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Google says Veo 3, which is the company's state-of-the-art video generator, is now shipping to everyone using the Gemini app with a $20 subscription. [...]

US President Donald Trump today signed what he called his “One Big Beautiful Bill” during Fourth of July celebrations at the White House, after it squeaked through the House of Representatives Thursday afternoon in a 218 – 214 vote.

But the bill was missing what had been one of its most contentious clauses, at least for the tech industry: a 10 year ban on AI regulation by individual states. The Senate almost unanimously voted to remove that section on Tuesday.

However, noted Scott Bickley, advisory fellow at Info-Tech Research Group, “H.R. 1 [the bill’s official designation] has many provisions that could fundamentally redefine the strategic environment for the enterprise.”

And despite the removal of the AI regulation ban, Bickley said, “it does signal that Washington is seriously considering a national AI framework. Tech leaders investing in genAI today should plan for a regulatory layer tomorrow, which will likely focus on explainability, auditability, and training data integrity.”

Permanent R&D and capital expensing provisions could turn the tax code into a “strategic lever,” he noted. “CIOs and CTOs now have a clear financial incentive to anchor AI training, cloud deployment, and cybersecurity tooling on US soil. For organizations with global architecture, this could reshape their location strategies around data, compute, and compliance.”

In addition, defense allocations for cyber-resilient supply chains, domestic manufacturing, and AI-adjacent technologies could give IT ”a rare but crucial chance to renegotiate vendor SLAs around security baselines,” he said.

On the minus side, he pointed out that loan caps for graduate programs and increased immigration fees could affect talent pipelines, especially for cybersecurity and AI, creating challenges for enterprises whose staffing needs are accelerating.

And while the Department of Energy got a $150 million appropriation to partner with industry sectors within the US to “curate the scientific data of the Department of Energy across the National Laboratory complex,” to make it usable by artificial intelligence and machine learning models, and to use the AI to develop microelectronics and new efficient energy technologies, the bill also slashed other energy spending and eliminated tax credits for environmental initiatives such as clean energy.

“Ultimately, it looks like H.R. 1 will reward localized innovation, incentivize tech-driven capital investment, and foreshadows a coming wave of AI oversight, all while seemingly leaving CIOs in the public sector and ESG-driven organizations to self-fund modernization efforts,” Bickley said.

ChatGPT Deep Research, which is an AI research tool to automate research, is getting support for new connectors (integrations), including Slack. [...]

Ingram Micro is grappling with an IT outage that has stretched into a second day, leaving partners and customers of the global IT distributor unable to access some services.

The company’s main homepage still displays a curt message saying, “We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible….”

Some other domains operated by the company were even more terse, saying only “An error occurred while processing your request,” followed by an error code referencing Akamai Technologies’ EdgeSuite CDN, yet login pages to several of its partner and customer portals at other domain names made no mention of the problem and appeared to function.

The company’s cloud service status page at status.cloud.im reported that its reseller control panel, marketplace API, Microsoft 365 management console, Microsoft Azure Cloud Solution Provider and New Commerce Experience portals, and Professional Services Automation integration tools were operational and listed no incidents within the last 30 days.

Email and phone inquiries to Ingram Micro offices in several countries went unanswered.

The disruption, which began on July 3, has sparked frustration among users, many of whom have taken to Reddit to voice concerns and speculate on possible causes. Suggestions range from a ransomware attack to issues stemming from a recent software update: Ingram made its Xvantage Enable AI platform generally available the day the problems began.

One Reddit user claiming to be an Ingram customer described their experience trying to reach the company, saying that the company’s website had been inaccessible since early in the US day and that they were receiving only automated replies to their emails to the company.

After a 30-minute wait on the phone, the user wrote, they finally reached a company representative who told them the entire website and ordering system were down, adding that they believed the company had been “targeted,” and that engineers were working on the issue. With the ordering system down, other Reddit users also expressed concerns about not being able to manage their customers’ services and not being able to manage software licenses or place orders for hardware.

IT giant Ingram Micro is experiencing a global outage that is impacting its websites and internal systems, with customers concerned that it may be a cyberattack after the company remains silent on the cause of the issues. [...]

A hacker is threatening to leak 106GB of data allegedly stolen from Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica in a breach that the company did not acknowledge. [...]

