‘Vibecoding’, an innovative software development approach that leverages artificial intelligence to transform natural language into computer code, has been selected as Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2025.
Collins’ lexicographers track the Collins Corpus, which comprises 24 billion words sourced from various media, including social platforms, to compile an annual roster of new significant words that illustrate our constantly evolving language.
They selected vibecoding as the word of the year following a noticeable surge in its usage since its introduction in February.
The term was introduced by Andrej Karpathy, the former AI director at Tesla and a founding engineer at OpenAI, to explain how artificial intelligence can develop applications as if the code is irrelevant.
Other notable additions to the list include “biohacking,” which refers to the practice of modifying the body’s natural functions to enhance health and lifespan.
Another term is “Clunker,” a derogatory reference to a computer, robot, or AI, initially popularized by Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This term has rapidly spread on social media, often reflecting disdain and distrust towards AI chatbots and platforms.
The word “glaze,” which denotes excessive or unfair praise, is also gaining traction this year.
Additionally, “Aura Farming” has emerged, describing the intentional cultivation of a distinctive and appealing personality, essentially the art of appearing cool.
While popular among gamers, it gained broader visibility this year thanks to the viral “Boat Kid” video, which sparked a dance trend embraced by celebrities like American football player Travis Kelce.
Tech industry leaders, informally known as the Tech Brothers, were dubbed “broligarchies” after their eye-catching presence at President Donald Trump’s inauguration, which also landed them on the list.
The term “henry,” an acronym for “high-income but not yet wealthy,” has seen increased usage and was also coined by Collins.
Other entries include “cool vacations,” referring to trips taken in cooler climates, and “task masking,” which denotes the act of creating a false impression of productivity at work.
It is also characterized by “micro-retirement,” defined as a break in employment periods to engage in personal interests.
Alex Beecroft, Managing Director at Collins, remarked: “Choosing Vibecoding as the word of the year perfectly encapsulates the evolution of language alongside technology. This marks a significant transformation in software development, making coding more accessible through AI.”
“The seamless fusion of human creativity and machine intelligence illustrates how natural language is fundamentally transforming our interactions with computers.”
Nvidia surpassed Wall Street’s projections in its quarterly revenue report on Wednesday, continuing a streak of financial successes for the technology leader. For the quarter ending in April, revenue reached $44.1 billion, a 69% increase from the previous year.
The company outperformed an investor forecast of $43.3 billion. Adjusted earnings per share were reported at $0.81, falling short of the anticipated 88 cents. Additionally, data center revenue soared to $39.1 billion, marking a 73% growth year-over-year.
Nvidia remains optimistic about the AI sector, both in terms of its advanced hardware and the regulatory challenges on the horizon, which investors are keenly monitoring.
“Nvidia has once again surpassed expectations, but maintaining this lead is growing more challenging,” observed Jacob Bourne, an analyst at Emarketer. “China’s export restrictions highlight immediate geopolitical pressures, but Nvidia also faces competition as rivals like AMD strengthen their positions based on certain cost-effectiveness metrics in AI workloads.”
CEO Jensen Huang stated, “The global demand for Nvidia’s AI infrastructure is remarkably strong. Countries worldwide see AI as a vital utility, comparable to electricity and the Internet.”
The chipmaker anticipates revenues of $45 billion for the second quarter of 2026.
Nvidia’s quarterly reports over the past year reflect explosive growth. However, the company is under increasing pressure from U.S. regulations.
Donald Trump’s announcement in April regarding tightened computer chip export regulations effectively barred Nvidia from selling its primary revenue source, the H20 AI chip, to China.
“H20 products were primarily designed for the Chinese market,” the company’s first quarter revenue report stated. Consequently, Nvidia expects to miss out on $8 billion in revenue for its second quarter.
Despite this setback, Huang expressed optimism about Trump’s intentions to allow companies to export chips with limited capabilities to China.
“The president has a plan and a vision. I trust him,” he noted.
However, Huang cautioned that losing access to China’s potential $50 billion AI market could jeopardize U.S. leadership in the global AI infrastructure race. “China is one of the largest AI markets, serving as a launchpad for global success,” he stated during the revenue call.
“China’s AI will progress with or without U.S. chips,” he remarked. “The issue isn’t whether China has AI—it’s already happening; the real question is if one of the world’s largest AI markets will rely on American chips.”
The company revealed that the recent SEC claims could cost them $5.5 billion. They noted only $4.6 billion in claims in the first quarter tied to H20 excess inventory and purchase obligations. Some materials may also be reused, affecting forecasts.
In an interview with Ben Thompson, Huang described the loss as “deeply painful.” Reports suggest a revenue loss of $15 billion. In the first quarter alone, the company could not ship an additional $2.5 billion in H20 revenue.
“We have never written off so much inventory in history,” Huang remarked. “We’re not just losing $5.5 billion; we’ve also missed out on $15 billion in sales… and potentially… $3 billion in taxes.”
The tightened export regulations pose challenges: a committee within the U.S. Congress indicated that Nvidia is seeking feedback on China’s groundbreaking AI model, especially regarding Deepseek, an AI firm that mirrors products from U.S. AI companies without the same computational power.
The committee’s report alleges that Deepseek “secretly leaked American user data to the Chinese Communist Party, manipulated information to align with CCP propaganda, and trained on materials unlawfully acquired from the company.”
Despite the tightening export restrictions, analysts believe Nvidia has shown remarkable resilience this quarter.
“Amid industry integration and rising competition, geopolitical tensions have created a tougher business landscape. Nevertheless, the company has effectively focused on its operational core,” Investing.com commented.
