The tech world was abuzz with major announcements from industry giants this week. Apple has pledged a massive $500 billion investment in the US, while Amazon has finally unveiled its upgraded Alexa AI assistant to rival offerings from OpenAI and Google. Meanwhile, Infosys employees are seeing salary increases, and Microsoft is preparing to shut down its long-standing internet calling service, Skype. All this and other top tech news of the week.
Apple has announced that it will invest $500 billion in the US over the next four years, coupled with the creation of 20,000 new jobs. This move comes as the company seeks relief from US tariffs on goods imported from China and the announcement follows a recent meeting between Apple CEO Tim Cook and the US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. To know more about the investment’s various initiatives, click here.
Amazon unveiled Alexa, its long-awaited AI-powered voice assistant, on Wednesday after more than a year of delays. The upgraded assistant will be available in the coming weeks in the US, and Prime members can have it for free or others can pay $19.99 monthly for it. The new assistant represents a complete redesign, transforming Alexa from a simple command-response tool into a conversational Al agent capable of autonomously completing complex tasks. Read more to know about Alexa’s new capabilities.
Infosys has sent out salary hikes to its employees based on their performance. Most employees received an increase between 5% and 8%, while top performers were rewarded with a higher raise. The salary revision applies to employees at two job levels. Those in Job Level 5, which includes team leaders and lower positions, will receive the pay hike retroactively from January 1, 2024. Meanwhile, employees at Job Level 6, who are managers below the vice president level, will get their revised salaries starting from April 1, 2024. Read more.
Microsoft has said that it is set to shut down Skype, the two-decade-old internet calling service, on May 5. The company is retiring the platform and encouraging users to migrate to Microsoft Teams. To facilitate the transition, Skype users will be able to access Teams for free on any compatible device using their current Skype login credentials. More information here.
OpenAI has launched GPT-4.5, its newest and largest AI language model. At first, it will be available as a research preview for ChatGPT Pro users. OpenAI is calling it their “most knowledgeable model yet,” but warns that it may not perform as well as some other models like o1 or 03-mini. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that GPT-4.5 is a “giant, expensive model” and that it “won’t crush benchmarks.” Here’s all you need to know.
Donald Trump is not happy with Apple shareholders’ vote to keep the company’s diversity policies. In a post on social networking platform Truth Social, US President Donald Trump asked Apple to scrap its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies (DEI). He termed them a hoax and danger to America. “APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM. DEI WAS A HOAX THAT HAS BEEN VERY BAD FOR OUR COUNTRY. DEI IS GONE!!!” Donald Trump wrote in the post. Read more.
Google has announced further job cuts in its cloud division, affecting fewer than 100 employees. This move is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to streamline operations and invest more heavily in artificial intelligence (AI). According to a report by Bloomberg, the layoffs which primarily impact sales operations, are intended to free up resources for strategic investments in AI and other critical business areas. Read what Google said.
Amazon’s cloud unit – Amazon Web Services (AWS) – has announced a significant breakthrough in quantum computing with the development of “Ocelot,” a new quantum computing chip designed to reduce the costs and complexities associated with quantum error correction. This innovation, developed at the AWS Center for Quantum Computing at the California Institute of Technology, could accelerate the timeline for practical quantum computing by up to five years, according to AWS.
Indian stock markets witnessed a sharp and sustained downturn in February, with the benchmark Sensex closing over 4,000 points lower, translating to a 5% loss for the month. This dramatic decline has resulted in a staggering erosion of over Rs 40 lakh crore from the market capitalization of BSE-listed companies in just one month. Zerodha founder Nithin Kamath has his say on the decline.
Facebook parent Meta has issued an apology for the sudden influx of disturbing content appearing in users’ Instagram Reels feeds worldwide. The company claimed a technical glitch for exposing users to a barrage of short-form videos depicting violence, including killings and cartel activity, despite being labeled as “sensitive content.” Read the company’s statement.
Haier Appliances India, a global leader in major appliances for 16 consecutive years, is revolutionizing refrigeration with the launch of its new Lumiere Series. This range is India’s only 4-Door Convertible Side-by-Side (SBS) refrigerator, making Haier the sole brand manufacturing such innovative refrigerators in the country. The Lumiere Series offers a smart, flexible, and energy-efficient refrigeration experience tailored for modern Indian households. Price and specs here.
