Google’s 100-year bond ‘plays into’ AI bubble fears February 12, 2026 A rare 100-year bond issued by the owner of Google will compound fears that tech firms’ historic debt-fuelled capital expenditure is evidence of an AI bubble. But, this is a shot in the arm for the UK’s stuttering credit market, analyst have said. Alphabet raised £1bn of an astronomical $32bn (£23.4bn) borrowing spree via a [...]
Will Alphabet’s century bond start a new trend? A brief history February 11, 2026 This week Google owner Alphabet raised £1bn in a highly unusual century bond, in a sign of the extreme lengths tech firms are willing to go to to meet the ballooning capital costs of investment in AI. The 100 year sterling note formed part of a $32bn debt raise for Alphabet, following similar moves from [...]
Meta and Google face first trial over child safety claims February 9, 2026 The world’s largest social media giants are heading into a series of lawsuits in the US, accusing them of harming children with their addictive algorithms. The opening arguments begin this week in LA County Superior Court in the first case to be heard in front of a jury, alleging that Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube [...]
Waymo raises $16bn ahead of London launch February 3, 2026 Alphabet-owned Waymo has raised $16bn (£12.6bn), valuing the self driving vehicle company at $126bn, as its London launch edges closer. The investment round, led by Dragoneer, DST Global and Sequoia, comes as the firm steps up preparations for its UK debut, with its cars already spotted testing on the streets of the capital. London is [...]
Amazon and Alphabet’s AI spending faces billion-dollar litmus test February 2, 2026 Investors will get a clearer read this week on whether Big Tech’s vast AI spending is turning into real returns, as Alphabet and Amazon report earnings amid heightened market sensitivity to cloud growth, margins and costs. Both tech giants sit at the centre of the AI boom, but recent volatility in US tech stocks has [...]
BBC left out of ChatGPT AI news sources January 30, 2026 AI chatbots used by millions to access the news are skewing UK media, with new research showing that some of the country’s biggest and most trusted outlets are being sidelined altogether. According to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), ChatGPT and Google Gemini did not cite the BBC in any responses to news-related queries, [...]
I tried to create ChatGPT in 1999 – this is what failure taught me January 29, 2026 Fred Plais created a natural language search engine in the early days of the internet. Here’s what the AI founders of today can learn from his mistakes How did you feel when ChatGPT was released in 2022? Amazed by the advances of technology? Intrigued by the possibilities it created? Maybe worried about what AI could [...]
CMA pushes back on Google’s AI overviews January 28, 2026 The UK’s competition regulator has fired an early warning shot at Google’s AI-powered search, in a move that suggests the era of unfettered scraping and summarising may be coming to an end. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Wednesday set out proposed rules that would force Google to loosen its control over how search works in the UK. [...]
Waymo accelerates London rollout despite US safety probe January 26, 2026 Waymo is stepping up preparations for its UK rollout after its driverless vehicles were spotted on the streets of London, as the Alphabet-owned firm faces safety scrutiny in the US. The self-driving vehicle firm has confirmed it is testing its robotaxis in the capital ahead of a planned passenger launch this year, marking its second [...]
King’s Cross retail sales boom as reinvention continues January 22, 2026 King’s Cross retail sales rose by double digits last year as the zone’s reinvention attracts significant retail and leisure investment. Total sales across the King’s Cross estate climbed by 13.5 per cent year on year, with retail sales up by 16 per cent and food and drink sales also climbing by 10 per cent. [...]