“We’ve effectively managed supply and demand dynamics within data centers. Thus, the $4.5 billion impact from H20 during the quarter underscores NVIDIA’s ability to adapt to market changes,” they added.
Analysts also speculate that U.S.-China negotiations “might yield positive outcomes for Nvidia,” according to Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.
“Nvidia is the sole chipmaker propelling the AI revolution. This narrative is underscored by their results and Jensen’s optimistic remarks,” Ives stated. “This indicates a significant lead in the broader tech landscape, suggesting the AI revolution is poised for further growth, despite the tariff challenges posed by Trump.”
Though Nvidia’s Chinese operations remain uncertain, analysts note a surge in demand for Nvidia chips in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The company has benefited from AI opportunities arising from Trump’s visit, which secured $600 million for U.S. businesses.
Nvidia announced plans to sell hundreds of thousands of AI chips to Saudi Arabia, including to a startup supported by the nation’s sovereign wealth fund, employing 18,000 individuals with the latest technology.
hWelcome to Ello and TechScape! I’m your host, Blake Montgomery. In this week’s Tech News: Trump’s tariffs are impacting a tech firm that focuses on physical goods more than those solely digital. We dive into two stories highlighting the dark implications of AI on the labor market. Additionally, Meta has launched a standalone AI application, boasting an impressive claim of 1 billion users due to its rapid adoption. OpenAI has backed down from a controversial version of ChatGPT, and we revisit the early terminology surrounding Elon Musk.
High-tech revenue: bits rake it up, atoms face uncertainty
Four out of seven major tech giants reported their quarterly earnings last week. Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon exceeded Wall Street projections, yet their outlooks revealed a clear divide between those moving physical products and those thriving in the digital realm. Atomic vs Bits.
Meta and Microsoft’s earnings skyrocketed, surpassing expectations and offering optimistic guidance for the next quarter.
In contrast, uncertainty loomed over Apple and Amazon. While both companies outperformed Wall Street expectations, recent news emphasized the adverse effects of Trump’s tariffs. At the end of Apple’s earnings call, CEO Tim Cook revealed that import tariffs would cost iPhone manufacturers $900 million in the upcoming quarter. Although Apple managed to adapt, planning to ship around $2 billion worth of iPhones from India to the US before tariffs took full effect, it’s still significant.
Last week, Amazon faced backlash from the Trump administration after it was reported that Punchbowl News might begin detailing tariff-related costs for individual items, much like discount retailers Shein and Temu. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned this move as “hostile and political.” Although Amazon considered the idea, it quickly decided not to pursue it and downplayed its competition with Shein and Temu, dubbed Amazon Haul. Following the controversy, the ecommerce titan announced it would cease the initiative.
Is AI taking jobs?
Photo: Science Photo Library/Aramie
Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to greatly disrupt the job market. Reports detail the direct impacts on jobs, leaving many employees in the lurch.
Technology skeptic Brian Merchant discusses Duolingo’s recent shift to an “AI-First” model, phasing out contractors for tasks that AI can manage. His piece, titled Machine Newsletter Blood, features a former Duolingo contractor who expressed disbelief at the rapid exchange for AI. Similarly, artists and illustrators reported losing opportunities as clients opted for AI solutions instead.
However, on a larger scale, immediate disruption following the launch of ChatGPT isn’t anticipated. Research indicates AI’s broader market impact has been slower than predicted. A study from the University of Chicago and the University of Copenhagen published in a Working Paper reveals that in Denmark, “AI chatbots have not significantly affected job revenue or recorded hours.” Rather than completely displacing jobs, AI is expected to enhance productivity, streamlining tasks and fostering new ideas. The study analyzed two comprehensive recruitment surveys encompassing 25,000 workers and 7,000 workplaces across 11 occupations considered vulnerable to AI.
Special thanks to Register for their insights in this paper.
Mark Zuckerberg will be speaking at Llamacon 2025, an AI developer conference in Menlo Park, California, on April 29th. Photo: Jeff Chiu/AP
Personally, I’ve never engaged Meta’s AI chatbots intentionally. I accidentally tapped a discreet blue circle in Instagram’s search bar during the spring of 2024, triggering a chat with AI agents. The chatbot enthusiastically prompted me to “imagine paradise” instead of using my recent search queries. Meta has integrated its AI into frequent sections of its core app.
The strategic placement of the Meta AI search bar and its integration into existing apps is evident. For example, you can easily tap the Meta AI button at the bottom right corner of the iPhone’s WhatsApp app. Meta has optimized the search functionalities across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, thereby promoting its rapidly expanding AI user base through prominently featured options. Recently, Meta AI stated it is “on track to become the world’s most utilized AI assistant,” with nearly 1 billion users reportedly engaged with the platform.
Last week, the company unveiled a standalone AI app, raising questions about user engagement without a physical interaction. For now, executives anticipate most users will continue to encounter AI through the conspicuous blue circles within popular social applications. Barge.
Meta isn’t the only player; Google also boasts a significant user base for its AI features, claiming over 1 billion users for AI-driven searches (recently reported as 1.5 billion). While it’s challenging to determine user engagement levels accurately, it’s evident that companies glean benefits from any interactions with their AI tools, making it nearly impossible for organizations like Google or Meta to be compelled to stop using their data for AI training. In the US, users can only request that Meta remove their data or abstain from utilizing it to aid in AI training, alongside chatting with Meta AI, which also includes posts and profile details.