It's no exaggeration to call sudo the cornerstone of Linux privilege management. It's one of the first utilities we configure on fresh installs, and it's baked into almost every Linux distribution by default. Which is precisely why reports of two significant vulnerabilities in sudo ''CVE-2025-32462 and CVE-2025-32463''are grabbing headlines and raising red flags. These are local privilege escalation flaws, and if they're exploited, an attacker could jump from a non-privileged user account straight into the shoes of the almighty root user.

A long-awaited code of practice to guide businesses on EU AI rules may not take full effect before late 2025, leaving companies facing legal uncertainty as enforcement deadlines approach.

The code of practice, which will apply to large language models such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 and competing systems developed by Google and Mistral, was initially scheduled for release in early May.

A Commission spokesperson has now said the non-binding guidance will be published in the coming days, with companies invited to sign on voluntarily starting in August, and the code potentially taking effect by year-end, according to Reuters.

While the code is voluntary, the EU AI Act’s rules for general-purpose AI models will become legally binding from August 2, with enforcement staggered over the following two years.

Several major tech companies have called for a delay in enforcing the AI Act, citing a lack of practical guidance on implementation as a key concern.

This week, more than 40 CEOs from leading European companies, including ASML, Philips, Siemens, and Mistral, appealed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to pause the rollout of the AI Act for two years.

In a letter, the executives warned that “unclear, overlapping and increasingly complex EU regulations” threaten to undermine Europe’s AI goals, putting both the growth of homegrown tech firms and broader industry adoption at risk amid rising global competition.

High-stakes compliance

The delay in publishing the guidelines carries weight, as the document is expected to offer much-needed clarity for companies seeking to navigate the complex requirements of the AI Act.

“Since the maximum fine for breaking the rules of the AI Act is 7% of global revenue, the stakes are high,” said Hyoun Park, CEO and chief analyst at Amalgam Insights. “CIOs responsible for either following or tracking activity associated with the EU AI act need to carefully check whether the models they are using actually provide this level of lineage and visibility.”

Uncertainty over what the regulations will ultimately permit is also raising concerns that vendors may be forced to slow down AI deployments.

“Vendors liable for following the AI Act may end up having to move more slowly in Europe, as they are unable to fully parse the AI Act or the activities that are allowed,” Park added.  

CIOs on alert

With the rules set to kick in soon, analysts say enterprise technology leaders must act now to ready their systems, vendors, and processes for a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.

“AI has several stakeholders, and getting them all on a common page will not be easy,” said Faisal Kawoosa, founder and lead analyst at Techarc. “It will take time until the interests of all, especially big tech companies, are safeguarded. While implementations will continue in the enterprise environment, I think CIOs will have to be prepared for compliance checks and re-checks.”

The eventual adoption of the code may not upend how companies currently use AI, but it will introduce new layers of scrutiny, Kawoosa added.

Others see the delay in guidance as a strategic opportunity for CIOs to reinforce internal processes before enforcement begins.

“CIOs should view the delay as a window to strengthen internal governance and vendor assessments,” said Abhishek Sengupta, practice director at Everest Group. “It’s a signal to not pause deployments, but to prepare for future compliance by ensuring transparency and accountability mechanisms are in place today.”

Trying to find the right app for any given area on Android is a lot like trying to order dinner at a restaurant with way too many options on the menu. How can you possibly find the right choice in such a crowded lineup? With the Google Play Store now boasting somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 gazillion titles (last I checked), it’s no simple task to figure out which apps rise above the rest and provide the best possible experiences.

That’s why I decided to step in and help. I’ve been covering Android from the start and have seen more than my fair share of incredible and not so incredible apps. From interface design to practical value, I know what to look for and how to separate the ordinary from the extraordinary. And taking the time to truly explore the full menu of options and find the cream of the crop is quite literally my job.

[ Download our editors’ PDF Android business smartphones enterprise buyer’s guide today! ]

Bit by bit, I’ve been figuring out the best Android apps for a variety of areas relevant to you, the modern mobile professional. Whether we’re talking broad themes like organization and collaboration or specific needs like password management and note-taking, I’m making it my mission to find the best of the best for the categories that really matter.

You can find links to stories with all my recommendations below — and be sure to check back regularly, as the recommendations will be revisited routinely and the areas I cover will keep expanding over time.

Android apps for core work tasks The essential office apps for Android

Create an optimal Android office app power-pack with these thoroughly researched recommendations.

7 standout email and texting apps for Android

Give yourself an edge in business communication with these exceptional Android messaging apps.

6 first-class calendar apps for Android

Strengthen your Android calendar experience with these standout selections for serious professionals with a range of scheduling needs.

