Microsoft

Microsoft is shifting from large AI models to smaller, domain-specific models (MAI family) to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. These models are replacing OpenAI's models in Microsoft products, with benefits including better hardware utilization and targeted deployment for specific tasks like coding, image generation, and speech-to-text.

Phoebe Gates, daughter of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, cofounded AI shopping startup Phia, which raised $43 million and is valued at $185 million. She aims to distance the company from her family's influence, stating the venture should stand on its own merit. Phia's browser extension faced allegations of 'cookie stuffing,' a practice where it allegedly claimed credit for online sales it did not drive.

Microsoft, Amazon, and Google's collective carbon emissions increased by nearly 20% in the past year due to datacentre construction, reaching 119m mTCO₂e—equivalent to a third of France's emissions. All three companies still aim to achieve net zero carbon output despite the construction boom.

Microsoft, Amazon, and Google’s collective carbon emissions rose by nearly 20% in the past year due to datacentre construction, reaching 119 million metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent—about a third of France’s emissions. The companies maintain their commitment to achieving net-zero carbon output despite the construction boom.

Datacenters in Ireland now consume 23% of the country's electricity, up 10% in 2025 despite a moratorium on new Dublin grid connections. The Central Statistics Office reports their usage tripled between 2019 and 2025, prompting stricter regulations requiring backup power systems. Protests against datacenters have emerged due to their high energy demands.

A scam involving Discord verification for Microsoft accounts was reported, where users are lured with free in-game items and prompted to provide email, username, and mobile verification codes, leading to account compromise. Hackers exploit the verification process to steal account credentials and change security settings.

A heat wave in Virginia caused a data center to emit dark smoke as diesel generators were activated to manage power grid stress. PJM's demand-response program incentivized reduced grid usage, with data centers like Digital Realty participating to prevent outages. Environmental concerns arose over fossil fuel use for backup power during the July 2026 event.

Adrienne Murray has rare access to Microsoft's Quantum Lab. The lab is located in Denmark.

Microsoft reported a 25 percent increase in emissions, primarily driven by rising electricity use from data centers, which is contributing to higher carbon pollution.

The European Parliament passed Chat Control 2.0, a law allowing companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft to scan users' messages for child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

A new Windows backdoor named GigaWiper combines ransomware encryption with multiple data-wiping features, enabling attackers to destroy systems or encrypt files irreversibly. Microsoft identified the Golang-based malware, which includes commands for disk overwriting, system shutdown, and file exfiltration using tools like MinIO Client, alongside C2 communication via RabbitMQ and Redis.

A U.S.-based gaming brand owned by Microsoft faced public anger after laying off 1,600 employees following the approval of thousands of foreign worker visas.

A user reports receiving daily SMS messages containing Microsoft verification codes from various numbers, including the official Microsoft number, without accompanying links. Despite contacting Microsoft and removing their number from accounts, the codes continue to arrive.

Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle have collectively added $350 billion in debt over five years to fund AI data center expansion. While companies remain financially strong, borrowing costs have increased, with combined annual interest expenses exceeding $10 billion. Amazon and Oracle show financial strain, and investor caution grows over the ROI of massive capital expenditures.

Microsoft introduced a new 'Workspace Check-in' feature for Teams last month. The article does not specify the feature's exact functionality or purpose.

Microsoft identified GigaWiper, a modular Windows backdoor combining remote access and data destruction capabilities, which integrates components from Crucio ransomware and FlockWiper. The malware allows espionage features like screen capture and remote control, alongside destructive commands to irreversibly wipe systems, with C2 servers detected and blocked by Malwarebytes.

Dieter Schwarz, Germany's wealthiest person, made his fortune in supermarkets and now aims to challenge Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, potentially benefiting an entire region.

Big Tech companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta are facing scrutiny over their transparency regarding AI's environmental impact, including rising emissions and water use. The UN has called for full disclosure of data-center footprints, but companies vary in their reporting standards and willingness to share details.

OpenAI has designated its GPT 5.6 model as the 'preferred model' for Microsoft Copilot 365. The new family of OpenAI models will continue to power Microsoft's workplace and productivity applications, despite ongoing discussions about a potential breakup between the two companies.

Microsoft's carbon emissions increased by 25% in 2025, reaching 34 million metric tons, driven by datacenter expansion and the cessation of purchasing certain renewable energy certificates. The company aims to achieve carbon negativity by 2030.

Microsoft has replaced OpenAI and Anthropic with its own internally developed MAI models in certain applications, including widely used spreadsheet and email software. AI prompts in these apps are now generated using Microsoft's models.

Microsoft's carbon emissions increased by 25% in 2025 due to new data center construction and a pause in renewable energy credit purchases. The company acknowledged the tension between AI infrastructure growth and sustainability goals but emphasized continued commitment to refining strategies.