The reality of AI seems grim, as it appears designed to lead users into its ecosystem early on. Within the US, where minimal privacy regulations exist, users often feel as if they are continuously training AI systems without their consent.
Sam Altman’s Rollback and Debut
“We missed Mark”… Sam Altman. Composite: Carlos Barría / Reuters / Guardian Design
Last week, OpenAI confirmed it would retract the latest ChatGPT update, with Sam Altman stating, “I missed the mark with last week’s GPT-4o update.” He described the prior updates as overly sycophantic and bothersome.
According to a venture capital firm, this update marks an unusual error for the creators of ChatGPT. Andreessen Horowitz is among investors in OpenAI.
The day after announcing the rollback, Altman shared news of the launch of his new startup, World, which specializes in ORBs that scan users’ IRIs for verification purposes. He proudly tweeted, “We did that!” alongside an image of himself in front of an American flag, creatively modified with the logo of another company.
Doge Days
“No modern precedent”… Elon Musk’s extraordinary role in the government. Composite: Guardian/Getty Images
The wealthiest individual in the world and a prominent figure in technology held a position in the White House for roughly 100 days. What impact did he have?
My colleague Nick Robbins notes:
“Musk left little of the federal government intact. In just a few months, he dismantled decades of government agencies and public services, which amassed considerable political power.”
“Musk’s influence within the Trump administration is unparalleled. The world’s richest person took on a role that allowed him to undermine the very institutions overseeing his enterprises. His attempts to radically reshape government branches significantly increased his influence, incorporating allies into key positions across federal agencies and gaining access to personal data from millions of Americans while laying off tens of thousands of workers. His leadership at SpaceX positioned the company to capitalize on billions in government contracts, leaving chaos in his wake.”
Discover more about Doge’s initial 100 days.
If you only read two more Elon Musk stories this week, check these out
Apple’s financial results for the second quarter exceeded Wall Street predictions on Thursday.
The tech leader announced a revenue of $95.4 billion, marking an increase of over 4% compared to last year, with earnings surpassing $1.65 per share, up more than 7%. Analysts had anticipated a revenue of $94.5 billion and a profit of $1.62. The company’s market value stands at $3.2 trillion, consistently surpassing Wall Street forecasts for the last four quarters.
Investors remain focused on Apple’s impending financial disclosures. The tech giant has worked diligently to ease the concerns of anxious analysts following Donald Trump’s extensive tariffs that could disrupt the supply chain for appliances. Since the start of the year, Apple’s stock has decreased by 16%.
During a call with investors on Thursday, CEO Tim Cook indicated that he expects tariffs to escalate expenses by $900 million for the quarter ending in June, provided global tariff rates remain unchanged. Cook declined to make further predictions about the future, stating, “We don’t know what will happen with tariffs… it’s very challenging to predict post-June.”
In after-hours trading, the company’s shares dropped more than 4%, despite last year’s growth, due to tariff impacts and revenues that fell short of Wall Street’s expectations, particularly in its services sector, which includes iCloud subscriptions and various licensing revenues. Sales in China also did not meet estimates.
Nevertheless, the company remains optimistic, stating that it reported “strong post-quarter results” and is “actively engaged in the tariff discussion.”
iPhone manufacturers are heavily reliant on production in China for their mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. Following Trump’s implementation of tariffs that reached over approximately 245%, the president indicated he would allow an exception for household appliances.
During this period, Cook communicated with a senior White House official, as reported by the Washington Post. After these discussions, Trump declared an exemption for appliances. Following this announcement, Apple’s shares increased by 7% in subsequent days.
However, the duration of this exemption remains uncertain. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick described it as “temporary”, and Trump later stated on social media that there would be no “exceptions”.
The president has consistently expressed a desire to see increased manufacturing in the United States. In February, he and Cook met to discuss investments in U.S. manufacturing. “He’s about to start a building,” Trump remarked after their meeting. “A very significant number – you have to tell him. I believe they’ll announce it soon.”
JPMorgan predicts that relocating production to the U.S. will lead to a substantial increase in prices. In this week’s memo, they noted, “Assuming a 20% tariff on China, we could witness a 30% price hike in the short term.” JPMorgan and other analysts assert that Apple may continue to shift more manufacturing to India, where tariffs are only 10%.
Earlier this month, Apple transported around $2 billion worth of iPhones from India to the U.S. to boost its inventory in anticipation of rising prices due to Trump’s tariffs and panic buying by concerned consumers. Investors are increasingly worried about a drop in iPhone sales in China, the largest smartphone market globally. In its latest revenue report in January, Apple disclosed that iPhone sales in China fell by 11.1% in the first quarter, missing Wall Street revenue expectations.
Cook mentioned during a call with investors that while China remains the primary manufacturing hub for the company, India is expected to produce more iPhones along with Vietnam in the June quarter. “The tariffs currently imposed on Apple are contingent upon the origin of the product,” he noted, emphasizing that tariffs in India and Vietnam are less than those in China.
In the immediate term, analysts suggest that tariff-related disruptions could work in Apple’s favor as consumers rush to buy more products fearing price hikes. “Dipanjangchatterjee, principal analyst at Forester, stated: [consumers] absorb these price increases as they seek out Apple products.
On Wednesday, Meta announced its revenues, exceeding Wall Street’s forecasts for yet another quarter, while simultaneously generating billions with artificial intelligence.
In the first quarter of 2025, Meta reported a revenue of $423.2 billion, surpassing both its own projected high of $41.8 billion and the Wall Street expectation of $413.8 billion.
