alphabet

Indian markets saw a mixed trend. Wall Street's record rally paused on Tuesday. alphabet's shares dropped significantly after the Google parent announced plans to raise capital for its artificial intelligence investments. Other tech companies like Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Broadcom saw gains. Oil prices eased slightly. Bond markets remained stable ahead of US labor data.

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman has clarified that Pershing Square's sale of alphabet (Google) shares was not a bearish call on the company. Ackman said his hedge fund offloaded its long-held Google stake to fund a fresh $2.1 billion Microsoft position, betting on the software giant's AI prospects, Azure cloud growth, and Copilot adoption after a steep stock decline this year.

alphabet's Debug initiative is seeking EPA approval to release 32 million specially treated male mosquitoes in California and Florida. This innovative approach uses Wolbachia bacteria to sterilize wild Culex mosquitoes, aiming to significantly reduce the spread of diseases like West Nile virus. Advanced AI and robotics are enabling this large-scale effort, with trials planned over two years.

Europe is poised to hit Google with a massive multi-million euro fine under the Digital Markets Act. The EU's investigation probes allegations of Google unfairly favouring its own services and using publisher content for AI training. This significant penalty signals the EU's commitment to reining in tech giants, with a decision expected soon.

A new mother's attempt to name her daughter Xfrgolszzzxy, a unique moniker intended to honor her father and set her child apart, was met with resistance from a hospital. Alabama's birth certificate regulations, which prohibit names starting with 'X' followed by a consonant, led to a standoff, sparking widespread online debate about parental rights and naming conventions.

Punchappady govt school banks on incentives, bilingual shift, and community support to attract new students

A farmer's plough struck a tomb in Syria in 1928. This led to the discovery of the ancient city of Ugarit. Archaeologists found clay tablets with a unique cuneiform script. This script was one of the earliest alphabets. The city was a vibrant trade hub connecting Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Aegean world.

Malaysia has implemented a new rule banning children under 16 from social media. Major platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram must verify user ages. Companies face hefty fines for non-compliance. This move aims to protect minors from harmful online content. The government emphasizes this is not anti-technology but about shared responsibility for child safety online.

Google plans a massive $190 billion investment in AI infrastructure, a six-fold increase from 2022, signaling a strong push into custom silicon with its new TPU 8th generation. This strategic move aims to reduce reliance on third-party chip suppliers like Nvidia, enhancing both training and inference capabilities for its AI models and services.

A rural Kentucky school district secured a $27 million settlement from tech giants like Meta, TikTok, and YouTube. The district sued, alleging their platforms worsened student mental health. While companies deny wrongdoing, this case sets a precedent for over 1,200 other districts pursuing similar claims, with significant financial implications looming.

Berkshire Hathaway, under new CEO Greg Abel, has significantly altered its investment strategy. Abel has more than tripled the stake in alphabet (Google's parent company) and completely sold off Amazon shares, a departure from Warren Buffett's long-held tech aversion. Additionally, Berkshire made a substantial investment in Delta Airlines, another sector Buffett previously expressed skepticism about.

A look at the contents of the books, which will be used by students from this academic year, revealed every page had illustrations and an activity — from drawing and colouring, to designing posters and songs. Fonts were bigger and a pictorial story preceded almost all lessons — a change in approach compared to last year’s textbooks for the same subject. Concepts such as money, introduced from Class III generally, have been pushed up to Class II

So why is America’s Silicon Valley handing Indian-born CEOs the keys to the kingdom in the age of AI? Perhaps because, in the old Silicon Valley debate between Founder Mode and Manager Mode, the age of AI has elevated a third figure: the Operator. For that, we have to, as this column promises, go deep into the rabbit hole.

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis argues companies cutting engineers due to AI are misguided. He believes increased productivity should fuel more projects, not layoffs. Hassabis sees AI as an opportunity to expand ambitions, not shrink workforces, and is eager to hire talent shed by rivals for new ventures like drug discovery and game design.

Top tech CEOs from Google, Meta, TikTok, and Snap are summoned to Washington for a crucial hearing on child online safety. Facing mounting pressure from lawmakers and thousands of lawsuits alleging harm to young users, these tech giants are under scrutiny. TikTok's CEO also faces unique questions regarding its US operations.