13 key Android apps for team collaboration

Stay connected and productive wherever you are with these first-rate collaboration apps for Android.

5 noteworthy note-taking apps for Android

Note-takers, take note: Whether you want gobs of features or uber-simplicity, these are the best apps for collecting and managing info on Android.

The easiest ways to view, sign, and edit PDFs on Android

Stop making your life difficult and start using these simple, free tools.

Android apps for added efficiency 7 efficiency-enhancing Android apps

These clever tools save you time so you can get straight to work — in a way only Android could allow.

4 Android keyboard apps for on-the-go productivity

Heads up, busy professionals: The right Android keyboard app can save you precious time and unlock your performance potential. So what are you waiting for?

7 exceptional Android launchers for enhanced efficiency

Save time and make your Android home screen work better with the help of these eclectic tools.

22 must-have Android widgets for busy professionals

Turn your Android home screen into a powerful productivity hub with these exceptional, business-friendly widgets.

20 genuinely useful AI apps for Android

These practical apps rely on AI in some refreshingly thoughtful ways.

13 useful Google apps you should be using on Android

These easily overlooked Android apps are all made by Google — and they’re all worth your while to install.

Android apps for smarter protection 16 recommended privacy and security apps for Android

Forget malware scanners or over-the-top security suites: These are the apps that’ll actually improve your security and protect your privacy on Android.

The most advisable Android password managers for maximum security

Not all Android password management apps are created equal — so which one makes the most sense for you?

Android apps for optimal organization The only Android file manager you need

A good file manager app makes it easy to find, organize, and share files on your Android device. With the right one, you’ll be juggling files like a pro.

Essential Android apps for organizing your life

From projects to places and to-do lists to travel, these Android apps will help you organize all the important areas of your life.

18 indispensable Android travel apps

Save yourself time, headaches and even money with these standout Android apps for business travel.

Android apps for cross-platform productivity 7 splendid progressive web apps for productivity

These standout PWAs work on any platform, including Android. They’ll help you get more done without any of the usual baggage.

Android apps for Chromebooks: The essentials

Turn your Chromebook into a uniquely versatile modern computing machine with these Chrome-OS-enhancing apps.

6 magnificent multiplatform productivity apps

These top-notch tools will help you get down to business consistently — no matter which device or platform you’re using at any given moment.

Related: Find out how to use some incredibly useful apps to enhance your Android experience.

• 14 ways Google Lens can save you time on Android
• An awesome new Android automation addition
• Meet the floating Android note app of the future
• The secret to summarizing notifications on Android
• 11 Android Quick Settings additions that’ll supercharge your efficiency

And be sure to check out this collection of exceptional Android tips for even more efficiency-enhancing info.

A few new code references in the ChatGPT web app and Android point to an Operator-like tool in GPT's chain of thoughts. [...]

A few new code references in the ChatGPT web app and Android point to an Operator-like tool in GPT's chain of thoughts. [...]

xAI is preparing the rollout of Grok 4, which replaces Grok 3 as the new state-of-the-art model. [...]

The Spanish police have dismantled a large-scale investment fraud operation based in the country, which has caused cumulative damages exceeding €10 million ($11.8M). [...]

Grafana Labs has addressed four Chromium vulnerabilities in critical security updates for the Grafana Image Renderer plugin and Synthetic Monitoring Agent. [...]

IdeaLab is notifying individuals impacted by a data breach incident last October when hackers accessed sensitive information. [...]

​Microsoft is investigating an ongoing incident causing intermittent issues for users attempting to access SharePoint Online sites. [...]

Among a range of factors leading to a wave of tech sector layoffs in 2025 is the rapid rise of artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation. Companies are reconfiguring their workforces to leverage AI for increased efficiency and reduced operating costs. This realignment and reduction is in redundancy is often implemented even by companies reporting strong financial performance.

But it’s not just AI leading to workforce cuts. Complementing this technological shift are ongoing economic uncertainty, inflation, and higher interest rates. This combo is driving companies to cut costs and streamline operations for increased efficiency.

As we hit the mid-point of 2025, this combination of AI-driven restructuring, economic uncertainty, and market normalization is shifting the tech employment landscape, indicating a shift to leaner, more AI-centric operations.

