Another day, another OpenAI partnership, with the company of ChatGPT fame signing yet another deal to further advance its AI model, this time with Amazon.

OpenAI has run a full-on partnership gauntlet over the last few months, signing deals left and right with companies that can help it achieve the lofty AI goals set out by CEO Sam Altman.

Now, Amazon is joining the fray by providing computing power to OpenAI in exchange for $38 billion.

OpenAI Partners With Amazon for Computing Power

Announced on Monday, OpenAI has agreed to pay Amazon $38 billion over the next seven years in exchange for the company’s expansive cloud computing services.

The deal will give OpenAI access to “hundreds of thousands” of AI chips from NVIDIA, which are currently being used to power the Amazon Web Services (AWS) system for the company.

Previously, OpenAI had an exclusive partnership with Microsoft to provide all of its computing power. However, that deal was renegotiated last week, opening the door for the AI company to explore other opportunities without their approval.

Why Is Amazon Partnering With OpenAI?

$38 billion is a lot of money, which begs the question. Why is OpenAI paying Amazon so much money for its computing power? Well, the answer is pretty obvious if you’ve been following the AI company over the last few months.

“Scaling frontier AI requires massive, reliable compute. Our partnership with AWS strengthens the broad compute ecosystem that will power this next era and bring advanced AI to everyone.” – Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI

In so many words, OpenAI needs more power to make its lofty AI goals a reality, and the only way to do that is with the vast computing infrastructure that is provided by Amazon and the AWS platform.

OpenAI and Its Many Deals

This deal with Amazon is far from the first big partnership that OpenAI has entered over the last few months. In fact, $38 billion isn’t even that much compared to the cumulative $1 trillion (with a T) that the company has doled out to bolster its AI offering.

OpenAI entered into a deal with chipmaker NVIDIA to the tune of $100 billion, and also announced a partnership with chipmaker AMD, although the amount was not disclosed for that one. Beyond that, OpenAI has also signed a deal with Google in June, Oracle in September, and Broadcom earlier this month.

Yes, many have speculated that these deals are proof of an AI bubble, given that money keeps bouncing back and forth between a select few AI companies. But given the demands of AI technology on our infrastructure, it could just mean that OpenAI is trying to position itself as the only company prepared to take the next step.

Hackers are apparently going after the little guys in 2025, with information from Proton showing that 71% of data breaches have targeted businesses with fewer than 250 employees.

There’s no denying that data breaches have become a hot-button issue for businesses in the modern era. They have become troublingly common, with the cost of each cyber attack putting businesses at risk of financial loss and even insolvency.

Even worse, these bad actors appear to be targeting smaller businesses a lot more than large corporations, likely due to the lack of resources available to fend them off.

Small Business Most at Risk of Data Breach

According to data from Proton, which tracks data breaches across the business landscape, there have been almost 800 attacks in 2025 so far, exposing more than 300 million records of user data.

On top of that, small businesses have been in the crosshairs, with 23% of data breaches occurring at businesses with fewer than 10 employees, and 48% of data breaches occurring at business with between 10 and 250 employees.

That amounts to 71% of data breaches occurring at business with fewer than 250 employees.

Why Are Small Businesses Targeted Most?

The sad truth that small businesses are targeted more than large enterprises when it comes to cybersecurity threats is not a new phenomenon. In fact, for the last decade, studies have found consistently that hackers are far more likely to focus on companies with fewer employees.  So, why is that?

In all likelihood, hackers are targeting small businesses for a couple of reasons. For one, they have fewer resources and smaller budgets, which means they likely aren’t spending much on cybersecurity to ward off attacks.

On top of that, fewer employees means fewer lines of defense, so the path to a hack generally presents fewer obstacles at small businesses.

How to Protect Your Business from Data Breaches

Cyber criminals are targeting small businesses because, generally speaking, they are easier to hack than large corporations. Luckily, that doesn’t have to be the case for your particular business.

For starters, you need to train your employees. The reality is that human error is still the most common entry point for the majority of breaches, so if your employees know what to look out for, these hackers won’t be able to pull it off.

Beyond that, invest as much as you can in cybersecurity. Obviously small businesses are often working with much stricter budgets, but when you consider the potential cost of a data breach, these kind of security protocols are more than worth the cost.

OpenAI has become a staple of the tech industry over the last few years, thanks to the vast, expansive popularity of ChatGPT. As a result, many are itching to invest in the AI company. But is it even possible?

Unfortunately, OpenAI isn’t a publicly traded company in 2025, which means that investing will have to wait. The good news is that there are rumors that the company could go public as soon as 2026, so you’ll just need to bide your time.

Even better news, OpenAI isn’t the only AI company out there, and there are quite a few alternatives that are ready and raring to accept your investment.

Can You Invest in OpenAI?

OpenAI is a privately held company as of writing, which means that everyday people are not able to invest in the AI venture just yet.

This is likely a big bummer to those interested in investing, particularly because the company has seen such substantial growth over the last few years, which has been fueled by massive investments from other tech companies like Microsoft and NVIDIA.

However, despite its popularity — or even because of it — OpenAI isn’t exactly making money just yet. In fact, OpenAI lost $11.5 billion last quarter, according to analysis of Microsoft earnings by The Register.

Does OpenAI Have Plans to Go Public?

While there has been no official word from OpenAI about the company’s plans to go public in the future, there has been plenty of speculation about the possibility.

According to a recent report from Reuters, which spoke with “three people familiar with the matter,” OpenAI is paving the way for an initial public offering (IPO) as early as the second half of 2026.

Of course, OpenAI is playing it close to the chest, with a spokesperson not willing to divulge the plans in an official quote.

“An IPO is not our focus, so we could not possibly have set a date. We are building a durable business and advancing our mission so everyone benefits from AGI.” – OpenAI spokesperson

AI Companies That Are Publicly Traded

If you’re really itching to start investing in companies like OpenAI, we’ve got good news for you. There are plenty of AI-focused companies that are publicly traded on the stock market that you can whet your appetite with.

The most notable is NVIDIA. The company, which produces chips for AI companies around the world, has seen a meteoric rise over the last few years thanks to the AI boom. Just this week, the company became the first $5 trillion company in human history.

On top of that, all the big tech companies you’ve come to know are heavily invested in AI, and you can always invest in them. Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, Apple, and Amazon are all pivoting to AI in some capacity, while other heavy hitters like IBM, Adobe, and Oracle are also viable options.

