Shares of Microsoft and Facebook owner Meta Platforms jumped Wednesday after the companies separately delivered strong earnings reports despite concerns about the economy.
Why it matters: Economic uncertainty stemming from President Trump's trade war is hovering over the stock market as investors look for signs of how increased tariffs are affecting businesses.
Gemini AI will be a part of paid agreements with other companies to feature Google's products, just like Google Search has been, CEO Sundar Pichai said in federal court Wednesday.
Driving the news: Pichai testified in a federal court in Washington, D.C., as part of the DOJ's search antitrust case against the tech giant.
To ensure America's continued leadership in the global economy, it's essential to harness the power of open source AI, which democratizes access to cutting-edge technology and empowers workers and businesses to innovate and thrive.
MAGA media erupted over a reported plan by Amazon, which the retailer denied, to display tariff costs on its website — just as Big Tech is working to align itself more closely with President Trump.
Why it matters: Tuesday's hullabaloo shows that deep skepticism of Big Tech remains a potent force within Trump's movement.
In an era of global warfare and burgeoning alliances, U.S. tunnel vision on the Indo-Pacific risks missing "important pieces of the puzzle," according to Saab Inc. chief executive Erik Smith.
"I think it's dangerous to look at a specific region of the world," he told Axios in an interview. "It's an interconnected web out there right now, with both seen and unseen connections."
Why he matters: Smith leads a growing U.S. subsidiary of an international defense and aerospace company.
Lockheed Martin wants to superchargeits F-35 and F-22 fleets with technologies it cooked up while competing for the U.S. Air Force's Next Generation Air Dominance contract, CEO Jim Taiclet said.
Why it matters: The resultant aircraft would be what Taiclet coined "fifth generation plus" — stealthier and able to sense and strike at greater ranges.
"We're basically going to take the chassis and turn it into a Ferrari," he said during the company's first-quarter earnings call.
Aeon is developing launchers and smart, rocket-powered projectiles that can pack an explosive punch against armor or deliver life-saving medical supplies to a trench otherwise out of reach, company executives told Axios.
The big picture: "I grew up by Camp Pendleton, in Oceanside, California.Talking to Marines, I learned they were still dependent on unguided rockets, and that blew my mind," founder and CEO Naweed Tahmas said in an interview.
"No warfighter in the modern era should have their lives depend on anything that's unguided."
A cadre of moms on social media is using TikTok activism around wellness causes to amplify HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s calls to clean up America's food supply.
Why it matters: At a time when "bro-casters" like Joe Rogan are helping drive the political narrative, Kennedy has tapped into the following of these "mom-fluencers" to further his agenda, which has included narratives that aren't scientifically sound.
The U.S. is hurtling toward a reckoning over teen use of artificial intelligence, with both the government and the tech industry promoting AI adoption in schools while child safety advocates demand better safeguards for chatbots.
Why it matters: Kids and parents who have barely begun to get familiar with the new technology are getting mixed messages about the opportunities and threats of AI use.
Walmart on Tuesday rejected the idea that it would apply an itemized surcharge to purchases to account for President Trump's increased tariffs.
Why it matters: A report Tuesday that Walmart rival Amazon was poised to add a tariff fee to sales in the U.S. triggered outrage in the White House, which condemned it as a "hostile and political act."
Amazon's discount store — Amazon Haul — launched in November as the e-commerce giant's answer to bringing shoppers cheap goods from China and competing against Temu and Shein.
Why it matters: President Trump's aggressive tariffs and trade war with China have hit the low-cost Chinese retailers — and created confusion and angst for consumers.
Meta on Tuesday debuted a new mobile app that consolidates the company's AI efforts while adding new voice and social capabilities.
Why it matters: Facebook's parent company will use its massive "social graph" and extensive knowledge of its users to help its AI assistant stand out from rivals including OpenAI, Google and Microsoft.
Top cyber officials in the Trump administration are among those here in San Francisco this week — though the NSA and Cyber Command are both absent after President Trump unexpectedly fired Gen. Timothy Haugh this month.
Typically, the U.S. government's entire roster of cyber officials attends the RSA Conference to meet with industry stakeholders, but it was unclear until last week what presence — if any — Trump's team would have.
Why it matters: DOGE-fueled workforce and budget cuts have created uncertainty about what role the federal government intends to play in protecting U.S. organizations and citizens from malicious hackers.
Investors aren't shyingaway from new funding ahead of this year's RSAC.
Why it matters: Tariff-driven anxiety has slowed down much of the economy, including new startup investments.
But based on the sheer number of deals announced in the last month, macroeconomic anxieties have yet to trickle down to the cyber world.
Driving thew news: Startups often unveil new funding ahead of RSAC to help lure in prospective customers they may be meeting with on the sidelines of the show.
Zoom in: My inbox has been flooded with news of fresh funding rounds for weeks. Here's just a taste of what's already been announced (in alphabetical order):
💪🏻 A group of more than 30 cybersecurity professionals and academics has published an open letter calling for the Justice Department to withdraw its investigation into former CISA director Chris Krebs. (CyberScoop)
🌎 The State Department plans to place the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy in the department's economic affairs wing, which could shift how the Trump administration pursues international cyber issues. (Cybersecurity Dive)
🏛️ The House Select Committee on China subpoenaed several China-based telecom giants as part of an investigation into broader security and national security concerns. (Reuters)
Amazon now denies reports it planned to list how much tariffs increased products' prices after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed the move as a "hostile and political act."
Why it matters: The reported plan further suggests a growing rift between businesses and President Trump, who has made aggressive tariffs and a global trade war central to his economic agenda.
It's been one month since fashion tech company CaaStle told investors that they're likely victims of one of the largest financial frauds in U.S. history, with over $530 million up in smoke.
Now the lawsuits are beginning to fly, and the company is doubling down on its caginess.
The Trump administration just gutted a decades-old bedrock of anti-discrimination law in a little-noticed executive order last week, but the fallout could take years to untangle.
Why it matters: The order, called "restoring equality of opportunity and meritocracy," is the latest in a series of blows to longstanding civil rights protections from the White House.
The AI industry —convinced it's on the verge of developing AI that's self-aware — is beginning to talk about ways to protect the "welfare" of AI models, as if they were entities that deserve their own rights.
Why it matters: The assumption that today's generative AI tools are close to achieving consciousness is getting baked into the industry's thinking and planning — despite plenty of evidence that such an achievement is at best very far off.