According to data compiled by Layoffs.fyi, an online tracker keeping tabs on job losses in the technology sector, 63,823 employees were laid off at 150 tech companies in first half of 2025, In 2024, 152,104 employees laid off by 547 companies, The site is also now tracking tech layoffs at U.S. federal government employees laid off by the U.S. DOGE. To date in 2024, it’s tracked 61,296 government employees laid at 171,843 total federal departures.

Here is a list — to be updated regularly — of some of the most prominent technology layoffs the industry has experienced recently.

Tech layoffs in 2025

• Microsoft
• Intel
• Crowdstrike
• HPE
• Autodesk
• HPE
• CISA
• Workday
• Salesforce
• Meta

July 2, 2025: Microsoft will cut 9,000 workers

Microsoft will lay off about 9,000 employees, a source familiar with the workforce cut told CNBC.  The cuts will reportedly affect less than 4% of Microsoft’s global workforce and will impact different teams, geographies and levels of experience. This is the latest in a string of cuts the tech giant has made this year.

June 17, 2025: Intel looks to factory layoffs to return to profitability

Intel will lay off up to 20% of its manufacturing sector employees starting in July, according to media reports, as the company looks for options as it seeks a return to profitability. The cuts reportedly will be made around the world, but some of the layoffs will be closer to home, according to a report in The Oregonian citing an internal company memo from Intel manufacturing Vice President Naga Chandrasekaran.

May 7, 2025: CrowdStrike to lay off 5% of staff

CrowdStrike announced a plan to cut about 500 roles, roughly 5% of its workforce, to streamline operations and reduce costs. The cybersecurity company will incur about $36 million to $53 million in charges related to the layoffs

March 6, 2025: HPE cuts 2,500 jobs, remains committed to Juniper buy

CEO Antonio Neri told Wall Street analysts that HPE would begin implementing a cost-cutting program involving layoffs of about 2,500 employees over the next 18 months. HPE employs about 61,000 people worldwide.

Feb. 27, 2025: Autodesk to lay off 9% of workforce

Software maker Autodesk is laying off 1,350 staff. With the rise of subscription and multi-year contracts billed annually, and self-service enablement, it finds it needs fewer sales staff, CEO Andrew Anagnost said in a message to employees. And with its cloud, platform, and AI products proving most profitable, it’s concentrating its staff and investments there.

Feb. 27, 2025: HP to lay off 2,000 more

As part of an ongoing restructuring, HP plans to lay off up to another 2,000 workers. In recent weeks, the company has tried — unsuccessfully — to do away with telephone support staff by forcing callers to wait for at least 15 minutes if they refuse to use self-service support resources online. The company swiftly backtracked, but wider job cuts are still on.

Feb. 21, 2025: CISA lays off 130

Government employees get laid off too: In this case, 130 workers at the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are being shown the door as a result of a DOGE decision. Cybersecurity experts are concerned that the cuts will harm the international collaborations that CISA has fostered, quite apart from their concerns about the security of the DOGE layoff process itself.

Feb. 5, 2025: Workday lays off 1,750

As it moves to invest more in AI and international growth, Workday is laying off 8.5% of its workforce and disposing of unused office space. Some analysts fear the cutbacks will affect the company’s customer service — unless AI can pick up the slack.

Feb. 4, 2025: Salesforce lays off over 1,000

At the same time as it’s hiring sales staff for its new artificial intelligence products, Salesforce is laying off over 1,000 workers across the company, according to Bloomberg. As of June, 2024, the company had over 72,000 employees, according to its website. Salesforce did not comment on the report. In 2024 the company reportedly laid off around 1,000 staff too, in two waves: January and July.

Jan. 14, 2025: Meta will lay off 5% of workforce

Mark Zuckerberg told Meta employees he intended to “move out the low performers faster” in an internal memo reported by Bloomberg. The memo announced that the company will lay off 5% of its staff, or around 3,600 staff, beginning Feb. 10. The company had already reduced its headcount by 5% in 2024 through natural attrition, the memo said. Among those leaving the company will be staff previously responsible for fact checking of posts on its social media platforms in the US, as the company begins relying on its users to police content.

Tech layoffs in 2024

• Equinix
• AMD
• Freshworks
• Cisco
• General Motors
• Intel
• OpenText
• Microsoft
• AWS
• Dell

Nov. 26, 2024: Equinix to cut 3% of staff

Despite intense demand for its data center capacity, Equinix is planning to lay off 3% of its workforce, or around 400 employees. The announcement followed the appointment of Adaire Fox-Martin to replace Charles Meyers as CEO and the departures of two other senior executives, CIO Milind Wagle and CISO Michael Montoya.