Artificial intelligence is pretty much everywhere in 2026. From business software providers adding AI features to their platforms to people using ChatGPT for therapy, the technology continues to get more and more engrained in everyday life.

As a result, the new lingo and jargon that’s been bouncing around the tech industry for the last few years is starting to find its way into more casual settings, and understanding it is becoming more and more vital for those that want to stay in the loop.

So, in this guide, we’ll explain some of the AI terms you have or may not have heard over the last few years, in hopes of providing you with a bit context when the topic inevitably comes up at your business.

AI Terms Explained

Below, we’ve chosen some of the more common and commonplace AI terms and provided brief but helpful definitions and explanations. To learn more about AI in general, be sure to check out the AI content on Tech.co.

AI (Artificial Intelligence)

AI stands for artificial intelligence, a broad term for any technology that seeks to replicate human intelligence. More specifically, artificial intelligence refers to technology that can think and learn like humans do.

Algorithm

An algorithm is the set of instructions provided to an AI model, or any piece of software really, that dictates how it operates. The TikTok algorithm, for example, describes the way in which the social media platform operates for specific users.

Chatbot

A chatbot is an AI-powered piece of software that is designed to replicate a human interaction through a messaging or voice-activated platform.

Data mining

Data mining is the practice of harvesting huge sets of data from users with the propose of using that data to recognize patterns and inform software on how to better serve users.

Deepfake

A deepfake is an image or video that features the likeness of a person that exists and is generated entirely by AI. The technology is concerned extremely dangerous and is making scams much harder to spot in 2026.

Generative AI

Generative AI describes any artificial intelligence program that generates something, including written copy, images, and video. Most of the artificial intelligence in the news right now is generative AI, including tools like ChatGPT and Gemini.

Hallucination

An AI hallucination is defined as the common occurrence of an AI platform providing incorrect, false, or misleading answers to user queries. AI errors have unfortunately become very common for the software, but hopefully it will get better over time.

Large language model (LLM)

A large language model, or LLM, describes an AI model that is specifically trained on massive data sets of text, so that it can understand natural language prompts and respond in turn with equally human-like answers.

Machine learning

Machine learning is a type of AI that focuses on a particular model learning in the same way as humans. As such, a program with machine learning will improve and grow over time on its own, without human input.

Natural language processing (NPL)

Natural language processing, or NPL, is defined as the type of AI processing focused on understanding queries and providing answers that mirror the kind of language used by actual humans in conversation.

Neural network

A neural network is a type of AI processing that resembles the human brain, using connected nodes — or neurons — organized in layers. This allows for more in-depth “thoughts” from the AI, but it does require massive sets of data to accomplish.

Prompt

In the context of AI, a prompt is the text you input to an AI model. Prompts can come in many forms, including questions, queries, or commands, and can feature many different factors, like links, images, or video.

Recognition

When talking about AI, recognition generally refers to image recognition, in which a user will input an image or video and AI technology is used to recognize certain elements within it.

Token

A token is an allotment for prompts used on AI platforms. Essentially, AI platforms like ChatGPT will only allow users a certain number of tokens, depending on how much they pay. Tokens are also called “credits” or even just “messages,” sometimes depending on which platform they’re on.

Training data

Training data describes the massive sets of data that are used by AI companies to train their models in hopes of making them even more intelligent over time.

Vibe Coding

A term used to describe coding without using an actual coding language, vibe coding lets users create apps, websites and software with simple plain text prompts. It means that literally anyone can code now, thanks to AI.

The Importance of Understanding AI Terms in 2026

If you still think that AI is a passing fad, you are tragically mistaken. The technology is single-handedly propping up the US economy, with one economist noting that nearly 92% of U.S. GDP growth across the first half of last year can be attributed to AI.

Subsequently, the business world has been fully embracing the technology over the last few years, with mass layoffs and pivoting operations sweeping virtually every industry under the sun.

Suffice to say, if you want to remain gainfully employed for the foreseeable future, or just want to be able to hold a conversation with your more tech-enthused friends, understanding these AI terms is absolutely necessary.

With the release of Sora, and more recently Sora 2, OpenAI has made a grand entrance into the video editing software market. The app is able to generate high-quality videos from basic text prompts, and has enjoyed great popularity since its release.

While Sora does present some unique benefits for businesses, including cost and time savings, there are still potential pitfalls, such as privacy risks, that companies should be aware of.

To get access to Sora completely for free, you can use the free trial of a third-party AI provider, such as GlobalGPT.

What is Sora 2 and How Does it Work?

Sora is an AI-powered video creation tool developed by OpenAI, the makers of leading AI chatbot, ChatGPT. It allows users to make videos from text prompts and images, such as storyboards.

Not only can users make their own content, but they can also browse other people’s videos via TikTok-style scrolling.

Recently, OpenAI has released the second version of Sora, known as Sora 2. This upgrade now includes native audio to go along with videos, improved physical realism, sharper detail, and stronger adherence to instructions.

Why is Sora 2 So Popular?

According to OpenAI, Sora 2 has been downloaded over a million times in less than five days. This exceeds the milestone set by ChatGPT when it first launched.

We can only imagine that Sora 2 has been so successful because it makes easy work of video production, allowing anyone to get started, no matter whether they have a background in content creation or not.

Likewise, Sora also offers a range of unique features, including generating audio to go alongside a video, which could also be drawing users.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Sora 2 for Businesses

Here’s what businesses can expect when using Sora:

Benefits

Cost savings

Sora is able to automate a lot of aspects of video production that would otherwise require hiring a team of professionals. By using the app, businesses can bypass these costs, while still making a high-quality and engaging video.

Time savings

Likewise, the automations reduce the amount of time it takes to make a high-quality video, allowing businesses to pull content together quickly without having to worry about the process taking too long.

Ease of use

Simply put, the platform is easy to use. Businesses won’t have to take hours learning how to use video editing software or find the right camera angles. Although some advanced features will take some getting used to, overall, getting started is quick and fuss-free.

Drawbacks

Legal and ethical concerns

There have been headlines circling about the potentially disturbing use cases of Sora. For example, some people have been using the app to create videos of dead celebrities. While OpenAI has implemented some safety measures, users are still finding ways around them.

