This Month
Sign of things to come: Meta, Google’s ‘Big Tobacco’ moment
The $8.6 million in damages awarded to a young plaintiff will barely register on the companies’ balance sheets, but the fallout could be more damaging.
Trump taps Zuckerberg, Andreessen and Huang for tech council
It’s the latest marker of the nexus between Silicon Valley and the Trump administration that will focus on AI policy and other science-related issues.
Meta links new executive stock options to $13 trillion valuation
A company spokesperson said the pay packages represent a “big bet” and that they “will not be realised unless Meta achieves massive future success”.
Meta and Google found liable in US social media addiction trial
The verdict could mark a turning point in the global backlash against their platforms’ perceived mental health harms to kids and teens.
Robot joins Melania Trump at White House event to tout AI teachers
The humanoid robot, which introduced itself as “Figure 03”, joined the first lady to welcome first spouses from around the world to a technology summit.
OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor finds himself on both sides of disruption
One of Silicon Valley’s most influential executives, the man at the top of the AI giant’s board is preparing to bring his other start-up to Australia.
How Trump’s tax cuts helped make this county the richest in America
The past five years have created a boom in wealth never before seen in America. Across the country, the 2017 changes minted hundreds of new billionaires.
February
Did we just glimpse the end of mobile phones?
Samsung and Google have just showed off AI agents that will change the way you use handsets. But will they eventually allow you to not use one at all?
Trump to summon Amazon, Google, Meta chiefs over data centres
The president said he had negotiated a deal with tech giants to cover the energy costs of centres, but offered few details. Now he’s asking them to sign pledges.
Law must catch up with Zuckerberg’s big tech addictive platforms
A regulatory focus on product design could help address a wide range of digital harms including compulsive use.
Jacinta Allan is effusive in her flattery of Albanese’s government
Victorian premier has given the government a lot of praise at a Federal Cabinet meeting, after she demanded a reporter retract her comment; Opposition wants to restrict migration. Follow live.
Zuckerberg overruled 18 experts warning about Instagram
The Meta chief executive has taken the stand in a Los Angles court as the US technology giant fights a claim that its software is addictive for children.
Jobless rate steady; Data centre demand drives Goodman; Ellerston swoops on Winning Appliances
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Sergey Brin leads billionaires’ fight over California wealth tax
The Google co-founder and other elites have spent millions on a plan to halt the planned tax that has reportedly resulted in 200 billionaires leaving the state.
Zuckerberg flees California for ‘billionaire bunker’
The Meta CEO and his wife are the latest California billionaires to reportedly buy a home in Florida, amid concerns over the introduction of a wealth tax.
Tech stocks can keep falling. Where a Wall St icon is looking instead
Investors are being forced to re-think the capital-lite shares they once loved. Hedge fund legend Dan Loeb is going in a very different direction.
Wealthy Aussies rush to invest in Musk’s SpaceX and xAI
One Australian family office said it had raised more than $72 million to invest in Elon Musk’s SpaceX and xAI, and his vision to build data centres in space.
January
Microsoft and Meta had AI ‘trust me’ moments. One surged, one sank
The two tech giants are pushing ahead with their ambitious artificial intelligence investment plans. But the market is seeing their results very differently.
Magnificent seven’s stock market dominance shows signs of cracking
Big tech profits are projected to slow this year, narrowing the gap with the rest of the S&P 500 and forcing Wall Street to hunt for value beyond the majors.
She blew the whistle at Meta. Then her career fell apart
After exposing the harms of big tech, many whistleblowers say, they have faced poorer job prospects and professional exile in Silicon Valley. They have no regrets.