The company also disclosed earnings per share of $6.43, significantly exceeding Wall Street’s prediction of $5.27, leading to a surge in stock prices after market hours.
“This is a strong start to what is set to be a pivotal year for us. Our community continues to expand, and our business model is performing effectively,” stated Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO. “We are making notable advancements in AI glasses and Meta AI, with approximately 1 billion active monthly users.”
Zuckerberg conveyed in a discussion with investors that the company is performing well, its platform is expanding, and it is prepared to navigate the prevailing macroeconomic uncertainties.
“We maintain the belief that this year will be crucial in our industry,” he remarked.
This marks a continuation of Meta’s succesful track record in surpassing Wall Street expectations over recent quarters. However, it remains uncertain whether this will alleviate investor apprehensions. Analysts expressed dissatisfaction regarding the company’s first-quarter revenue outlook shared at the end of 2024. The firm plans to allocate between $64 million and $72 billion for capital expenditures, focusing on building AI infrastructure, a revision from the previous estimate of $65 billion. Total expenses for the first quarter had already reached $24.76 billion, marking a 9% year-over-year increase. The unpredictable nature of Donald Trump’s tariffs could still disrupt the advertising market and cloud the company’s financial forecast for the upcoming quarters.
Senior analyst Minda Smiley from eMarketer noted that the company’s “optimistic second quarter guidance indicates a lack of expectation for a significant decline in advertising revenue due to tariffs.” However, she expressed doubt about Meta’s ability to avoid long-term recession effects.
“Conversely, companies may take advantage of economic instability. Advertisers are likely to shift their spending towards established platforms like Facebook and Instagram while avoiding smaller social media networks,” added Smiley. “Nevertheless, a significant portion of Meta’s revenue is relying on advertising from Chinese retailers such as Temu and Shein targeting US consumers, whose spending is decreasing due to changing trade conditions and tariffs.”
Meta’s continued spending also “remains a concern for investors,” according to Debra Aho Williamson, founder and chief analyst at Sonata Insights. “Despite this, Meta has stayed away from directly monetizing AI this year, instead focusing on enhancing AI engagement amongst developers, app users, and advertisers,” remarked Williamson.
In the lead-up to the revenue report, Meta has made headlines with mixed AI-related developments, including the release of a standalone AI application intended to compete with ChatGPT. A WSJ Report highlighted that existing chatbots integrated into various products, such as Facebook and Instagram, have enabled teenagers to engage in “romantic role-plays.” Meta executives have consistently emphasized the approximately 1 billion users of their AI chatbots. However, many of these users access chatbots through complex paths within WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. The company has not disclosed specifics about user interactions with chatbots or the depth of these engagements necessary to classify as AI chatbot users.
Alongside ongoing antitrust trials—where the company faces allegations of establishing an illegal social media monopoly through the acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp—additional concerns loom for analysts regarding Meta’s financial stability, despite the seemingly positive figures.
“Meta’s revenue announcements arrive during a turbulent period, as the company faces potential changes to its future. As discussed in court, the outcomes could fundamentally reshape the social media landscape,” observed Forrester VP Mike Pulx. “Focusing more resources on enhancing Threads and Facebook might be crucial, as these could be the last remaining platforms of value for the company. Additionally, it’s noteworthy that Meta has significantly reduced its workforce within the Reality Labs division, which is struggling and ongoing.”
Another 128 months were discovered, orbiting Saturn, bringing the planet to a total of 274. It's more than what's around all other planets in the solar system. However, astronomers face problems as advances in telescope technology allow them to gradually find small planetary objects.
Edward Ashton Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan and his colleagues have found a new moon with a telescope in Canada, France and Hawaii, revealing dozens who have previously avoided astronomers. They took several hours of imagery of Saturn, adjusted them through the sky for the movement of the planets, stacking them on top of each other, revealing objects that were otherwise too thin to be visible.
All new moons are 2 to 4 kilometres in diameter and could have been formed hundreds of millions or billions of years ago by collisions, Ashton said.
“These are tiny little rocks floating in space, so some people may not be doing anything,” Ashton says. “But I think it's important to have a catalog of all the objects in the solar system.”
The dot at the center of this image is one of the moons of Saturn’s new “fuzzy blob”
Edward Ashton et al. (2025)
Despite the wealth of data collected by his team, these most recent months still only appear as “fuzzy blobs,” Ashton says. There are more powerful telescopes that can solve Moon in more detail, Many people have small areas of vision, but that would mean taking more images, he says.
The newly discovered moon is recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and Ashton and his team You now have the right to name it. Ashton, a Canadian, says he approached representatives of Indigenous Canadian people for suggestions, but also pondered the idea of a kind of public naming contest.
Is there more moons there? Scientists have spent decades scanning the area around Saturn with an increasingly powerful telescope in recent years. In 2019, 20 new moons were found, and Ashton and his colleagues already 62 discovered Apart from the 128 that was recently discovered in 2023. Ultimately, further discoveries are likely to require advances in telescope technology, Ashton believes that thousands of moons are easily found in orbit around Saturn, and even discounting the small rocky remains found in the planet’s rings.
Mike Alexandersen The Minor Planet Center, which records the planetary bodies of the IAU, says there are likely many moons in the solar system, as telescope improvements allow you to see small objects. He says he has to make a decision about what he doesn’t do with the moon.
“I know that the IAU has decided not to prioritize naming anything smaller than a kilometer because of the number of months that are likely to exist. But that’s not the same as they don’t recognize it as the moon,” says Alexandersen. “Only if the spaceship goes to visit it would they name it.”