Businesses should be aware of the risks involved when using AI for content creation, particularly as AI is still likely to make mistakes or produce content that isn’t always appropriate.

Lack of originality

In a digital space where many businesses operate, standing out is key. However, there have been some concerns that AI content lacks originality and, if many businesses start to use it, that all their content will start to look the same. This could be an issue when trying to resonate with your target audience.

Data privacy concerns

Of course, not all platforms are 100% safe and OpenAI alone has been breached more than 1,000 times.

When using apps like Sora, businesses should have data protection measures in place, particularly if you are dealing with sensitive or confidential information.

Can You Get Sora 2 for Free?

Sora is currently only available to a select group of ChatGPT subscribers, on at least the paid Pro or Plus plans, who need to receive a code before they can access the platform.

If you want to get the app entirely for free, you can do so by accessing it through a third-party AI provider, such as GlobalGPT, which gives you access to platforms like Claude, Grok, and Sora. GlobalGPT offers a seven-day free trial of its services, which it claims includes Sora, and some sources online question its commitment to data privacy.

Beyond that, though, you’ll have to fork out at least $20 per month for ChatGPT’s Plus plan if you want access to Sora for longer than a week.

The good news is that there are alternatives to Sora 2, check out our guide to the best free AI video tools.

A new study about the impact of AI note taking platforms has found that nearly a third of employees admit that they have skipped a meeting with the assumption that the generated summaries would cover it.

Over the last few years, the tech industry has promised that AI would make life easier for employees. Beyond the scores of layoffs in that time, this appears to be true, with many employees utilizing tools like AI note taking platforms to improve productivity.

Sometimes, though, they just use it to avoid tedious tasks like meetings, with this new study shining a light on how employees are actually using artificial intelligence in the workplace.

How Common Is AI Note Taking in Meetings?

According to the study from Software Finder, titled AI Note Taking at Work: Benefits and Drawbacks, just under a fifth of employees (19%) state that they are using AI tools to take notes for them during the work day.

As for what they’re using them for, the survey discovered that 29% of employees admit that they have used AI note taking tools and summaries to avoid meetings.

Which employees are using AI note taking more than others? Well, that one is actually pretty obvious, with younger employees doing it more often than others. 43% of Gen Z employees are using these tools, while only 30% of Millennial employees are doing the same.

Pros and Cons of AI Note Taking

Beyond the simple usage numbers, the study also found that there are some serious benefits and downsides to using the technology in the workplace, for both the business and the employees in question.

For starters, the study found that employees using AI note taking technology (28%) get promoted more often than other employees (15%). They also earn more, with employees that use AI note taking technology earning $86,034 per year, while those that don’t only earning $67,709 per year.

Beyond that, workers also note that the technology is increasing productivity, noting benefits like time savings (69%), fewer manual notes (41%), and improved record accuracy (27%).

There are some downsides, though. The study found that workers believe that the technology can lead to inaccuracy/loss of nuance (48%), privacy concerns (46%), and data security risks (42%).

AI in the Workplace

AI tools are becoming more and more common in the workplace and this study shows that employees are starting to get used to it.

That comes with some caveats, though. While AI tools are shown to improve productivity, the quality of work can suffer, with many complaining about AI slop slowing down progress for other employees.

All that to say, AI hasn’t proven to be the gamechanger everyone expects in the workplace just yet. But as it becomes more capable and more widespread, the tide could turn for those that are willing to embrace it.

It turns out that AI is absolutely going to take your job, with educational technology company Chegg announcing massive layoffs and citing the “new realities of artificial intelligence” as the primary reason.

We all knew that AI would shake up the business world in a major way. The technology has proven quite adept at performing specific tasks to improve productivity, even if some companies aren’t seeing a return-on-investment.

Unfortunately, in the short term, that means that the tech industry is laying off employees like never before, and workers at Chegg are tragically the latest victims.

Chegg Announces Layoffs

In a statement from the company, Chegg announced that it would be “restructuring” the business, which translates to 388 employees being laid off. That number represents 45% of the company’s workforce.

These are not the first round of layoffs for Chegg either. In the last year alone, the company has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs that have seen 441 employees let go in May and 319 jobs removed in January.

Chegg notes in the statement, however, that the decision will reduce expenses “by approximately $100-110 million,” so hopefully that makes the fired employees feel a bit better.

Why Is Chegg Laying Off Employees?

Obviously, saving money is always the goal of layoffs. In the Chegg statement, however, the company goes a bit more in-depth, explaining that the current situation in 2025 demands a leaner business model.

“The new realities of AI and reduced traffic from Google to content publishers have led to a significant decline in Chegg’s traffic and revenue. As a result, and reflecting the company’s continued investment in AI, Chegg is restructuring the way it operates its academic learning products.” – Chegg statement

In so many words, Chegg is prioritizing AI over its employees in hopes of using the technology to close the gap in a more affordable way moving forward. And trust us, they are not alone.

Tech Industry Layoffs for AI

Chegg is not the only company firing employees to make room for AI. In fact, the trend has been seriously picking up steam over the last few months, with huge companies making massive cuts to free up capital for AI investment.

Just this week, for example, Amazon was rumored to be considering a 30,000-employee culling that would represent one of the largest in the company’s history. On top of that, companies like Meta, IBM, Salesforce, and many others have admitted that AI is making them reconsider the current state of their workforce.

Simply put, AI is having a huge impact on the business world. More specifically, it’s putting millions out of work with little return-on-investment, paving the way for one of the biggest bubble pops in history.

It’s time to change your Gmail password, with Google confirming that millions of user credentials were included in a massive data leak.

The state of cybersecurity in 2025 is pretty bleak. Data breaches and leaks have become an unfortunately common part of the business landscape, and user privacy has been the primary casualty.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to ensure that you and your business don’t suffer the consequences of these attacks.

Google Confirms Massive Leak Includes Gmail Passwords

According to an entry in Have I Been Pwned, a massive data leak, which made 183 million email credentials vulnerable, does include a huge selection of Gmail email addresses and, more importantly, passwords.

The breach, which originated in April 2025, not only includes Gmail credentials, but also a huge data set of other email addresses and passwords, representing a significant threat to online security for millions.

This means that hackers will not only have access to Gmail accounts of millions of users, but also the dozens if not hundreds of other services that use Google credentials as a sign on method.

