policy explicitly prohibits videos depicting dismemberment, visible innards, charred bodies, and sadistic remarks towards suffering humans and animals [1] Group 2 - The error occurred following Meta's announcement to relax its content moderation policies, which is perceived as a strategic move to align with the potential return of Trump to the presidency [2]

Core Insights - IBM has completed its acquisition of HashiCorp for $6.4 billion, following approval from the U.K. antitrust regulator [1] - The acquisition is part of IBM's strategy to enhance its hybrid cloud capabilities and is expected to meet the growing demand for modern, hybrid cloud-ready applications [2] - This acquisition builds on IBM's previous significant acquisitions, including Red Hat for $34 billion in 2019 and Apptio for $4.6 billion in 2023 [3] Company Developments - IBM's valuation has reached nearly $240 billion, marking an all-time high as it capitalizes on trends in AI and cloud computing [2] - The integration of HashiCorp is anticipated to strengthen IBM's position in the hybrid cloud market, which is increasingly important for organizations seeking automated cloud infrastructure [2] Industry Context - The demand for hybrid cloud solutions is rising globally, with organizations looking to deploy applications that require scalable automated infrastructure [2]

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is as bullish as ever about his company’s future, repeating his sentiments that DeepSeek won’t impact sales, he said during the latest earnings call on Wednesday.Speculation that DeepSeek’s R1 model required far fewer chips to train fueled a record drop in Nvidia’s stock price last month.  But during the earnings call, Huang touted R1 as an “excellent innovation,” emphasizing that it and other ‘reasoning’ models are great news for Nvidia since they need so much more compute.“Reasoni ...

Core Points - Microsoft has completed a multi-year project enabling Europe-based customers to store and process data within the EU [1][2] - The project, named the EU Data Boundary for the Microsoft Cloud, started in January 2023 and concluded in February 2024 [2] - This initiative allows European customers to utilize Microsoft core cloud services, including Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and most Azure services, while ensuring compliance with local data protection laws [2][3] Data Residency and Compliance - The EU Data Boundary helps customers comply with European privacy regulations such as GDPR and Germany's Federal Data Protection Act [3] - Data residency refers to both the physical location of data and the local legal requirements governing that data [3] - For services supported by the EU Data Boundary, customer data and pseudonymized personal data are stored in datacenters located in the EU or EFTA [4] Regulatory Context - EU regulators have raised concerns regarding Microsoft's data processing practices, particularly about the legal basis for data processing and contract clarity [5] - In May 2023, Meta was fined $1.3 billion by Ireland's data privacy authority for similar issues related to data transfers to the U.S. [5] - A new "Data Privacy Framework" was established between the EU and U.S. in July 2023, allowing data transfers under specific privacy protections, yet Microsoft opted to keep all European cloud customers' personal data within the EU [6]

Core Viewpoint - Apple shareholders rejected an anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) proposal at its investor meeting, despite growing scrutiny of DEI programs in the tech industry [1][2]. Group 1: Shareholder Proposal - The proposal was introduced by the National Center for Public Policy Research (NPPR), advocating for Apple to cease its DEI activities [1]. - This was one of four shareholder proposals presented at the meeting, which typically sees boards recommending rejection of such proposals [1]. Group 2: Industry Context - The proposal gained national attention as other tech companies, such as Meta, Amazon, and Google, have either eliminated or reduced their DEI initiatives [2]. - Meta has completely removed its DEI programs, while Amazon plans to scale back its efforts, and Google is reviewing its internal DEI programs and has abandoned diversity hiring goals [2]. Group 3: Company Response - CEO Tim Cook indicated that as the legal landscape regarding DEI evolves, Apple may need to adjust its approach to ensure compliance [3].

Amazon is hosting an Alexa-focused press event in NYC on Wednesday. Considering the company hasn’t held a major device presser in nearly two years — the last one was September 2023 — we’re expecting some splashy announcements. The event will not be live streamed. However, TechCrunch will be reporting on the ground. The festivities, emceed by Amazon’s new devices and services chief Panos Panay, formerly of Microsoft Surface fame, are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Eastern. The stakes are high for Amazon, whi ...

Core Viewpoint - The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has approved IBM's $6.4 billion acquisition of HashiCorp, indicating a shift towards a more pro-tech regulatory environment in the U.K. [1][5] Group 1: Acquisition Details - IBM plans to acquire HashiCorp for $6.4 billion as part of its strategy to enhance its presence in the hybrid cloud market, following previous acquisitions including Red Hat for $34 billion in 2019 and Apptio for $4.6 billion in 2018 [2][3]. - The CMA's approval comes after a "phase 1" investigation initiated in December, which involved gathering comments from key stakeholders [3]. Group 2: Regulatory Environment - The U.K. government has recently appointed Doug Gurr, a former Amazon executive, as the new CMA chairperson, reflecting a shift towards a more favorable stance on technology acquisitions [4]. - The U.K. aims to position itself as a pro-growth nation, signaling that it does not intend to obstruct significant deals involving foreign companies [5]. Group 3: Ongoing Regulatory Scrutiny - Although the CMA has cleared the acquisition, the deal is still subject to review by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has not yet made a formal announcement regarding its stance [5].

Group 1 - Microsoft is reportedly reducing its data center footprint by canceling leases with multiple providers, totaling a capacity of a couple hundred megawatts, equivalent to about two data centers [1] - The rationale behind Microsoft's decision remains unclear, but it raises questions about the company's future expectations for AI demand [1] Group 2 - In contrast to Microsoft's actions, the broader industry is expanding, with a $20 billion data center funding initiative announced by incoming president Donald Trump [2] - Additionally, a project named Stargate, involving OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, aims to invest up to $500 billion into data centers for OpenAI [2]