He suggests that the cutoff between the moon and the rock particles that form part of the planet’s rings is probably between 1 kilometres and 1 meter in diameter. “In the end, it’s probably going to be an IAU, not my decision. And it’s probably going to be a relatively arbitrary kind of thing,” says Alexandersen.
Elizabeth’s Day At Imperial College, London says one day there may even be commercial reasons to have an accurate map of the solar system. “You may want to extract resources from the asteroids and moons in your solar system, so make sure you understand what’s important to that,” says Day.
Kepler’s Renaissance Astronomy in Prague: Czech Republic
Discover the enormous heritage of Renaissance astronomers Johannes Kepler and Taicho Bray.
The article was revised on March 12, 2025
It revealed that Saturn’s total number of months is greater than other planets combined
Apple exceeded analysts’ expectations in the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year on Thursday. The company’s revenue increased by 4% to $124.3 billion, slightly higher than the projected $124.2 billion. Earnings per share were $2.40, beating the forecast of $2.35.
Following CEO Tim Cook’s announcement of the revenue, Apple’s shares surged by more than 8% in after-hours trading as the company is on track for revenue growth next year.
Investors expressed concerns about declining iPhone sales in China, the world’s largest smartphone market, with domestic competitors like HUAWEI gaining ground. Apple confirmed this on Thursday, reporting an 11.1% drop in iPhone sales in China, missing Wall Street’s revenue expectations.
During the earnings call, Cook mentioned Apple’s active device base of 2.35 billion.
Despite the mixed reviews, Cook hailed it as the company’s “best quarter” with a 4% profit increase. Cook highlighted the introduction of Apple Intelligence, which debuted for English-speaking iPhone users in late October. The AI feature has seen strong sales and impacted numbers positively, including in China.
Investors have closely monitored Apple’s progress in AI, which has been slower compared to competitors and has garnered a range of reviews. Despite initial anticipation, the technology has been criticized for inaccuracies and glitches.
During the earnings call, Cook assured analysts that AI technology would become mainstream. Apple Intelligence is currently exclusive to new devices in a limited number of countries, and adoption has been gradual. Cook emphasized the transformative nature of the feature once users experience it.
Apple’s earnings report came amidst a challenging week for high-tech stocks in the US. Following the presence of a Chinese AI company’s app on Apple’s App Store, several tech companies experienced declines. Despite initial setbacks, recoveries were observed in subsequent trading days.
Apple seems to be shielded from the recent stock market turbulence, with its stock rising earlier in the week. Analysts believe Apple’s focus on integrating AI into its products enables cost efficiency compared to developing cutting-edge models.
Despite initial struggles in 2025, Apple’s stock had dropped by about 8% in the first three weeks of the year, primarily due to concerns about declining smartphone sales in China.
Apple Intelligence had faced glitches and generated inaccurate push notifications. In response to feedback, Apple ceased the feature earlier this month. A recent iOS update now explicitly states when notifications are AI-generated.
Bitcoin has surpassed $100,000 for the first time, reaching a new high amid a euphoric surge triggered by President Donald Trump’s election win.
The largest and most valuable cryptocurrency in the world, known for its market volatility, has been on the rise in recent weeks due to expectations of a new era of deregulation and supportive policies under the incoming administration.
On Wednesday, it hit a record high of $103,619, marking a 45% increase since Election Day. Other cryptocurrencies are also experiencing similar gains.
“We are witnessing a paradigm shift. After four years of political purgatory, Bitcoin and the entire digital asset ecosystem are about to enter the financial mainstream,” said Mike Novogratz, founder and CEO of Galaxy Digital, a US cryptocurrency company.
“This momentum is driven by institutional adoption, advancements in tokenization and payments, and a clearer regulatory path,” he added.
President Trump has nominated crypto lobbyist Paul Atkins to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), signaling a more favorable stance towards cryptocurrencies.
“Congratulations Bitcoiners!!! $100,000!!! You’re welcome!!! Together we will make America great again!” President Trump tweeted on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Reaching a six-digit price is a significant milestone for Bitcoin, which was created in 2008 and remains shrouded in mystery surrounding its creator Satoshi Nakamoto.
Supporters see Bitcoin and the broader crypto space as the future of finance, although its volatile valuation and slow adoption for everyday transactions raise concerns.
“Bitcoin surpassing $100,000 signifies changing trends in finance, technology, and geopolitics,” said crypto analyst Justin Danesan based in Hong Kong.
“People who were once considered fantasy now exist in reality,” he added.
Trump, who once called Bitcoin a “scam,” has shifted his stance to a more supportive position, touting it as a symbol of free trade and innovation.
Atkins, the former SEC commissioner and crypto advocate, is seen as bringing a fresh perspective to digital asset regulation in the US.
“Atkins’ familiarity with the digital asset ecosystem can lead to new opportunities for US cryptocurrency innovation,” said Kristin Smith, CEO of the Blockchain Association.
Cryptocurrency stocks are on the rise alongside Bitcoin prices, with companies like MicroStrategy heavily investing in Bitcoin.
Trump has also announced his own virtual currency venture, World Liberty Financial, showing growing support for cryptocurrencies.
According to the communications watchdog, Reddit, the US online discussion platform, has surpassed X to become the fifth most popular social media platform in the UK. In May of this year, 22.9 million UK adults visited Reddit, compared to 22.1 million on X, as reported by Ofcom.