What to Do About Gmail Data Leak

When online platforms are breached like this, users can sometimes panic. Fortunately, there are some clear steps you can take, according to Google, that should mitigate the risks and improve your online privacy.

“This report covers broad infostealer activity that targets many types of web activities. When it comes to email, users can help protect themselves by turning on 2-step verification and adopting passkeys as a simpler and stronger alternative to passwords.” – Google spokesperson to Forbes

In addition to 2-factor authentication and passkeys, Google also recommends using its password checkup feature in the Chrome password manager, which can check if your password is compromised, as well as its overall password health and strength.

Big Tech and Cybersecurity in 2025

It’s no secret that big tech has been struggling in the fight against cybercrime over the last few years. This data leak of email credentials that impacted Google is barely the tip of the iceberg, with attacks becoming more and more common across the industry.

In fact, in just the last month, massive breaches of cybersecurity firm F5 and America Airline subsidiary Envoy Air have exposed the user data of millions, exposing them to potentially dire consequences.

Suffice to say, the business world has a serious security problem, and if they can’t find a way to curb these hackers in a major way, customers are going to start paying the price.

Another CEO has joined the likes of Bill Gates and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in stating that AI could lead to a shorter working week.

Zoom CEO, Eric Yuan, stated this week, and not for the first time, that the helping hand of AI is likely to lead to fewer days in the office for us all.

However, with the technology proving disruptive in the workspace, some believe that AI could lead to no more days in the office, with many jobs predicted to be at risk thanks to the tech.

A Shorter Workweek Thanks to AI?

AI could lead to the biggest revolution to the workweek since Ford mandated the 5-day working week, aided by the mechanisation of his factories.

This is certainly the vision of many CEOs, including most recently Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, a great proponent of AI, who at the TechCrunch Disrupt Conference this week stated that the goal was to be working four, or even three days, within the next five years. It’s not the first time he has floated the idea – he said the same thing to the New York Times last month.

He’s not alone. Other business leaders have voiced similar thoughts, including Bill Gates, who goes one further, and thinks we’ll get to a two day workweek in the next decade.

Of course, one question in all of this is if employees are working a shorter week, will CEOs still pay them a full week’s wage? It’s one of the details of the AI workplace takeover that’s yet to be ironed out.

The Rise of the ‘6-6-9’ Workweek

However, while there is optimism in some quarters about the labor saving aspects of AI, in others it’s actually fueling an even longer work day.

Some AI start ups are adopting a 9am to 9pm, six days a week work schedule, in an effort to compete with the fierce threat of competition from China, as reported by Inc.

It’s a far cry from the vision of Yuan and co, instead demanding more sweat and tears from workers in order to keep ahead of rivals.

AI’s Threat to Jobs

Then there’s the other side of AI – the fact that it can be so effective at helping you with your job, it might just do away with you all together. We’re already seeing companies coming forward and stating that they’ve reduced headcount, thanks to AI, and that seems a trend that’s unlikely to stop anytime soon.

Just this week, Amazon has announced that it is cutting 14,000 corporate jobs. In the note to staff about this move, you’ll find a familiar term – ‘AI’. Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology at Amazon credits the technology with enabling the company to operate more leanly, which is likely to be of little comfort to the 14,000 employees currently brushing up their resumes.

This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it’s enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before (in existing market segments and altogether new ones). We’re convinced that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business. – Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology

Eric Yuan’s comments this week illustrate the real unknown of AI’s future impact on the workplace, the seeds of which are being sewn now. His views certainly seem the best case scenario, but when they come at the same time as swathes of job losses due to AI advancement, it’s hard to know which outcome to bet on.

Regardless, it’s hard to argue that one way or the other, AI will certainly have a long term impact on how we do our jobs from here on.

Bitcoin is violatile and the mining industry is crowded with competition. That’s the argument pushing more and more bitcoin mining operations to try a new direction: AI computing.

An increasing number of companies are now using their land and existing data centers to sign long-term contracts for artificial intelligence companies in need of computing power.

Miners including IREN, Riot, TeraWulf, CleanSpark, and Cipher Miner are among those making the switch.

AI Rises to Replace the Deflating Bitcoin Bubble

Jefferies analysts found that bitcoin mining profits fell more than 7% across September 2025, due in part to declining bitcoin value, according to a new Yahoo Finance report that highlighted the new trend.

Instead, there’s another big tech boom, as AI workloads are needed now more than ever. In fact, AI use has doubled over the past two years, as a recent Anthropic study found.

Tech giants and AI startups from Microsoft to OpenAI to Anthropic are all pouring billions into developing and boosting AI technology, and they need what bitcoin miners already have plenty of: Consistent computing power in cheap locations.

The Impact of Bitcoin Halving Events

Every four years, bitcoin has a “halving” event, which cuts the benefits of mining in half — naturally deincentivizing mining over time, unless bitcoin’s value continues growing rapidly.

“Bitcoin mining just doesn’t cut it anymore,” Daniel Keller, CEO and co-founder of cloud infrastructure firm InFlux Technologies, told Yahoo Finance, adding that “due to halving schedules, mining is less profitable in the long run than AI computing.”

Plus, there’s one more reason making smaller computing operations attractive to AI companies.

The race to develop the best new AI tools requires quick deadlines, but top cloud giants like Amazon and Google are tied up in multi-year paperwork for their huge grids. This creates opportunities for smaller locations that had previously stuck to bitcoin mining.

Deals at Miner Riot, TeraWulf, Cipher Mining, Others

Who’s making the biggest deals in this sector? Again, Yahoo Finance has the news. For starters, Miner Riot is converting a Texas data center campus to mixed bitcoin and high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure, which is set to start operating next year.

Together, TeraWulf and Cipher Mining have multibillion-dollar leases for decades-long team-up with AI cloud infrastructure firm Fluidstack. Galaxy Digital has plans to convert its Texas data center for AI and HPC use with cloud infrastructure company CoreWeave.

IREN also pivoting to AI back in April — its stock is up more than 500% since the start of the year.

Amazon might be preparing for one of the biggest job cuts in its history: Reports from anonymous sources claim that the company will lay off as many as 30,000 corporate employees this week.

These cuts would impact nearly 10% of the company’s corporate ranks, although it’s just a fraction of the company’s total workforce workwide, which numbers over 1.55 million.

The reasoning, according to those in the know, is to cut costs and to adjust for overhiring during the peak of the pandemic.

