Welcome again to Week in Review! We’ve acquired a number of information for you immediately: Amazon earnings, Apple earnings, ChatGPT sycophancy, Alibaba’s AI fashions, and rather more. Let’s get to it!
Well? During Apple’s earnings name yesterday, Tim Cook revealed that the corporate paid $900 million in tariffs final quarter. But regardless of this, the CEO didn’t announce any worth will increase — but.
Big bucks: Defense tech startup Mach Industries, which was based by 21-year-old Ethan Thornton, is about to shut a recent $100 million in financing, sources advised TechCrunch. This new funding ought to convey the startup’s complete funding to about $185 million so far.
More fashions: Alibaba introduced this week that it’s releasing a household of AI fashions, known as Qwen3, that it claims can outperform OpenAI and Google. According to Alibaba, the Qwen3 fashions are “hybrid” fashions, and so they’re not but out there for obtain.
This is TechCrunch’s Week in Review, the place we recap the week’s greatest information. Want this delivered as a e-newsletter to your inbox each Saturday? Sign up right here.
News
Shoot for the celebrities: Amazon’s effort to create a space-based web community started in earnest this week: The firm fired off its first 27 web satellites on Tuesday. The first half of the community must be deployed by mid-2026 to satisfy the FCC deadline.
AI in your pocket: Meta is rolling out a stand-alone AI app, which it unveiled on the firm’s first LlamaCon occasion on Tuesday. The app permits customers to entry Meta AI in an app, just like the ChatGPT app and different AI assistant apps.
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Blocked: A decide in India blocked the encrypted e-mail supplier Proton Mail throughout the nation. This was in response to a authorized grievance filed by New Delhi-based M Moser Design Associates, which alleged that its staff had obtained emails containing obscene and vulgar content material despatched through Proton Mail.
Cheaters by no means win: Cluely went viral not too long ago for its daring declare of serving to folks cheat on every thing. But some startups are claiming they will catch Cluely’s customers.
Alexa+: Amazon’s new digital assistant goals to let customers discuss with it in a extra pure fashion and finally have agentic talents that permit it to make use of third-party apps on a person’s behalf. During Amazon’s earnings name this week, CEO Andy Jassy says that 100,000 customers now have Alexa+.
AI the place it issues: Airbnb appears to be taking a extra measured strategy with AI. It began rolling out an AI-powered customer support bot within the U.S. final month. CEO Brian Chesky stated in February that the corporate would use AI for customer support earlier than it began implementing it for different makes use of like journey planning or reserving tickets.
Epic ruling: Epic Games has notched a win in an ongoing authorized dispute with Apple. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stated in a ruling that Apple was in “willful violation” of a 2021 injunction that prohibited the corporate from imposing anticompetitive pricing. As a end result, Fortnite may very well be again on iPhones as quickly as subsequent week.
LOL: Following the Epic Games ruling, Stripe shared documentation that exhibits iOS builders keep away from the Apple fee.
Check your settings: Meta emailed Ray-Ban Meta homeowners on Tuesday with a discover that AI options will now be enabled on the glasses by default. This means Meta’s AI will analyze images and movies taken with the glasses whereas sure AI options are switched on.
Yikes! OpenAI stated it was “rolling again” the most recent replace to the default AI mannequin powering ChatGPT, GPT-4o, after complaints about unusual conduct, particularly it being overly agreeable and validating. According to OpenAI, the replace, which was supposed to make the mannequin’s default character “really feel extra intuitive and efficient,” was knowledgeable an excessive amount of by “short-term suggestions.” Now the corporate pledges to make adjustments that might stop this from taking place sooner or later.
Before you go
Oh the drama: We learn by means of the 80-page Epic v. Apple determination to drag out the decide’s juiciest, fieriest feedback. Here’s one to get you began: “Apple engaged in techniques to delay the proceedings. The Court later concluded that delay equaled income.”