Starbucks is developing in-house AI tools to replace software previously sourced from Microsoft and IBM, aiming to reduce annual software spending. The company's CTO mentioned this shift during an internal forum, indicating a potential change in enterprise software adoption trends.

Microsoft's early lead in artificial intelligence has become a test of faith, with capital spending increasing significantly.

Cloudflare's data reveals Anthropic's AI bots have the highest crawl-to-refer ratio, scraping webpages 2,800 times for every referral, far exceeding OpenAI and others. DuckDuckGo shows a more balanced ratio of 3 scrapes per referral, while Anthropic's practices raise concerns about the web's economic model as AI companies prioritize content extraction over traffic generation.

The New York Times, Daily News, and other media outlets are urging a federal judge to sanction OpenAI for allegedly hiding evidence in a copyright infringement case. They claim OpenAI trained its AI systems using millions of news articles without permission, undermining the news industry by siphoning web traffic. OpenAI and Microsoft argue AI training falls under the 'fair use' doctrine.

News outlets including the New York Times and Daily News are urging a federal judge to sanction OpenAI for allegedly hiding evidence in a copyright infringement case. They claim OpenAI trained its AI systems using millions of news articles without permission, undermining the news industry. The case involves OpenAI's business partner Microsoft and challenges the company's use of 'fair use' defenses.

The New York Times, the Daily News, and other media outlets are urging a federal judge to sanction OpenAI for allegedly hiding evidence in a copyright infringement case. They claim OpenAI and Microsoft trained AI systems using millions of news articles without permission, violating copyright laws and harming the news industry.

Starbucks is developing AI-based solutions to replace a Microsoft inventory tracking system and an IBM maintenance management tool. The company aims to reduce its reliance on these external software providers by leveraging artificial intelligence.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits decreased to 215,000 in the week ending July 4, according to the Labor Department. Despite the slight drop, layoffs remain historically low, though June's hiring slowed to 57,000 jobs. Companies like Verizon, UPS, Amazon, Disney, Starbucks, Walmart, and Microsoft have recently cut jobs.

US jobless claims decreased to 215,000 in the week ending July 4, remaining within a historically stable range. The June jobs report showed slower hiring with 57,000 jobs added, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.2% as some job seekers exited the labor market. Companies like Verizon, UPS, Amazon, Disney, Starbucks, Walmart, and Microsoft have recently reduced their workforces.

The number of U.S. unemployment claims decreased to 215,000 last week, below analysts' forecasts, with layoffs remaining historically low. June's jobs report showed slower hiring, but jobless claims have stayed within a healthy range since post-pandemic recovery.

US jobless claims decreased to 215,000 in the week ending July 4, reflecting historically low layoffs. The June jobs report showed slower hiring with 57,000 jobs added, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.2% as some job seekers stopped looking. Companies like Verizon, UPS, Amazon, and Microsoft have recently reduced workforces.

Microsoft has patched the RoguePlanet zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-50656) in Microsoft Defender, an elevation of privilege flaw that could allow attackers to gain system-level access. The fix is included in the updated Malware Protection Engine version 1.1.26060.3008, which automatically updates for most users. Systems with other antivirus software like Malwarebytes are not affected if Defender is disabled.

Microsoft has announced plans to disable Outlook Web Access (OWA) Light, the lightweight version of the Outlook Web App email client, in a future Exchange Server update.

The 'GodDamn' ransomware uses BYOVD to target US companies by deploying a malicious kernel driver co-signed by Microsoft, which disables security software during attacks.

Windows 95 identified installer programs by checking their names against a list of 'magic words' like 'setup', 'install', and 'inst'. If a match was found, the OS performed cleanup checks for modified system files. This approach was due to limitations in detection methods during the 1990s.

Budget smartphones face declining sales and rising costs due to memory and storage chip shortages driven by the AI boom. Memory costs now comprise over 60% of materials for sub-$400 phones, forcing companies like OPPO and Xiaomi to raise prices. Omdia predicts a 22% decline in this market segment in 2024.

Rising prices for new tech devices like Apple MacBooks, Microsoft Xboxes, and Dell PCs are driving consumers to buy refurbished or secondhand electronics. Companies such as Back Market and PayMore report significant sales spikes in used laptops and gadgets, with Apple's price hikes directly boosting demand for pre-owned MacBooks. The trend reflects a shift in consumer priorities toward affordability over newness.

Microsoft President Brad Smith criticized the Trump administration's AI policy for lacking transparency and clear rules, citing recent restrictions on advanced AI models from Anthropic and OpenAI as examples. The administration used export controls to limit access to Fable 5, Mythos 5, and GPT-5.6, but these actions have since eased, with Smith noting the government lacks adequate tools to regulate frontier AI effectively.