Biggest Amazon Cuts Since 2022

Amazon has laid off similarly huge amounts of employees in the past, even if a number as high as 30,000 is very rare: Starting in 2022 and continuing into 2023, the ecommerce giant cut around 27,000 positions.

The new report comes from Reuters, which cites “three people familiar with the matter” for the news.

Multiple Amazon divisions have been impacted by cuts in the past two years, including devices, communications, and podcasting, among others.

HR, Operations, Devices, and Services Are Reportedly Seeing Cuts

Who’s on the chopping block this week? The new cuts “may impact a variety of divisions within Amazon, including human resources, known as People Experience and Technology, devices and services and operations, among others,” sources say.

These particular cuts haven’t been explicitly tied to AI innovations. However, in June 2025, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said that AI tools would likely impact jobs, saying “We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs.”

Analyst Sky Canaves also notes that Amazon is under pressure to deliver short-term benefits in order to offset the long-term investment costs of creating its AI infrastructure.

Nearly 100,000 Jobs Lost in Tech This Year So Far

At its last count, the job cut watchdog Layoffs.fyi estimates that 98,344 tech employees have been laid off in 2025 so far. By the end of this week, that number might be up.

Still, it’ll have to jump significantly to beat the 153,000 jobs that Layoffs.fyi estimates were lost across all of 2024.

Even if tech jobs haven’t been dropping as quickly as they have for the past few years, the downward trend still isn’t reversing itself. We’ve charted the biggest tech cuts across the last few years, and each one leaves hundreds or thousands of tech employees on a now oversaturated job market.

Australia’s competition regulator has just sued Microsoft. Their claim? That the tech giant mislead 2.7 million customers into signing up for a big 45% Microsoft 365 price hike that they didn’t need.

According to the regulator, Microsoft created new Microsoft 365 personal and family plans that integrated Copilot functionality, and significantly increased the plan’s cost as a result.

It then, allegedly, pushed those new plans on customers without adequately explaining that they could instead opt for a cheaper “classic” plan without Copilot.

Price Hikes of 45% and 29%

The news comes from a lawsuit by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and covers Microsoft’s actions from October 2024 until now.

According to the ACCC, the annual subscription price of the Microsoft 365 personal plan increased by 45% to reach A$159 (that’s $103.32 USD) while the price of the family plan similarly increased by 29% to A$179 (or $116.40 USD).

29% and 45% hikes are big increases, so it’s understandable that customers might be interested in a way to keep the same functionality that they were used to without paying the premium for gaining access to the generative AI functionality that Copilot offers.

Customers Only Saw Cheaper Option After Cancellation Process Started, ACCC Says

However, the ACCC’s claim is that Microsoft only revealed that a cheaper “classic” plan was available after customers chose to start the cancellation process, Reuters reports.

If that’s right, customers who might have been unhappy with the dramatic price increase but were still willing to pay it wouldn’t have gotten the chance to see the cheaper option at all.

Worse, it may be illegal in Australia: It breaches Australian consumer law, according to the country’s watchdog, since it creates a false impression of available choices by failing to disclose material information.

Microsoft May Face Penalties of A$50 Million

The ACCC is after penalties, consumer redress, injunctions and costs, and is suing both Microsoft Australia Pty Ltd and Microsoft Corp (its US parent company).

The highest penalty being saught is about A$50 million, or 30% of the corporation’s adjusted turnover during the breach period.

“Any penalty that might apply to this conduct is a matter for the Court to determine and would depend on the Court’s findings. The ACCC will not comment on what penalties the Court may impose.” -ACCC

In an email response to Reuters, a Microsoft spokesperson said the company was reviewing the ACCC’s claim in detail.

Uber will now give the opportunity for drivers to earn a bit more cash, through small “digital tasks” that help the company train its AI models.

The program was announced alongside other developments, all geared towards making Uber the most flexible platform to work on.

While the program will certainly allow Uber to keep up with competitors, it’s doubtful whether drivers will be interested, especially because of complaints surrounding pay in the past.

Uber Drivers Can Now Complete Small AI Tasks as They Wait for Rides

Here’s something Uber drivers can now do while they wait for ride requests: train Uber’s AI models. The app now offers “digital tasks” to drivers to allow them to make a few extra dollars in the car.

These tasks consist of jobs such as recording audio in certain languages or with certain accents, entering documents in different languages, and submitting certain photos.

The amount drivers will get paid will depend on the complexity of the task they undertake. The Verge reports that uploading a Spanish menu, for example, earns drivers a dollar.

Do Drivers Want to Go All In on AI?

The program exists in support of Uber AI Solutions, which expanded earlier this month with the purchase of Segments AI, a startup that uses camera and sensor information to enable autonomous driving. A similar pilot program was carried out in India, where drivers were able to earn small amounts of money responding to prompts in the Uber app.

The move will certainly allow Uber to compete with other companies such as Scale AI and Amazon’s Mechanical Turks, who work with generative AI companies to help train their models.

However, as beneficial as this may be for Uber, there’s a big question mark over whether drivers will be interested in the program, especially as there have been complaints in the past about low pay as a result of Uber’s high take rate on deliveries and rides.

Uber Promotes Flexible Work Solution

The program was announced alongside other developments at the company as it strives towards becoming “the best platform for flexible work,” according to CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

Most developments are related to how drivers and customers interact with the app. Other announcements made include introducing a new heatmap to direct drivers to high-demand areas, and expanding features for women drivers to have more control over their rides.

While a spokesperson for Uber has said that the AI driver tasks will not be used to develop autonomous vehicles, the company appears to be interested in expanding its offering through AI, so this is something we can keep an eye out for.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has said that future businesses will see humans and AI agents working together, with the agents being more like temps or agency staff brought in to do a specific task.

The setup closely mirrors a similar report from Microsoft, which sees humans and agents working together in human-agent teams, but with humans always taking the leadership roles.

Companies remain eager to implement AI into their workforce, and AI companies want to supply them, but what kind of impact is AI likely to have?

Humans and AI Will Soon Work in Tandem, Says Nvidia CEO

The CEO of semiconductor company Nvidia, Huang, said in an interview that future workforces will be comprised of humans and AI agents working together, in a hybrid arrangement.

Rather than businesses building their own AI agents, Huang said it would be a case of AI agents being like temporary workers or agency staff, that come with a specific area of expertise.

