Bethesda workers stage one-day walkout over Microsoft stonewalling union requests

Meta is eliminating its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the US due to legal and policy concerns, according to a memo by Janelle Gale, the company's VP of human resources. The decision includes rolling back representation goals, ending the "diverse slate approach" to hiring, and focusing on fair practices to mitigate bias for all employees. Additionally, Meta will no longer source business suppliers from diverse-owned businesses. Full Article

During an earnings call, Intel announced its next major client CPU architecture, "Nova Lake," set to debut in 2026 under co-chief executives Michelle Johnston Holthaus and David Zinsner. This follows the upcoming release of Panther Lake in 2025, with both chips aiming to enhance performance and reduce costs for Intel and its partners. Intel's foundry business will play a significant role in producing Panther Lake, while Nova Lake will involve a combination of internal and...

Meta’s Threads app is adding new Instagram-like features, including a dedicated media tab and photo tagging abilities, in response to user requests. The app's markup tool will now be available globally, allowing users to doodle on posts. With 320 million monthly users, Threads is continuing to grow and compete with Bluesky, with Meta recently testing ads on the platform. Full Article

The U.S. Copyright Office states that AI-generated creations in the U.S. can be copyrighted if they have been edited by a human, but not if they lack human modifications. The report outlines scenarios where AI-generated content may be eligible for IP protections, such as using AI tools to enhance film production. The agency plans to address whether AI systems making independent artistic choices can produce copyrightable works in a future report. Full Article

Mistral AI, once Europe's great hope for AI, is now losing ground to US rivals and being overshadowed by DeepSeek, with an ARR in the tens of millions. Despite initial praise as a potential global leader in AI technology, Mistral AI is struggling to compete and is now facing strong competition from China's emerging star in the industry. Full Article

Investors concerned about big tech companies' spending on artificial intelligence were not reassured by Microsoft's recent financial results, showing a $22.6 billion investment in data centers for cloud computing and A.I. Sales of Azure, Microsoft's cloud service, grew 31%, with over a third attributed to A.I. services. Despite concerns raised by DeepSeek's advanced A.I. system, Microsoft continues to invest in A.I. infrastructure and partnerships, while also increasing capital expenditures at a slower pace in the...