Reddit, known for its topic-based communities where users engage in discussion threads, experienced a 47% growth in the UK compared to the same period in 2023, making it the fastest-growing large-scale social media platform. This growth led Reddit to overtake LinkedIn and X, claiming the fifth spot in the UK social media platform ranking, with YouTube surpassing Facebook as the top platform with over 44 million adult users.
The increase in organic search traffic on Reddit was attributed to Google’s latest algorithm updates in the first half of 2024, according to Farhad Divecha, managing director of Acuracast. Ofcom suggested that the rise in Reddit’s popularity may also be due to changes in third-party apps accessing content, prompting users to visit the Reddit site. However, Ofcom also raised concerns about Reddit’s promotion of stock market surfacing.
X, on the other hand, has seen a decline in popularity, with an 8% decrease in reach since May last year. Criticisms of X’s content moderation standards have been ongoing since Elon Musk acquired the platform in 2022. The introduction of a rival platform by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and competition from Threads have added pressure on X.
Ofcom’s annual report on digital habits highlighted the prevalence of misinformation and deepfakes online, with four in 10 UK adults encountering such content. One-third of UK adults lack confidence in distinguishing AI-generated images, audio, or videos.
Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis) may drink you under the table
Vladimir Kazachikov/Shutterstock
One species of wasp, which often eats alcohol-containing foods, can retain alcohol at levels that other known animals cannot tolerate without causing side effects.
‘This is crazy,’ says study author Sofia Bucebuti at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, Israel.
Oriental wasp diet (vespa orientalis) consists of ripe fruit containing nectar and grapes. This fruit contains sugar, which is converted to ethanol through natural fermentation over time.
While ethanol is highly nutritious for animals, it is also highly intoxicating. Even animals that routinely eat fermented fruit, such as fruit flies and shrews, cannot have more than 4% ethanol in their diet, Bucebuti and his colleagues say.
But when Bucebuti’s team fed the hornets nothing for a week other than various sugar solutions containing varying amounts of ethanol from 1 to 80 percent, the hornets seemed unaffected. Neither their behavior nor their lifespans changed. What makes this particularly surprising is that a solution containing 80% ethanol contains four times the alcohol content of what occurs in nature.
“We initially experimented with only 20%. [ethanol] And we are already surprised,” say study authors Elan Levin At Tel Aviv University, Israel. The 80% ethanol figure is “even more incredible.”
Analysis of the genomes of several wasp species suggests that the insects have two to four copies of the gene that produces NADP+, which helps break down alcohol. Researchers think this may help explain why the oriental hornet, and perhaps other wasp species, can process such large amounts of alcohol.
These findings “remind us that we’re not the only ones who like alcohol.” james fry at the University of Rochester in New York. However, because data from other animal studies are difficult to compare, researchers are not convinced that wasps are the only organisms that can process such large amounts of alcohol.
Wasps’ love of alcohol may give them a competitive advantage when it comes to eating nutritious, highly fermented foods, researchers say. Irene Stefanini At the University of Turin, Italy. She believes that the wasp’s resistance is probably related to the mutualistic relationship between the animal and fermenting brewer’s yeast. budding yeastWhich her study They have been shown to live in the intestines of wasps, survive, and even mate. Perhaps the wasp helps the yeast move from fruit to fruit, and the yeast helps the wasp find energy-rich food.
circleIf you work security, stopping thieves can be an uphill battle. Most would-be thieves know that they have the same legal powers as security guards, so it can be hard to know who can use “appropriate force” when a teenager is trying to cut your bike lock right in front of you.
My shift coworker and I recently witnessed a heroin addict walking through the parking lot, repeatedly typing a shopping list into her phone of shampoo, school uniforms, and other low-quality items. She was part of a growing number of heroin addicts. Steal for othersIt focuses on things that people need but don’t want to pay for.
Shoplifting by telephone (aka “deliverobbing”) seems like a natural thing to happen when you consider the overall number of reported shoplifting cases. Store theft increased 37%But nobody wants to be caught in the act, and while the UK lacks police patrols to catch shoplifters, we make up for it in another area: cameras.
The UK is one of the most surveilled countries in the Western world. 13.21 cameras per 1,000 people That may seem Orwellian until you compare it with the estimated percentage for Chinese cities: 439.07.
It’s crazy to think that one of those cameras is now me. As a security guard who wears a body-worn camera (BWC) on his protective vest, I’m part of a growing demographic. This year alone, Pret a Manger staff members,BP and Greggs They are the latest employees to be issued BWCs to protect against misuse and theft.
Essex County Council Librarian Apparently “please be quiet” signs are no longer of any use: Rochdale crossing officers start recording the lollipop lady immediately after she crosses the road. Beaten Trying to stop traffic.
There’s a part of me that’s still in awe of this technology: when I was a kid in London in the ’80s, the only way to get on a screen was to walk past Rumbelows, an electronics store that happened to be promoting camcorders.
When I started working in security, I watched surveillance hardware evolve from bulky CCTV monitors like furniture to slim smart screens. Perhaps if frontline workers like me were issued BWCs, the conviction rate for shoplifting cases would be 100% today. 14% – Grow.
Recorded footage undoubtedly helped accelerate convictions after this summer’s riots, as far-right looters were quickly charged and convicted for stealing bath bombs (among other violent crimes) and begged for sympathy in court.
Some reports suggest the recent increase in shoplifting is due to gangs, not prices. account They were the “exploited middle class” who steal in the name of revenge against multinational corporations, then boast about the “big smile” they would give to security guards like me when we came out of the stores with our stolen goods.