Speaking at Citadel Securities’ 2025 Future of Global Markets conference, Huang noted that the advancements that have been made to AI mean that the makeup of workforces will certainly change, echoing the sentiments of other CEOs.

What Would Human-AI Collaboration in the Workplace Look Like?

Huang’s predictions closely resemble those written in Microsoft’s 2025 Frontier Firm report, which was released earlier this year. The report outlines a similar structure of human-agent collaboration, in a set up that sees all humans set up with an AI assistant, and others leading teams of agents. 

However, rather than having agents work in-house, Huang sees a future where AI agents are used as experts in specific tasks, deployed by leading AI companies such as OpenAI, which Nvidia has recently partnered with.

“Those digital employees are going to work with our biological ones, and that’s going to be the shape of our company in the future.”
– Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia

Both Microsoft’s and Huang’s theories see humans remaining at the helm, as the verdict is still out on whether humans would like to be led by agents. A recent study from Workday found that only 30% of respondents feel comfortable being managed by an AI agent.

Is Enterprise AI Rising to the Occasion?

Plenty of firms are now prioritizing using AI, and the technology continues to develop fast. In turn, AI companies have continued to expand their enterprise offering, with Google doing this most recently with Gemini Enterprise packages.

According to leaders in both the AI space and beyond it, the technology will change the workforce as we know it. We’ve all seen the narrative that AI will lead to significant job losses, and some CEOs have gone as far as to say it could wipe out whole tiers of employment.

However, if you’ve used AI yourself, you’ll know it’s far from perfect. AI mistakes are still rampant, and some studies out there suggest that AI isn’t making us as productive as we think. Despite this, as the industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, Huang’s prediction could soon be our reality.

OpenAI is set to release Atlas, a new web browser powered by ChatGPT, its leading AI chatbot.

With features geared to provide a more personalized experience for users, Atlas could rival search giant Google’s Chrome browser, especially in areas such as ad targeting.

While it’s uncertain how popular the service will be, especially since other browsers already offer similar capabilities, it’s likely the browser will pave the way for more AI-powered web experiences.

OpenAI Introduces Atlas, a Web Browser Powered by ChatGPT

AI company OpenAI has announced the launch of the new web browser, called Atlas, which has been built with ChatGPT. The announcement was made yesterday during a surprise livestream, following rumors of the browser since the summer.

“We think AI represents a rare, once-a-decade opportunity to rethink what a browser can be,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, during the livestream.

While Atlas offers features such as content summarization and task automation, it’s also set to help create a more personalized experience for users, including with browser memories and a unique ChatGPT sidebar. 

Out With Google, In With AI

OpenAI’s most obvious target through the release of Atlas seems to be Google Chrome, the world’s most popular browser. According to Altman, ChatGPT has 800 million active weekly users, and if many of them switch to using Atlas over Google, this could mean a serious loss for the company.

Google currently has some AI features that users can take advantage of. These includes AI mode, a search engine powered by Gemini, and AI overviews, which summarizes content from sites based on a user’s search. While these tools have kept Google in the AI race, Atlas’s offering seems more robust. 

One area where Atlas could potentially overtake Google is ad targeting. Through Atlas, ChatGPT is able to collect information directly from a user’s browser window, which provides a lot of valuable data for companies on their market base. This could help funnel ads more accurately to the right people.

Will Atlas Change the Search Engine Experience?

All of the evidence leans towards Atlas providing a more personalized experience for users. One feature, browser memories, can be switched on to allow ChatGPT to remember key details from the content you browse, which in turn leads to better chat responses and suggestions specific to you.

Users can also access ChatGPT through a sidebar on any site to ask more specifically about what they are browsing.

There is also “agent mode”, where ChatGPT is able to directly interact with websites on a user’s behalf, such as for booking a trip. This feature, however, is only available to paying ChatGPT subscribers.

This could be one of the reasons that Google Chrome remains the more popular option, as it’s free to use. Likewise, some experts think that Atlas’s offering isn’t that impressive, especially since browsers such as Microsoft Edge are already offering similar features.

Whether Atlas becomes the next big browser or not, it definitely paves the way for more AI-powered search functions. 

Envoy Air, a subsidiary of American Airlines, has suffered a wide-ranging cyberattack. The group confirmed that it fell victim to a recent cybercrime campaign targeting organizations that use Oracle’s E-Business Suite (EBS) management solution.

Last week, American Airlines was listed on a Tor-based leak website belonging to the so-called CIop ransomware group. American Airlines data totaling 26GB was made public on the website, leading Envoy to admit that “a limited amount of business information and commercial contact details may have been compromised.”

High-profile data breaches continue to wreak havoc across the business sector in 2025. Recently, a massive security breach at F5 led the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure (CISA) to issue an emergency directive, illuminating the scale of a problem which threatens to spiral out of control.

American Airlines Subsidiary Hit With Cyberattack

Envoy Air has confirmed that it recently suffered a data breach. The company, which is one of the largest subsidiaries of American Airlines, carries out more than 800 flights per day to more than 160 destinations under the American Eagle brand.

Reportedly, the company fell victim to a wide-ranging cybercrime campaign targeting the Oracle EBS management solution. This was allegedly carried out by the CIop ransomware group, which has links to the cybercrime group known as FIN11.

In a statement to media, Envoy confirmed that it been targeted as part of the campaign, with a spokesperson saying that “a limited amount of business information and commercial contact details may have been compromised.”

Hacker Group Targets Oracle Customers

The Envoy Air breach forms part of a wider plot conducted by ransomware group, CIop. The perpetrators have been targeting Oracle EBS users through a zero-day vulnerability, which has so far affected American Airlines, Harvard University, the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, and industrial giant, Emerson.

The South African university confirmed via a statement that it was working to determine which data had been compromised. While the hacker group has confirmed that it stole data from Emerson, no such information has been made public yet.

In recent years, the group has gained notoriety for launching similar attacks on file transfer services including Cleo, MOVEit, and Fortra. Reportedly, CIop victims receive extortion emails not long after the initial breach is identified.

Business World in Cybersecurity Crisis

In 2025, the business sector is facing an unprecedented problem: data breaches. Not only are costly cyberattacks becoming more frequent, but firms are not adequately prepared to deal with the rising threat level. If this problem continues unabated, the consequences will be severe.

