huawei Huawei Challenges FCC Equipment Ban in Federal Court Huawei files a lawsuit against the FCC to overturn a recent ban that prevents carriers from using federal funds to purchase its equipment, arguing the order violates the U.S. Constitution.
aws AWS Introduces Discounted Fargate Spot Pricing and Capacity Providers AWS brings affordable spot capacity to its serverless Fargate container platform, offering steep discounts for interruptible workloads. The company also introduces capacity providers to automate how applications mix on-demand and spot instances.
carbon emissions Global Carbon Emissions Reach Record High Despite Slower Growth Rate Global carbon dioxide emissions hit a new record high in 2019, rising 0.6 percent from the previous year. Researchers warn that emissions will continue to climb for another decade without dramatic changes to global energy and transportation systems.
alphabet Sundar Pichai Takes Over as Alphabet CEO as Founders Step Down Google CEO Sundar Pichai officially takes the helm at parent company Alphabet, replacing Larry Page as CEO while Sergey Brin steps down as president. The founders remain involved as board members but are moving out of active management roles.
google Google Founders Page and Brin Relinquish Alphabet Leadership Roles Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin step down from their executive positions at Alphabet, handing full control to current Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
nasa NASA Sends Robot Hotel to Space Station on Upcoming SpaceX Mission NASA is launching a specialized storage unit to the International Space Station to house exterior robots. The protected garage saves valuable interior space and cuts down on preparation time for leak-detecting equipment.
openai OpenAI Builds 16-Game Arcade to Test Whether AI Agents Cheat or Truly Learn OpenAI creates a suite of 16 simplified arcade games designed to test if AI agents are actually learning generalizable skills or just finding clever ways to cheat the system. By changing the rules and environments, researchers can see if the AI truly understands the game mechanics.
apple Billie Eilish Dominates Inaugural Apple Music Awards Apple introduces its first-ever Apple Music Awards, recognizing top artists through a mix of editorial picks and streaming data. Billie Eilish takes home three major trophies, including Global Artist of the Year.
china Chinese Cloud Infrastructure Spending Surges to $2.9 Billion China's cloud infrastructure market grows over 60% to reach $2.9 billion in a single quarter, securing its position as the second-largest cloud market globally. Domestic giant Alibaba dominates the sector, driven heavily by rapid demand for artificial intelligence services.
facial recognition Homeland Security Proposes Mandatory Face Scans for U.S. Citizens at Airports The Department of Homeland Security proposes expanding facial recognition checks at U.S. airports to include American citizens, reversing a previous exemption. Civil liberties groups strongly condemn the plan, citing severe privacy and security concerns.
facebook Facebook Expands Crisis Response Hub With WhatsApp Integration Facebook updates its Crisis Response tools to include WhatsApp messaging support and first-hand information sharing. The company also expands its Data for Good disaster maps to better assist local and federal relief agencies.
notion Notion Reaches Massive Valuation While Keeping Team Under 30 Despite reaching an $800 million valuation and surpassing one million users, work tools startup Notion refuses to raise mega-rounds or rapidly expand its headcount.
china China Mandates Facial Scans for All New Mobile Phone Accounts China now requires all citizens to undergo facial recognition scans before purchasing new SIM cards. The controversial policy links faces directly to national IDs to combat fraud but sparks significant privacy concerns.
covid-19 Wuhan Officials Confirm Mysterious Pneumonia Cases as Global Crisis Begins On December 31, 2019, Wuhan health authorities publicly confirm dozens of pneumonia cases with an unknown cause, marking the first official acknowledgment of what later becomes the COVID-19 pandemic.
youtube YouTube CEO Draws Fire Over Narrow Definition of Harmful Content YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki faces intense criticism after stating that videos promoting white supremacy do not violate platform policies unless they explicitly call for discriminatory action. Critics argue the company leverages its massive resources poorly when it comes to policing misinformation.