Indian-American tech executive, CEO of Google since 2015 and Alphabet since 2019
Ofcom has found 26% of UK viewers now turn to Netflix first when choosing what to watch, narrowly ahead of the BBC on 25%, while ITV is first for 15%. YouTube viewing has surged: TV viewing of YouTube has doubled since 2022 to 19 minutes a day and total daily YouTube time is 41 minutes. Traditional broadcasters’ weekly reach has fallen to 70%.
Alphabet and peers are expanding AI data-center investments, driving up memory-chip prices and electricity costs while free cash flow turns negative for the quarter. Revenue remains strong as AI demand grows, but capital expenditure is set to rise into 2027.
Tesla has reported weak Q2 profits and heavy capital spending on AI, robotaxis and humanoid robots, turning free cash flow negative and sending its shares sharply lower. SpaceX has fallen since its IPO and heavy short interest is piling up. Investors are demanding clearer timelines for robotaxi, Optimus and Tesla–SpaceX collaboration as capital needs rise.
Tesla has escalated its capital expenditure, with second-quarter capex at $5.8 billion and projected annual capex above $25 billion as it expands robotaxi, Optimus, and semiconductor initiatives. Revenue rises, while operating margin declines amid aggressive investments.
A federal judge has denied xAI's emergency request to block Minnesota's law banning AI-generated non-consensual nude images, allowing the statute to take effect while xAI's wider constitutional challenge continues. xAI has argued the law is overbroad, exposes platforms to $500,000 fines per image and lacks a safe harbour; Minnesota officials have pledged to defend the statute.
Industry leaders warn that AI infrastructure investments have sparked a ferocious race among hyperscalers. Earnings calls show wide investor scepticism about when returns will materialise, even as compute demand remains strong.
Google has reorganised its AI leadership: Demis Hassabis has stepped back from day-to-day running of DeepMind to become its chair and Alphabet chief scientist, and Koray Kavukcuoglu has been promoted to senior vice-president to run Google DeepMind. Several senior engineers, including Jeff Dean and Sanjay Ghemawat, have left to launch a new startup; Alphabet shares have fallen.
A wave of new open-weight AI models from Meta and Nvidia complements Meta’s Muse Glimmer and Spark 1.2 releases, while CNBC and Axios report on the broader open-source push. The industry is increasingly mixing open access with major proprietary platforms, signaling a shift toward more distributed AI development and consumer-ready on-device tools.
Google announces Gemini has reached 1 billion monthly active users (MAUs) in the Gemini app, with voice input driving most usage. The milestone mirrors OpenAI’s ChatGPT and signals Gemini’s rapid integration across Google products, while OpenAI and others continue to compete in the AI race.
Multiple tech firms push back on doomsday AI narratives, arguing AI will strengthen data-backed operations rather than replace core software. Salesforce and Palantir promote sovereignty and governance of AI within enterprise ecosystems while analysts urge careful adoption and enhanced transparency.
A federal judge has declined to force Google to sell its AdX ad marketplace, instead ordering ongoing behavioural remedies to restore competition. The decision follows previous rulings finding illegal monopolies in Google’s ad tech stack, while outcomes on other cases remain unresolved. The court will publish specifics after redactions.
Leaders from tech giants including Nvidia, Apple, OpenAI and others have joined President Trump and Xi Jinping at a White House state dinner. The event comes as AI safety concerns rise, with executives split on how quickly to push frontier models and analysts urging caution while urging collaboration.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Washington for a three-day state visit and a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump to press an extension of a trade truce, negotiate AI cooperation and raise cases of Americans held in China. Preparatory talks have produced limited deliverables; officials expect modest, targeted outcomes rather than broad breakthroughs.
A U.S. district court has ordered Google to share data on its ad auctions, make its ad tech interoperable with rivals, and appoint an internal monitor. The judge rejected a forced breakup, instead mandating targeted remedies intended to open competition in ad tech markets.
New regulations on AI safety have been advanced by New York and California leaders, targeting transparency, whistleblower incentives, and mandatory safety measures for frontier AI models. The moves come amid broad national debate over kill switches and independent safety testing, with executives urged to attend hearings and provide risk assessments.
China’s Xi Jinping is welcomed by Donald Trump at Joint Base Andrews for a three-day state visit featuring a White House arrival ceremony, a state dinner, and talks on strategic stability, trade and tech, as leaders seek to project diplomacy against a backdrop of global tensions.
AP News reports that President Trump is welcoming Chinese leader Xi Jinping with a state visit and a high-stakes push to redefine economic ties, even as critics warn of social and political tensions. The administration has secured stakes in more than 30 private companies, including Intel and Westinghouse, as part of a broader strategy, while Republicans mount attack lines over socialism and government involvement in the economy.
The upcoming US-China talks are focusing on artificial intelligence safety and governance as leaders consider dialogue mechanisms and potential safety standards, with a chorus of tech executives weighing in on how to pace AI development.
The second US-China summit in weeks has extended a tariff truce by two months and confirmed continued dialogue, with both sides stressing stability amid ongoing tensions. No major policy announcements have emerged on AI, Taiwan, or trade, while a public spectacle underscored the event.
Anthropic's Dario Amodei will join President Trump for a private White House dinner, marking a rare one-on-one with the president as AI safety debates intensify. The gathering underscores a thaw in relations while policy disagreements over frontier AI persist.
The White House hosts leaders from major AI firms who sign a two-page accord urging internal monitoring and board oversight; Trump labels the effort morally binding while pushing plans for future regulation.
The Vatican's pope has urged world leaders and AI chiefs to seek guardrails and dialogue to prevent AI from harming humanity. He has criticised tech leaders who argue against regulation, and notes Nvidia’s guardrail plan while remaining skeptical. Trump has called AI fears a hoax, while White House talks with tech leaders are planned.
Leaders of major tech firms have gathered to discuss AI safety and a voluntary industry accord. Trump has called the document morally binding and floated a watchful committee, while critics highlight a spelling error and questions about enforceability.
Tech leaders have signed a voluntary accord to implement robust internal safeguards and auditing for AI tools, with potential to become law over time. The agreement is non-binding and lacks enforcement, but signals a push for industry self-policing as officials discuss future regulation.
The FTC has launched civil investigative demands to compel testimony and document production from leading AI firms, following a rogue-agent incident and a wave of safety concerns. OpenAI, Anthropic and others are under scrutiny as regulators push for guardrails while industry players pledge self-policing.
Gemini 4 Argon has been released in a phased rollout, with Google stating it outperforms rivals on several benchmarks and will be available to a limited group of cybersecurity partners before broader access. The model focuses on coding, cybersecurity defense, and long-horizon engineering tasks, and is designed to patch vulnerabilities and optimize memory across data centers.
Trump and Xi have extended a trade truce; talks continue with no agreed fixes on AI risk, Iran, or broader global challenges. The visit features diplomacy and spectacle, with a two-month extension and measured rhetoric about a constructive bilateral path.