In order to counteract the threat, businesses have an obligation to increase their cybersecurity budgets, investing money into the latest tech and talent. Alongside this, companies should also look to upskill their existing employees and make sure they’re properly vetting their vendors, as data breaches involving third parties are also on the rise.

And as the recent Jaguar Land Rover cyberattack illustrates, the logistics industry is no different. In order to prevent supply chains from grinding to a halt when cyber disaster strikes, logistics businesses should make sure that cybersecurity is top of their agenda as we head towards the new year.

Anthropic is to release Claude for Life Sciences, a spinoff of its flagship Claude chatbot that will allow researchers to pursue scientific discovery.

Built around Anthropic’s existing AI models, Claude for Life Sciences will support connections with widely used scientific tools that are a mainstay in labs during the research and development process. Reportedly, it will aid researchers at every stage of the discovery process, automating long-winded tasks including literature reviews and data analysis.

In recent years, the company has slowly been moving towards the life sciences sector. It appointed Eric Kauderer-Abrams as its Head of Biology and Life Sciences just a few months ago, and upon the launch of Claude Sonnet 4.5 last month, claimed that it was “significantly better” at performing life sciences tasks.

Anthropic Launches New Life Sciences Chatbot

Anthropic has made a significant play for the life sciences sector with the announcement of Claude for Life Sciences, a new tool to aid researchers in the pursuit of scientific discovery.

The platform draws upon Anthropic’s existing AI models, as well as integrations with big players in the sector, to expedite the discovery process.

Claude for Life Sciences will be able to support researchers in several different ways.

From carrying out literature reviews to analyzing data, developing hypotheses, and more, Anthropic believes the tool will prove useful at every stage of the research process.

According to Kauderer-Abrams: “Now is the threshold moment for us where we’ve decided this is a big investment area. We want a meaningful percentage of all of the life science work in the world to run on Claude, in the same way that that happens today with coding.”

Company Makes Play for Life Sciences Sector

With this latest move, Anthropic is one step closer to realizing its long-held ambition to become the de facto AI model in the voyage of scientific discovery. A few months ago, it appointed Kauderer-Abrams, a renowned specialist in the life sciences tech space, to the role of Head of Biology and Life Sciences.

It also recently unveiled its latest AI model, Claude Sonnet 4.5, a month ago. The model is better at coding, using computers, and meeting business needs. Upon its release,  it was declared to be “significantly better” at undertaking life sciences tasks, such as understanding lab protocols.

In order to bring Claude for Life Sciences closer to fruition, Anthropic had to establish partnerships with several leading players in the life sciences space, including Benchling, PubMed, 10x Genomics, Synapse.org, and more.

Anthropic Lays Down Marker in Unfolding AI Race

Ultimately, the company hopes that this move will lay down a significant marker in the AI race, which continues to unfold at breakneck pace. Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers, Anthropic has fiercely contested OpenAI’s current dominion over the AI space.

At this point, however, it is still the company behind ChatGPT that can claim the biggest market share. According to our own original research, 73% of businesses that used AI in 2024 used ChatGPT. Claude lagged in fourth place with 11%.

AI adoption and development continue at an extraordinary pace. The technology is now table stakes for business across the tech sector. However, it’s vital that businesses properly think through their adoption strategies to avoid a buildup of “AI debt,” which can lead companies to incur significant financial, resource, and reputational damage.

A major Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage brought much of the internet to a standstill yesterday, affecting apps, websites, and tools used by both businesses and individuals alike.

The cloud system was non-functional for several hours, disrupting the workdays of millions worldwide. It has been, in no small part, a scary reminder of just how deeply dependent the global economy is on infrastructure provided by a small handful of technology companies.

But with the dust still settling, what actually caused AWS to go down? In this guide, I’ll try to piece together everything we know so far.

What We Know About Why the Outage Happened

At about 3am on Monday morning, AWS experienced a problem with one of its core database products, causing the service to grind to a halt and throwing several leading apps, publishers, streaming platforms, and programs offline for millions of people around the world.

Reportedly, the problem originated at one of AWS’s main data centers in Virginia following a technical update to the DynamoDB API, which is a cloud database service that stores user information and other data for multiple online platforms.

Specifically, it appears that an error occurred in an update that affected its DNS. Domain Name Systems route requests to their correct server addresses. When the issue arose, apps were left unable to locate the IP address for DynamoDB’s API.

In other words, they were unable to connect to AWS, and were thus rendered unusable.

Which Companies Were Impacted and Who Is Back Online?

More than 1,000 companies are thought to have been affected worldwide. Some prominent examples include:

• Amazon
• Apple TV
• Chime
• DoorDash
• Fortnite
• Google
• Hulu
• Microsoft Teams
• The New York Times
• Netflix
• Pinterest
• Reddit
• Ring
• Snapchat
• T-Mobile
• Verizon
• Venmo
• Zoom

According to Amazon, AWS is now back online as of 3pm on Monday, but there remains a “backlog of messages” that it will take a while to address.

In a statement, the company said: “All AWS Services returned to normal operations. Some services such as AWS Config, Redshift, and Connect continue to have a backlog of messages that they will finish processing over the next few hours.”

What Does the AWS Outage Tell Us About Our Online World?

This is not the first large-scale outage in AWS’s history. Similar occurrences in 2023 and 2021 left customers unable to access airline tickets and payment apps. The likelihood is it won’t be the last.

Our reliance on major cloud vendors, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Services, leaves us at the mercy of similar future incidents. While there is no denying that these services provide vital infrastructure that would otherwise cost businesses significantly more, there are also a myriad of attendant risks of relying upon single points of failure. One issue can easily cascade into a catastrophic breach that ends up impacting a significant proportion of the internet directly, and almost all of the rest of it indirectly.

So, what is the solution? In short, there isn’t one. Most of the internet is built on the back of cloud providers, which offer scalability, flexibility, and cost savings for businesses around the world. In this climate, there is always the potential for an update to fail, a data center to crash, or even a damaging cyberattack to occur. The best companies can do is ensure their data is backed up and facilitate offline access to vital resources where possible.

Businesses beware: Holiday shoppers are set to spend 10% less this holiday season, compared to the same time period in 2024.

That’s according to a recent Deloitte survey, which found consumers will likely be spending an average of $1,595 each for the 2025 holidays.

