This Week in Tech: Google Loses Antitrust Battle, Meta’s Strategy Under Fire, and Grok Gets Memory
Welcome back to this week’s tech roundup! The tech industry had a dramatic week packed with legal challenges, AI advancements, new product launches, and political entanglements.
Google’s Ad Tech Defeat
A federal judge ruled that Google violated antitrust laws in the ad tech market, closing a two-year case brought by eight U.S. states. One major potential outcome? Google could be forced to divest its ad business, including Google Ad Manager. While the company claims partial victory, it plans to appeal the rest of the decision.
Meta Trial Reveals Internal Panic
During the opening week of Meta’s antitrust trial, internal emails from Mark Zuckerberg revealed concerns about Facebook’s cultural decline. He even floated the idea of resetting users’ entire friend networks to make the platform relevant again. Additionally, Meta stopped reporting Facebook user stats just as TikTok began denting its growth.
AI Developments: OpenAI, Grok, Notion
- OpenAI is reportedly in acquisition talks with Windsurf (formerly Codeium) after previously approaching Anysphere—indicating a fierce race in AI coding tools.
- Grok, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, now has memory in beta—joining ChatGPT and Gemini in remembering user data for better responses.
- Notion Mail launched, offering an AI-powered Gmail-integrated email client to sort messages, draft replies, and schedule meetings.
Theseus and the Viral Drone
A single tweet catapulted Theseus, a defense startup, into Y Combinator with $4.3 million in seed funding. The startup’s low-cost drone impressed U.S. Special Forces, who are now testing it against GPS jamming threats.
More Highlights from the Week:
- Nvidia needs U.S. government approval to export H20 AI chips to China and is now investing hundreds of millions to build the chips locally.
- Figma sent a cease-and-desist to AI startup Lovable over the use of the term “Dev Mode,” citing trademark conflict.
- Rippling sued Deel, accusing it of hiring a spy. Attempts to serve Deel’s CEO hit a roadblock as he’s reportedly in Dubai, avoiding extradition.
- Apple announced it has cut emissions by 60% since 2015 in its carbon neutrality push.
- Bolt CEO Ryan Breslow returned with a “one-click super app” for crypto and everyday payments.
- Lucid’s Gravity SUV wowed reviewers, showing signs of disrupting the luxury EV market.
Nature Break: Watch the Moose
Need to unwind? Tune into the Great Moose Migration livestream and enjoy serene forest and river scenes. If you’re lucky, you might spot a majestic moose wandering by.
