📱 Apple unveils new Invites app

🇨🇳 China launches antitrust probes into Google and Nvidia

• China has revived antitrust investigations into Google and Nvidia, and is considering a probe into Intel, as a potential countermeasure against US tariffs imposed by President Trump.

• The investigations focus on Google's dominance in the Android market and Nvidia's compliance with conditions from its Mellanox acquisition, while Intel's case remains uncertain.

• These probes could result in fines or restricted market access for US tech giants in China, further escalating tensions in the ongoing US-China trade conflict.

💥 Meta says this is the make or break year for the metaverse

• Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth has given the metaverse one year to prove its success, determining if Reality Labs' efforts are visionary or a potential misadventure.

• Meta plans to launch six AI-powered wearables to boost sales, retention, and engagement, with a focus on making Horizon Worlds on mobile a breakthrough for future plans.

• Despite layoffs, Bosworth believes smaller teams can achieve great results, emphasizing execution of existing ideas over creating new ones to avoid a "legendary misadventure."

💼 New US sovereign wealth fund could purchase TikTok

• President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, which might be used to acquire TikTok.

• The creation of the fund is expected within 12 months by the U.S. Treasury and Commerce Departments, with potential funding sources mentioned as tariffs and other means.

• Trump has been in discussions with various parties about purchasing TikTok, including Microsoft and potentially Tesla CEO Elon Musk or Oracle chairman Larry Ellison.

🤖 Meta may stop development of AI systems it deems too risky

• Meta has released a policy document called the Frontier AI Framework, outlining scenarios where it might not release advanced AI systems due to potential risks associated with cybersecurity and biological threats.

• The framework categorizes AI systems into "high-risk" and "critical-risk" levels, with the latter posing a threat of catastrophic outcomes that cannot be mitigated in their deployment context, while high-risk systems may facilitate attacks but less reliably.

• Meta's approach to determining system risk relies on assessments from both internal and external researchers rather than empirical tests, as the company believes current evaluation science lacks robust metrics for definitive risk assessment.

📱 Apple unveils new Invites app

• Apple introduced the "Invites" app, enabling users to organize events such as birthday parties, graduations, and baby showers with customized invitations.

• The app features integration with Maps and Weather, allowing invitees to access necessary event details, and offers tools for RSVP management and collaborative playlist creation.

• Available to iCloud+ subscribers, the service requires a subscription starting at $0.99 per month and supports iPhone models with iOS 18 or newer.

🎧 Spotify had its first ever profitable year

• Spotify achieved its first full year of profitability since its inception in 2008, marking a significant milestone for the company.

• The company experienced strong growth in both active users and premium subscribers, contributing to its profitable status.

• Apple's decision to allow Spotify to display pricing and direct users to its website within Europe likely helped by enabling Spotify to avoid Apple's 30% commission.