In June 2009, a bespectacled Senior Vice President at Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) launched Bing, the Redmond company’s answer to Google’s popular search engine.His pitch was simple: search engines were broken, and Bing would fix them with an organised experience that delivered the right information effortlessly.Except it didn’t.While Bing made some early inroads, it has hardly made a dent in Google’s search dominance.Today, Google commands a 90 per cent market share. Bing? Just 4 per cent, and that’s after bur ...

Group 1: AI and Technological Innovations - The article discusses the historical context of technological innovations, comparing AI to past innovations like containerization, which initially boosted certain industries but did not lead to long-term wealth creation for many companies [3][4][5]. - It highlights that while AI is seen as the next big thing, the competitive intensity and high capital expenditures may lead to reduced profitability for AI companies, similar to the challenges faced by shipbuilders during the containerization boom [6][10]. - The article suggests that the real beneficiaries of AI productivity gains will be existing knowledge-industry service providers, emphasizing that companies must adapt their strategies to incorporate cost savings effectively [9][11]. Group 2: Investment Opportunities in AI - Investors are advised to focus on companies that can leverage AI to achieve high-quality results from ambiguous information, particularly in sectors like professional services, healthcare, and education, which have not seen significant productivity increases from automation [11][12]. - The article notes that companies with established strategies for cost reduction, like IKEA and Walmart, have historically benefited from technological advancements, indicating a potential investment strategy for AI-related companies [12]. Group 3: Rare Earths and Defense Industry - The U.S. Department of Defense has entered a deal with MP Materials to reduce dependency on China for rare earth elements, specifically neodymium and praseodymium, which are critical for defense applications [30][31]. - MP Materials is set to expand its mining and processing operations and increase magnet manufacturing capacity significantly, with a guaranteed price floor for its products to ensure profitability [30][31][32]. - The deal raises questions about the role of government versus the private sector in addressing supply chain risks and the potential financial implications for U.S. taxpayers if market prices remain low [32][33][34].

Core Insights - Alphabet has reached a market valuation of US$3 trillion, becoming the fourth company to achieve this milestone, joining Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple [1] Group 1: Infrastructure Advantage - Alphabet operates 33 submarine cables spanning over two million miles, which supports its vast data needs and enhances its internet infrastructure [2] - The company is one of the largest manufacturers of data centers, allowing it to maintain low costs and offer free software, a significant advantage over competitors [3] - This infrastructure is crucial for all of Alphabet's operations, emphasizing its importance in the company's business model [4] Group 2: User Base and Product Reach - Alphabet has seven products, including Android and YouTube, each with over two billion users, showcasing its unmatched product breadth [5] - Additionally, eight other products have over 500 million users, indicating Alphabet's digital ubiquity in the market [6] Group 3: AI Developments - Alphabet has made a significant comeback in the AI sector with its Gemini platform, which has surpassed ChatGPT in iOS app downloads [7] - AI Overviews now reach over two billion monthly users, contributing to a 10% increase in global queries [8] - Gemini's latest models have attracted nine million developers, indicating strong growth potential [8] Group 4: Revenue Growth - The combined revenue run rate for Google Cloud and YouTube is US$110 billion, with Google Cloud generating US$49 billion in the past year [10] - YouTube has become the leading streaming platform in the U.S., capturing 12.8% of total TV viewing as of June 2025 [10] - The subscription business has surpassed 270 million paid subscriptions, driven by YouTube and Google One [11] Group 5: Long-term Strategy - The AI landscape is still evolving, and Alphabet's infrastructure and long-term strategy position it well for future developments [12] - The company emphasizes that success in tech is not about being first but about enduring over time, highlighting the importance of patience for investors [14]

Product Update - Google Photos' photo-to-video feature is being upgraded with Google's latest video-generation model, Veo 3 [1]

Now, you can ask Google Photos to edit pictures for you. Even if you don't know anything about photo editing, you just type what you want to improve and it'll do it for you. Okay.So, for this photo, when I'm looking at it, my personal preference would be I want to fix the lighting. Okay. And I'm going to fix the framing.So, let's put that in. Okay. You see this kind of sparkly vibe that's going on.That is the Gemini models that work. So, they're identifying the people and they're actually changing the backg ...

Product Update - Google Photos introduces an "ask to edit" feature, enabling users to request edits via voice or text [1]

RT Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai)So many of you are loving turning your photos into short videos in the @Geminiapp and the Gemini API. Next up, we’ll be rolling this feature out to @YouTube Shorts and @GooglePhotos. And soon, Remix your Google Photos into comics, sketches + 3D animations. https://t.co/ct8AYvJpA7 ...

Google Photos adds AI features for 'remixing' photos in different styles, turning pics into videos | TechCrunch https://t.co/7pKFVa061z ...

Technology & Engineering - Google Photos' Magic Editor integrates complex CV and generative AI models into a seamless mobile experience [1] - The focus is on optimizing massive models for latency and size [1] - Crucial interplay exists with graphics rendering (OpenGL/Halide) [1] - The process involves turning research concepts into polished features for practical use [1] Product Development - The aim is to build tools that improve users' lives through greater expression, skill-building, and communication [1] Personnel - Kelvin Ma, a product engineer with 15 years of experience, is involved in developing innovative consumer applications used by millions [1]

Google Photos merges classic search with AI to speed up results | TechCrunch https://t.co/zZooqRVUE4 ...