Nov. 13, 2024: AMD to cut 4% of workforce

AMD will lay off around 1,000 employees as it pivots towards developing AI-focused chips, it said. The move came as a surprise to staff, as the company also reported strong quarterly earnings.

Nov. 7, 2024: Freshworks lays off 660

Enterprise software vendor Freshworks laid off around 660 staff, or around 13% of its headcount, despite reporting increased revenue and profits in its fourth fiscal quarter. The company described the layoffs as a realignment of its global workforce.

Sept. 17, 2024: Cisco lays off 6,000

After laying off around 4,200 staff in February, Cisco is at it again, laying off another 6,000 or around 7% of its workforce. Among the divisions affected were its threat intelligence unit, Talos Security.

Aug. 20, 2024: General Motors lays off 1,000 software staff

More than 1,000 software and services staff are on the way out at General Motors, signalling that it could be rethinking its digital transformation strategy. In an internal memo, the company said that it was moving resources to its highest-priority work and flattening hierarchies.

August 1, 2024: Intel removes 15,000 roles

Intel plans to cut its workforce by around 15% to reduce costs after a disastrous second quarter. Revenue for the three months to June 29 stagnated at around $12.8 billion, but net income fell 85% to $83 million, prompting CEO Pat Gelsinger to bring forward a company-wide meeting in order to announce that 15,000 staff would lose their jobs. “This is an incredibly hard day for Intel as we are making some of the most consequential changes in our company’s history,” Gelsinger wrote in an email to staff, continuing: “Our revenues have not grown as expected — and we’ve yet to fully benefit from powerful trends, like AI. Our costs are too high, our margins are too low. We need bolder actions to address both — particularly given our financial results and outlook for the second half of 2024, which is tougher than previously expected.”

July 4, 2024: OpenText to lay off 1,200

OpenText said it will lay off 1,200 staff, or about 1.7% of its workforce, in a bid to save around $100 million annually. It plans to hire new sales and engineering staff in other areas in 2025, it said.

June 4, 2024: Microsoft lays off staff in Azure division

Microsoft laid off staff in several teams supporting its cloud services, including Azure for Operations and Mission Engineering. The company didn’t say exactly how many staff were leaving.

April 4, 2024: Amazon downsizes AWS in a fresh cost-cutting round

Amazon announced hundreds of layoffs in the sales and marketing teams of its AWS cloud services division — and also in the technology development teams for its physical retail stores, as it stepped back from efforts to generalize the “Just Walk Out” technology built for its Amazon Fresh grocery stores.

April 1, 2024: Dell acknowledges 13,000 job cuts

Dell Technologies’ latest 10K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission disclosed that the company had laid off 13,000 employees over the course of the 2023 fiscal year; it characterized the layoffs and other reorganizational moves as cost-cutting measures. “These actions resulted in a reduction in our overall headcount,” the company said. A comparison to the previous year’s 10K filing, performed by The Register, found that Dell employed 133,000 people at that point, compared to 120,000 as of February 2024. Dell announced layoffs of 6,650 staffers on Feb. 6, but it is unclear whether those cuts were reflected in the numbers from this year’s 10K statement.

See news of earlier layoffs.

The US has lifted export restrictions on semiconductor design software to China, reversing a controversial policy imposed just six weeks ago that had threatened to cripple China’s chip design capabilities. 

The three leading semiconductor design software providers, Synopsys, Cadence Design Systems, and Germany’s Siemens, announced they had been notified that export license requirements for business in China are no longer in place. 

Let's be honest''your Linux server isn't the fortress you hope it is if your SSH setup isn't locked down tight. Recently, security teams have been tracking a spike in attacks, and it's not just the usual malware game we've seen before. Attackers are going low-key and crafty, exploiting weak SSH security to install legitimate tools like TinyProxy and Sing-box to turn compromised servers into proxy nodes. These tools are completely normal when used properly, but they're a dream for attackers who want to hide their tracks or sell access to your system.

Linux admins and infosec pros, we've got a real problem on our hands. There's a group out there''the Houken threat actor''that's not messing around. These guys have been targeting industries that form the backbone of society: government, telecoms, finance, you name it. Using unpatched Ivanti devices as their entry point, they're pulling off some slick and dangerous moves. This isn't some dime-a-dozen botnet attack or basic ransomware scheme''it's targeted, it's precise, and it's making life a nightmare for Linux admins tasked with safeguarding critical systems.