Technology

News on tech innovations and their impact on businesses and markets.

Technology
Google to launch own film and TV production initiative
Google is attempting to enter the Hollywood scene with its new film and TV production initiative called 100 Zeros, according to Business Insider. The tech giant quietly launched the production initiative, which is set to be a multiyear partnership with Range Media Partners, a talent firm best known for films like ‘A Complete Unknown’ and ‘Longlegs’. The talent firm will be tasked with identifying projects Google could help fund or produce. Google and Range have also announced a partnership called ‘AI On Screen’, to commission short films about AI, with the goal of making two into feature length films. "Through our continued partnership with Range, we aim to collaborate with the Hollywood creative community in a thoughtful and productive way, upkeeping our ongoing commitment to responsibly support creative expression and explore the possibilities of technology through storytelling," a Google spokesperson said in a statement. Some of the goals Google has for 100 Zeros include encouraging the creative community to adopt its new tech services and promote in still more positive views of its products, particularly among younger audiences. 100 Zeros already dipped its toes into the waters last year by putting some money be
Technology
OpenAI buys coding startup Windsurf for $3bn
UPDATED: OpenAI has agreed to buy coding startup Windsurf for around US$3 billion, its largest acquisition yet. Windsurf, formerly known as Codeium, is an artificial intelligence tool capable of writing code based on text prompts. OpenAI hosts similar coding features, with its GPT-4.1 model introduced last month prioritising coding improvements. The deal has yet to close, per Bloomberg. Windsurf began raising a new round of funding at a US$2.85 billion valuation in February, and OpenAI has been negotiating an acquisition since at least April. OpenAI also said today that it will remain controlled by a non-profit as it restructures into a public benefit corporation, reversing course. The artificial intelligence company has been transitioning into a for-profit entity, and previously sought to separate non-profit from OpenAI’s main operations. “We made the decision for the nonprofit to stay in control after hearing from civic leaders and having discussions with the offices of the Attorneys General of California and Delaware,” said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. “The for-profit LLC under the nonprofit will transition to a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) with the same mission. PBCs have become the standard for-profit structur
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Atlassian shares tumble as it forecasts slowing growth
Atlassian shares dropped 14% in intra-day trading after the Australian software company announced a slow growth forecast for the upcoming quarter as enterprise customers cut spending due to economic instability. Total revenue was US$1.35 billion for Q3 FY25, up 14% from $1.19 billion year-on-year.Operating income (loss) was $12.5 million for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, compared with operating income of $17.8 million for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024. Net income (loss) was $70.8 million for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, compared with net income of $12.8 million for the third quarter of fiscal year 2024.The tech business has downgraded its Q4 revenue however, expected to be in the range of $1.35 billion to $1.36 billion and marketplace and other revenue growth year-on-year is expected to be flat. Atlassian did have a healthy $3 billion balance sheet though, with cash and equivalents of $3 billion at the end of March - and a 25% growth in cloud revenue also bodes well for the future. Atlassian’s CEO and co-Founder Mike Cannon-Brookes remained upbeat about the company's long-term investments - including a focus on its Rovo AI solution, which is now implemented in all premium and enterprise edition
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Sales up over forecasts, yet Amazon warns of tariff hits
While Amazon posted better-than-expected results in its Q1 earnings report, driven by a 9% bump in net sales to US$155.7 billion for the quarter year-on-year, it warned that tariffs and trade disruptions would likely see a ripple effect to oncoming results. That was made up by a North America segment sales increase of 8% year-over-year to $92.9 billion, while International segment sales increased 5% to $33.5 billion. Amazon Web Services (AWS) had the biggest uptick, with a 17% year-over-year rise to $29.3 billion.Credit: AmazonOther metrics:Net income increased to $17.1 billion in the first quarter, or $1.59 per diluted share, compared with $10.4 billion, or $0.98 per diluted share, in first quarter 2024. Operating cash flow increased 15% to $113.9 billion for the trailing 12 months, compared with $99.1 billion for the previous comparative reporting period.“We’re pleased with the start to 2025, especially our pace of innovation and progress in continuing to improve customer experiences,” Amazon president and CEO Andy Jassy said. “From Alexa+, to another delivery speed record for our Prime members, to our new Trainium2 chips and Bedrock model expansion that make it easier for AWS customers to train models and run inferenc
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Tariffs to take $900m bite out of Apple Q3 earnings
Technology giant Apple estimated that new United States tariffs will add US$900 million (A$1.4 billion) to third quarter costs as it reported a 4.8% increase in net income for the second quarter (Q2) of the 2025 financial year. CEO Tim Cook said Apple saw "limited impact" from tariffs in Q2 as the company shifted supply chains and inventory but for Q3 "assuming the current global tariff rates, policies and applications do not change for the balance of the quarter and no new tariffs are added, we estimate the impact to add $900 million to our cost.” Cooke was speaking on an earnings call after Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) reported net income of US$24.780 billion (A$38.71 billion) for the quarter ended 29 March 2025, compared with $23.636 billion in the previous corresponding period (pcp). The world’s largest company, whose products include the iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods, said diluted earnings per share (EPS) rose 8% to $1.65 on revenue which grew 5% to $95.4 billion. The board of directors declared a cash dividend of 26 cents per share, up 4% on the pcp.Source: Apple“Today Apple is reporting strong quarterly results, including double-digit growth in Services,” CEO Tim Cook said in a press release. The Service

