Here’s a summary of recent news stories about five major corporations including Apple, Tesla, Microsoft, Google and Amazon.
Apple 🍎
Apple is reportedly considering acquiring the AI startups Mistral AI or Perplexity AI to boost its artificial intelligence capabilities ahead of the iPhone 17 launch. While Apple’s services chief, Eddy Cue, supports the idea of large AI acquisitions, other executives, including software chief Craig Federighi, believe Apple can develop its own technology. Separately, Elon Musk’s companies X and xAI are suing Apple and OpenAI, claiming their partnership on the iPhone is anti-competitive and gives ChatGPT an unfair advantage.
Microsoft 💻
Protesters, including current and former Microsoft employees, entered the office of company president Brad Smith at the Redmond headquarters, demanding the company cut ties with the Israeli government. The protestors unfurled banners and chanted slogans against the company’s contracts. Smith responded by holding an emergency conference, stating the company is investigating the situation and is committed to upholding its human rights principles.
Tesla 🚗
A shareholder group is urging the Nasdaq to investigate a $29 billion stock package granted to Elon Musk, arguing that it should have been approved by a shareholder vote under exchange rules. The group claims the new award is a material change to Musk’s compensation plan, which was previously stated to be solely based on a 2018 performance award. Separately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating Tesla for repeatedly failing to report crashes involving its self-driving technology within the required five-day window.
Google 🔎
Google has been in the news for a major cloud computing deal. The company has signed a six-year, over $10 billion cloud computing agreement with Meta, following a similar recent deal with OpenAI. The partnership will see Meta use Google Cloud’s servers and other services for its AI infrastructure. The deal is considered Google’s second major cloud agreement with a top tech firm. Additionally, Google is facing a new phishing scam where fraudsters are mimicking official security warnings to steal user credentials.
Amazon 📦
Amazon is facing a class-action lawsuit for allegedly misleading customers by selling “licenses” to digital movies as “purchases,” failing to disclose that the content can be removed at any time. The lawsuit accuses the company of “bait and switch” tactics. Separately, Amazon is also in the news for its robotics. The company has deployed its 1 millionth robot, a significant milestone that brings its robot workforce closer to matching its human one.
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