Donald Trump threatens EU with tariffs and initiates a trade investigation after the European Commission fines Google €890m, also citing fines against Apple, Meta, and Amazon, claiming unfair treatment of US tech companies.
The Trump administration is speculated to introduce restrictions on open AI models, citing national security risks and competition with Chinese models, despite critics arguing it would hinder US innovation.
President Donald Trump announced his administration will launch a Section 301 trade probe into the European Union, threatening 'substantial' tariffs. This action is in response to the EU's hefty fines against U.S. tech giants like Google, Apple, Meta, and Amazon, which Trump claims are 'ROBBING' American companies and taxpayers.
Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has publicly endorsed the 'Tau Scaling Law' as the company's sole strategy for survival and growth amidst external pressures, according to internal remarks reported by Science and Technology Daily. He emphasized it's a path for survival, not disruption.
Tencent Holdings dismissed a WeChat division project manager, surnamed Ye, after details of his 3.17 million yuan bonus package leaked online. The company cited his passing sensitive corporate information to external parties, causing severe negative impact.
The EU fined Google €890 million for Digital Markets Act violations, sparking fears of U.S. tariff retaliation from President Trump, who is set to decide on new levies. European officials deny trade policy links, but U.S. lawmakers and trade officials warn of transatlantic stability risks, especially with upcoming U.S. elections.
Google has been fined over $1 billion by the European Commission for two serious Digital Markets Act violations: self-preferencing its services on Google Search and anti-steering practices on Google Play. The company has 60 days to comply, while US Republican lawmakers are urging Donald Trump to retaliate against the EU with trade investigations.
Google introduces selfie video login, using guided head movements for identity verification. This biometric method aims to combat bots and deepfakes, but raises privacy concerns despite Google's encryption and user control assurances.
The EU has fined Google €890m (£759m) under the Digital Markets Act for allegedly abusing its power by favoring its own flight/hotel booking services and Play Store offers over rivals. Google criticized the decision, arguing it could harm European customer services.
Alphabet and Tesla shares fell due to high AI spending plans, while Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple prepare to release results. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are driving oil prices up, and the ECB is expected to hold interest rates steady amid a volatile outlook.
Alphabet reported double-digit revenue growth and beat Wall Street's Q2 expectations, marking its 12th consecutive quarter of gains. The tech giant increased its capital expenditure forecast to $200bn, driven by massive AI investments, while facing intense competition from rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic.
Alphabet's latest earnings report reveals Google Cloud revenue surged 82% to $24.8B, largely due to enterprise AI adoption, surpassing analyst expectations. Overall revenue grew 24% to $119.8B, with profit at $112.1B, alleviating investor concerns about significant AI spending.
Samsung unveiled detailed features of its upcoming premium smart glasses, including gesture controls via smartwatches/Galaxy Ring, a built-in camera, and message summarization. Launching this Fall, the device aims to challenge Meta's dominance in the smart glasses market.
Meta launches smart glasses with subscription features and AI image generation using public Instagram photos, while Apple enhances Siri, Google updates AI usage and data training, and Nvidia expands AI chip dominance, collectively reshaping consumer tech with new capabilities and privacy considerations.
Google faces delays with its Gemini 3.5 AI model, impacting its market position, while Chinese startup Moonshot releases a free, open-weight model, intensifying US-China AI competition. Simultaneously, Silicon Valley workers are taking collective action, including lawsuits and petitions, to protect their jobs from AI automation amidst the industry boom.
Ant International, an affiliate of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group, has raised approximately US$1.2 billion in a Series A funding round. The Singapore-based company, backed by Ant Group and Alibaba, plans to use the capital to accelerate global expansion and drive innovation in merchant payments and financial services.
Chinese tech giants like ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent are increasingly using AI tokens as an internal corporate currency to measure and bill AI service usage among employees. This trend is fueled by a brutal price war in China's AI industry, driving down costs and accelerating AI integration into daily workflows.
Google workers, led by the Alphabet Workers Union, delivered a petition with over 4,500 signatures to CEO Sundar Pichai's office, demanding layoff protections, guaranteed severance, and an end to quota-based performance ratings. This action comes as tech giants continue workforce reductions while heavily investing in AI.
Ant Digital Technologies, Alibaba's fintech affiliate, launched "Agentar 2.0," an upgraded AI agent platform featuring 200 digital expert templates. CEO Cyril Han Xinyi stated the platform aims to restructure enterprise workflows for collective productivity, moving beyond individual task acceleration.
Alibaba has previewed its Qwen3.8 AI model, claiming it's "second only" to Anthropic's Claude Fable 5 with 2.4 trillion parameters. This launch, coinciding with China's top AI summit, highlights the country's push to match US AI leaders.
A landmark lawsuit held Meta and Google accountable for designing addictive social media platforms that harm children. Plaintiff Kaley was awarded $6m after a jury found the companies liable for malice, oppression, or fraud. Lawyer Mark Lanier utilized AI in his "righteous case" against the tech giants.
Xiaomi is intensifying its electric vehicle (EV) research and development, announcing a new SUV line called Sky Nomad to counter slowing domestic sales and compete with rivals like Li Auto and Xpeng. Analysts anticipate the new models will feature extended-range battery technology.
Saudi tech firm Elm, backed by the Public Investment Fund, visited Hong Kong for the first time to explore co-developing a smart city and establishing a regional market gateway. The visit coincided with the LEAP East 2026 tech conference.
Meta's new AI tool, Muse Image, allows users to generate images using others' profile pictures without consent, drawing criticism from privacy advocates and raising concerns about potential misuse and exploitation of personal data.