Technology
Epic fail: Apple exec lied under oath, US court finds
A United States judge has found that an Apple senior executive “outright lied” during a case against Epic Games. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers lodged a court filing holding the company in contempt, as well as naming Vice-President of Finance Alex Roman as lying under oath. “Neither Apple, nor its counsel, corrected the, now obvious, lies,” Rogers wrote. Rogers also noted that she has referred the matter to U.S. attorneys to investigate whether to pursue criminal contempt proceedings against Roman and Apple respectively. The Epic Games trial was decided in 2021 and appealed in 2023, with Apple winning the majority of the counts. Rogers also accused Apple of withholding documentation of a June 2023 meeting involving CEO Tim Cook about how they would comply with the 2021 court order, claiming that Apple hid the existence of the meeting from the court until this year. She also said that the company had avoided sharing documents when it was supposed to, and had “a desire to conceal Apple’s real decision-making process, particularly where those decisions involved senior Apple executives."
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Meta: Investors like Q1 profit leap from Facebook parent
Shares in Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) jumped after it announced a 35% increase in net income for the first quarter (Q1) of the 2025 financial year. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said net income was US$16.664 billion (A$26.06 billion) in the three months ended 31 March, compared with $12.369 billion in the previous corresponding period. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) rose 37% to $6.43 as the operating margin widened to 41% from 38% and revenue increased 16% to $42.31 billion (19% on a constant currency basis).Source: Meta Platforms“We've had a strong start to an important year, our community continues to grow and our business is performing very well," founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a press release. "We're making good progress on AI glasses and (artificial intelligence research and development arm) Meta AI, which now has almost 1 billion monthly actives.” Meta AI glasses are eyewear designed to integrate artificial intelligence and augmented technologies to offer a seamless experience between the digital and physical worlds. The company said daily users of its apps increased 6% to 3.43 billion on average for March 2025, advertising impressions across its ‘family’ of apps ro
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Smartphones, chips sales beat outlook in Samsung's Q1
Samsung Electronics had a strong start to 2025, with sales increasing by 10% compared to the same period last year. The company demonstrated strong growth and profitability in the first quarter of 2025. Their success was driven by robust sales across key segments like DX and memory chips, steady financial metrics, and a solid cash position, ensuring they remain well-positioned for future challenges and investments. They achieved a total sales figure of KRW 79.1 trillion and a gross profit of KRW 28.1 trillion, resulting in a gross margin of 35.5%. Their operating profit, which is the money left after covering business costs, was KRW 6.7 trillion, accounting for 8.4% of their sales. Net profit, the amount earned after taxes and all expenses, reached KRW 8.2 trillion, making up 10.4% of their sales.Credit: SamsungIn terms of profitability, Samsung maintains a stable Return on Equity (ROE) of 8%, which shows how much profit they make compared to shareholders' money. The net profit margin stayed consistent at 10%, indicating healthy earnings relative to sales. Other financial measures, like their asset turnover ratio (0.6) and EBITDA margin (22%), also remained steady, highlighting efficient use of their resources and strong
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Toyota partners with Waymo for next-gen autonomous cars
Carmaker Toyota and Google's Waymo have announced the early workings of a partnership aimed at accelerating autonomous driving systems development and deployment. As part of the collaboration, Toyota will provide its Woven software and mobility solutions and integrate them with Waymo’s autonomous tech to advance next-generation personally owned vehicles (POVs). Toyota says this involvement builds on its longstanding focus on reducing traffic accidents through integrated research in human-centric design, vehicle safety systems and smart infrastructure. The company’s Toyota Safety Sense (TSS), a suite of safety technologies deployed globally since 2017, has had a modicum of success across the globe, including reducing rear-end collisions by 90%, and this new deal seeks to build on a focus of safety and reliability. Waymo CEO Tekedra Mawakana says the company's mission is to be the world's most trusted driver," Mawakana said. "This requires global partners like Toyota that share our commitment to improving road safety and expanding accessible transportation. "We look forward to exploring this strategic partnership, incorporating their vehicles into our ride-hailing fleet and bringing the magic of Waymo's autonomous