Microsoft shares jump after AI bets pay off Tech Microsoft shares surged over six per cent in after hours trading on Wednesday after the tech giant delivered another quarter of better than expected earnings, driven by its booming cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) businesses. The company posted revenue of $70.1bn (£52.5bn) for the quarter ending in March, up 13 per cent year on year, [...]
The UK’s cyber blindspot lies with its SMBs Tech Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) in the UK are facing an escalating cyber security crisis, experts have warned. According to Hugues Foulon, chief executive of Orange Cyberdefense, cyber attacks on SMBs have surged by 53 per cent, yet only 21 per cent of SMB chief executives are aware of their cyber risks. This alarming [...]
Google presses ahead with AI spend as Trump calls for – yet charges – more Tech Donald Trump is urging American firms to ramp up their technology spending, particularly on AI, despite his latest wave of tariffs injecting new uncertainty into global supply chains. Google owner Alphabet is answering that call, reaffirming plans to spend $75bn this year on AI, brushing aside investor concerns and trade headwinds. The move, announced at [...]
Microsoft cuts UK jobs as sales near £10bn and profit surges April 8, 2025 Microsoft shed more than 200 UK jobs in the year its turnover jumped to almost £10bn, it has been revealed. The US tech giant reduced its headcount from 5,540 to 5,337 in the year to 30 June, 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The reduction comes after Microsoft’s headcount grew from 4,955 in [...]
LinkedIn shouldn’t be like Facebook – UK boss April 7, 2025 LinkedIn should be kept as a professional network and not turned into a new version of Facebook by its members, the UK boss of the social media site has said. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered podcast, country manager Janine Chamberlin said that while there has been a lot of new [...]
CMA clears probe into Microsoft’s OpenAI investment March 5, 2025 After months of scrutiny, Microsoft’s $13bn (£11bn) partnership with OpenAI has been cleared by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The antitrust watchdog ruled that Microsoft‘s investment did not meet the threshold for a full-scale merger investigation, despite concerns over the tech giant’s influence on the AI startup. The CMA acknowledged that Microsoft gained [...]
Cracks appear in the AI boom as market reassesses growth prospects March 5, 2025 The optimism surrounding AI is facing scrutiny as investors and industry leaders reassess the long term profitability of AI-related infrastructure. Recent stock market trends suggest a shift away from the AI sector, with semiconductor and cloud computing stocks among the worst performers in 2025 so far, according to AJ Bell. AI hype faces a reality [...]
UK’s ‘AI divide’ puts economic growth at risk, warns Microsoft March 5, 2025 A growing divide between UK leaders who do and don’t leverage AI could threaten the country’s economic potential, and the efficiency of its public services. According to a report from Microsoft, businesses and public sector organisations with clear AI strategies are significantly outperforming those without, highlighting an urgent need for broader adoption of AI driven [...]
Quantexa: London-based AI startup’s valuation hits £2bn March 5, 2025 London-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup Quantexa‘s valuation has jumped to more than £2bn following a new round of funding. The firm, which uses AI to interpret data sets and help financial firms manage risk, secured a $175m (£137.66m) investment in a funding round led by the Teachers’ Venture Growth (TVG), which will bring the firm’s [...]
Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta: Is big tech overspending on AI? February 7, 2025 Tech titans have projected pouring billions of dollars into artificial intelligence (AI) in 2025, yet Wall Street impatiently awaits returns on their investments. Amazon is leading the charge, having recently committed over $100bn to AI infrastructure this year, surpassing Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta. The four tech behemoths reported a combined $246bn investment in AI in [...]