Granted, a 10% reduction isn’t a huge drop. Still, it’s a sign that businesses can’t count on a holiday boom like they saw in the past two years, and should start preparing to weather a slower holiday season.

Fewer Retail Goods and Fewer Experiences

The survey, which polled 4,270 consumers across a range of income levels and age demographics, was just released by audit and consulting company Deloitte.

Consumers are buying fewer retail goods (which are down 14% year-over-year) but they’re also paying for fewer experiences (those are down 6% since last year).

All income groups are decreasing their spending: Even those earning over $100,000 are planning to reduce retail purchases.

Gen Z Is Spending the Least

Most demographics are reducing shopping, too.

Broken down by demographic, Gen Z, Millennials, and Baby Boomers are all projected to spend less, although the amount of belt-tightening varies widely by generation. Boomers are spending 6% less than last year, Millennials are spending 13% less, while Gen Z is making the biggest shift with a 34% drop in spending.

This makes Gen Xers the only big generation that will likely spend more on presents and other holiday expenditures this year (3% more, to be precise).

This might just be a recession indicator, as the kids say. The younger generations have fewer funds saved in general, and are cutting down in spending when they can in order to set their savings on the right path.

How the Price Hike Stole Christmas?

Granted, other factors may be impacting US consumers as well. Tariff increases over the past year may be pushing prices higher.

In fact, the CEO of the National Tree Co. stated in a recent interview that tariffs have pushed them to hike prices by 10% — the exact percentage by which consumers are projected to decrease spending.

In fact, the survey’s press release notes that most consumers expect higher prices this season: “More than three-quarters (77%) of surveyed consumers expect higher prices on holiday items, and 57% expect the economy to weaken in 2026 — the least optimistic outlook since Deloitte started tracking economic sentiment in 1997.”

It’s not all bad news, however. Businesses looking for a way to maintain sales this holiday season should start issuing and advertising their best deals: 89% of survey respondents say that they’ll be “searching for deals,” while another 77% say they’ll be “trading down on brands and retailers,” which will also open up some markets to new customers hunting for bargins.

The AI announcements just keep coming: Anthropic is launching a new beta program, Claude Code, available now for Pro and Max users, while Adobe’s new AI Foundry aims to provide a source of copyright-safe AI models.

In addition, Anthropic has a new program for researchers: Claude Life Sciences will help researchers integrate Claude AI with existing lab tools, with the goal of boosting efficiency.

With all three announcements debuting today, this is our most recent evidence that the AI hype train is continuing to chug away.

Anthropic Launches Claude Code Preview

Anthropic’s new Claude Code AI agent is now available on web and on mobile (via the platform’s iOS app). The tool helps developers to run parallel coding tasks online or from their phone.

Claude Code was already available via terminal, so this new “research preview” version stands out because it lets users access the tool from anywhere they have an internet connection. Not everyone gets it, though: Only paid Pro and Max accounts can check out the new preview.

Anthropic also just announced “Claude for Life Sciences,” an AI integration aimed at researchers. It’ll help pair up Claude’s AI models with a range of other scientific tools like Benchling, PubMed, and 10x Genomics. The tools are all frequently used during research and development, and Anthropic is hoping that AI can help speed up scientific discoveries.

Adobe Launches AI Foundry

Meanwhile, web software company Adobe has debuted another AI program: The AI Foundry model service, which helps businesses train their own custom AI model, using all of their own IP.

The benefit? The company won’t run afoul of any copyright laws, since they’ll own all the training data.

Copyright violations are a particularly big concern for AI generator working within the world of photo and image creation — an area in which Adobe’s photo editing software and stock image library make it a major player.

Are We in an AI Bubble?

Last month, Anthropic released a study finding that AI use has doubled in the last two years: Today, 40% of employees report using AI at work, a jump up from the 20% who said the same in 2023.

It’s no wonder, with all the new tools and media coverage that has been surging during that time period. The fact that we just covered three new AI tools or programs just today is all the indication that you need of the size of the bets that the tech industry is placing on AI.

As the hype cycle continues on, there’s always a concern that we’re in an ever-increasing AI bubble. If it pops, we might trigger the next recession. But there’s no reason to take a gloomy outlook on the future. Let’s look on the bright side: Perhaps we’ll get luck and the crypto bubble or all those new tariffs will trigger a recession first.

A significant Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage disrupted a long list of major websites for hours this morning.

Among the impacted sites and services were: Amazon, Alexa, Snapchat, Fortnite, ChatGPT, Epic Games Store, Duolingo, Zoom, Airtable, Perplexity AI, and Roblox, among others. Even the McDonald’s app was down.

Now, many sites are already back to 100%, and Amazon says that it is “actively engaged and working to both mitigate the issue and understand root cause.”

What Went Wrong: DNS Resolution

The Alexa smart assistant was also among the services that stopped working due to this outage, and messaging platforms including Signal and Slack also reported issues.

What caused the outage in the first place? The details still aren’t entirely confirmed, but Amazon has issued a statement about its web services failure: DNS resolution failed to work properly at Amazon Web Services, causing outages in the US-East-1 region.

After publishing an initial update stating that they “are actively engaged and working to both mitigate the issue and understand root cause,” Amazon followed up with another update a few hours later.

“We are seeing significant signs of recovery. Most requests should now be succeeding. We continue to work through a backlog of queued requests.” -Amazon

The Outage Highlights Internet Consolidation Concerns

This new outage has highlighted the dangers of over-reliance on a small group of companies powering today’s internet. “This is what happens when one company has a 30% share of the global cloud computing market,” one commenter noted.

Those living in smart homes may have had a bad morning, with alarm clocks set by Alexa not having gone off, while any appliances or thermostats connected to the cloud may have refused to play ball.

The work week got off to a bad start as well, given that many work software systems failed, from Canva to Slack to accounting platforms like Xero or project management software like monday.com.

Over a Thousand Websites Went Down

It’s a big deal when even just a few major websites, like the Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, stop working at the same time. During this outage, according to the outage watchdog Downdetector, well over 1,000 companies were impacted.

Many rely on these websites and platforms for communication and news in addition to work functions — Downdetector fielded more than 6.5 million reports globally. Even payment platforms were down, including Venmo and Capital One online banking.

Hopefully, outages like this one can highlight the value of a broad range of diverse companies supporting core internet functions like cloud hosting.

One thing’s for sure, however: There’s no denying that the internet is now central to daily life around the world in 2025.