I haven’t encountered any middle-class robbers yet, but it’s probably just a matter of time. Like many facilities that require security guards, my workplace is privately owned, but the doors are wide open. The premises are used as a public thoroughfare, and frontline workers like me can encounter everyone from users of the brain-damaging synthetic cannabinoid Spice to violent drunks and even mentally ill dropouts.
The recent surge in shoplifting is Attack on store clerk Given the abuse and attacks against frontline NHS staff, it is understandable why ambulance staff are issued with BWCs. 3,500 attacks In one year. This is despite the maximum prison sentence for attacking emergency workers being doubled in a 2020 consultation.
As a uniformed intermediary, I often have to call 999, and my boss has made it very clear to me when to press the record button. I can only press record following a “dynamic risk assessment”, but that can be difficult to implement during sudden outbursts of violence.
When my boss explained to me how BWCs worked — that they would always record but the footage would be dumped unless the “capture” tab was pressed — I became nervous: I feared that coworkers who forgot to press “stop” after a confrontation would furtively scroll through their phones or archive something inappropriate, like a nasty comment about their team leader.
Knowing when to press the button isn’t the only thing I fear about BWCs. My starting pay for my job is £11.44 an hour, the current minimum wage. The retail price of the camera I’m wearing is £534. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if I broke it. Sometimes I feel like the uniform is worth more than I am.
One group that doesn’t seem to care much about prices or digital overexposure are teenagers: the gangs we encounter are more interested in smashing windows and tearing open manhole covers.
If we approach them and say we are being recorded, they will film us with their cell phones and broadcast it to their followers, or they will threaten to stab us.
Perhaps only once the current backlog in the courts is cleared will the wider impact of BWCs be seen. Another London memory of the last century is the installation of CCTV in football grounds. Millwall’s 96-strong camera system has been used to track down Bushwhacker hooligan hangouts. “A well managed venue.”
If they can do it at the Den, they can do it downtown, and I don’t mind being the referee in the meantime, which makes sense considering I already wear black for work.
Nvidia, the chipmaker, revealed its latest financial statements on Wednesday, with revenue reaching $30.04 billion in the last three months. This is a significant increase of 122% compared to the previous year, indicating sustained growth in their artificial intelligence investments.
Despite analysts’ projections of $28.7 billion in sales, the company’s shares dropped more than 3% in after-hours trading.
Nvidia’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, announced plans to ship a greater number of chips and hardware next year than in the company’s 31-year history during an earnings call.
Huang highlighted the importance of fast development due to the increasing complexity of their models. He stated that the company aims to lower costs while scaling AI models to unprecedented levels for the next industrial revolution.
Analysts, while optimistic about the results, acknowledged signs that Nvidia’s exceptional revenue growth might be slowing down. Major tech companies’ aggressive AI investments are driving demand for Nvidia chips, but these companies are also investing in their own silicon development.
The company informed customers about a delay in the launch of their next-generation AI chip, known as Blackwell. Early samples have already been sent to a limited number of customers. Despite this, the current graphics processing unit, Hopper, continues to sell well according to CEO Jensen Huang.
Nvidia reported record revenue with a 154% increase in data center revenue year over year, amounting to $26.3 billion, reflecting the demand for accelerated computing and generative AI in data centers globally.
Nvidia’s earnings results hold great significance on Wall Street, as the company accounts for 6% of the total value of the S&P 500 and is the third-largest company globally with a market capitalization of $3.1 trillion.
Recent reports from major tech customers such as Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Google, show increased capital spending as they utilize Nvidia chips to develop and train their AI models.
The company’s earnings per share were $0.68, and they announced a $50 billion share repurchase. Profit is expected to rise to $15.1 billion, up from approximately $6.2 billion in the same period last year.
Ives, a Wedbush analyst, emphasized the importance of Nvidia’s earnings report on the stock market, estimating that every dollar spent on Nvidia’s GPU chips contributes $8 to $10 to profits across the tech sector.
The market’s focus on Nvidia’s performance stems from the belief that AI advancements will boost global productivity for years to come.
Comparisons to the Internet bubble of the late 1990s have emerged, with concerns that the AI boom might peak if Nvidia’s results disappoint investors.
Regulators are closely monitoring Nvidia, following an antitrust investigation launched by the Department of Justice after allegations from rival chipmakers. The investigation claims Nvidia is using its market power to monopolize markets and compel customers to continue buying its products.
In its latest quarterly earnings report, Microsoft exceeded analysts’ expectations by reporting a 15% increase in revenue year over year on Tuesday. However, growth in Azure, the company’s flagship cloud-computing service, fell short, leading to a 7% drop in Microsoft shares during after-hours trading.
Expectations for solid growth in the fourth-quarter earnings report were high, especially driven by cloud services with predicted revenue growth of 29%, which was expected to be between 30% and 31%. This led to a decline in stock prices for major technology companies due to recent market challenges.
During the Microsoft Earnings Report, CEO Satya Nadella aimed to instill confidence in the company’s performance.
Nadella stated in the earnings call, “This year’s strong performance demonstrates our innovation and the ongoing trust our customers have in Microsoft. As a platform company, we prioritize meeting our customers’ mission-critical needs at scale while leading in the AI era.”
Microsoft’s significant investments in artificial intelligence in recent years reflect a strategic move to dominate the tech industry with AI-enabled services. Backing ChatGPT developer OpenAI solidifies Microsoft’s position as a key player in commercializing generative AI.
Despite the growing questions surrounding the revenue potential of big tech companies’ pivot to AI, other factors like speculation about a Federal Reserve rate cut have helped calm investors as enthusiasm for big tech fades after a period of rising stock prices driven by AI optimism.
