Microsoft becomes $3 trillion company, Apple Mac turns 40

Microsoft became the second-ever company to exceed a $3 trillion (£2.4 trillion) valuation on Wednesday, after its focus on artificial intelligence (AI) drove an investor rally. The valuation follows Apple hitting the milestone in June last year. Microsoft’s shares rose by more than 1.45pc during trading on Wednesday in New York, on a day when…

Microsoft cleared to buy Activision Blizzard, Kia plans £25,000 EV

Activision Blizzard is the maker of the hugely popular Call of Duty games Microsoft's revised offer to buy Call of Duty-maker Activision Blizzard has been approved by UK regulators. The Competition and Markets Authority said the deal addressed its concerns, after the watchdog blocked the original $69bn (£59bn) bid in April.…

Female-led AI startups less likely to get investment, NGOs promised greater cybersecurity

  An “urgent issue” of gender imbalance in artificial intelligence investment must be addressed according to a government-backed body which has found that female-founded companies accounted for just 2% of AI startup deals over the past decade. The report by the Alan Turing Institute found that when female-founded companies have secured funding, they raise on…

Musk looks to charge everyone for X, YouTube bans ads on Russell Brand channel

Elon Musk has suggested that all users of X, formerly called Twitter, may have to pay for access to the platform. In a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the billionaire said a payment system was the only way to counter bots. "We're moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the…

Apple trainers at auction for $50,000, Musk takes @X account without paying owner

A pair of rare Apple trainers are being sold by auction house Sotheby's for $50,000 (£38,969). The shoes were custom-made for employees only in the 1990s and were a one-time giveaway at a conference. A pair have never been sold to the public before. Featuring a predominately white leather upper, "a standout detail" is the…

ShinyShiny snippets: Amazon’s Book Depository to close down

UK-based online store Book Depository is being closed down by its parent company, the US technology giant Amazon. Book Depository has told customers it will cease operations later this month after almost two decades in business. It comes after Amazon announced plans to cut thousands of jobs as it shakes up its businesses globally. The…

ShinyShiny snippets: Macbook Pro models offer ‘unrivalled power’

The new MacBook Pro models are here. While they look just the same as the ones released in late 2021, the performance has been enhanced, thanks to the latest additions to the Apple-made silicon chips. Until last week, if you wanted a MacBook pro in 14in or 16in screen sizes, you could choose between the M1 pro…

ShinyShiny snippets: Microsoft to cut 10,000 jobs worldwide

Microsoft will cut 10,000 jobs in the latest round of staff redundancies to hit the tech industry. It will affect up to 5% of its global workforce and cost the business $1.2bn (£972m) in severance and reorganisation costs. Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said that while customer spending had grown during Covid, more people were…