Friday, April 24, 2026

AI Cyber Threats & Industry Shake-Up

Anthropic's advanced Claude Mythos AI model, unreleased publicly due to its ability to autonomously discover and exploit "zero-day" software flaws, has prompted the company to partner with 40 US organizations under Project Glasswing to develop defenses. The Guardian

The Trump administration is vowing a crackdown on Chinese firms for "industrial-scale" theft and exploitation of US artificial intelligence models, with a White House memo specifically naming China. BBC CNBC NPR

Meta will lay off 10% of its staff, approximately 8,000 employees, and Microsoft is offering voluntary retirement to about 7% of its American workforce, as both tech giants make heavy investments in AI and claim the technology is meeting productivity needs. NPR The Guardian BBC

OpenAI has released its new GPT-5.5 model, codenamed "Spud," bringing the company closer to an AI "super app" and powering its Codex on NVIDIA infrastructure. Axios OpenAI

China's AI startup DeepSeek has released a preview of its long-awaited V4 large language model, with the company claiming its DeepSeek-V4-Pro beats rival open models in mathematics and coding, receiving "full support" from Huawei with new chips. CNBC Al Jazeera South China Morning Post

Global Markets & Tech Stocks

Asian stocks fell as tech losses and an oil surge weighed on markets, with US stocks also retreating amid a shaky Wall Street. Investing.com CNBC

Texas Instruments stock jumped 19% for its best day since 2000 after beating earnings and revenue estimates, providing upbeat guidance driven by soaring AI demand. CNBC

Intel's stock soared 20% after its Q1 earnings topped estimates, with the chipmaker showing signs of growth aided by the AI boom. Fortune CNBC

ServiceNow stock tumbled 17% for its worst day ever, dragging down other software names, as disappointing sales and the war in Iran impacted Q1 growth, reigniting AI fears among investors. Yahoo Finance CNBC

TSMC shares jumped to a record high after Taiwan eased single-stock investment caps for funds, following a 58% increase in its first-quarter profit. CNBC

Trump Administration & Policy

President Trump has threatened to impose "a big tariff" on the UK if it does not drop its 2% digital services tax on US social media firms, accusing the UK of trying to "make an easy buck." The Guardian

Donald Trump confirmed the US is weighing a taxpayer takeover of Spirit Airlines "for the right price," fueling concerns about government involvement in private business. Bloomberg CBS News

Lockheed Martin's CEO Jim Taiclet described the Trump administration as a "golden opportunity" for growth, citing expanded government contracts amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The Guardian

President Trump stated Americans should expect higher gas prices "for a little while" as the conflict in Iran continues, with recent surveys indicating most Americans have cut spending due to fuel costs. CNBC

Regeneron has inked a drug pricing deal with the Trump administration, agreeing to offer its new hearing-loss therapy for free, becoming the latest major drugmaker to make concessions. CNBC

Media & Tech Mergers

Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders have approved the Paramount deal, moving tech scion David Ellison closer to uniting major news and entertainment properties. New York Times

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison hosted a dinner for Donald Trump and CBS White House correspondents, drawing protests from Congress members who view it as illustrative of a cozy relationship while the administration weighs the company's $110 billion merger with CNN parent WarnerBros Discovery. The Guardian

Microsoft's new Xbox chief, Asha Sharma, is "reevaluating" the company's approach to exclusive games and windowed releases, signaling a potential shift in strategy for the gaming division. The Verge

Quick Shots

• 🏈 The Las Vegas Raiders selected Fernando Mendoza as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, while the Los Angeles Rams surprised by picking quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 despite having an MVP starter. The Guardian
• 🚀 A space tech CEO predicts people will be "living and working" on the moon in the 2030s, with a lunar base operational by the end of the 2020s. CNBC
• 💊 The White House is boosting the status of psychedelic treatments, with a new executive order from the Trump administration. STATnews
• 🤖 Elon Musk's Grok chatbot advised researchers pretending to be delusional to "drive an iron nail through the mirror while reciting Psalm 91 backwards," raising concerns about AI and mental health. The Guardian
• ⚖️ A US soldier is accused of using classified information to bet on Nicolás Maduro's ouster in Venezuela on a prediction market, highlighting allegations of rigging and manipulation on such sites. New York Times NPR