WSJ Tech News Briefing

Plus: Lenovo's CEO says tariff angst has calmed. AI hardware sales lead Foxconn's profit. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: New York AG picks up lawsuit against Zelle that was abandoned by the Trump administration. And OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responds to criticisms of GPT-5. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Tencent Holdings posts faster-than-expected profit growth. Elon Musk says Apple is engaging in anticompetitive behavior in its App Store rankings. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: AI startup Perplexity makes unsolicited $34.5 billion offer to buy Google's Chrome browser. And disgraced crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon pleads guilty to fraud over crypto crash. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: General Catalyst will lead a $74 million investment in Titan for IT services powered by AI. General Electric and United Nuclear agree on cleanup of uranium mine waste. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump has proposed sweeping tariffs on chips, while offering an exemption: companies that invest in manufacturing in the U.S. won't have to pay. It's an attempt to incentivize more chip production in the U.S., but WSJ Heard on the Street writer Asa Fitch notes that key chip-making companies already have invested in U.S. factories. Plus, Disney is in a difficult bind when it comes to AI. The WSJ's Jessica Toonkel takes us inside the company's thinking. Peter Champelli hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Ford announces plans to overhaul Kentucky factory to launch $30,000 electric pickup. And Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology suspends major mining project. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to visit the White House today. And video-sharing site Rumble plans to buy AI cloud-computing group Northern Data. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Lyft bets on robotaxis. And battery startup Lyten buys bankrupt Northvolt's remaining European assets. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: SMIC says U.S. tariffs should continue to have a limited impact on the chip maker. And Meta settles a defamation lawsuit. Meanwhile, its new AI team is now called TBD Lab. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off a plan to manufacture iPhones in India years ago. It was one of a series of savvy moves, along with a newly announced $100 billion U.S. investment, that have helped the company avoid President Trump's recent tariff threats. WSJ South Asia bureau chief Tripti Lahiri joins us to discuss Apple's plans. Plus, should you spy on your child's phone? WSJ family and tech columnist Julie Jargon makes the case for snooping. Belle Lin hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Space company Firefly Aerospace goes public. And General Motors plans to import batteries from China despite steep tariffs. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: President Trump imposes roughly 100% tariffs on chips coming to the U.S. The EU says its exports of chips to the U.S. will face a 15% tariff ceiling. SoftBank posts quarterly profit. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: FTC moves to block Edwards Lifesciences acquisition of JenaValve Technology. And North Korea expands satellite launch site. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Shopify, Disney, Uber and Siemens Energy report strong second-quarter earnings. And Apple may soon announce an investment in the U.S., according to National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett. Ariana Aspuru hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Linda Yaccarino, former CEO of X, lands at eMed Population Health. And NASA's acting administrator Sean Duffy directs the agency to support more private space stations. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: German chip maker Infineon Technologies lifts its guidance as semiconductor demand picks up. Three people are arrested over the suspected theft of TSMC's trade secrets. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI chatbots have a tendency to flatter users—a term called AI “sycophancy.” And while it feels good, you may pay a high price for that praise. Malihe Alikhani, an assistant professor of AI at Northeastern University's Khoury College of Computer Sciences, joins us to explain the risks. Plus, should you keep your digital secrets in a digital safe? Belle Lin hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: U.S. bid to compete in AI with China faces first trial. Tesla stock rises after CEO Elon Musk gets multibillion-dollar stock award. And Spotify to increase premium subscription prices in regions around the globe. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Foxconn to convert EV plant to make AI hardware. Joby Aviation will acquire Blade Air Mobility unit for up to $125 million. Ariana Aspuru hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Apple said it would substantially increase capital expenditures. Palantir was awarded a $10 billion dollar, 10-year federal contract. Ariana Aspuru hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: A top Intel chip-packaging expert takes a job at Samsung. Sources say Axiata will start the sale process for the world's sixth-largest tower company. Ariana Aspuru hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chip startups are battling to sell cloud-computing providers the custom-built inference chips of the future. But the question is, can they actually make a dent in AI's projected energy demand? WSJ columnist and co-host of the Bold Names podcast, Christopher Mims joins us to explain. Plus, Hollywood is losing ground to YouTube as the tech giant wins the battle for TV viewers. Belle Lin hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Further Reading How YouTube Won the Battle for TV Viewers  The New Chips Designed to Solve AI's Energy Problem  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Apple's iPhone sales blew past estimates as some customers raced to beat potential price increases from tariffs. Amazon posts higher sales and profit in its latest earnings report. And, some tech giants are revising their AI claims after scrutiny from a regulatory group. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Southeast Asian ride hailing and delivery giant, Grab, is leaning into driverless technologies. Samsung expects AI-fueled earnings improvement after profit drops.. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Autonomous trucks are now driving highways at night. Tech giants Meta and Microsoft report earnings. Ariana Aspuru hosts.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: AI finance app, Ramp, is valued at $22.5 billion in funding round. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Palo Alto Networks is in talks to acquire Israeli cybersecurity provider, CyberArk Software. JPMorgan Chase nears a deal to take over Apple's credit-card program. Ariana Aspuru hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Spotify gains subscribers, but reports a loss for the second quarter. And, EssilorLuxottica's stock value increased after executives were upbeat about its Meta smart-glasses partnership. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between a yearslong white-collar hiring slump and recession worries, the labor market was already fragile for young college graduates. Now, artificial intelligence threatens to completely upend it. Plus, why you might want to wait on buying a new iPhone this summer. Belle Lin hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Firefly Aerospace sets IPO terms that could push market cap above $5.5 billion. Zoe Kuhlkin hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: EU watchdog warns Temu on safety of products sold on its platform. Nvidia could roll out a downgraded AI chip for China. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Imax reported better-than-expected second quarter results. And, Kentucky sues Temu over China-linked security threat. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Profits in LG Electronics slip as the company weighs tariff impacts. And, a failed Microsoft security patch led to a new China-linked hack. Ariana Aspuru hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Names like Laundry Bear and Chatty Spider don't exactly inspire fear, but cybersecurity professionals have long used them as shorthand for hacker groups out to spread havoc around the world. Now, some online-security pros are trying to end this cute trend. Plus, employees looking for a reward after using AI tools to finish their work faster will probably be disappointed. Patrick Coffee hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Honeywell International reported higher than expected second quarter results and raised its outlook for the year. And, an American woman has been sentenced to prison for helping North Koreans get jobs at Nike and other U.S. firms. Zoe Kuhlkin hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Walmart is simplifying its approach to AI agents. Plus, SK Hynix will boost its investment in AI chips after record results. Ariana Aspuru hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Walmart to hire a former Instacart executive to lead its AI ambitions. Google's parent company Alphabet and Tesla release earnings. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amazon is buying an AI-powered wearable bracelet maker that records your conversations. And, AT&T adds wireless and home-internet subscribers. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

China has now supercharged its EV industry. Nokia cuts its outlook due to tariff and currency concerns. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

High AI costs are pushing more smaller cybersecurity companies to sell. President Trump is expected to deliver a major address about winning the AI race. Ariana Aspuru hosts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Airbnb has opened another front in its ongoing competition with the hospitality industry with “services,” a new product line that will offer everything from private chefs to personal trainers for guests—as long as their hosts approve. Plus, WSJ's Lauren Weber explains why you may just have to accept talking to people while they're wearing airpods. Patrick Coffee hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter.  Further Reading: Airbnb Lets You Add a Private Chef to Your Rental. Your Host Might Not Like It.  How People Decided It's OK to Wear AirPods Anywhere, Anytime  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices