Welcome again to Week in Assessment! We’ve obtained plenty of information for you in the present day: Amazon earnings, Apple earnings, ChatGPT sycophancy, Alibaba’s AI fashions, and way more. Let’s get to it!
Nicely? Throughout Apple’s earnings name yesterday, Tim Cook dinner revealed that the corporate paid $900 million in tariffs final quarter. However regardless of this, the CEO didn’t announce any value will increase — but.
Large bucks: Protection tech startup Mach Industries, which was based by 21-year-old Ethan Thornton, is about to shut a recent $100 million in financing, sources instructed TechCrunch. This new funding ought to convey the startup’s complete funding to about $185 million so far.
Extra fashions: Alibaba introduced this week that it’s releasing a household of AI fashions, referred to as Qwen3, that it claims can outperform OpenAI and Google. In line with Alibaba, the Qwen3 fashions are “hybrid” fashions, and so they’re not but accessible for obtain.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Assessment, the place we recap the week’s greatest information. Need this delivered as a publication to your inbox each Saturday? Join right here.
Information
Shoot for the celebrities: Amazon’s effort to create a space-based web community started in earnest this week: The corporate fired off its first 27 web satellites on Tuesday. The primary 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 criticism filed by New Delhi-based M Moser Design Associates, which alleged that its workers had acquired emails containing obscene and vulgar content material despatched through Proton Mail.
Cheaters by no means win: Cluely went viral just lately for its daring declare of serving to individuals cheat on every little thing. However some startups are claiming they’ll catch Cluely’s customers.
Alexa+: Amazon’s new digital assistant goals to let customers speak with it in a extra pure model and ultimately have agentic talents that permit it to make use of third-party apps on a consumer’s behalf. Throughout 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 mentioned 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 Video games has notched a win in an ongoing authorized dispute with Apple. Decide Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers mentioned in a ruling that Apple was in “willful violation” of a 2021 injunction that prohibited the corporate from imposing anticompetitive pricing. In consequence, Fortnite could possibly be again on iPhones as quickly as subsequent week.
LOL: Following the Epic Video games ruling, Stripe shared documentation that exhibits iOS builders learn how to keep away from the Apple fee.
Verify 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 implies Meta’s AI will analyze photographs and movies taken with the glasses whereas sure AI options are switched on.
Yikes! OpenAI mentioned it was “rolling again” the newest replace to the default AI mannequin powering ChatGPT, GPT-4o, after complaints about unusual conduct, particularly it being overly agreeable and validating. In line with OpenAI, the replace, which was supposed to make the mannequin’s default persona “really feel extra intuitive and efficient,” was knowledgeable an excessive amount of by “short-term suggestions.” Now the corporate pledges to make modifications that may forestall this from taking place sooner or later.
Earlier than you go
Oh the drama: We learn by the 80-page Epic v. Apple determination to drag out the decide’s juiciest, fieriest feedback. Right here’s one to get you began: “Apple engaged in techniques to delay the proceedings. The Courtroom later concluded that delay equaled earnings.”