Microsoft faced challenges this month amid a global technology outage caused by a flawed software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike affecting Windows systems. An unrelated outage on Microsoft’s Azure cloud service on Tuesday also caused network connectivity issues in multiple countries.
Monday marked the hottest day ever recorded on Earth, surpassing the previous record.
The global average temperature soared to 17.15 degrees Celsius (62.87 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, reported by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Climate change and the El Niño phenomenon contributed to the extreme heat experienced this summer.
Sunday’s record as the hottest day ever recorded on Earth lasted only one day.
This week saw two consecutive days with the highest temperatures ever recorded on Earth.
Copernicus attributed the record-high global temperatures to an unusually warm winter in Antarctica.
Despite the record-breaking temperatures, climate scientists anticipate further warming in the future due to human-induced climate change.
On Monday, people braved scorching heat in Tehran, Iran; China; France; Florida; Athens, Greece; and Tokyo. Reuters, AP, Getty
Bob Henson, a meteorologist and climate writer at Yale University’s Climate Connections, expressed concern over the recent temperature spikes, emphasizing the urgent need to address climate change.
Extreme heat conditions have led to triple-digit temperatures in various regions, including California, raising wildfire concerns.
Furthermore, the El Niño weather pattern has exacerbated the summer heat, contributing to higher global temperatures.
Henson predicts a cooling La Niña event later this year, which may help lower average temperatures.
Despite potential fluctuations, the long-term trend indicates a continuous rise in global temperatures if climate change remains unchecked.
Copernicus analyzes global temperature trends using climate reanalysis data dating back to 1940, monitoring temperature changes worldwide.
While Monday’s record could be surpassed, experts suggest a slight decrease in temperatures in the near future.
“The phenomenon is ongoing, and temperature patterns may shift, but early data indicates a potential cooling trend in the coming days,” mentioned Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Instagram has surpassed TikTok as the most downloaded app globally, thanks to its Reels feature that helped it recover from its previous losses to its Chinese-backed competitor.
Since its launch in 2010, this photo and video-sharing platform has gained immense popularity, often associated with celebrities like the Kardashians, and giving rise to the influencer trend. However, in recent years, it has evolved into a short video platform facing tough competition from TikTok.
Instagram faced backlash in 2020 for introducing a short-form video feature that seemed to mimic TikTok. In 2023, the app was downloaded 767 million times globally, marking a 20% increase from the previous year, while TikTok’s downloads grew by 4% to 733 million.
According to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, Instagram’s resurgence is largely attributed to the popularity of its Reels feature, along with other features like photo sharing and disappearing Stories, which mimic Snapchat.
Farhad Divecha, owner of UK-based digital marketing agency Acuracast, noted that Instagram’s quick response to the TikTok threat and its broad appeal across demographics have contributed to its success.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (Instagram’s parent company), acknowledged TikTok as a serious competitor and the growing competition for user attention in the digital space.
TikTok faces political challenges in the US due to concerns about Chinese ownership and data security. Lawmakers have proposed a bill that would require TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app within six months or face a ban.
US lawmakers and Western officials have raised concerns about TikTok’s data privacy and its potential ties to the Chinese government, allegations that TikTok has consistently denied.
Devastating wildfires break out in Chile following January's heat wave and drought
Javier Torres/AFP via Getty Images
Temperature records continue. According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Agency, January this year was the hottest on record, with temperatures 1.7 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average.
This means there were 12 months in which the Earth's average surface temperature was more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above the average between 1850 and 1900, the pre-industrial reference point.
“2024 begins with another record month,” Samantha Burgess of the Copernicus Climate Change Service said in a statement. She said: “Rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are the only way to stop global temperatures from rising.”
At the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, countries pledged to work to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Climate scientists will not consider this limit to have been breached until the Earth's long-term average temperature exceeds this level for many years.
The long-term average is now 1.25°C warmer than before the industrial revolution. Richard Betts At the Met Office, the UK's National Weather Service. However, carbon emissions are still increasing, and by this standard it seems certain that the 1.5°C limit will be breached soon, perhaps around 2030.
Long-term global averages are rising in line with climate model predictions. However, the extremely rapid warming over the past year or two has far exceeded expectations. Among other records, in 2023 he recorded for the first time a day warmer by 2 degrees Celsius than the average from 1850 to 1900.
It remains unclear why there has been such rapid warming over the past year or so, and how long it will continue. Factors that may have accelerated warming include the 2022 eruption of Tonga Volcano, which pumped large amounts of water into the stratosphere, and reduced aerosol pollution from ships.
For practical reasons, climate scientists have defined pre-industrial temperatures as the average from 1850 to 1900, since there are few records of temperatures before then. However, using this as a baseline could mean that the level of warming due to fossil fuel emissions is being underestimated.
One 2017 survey This indicates an error of approximately 0.2°C. Another announcement this week put the difference at 0.5°C, based on analysis of sponges, meaning we have already breached the 1.5°C limit, but other climate scientists They are not satisfied with this.
Microsoft's stock closed above Apple's for the first time since 2021 on Friday, making it the world's most valuable company, as demand concerns hit the iPhone maker's stock price.
On Friday, Apple rose 0.2% and Microsoft rose 1%. This brings Microsoft's market capitalization to $2.887 trillion, an all-time high, according to LSEG data. Apple's market capitalization, calculated based on Thursday's filing data, was $2.875 trillion.
Concerns about smartphone demand have pushed Apple stock down 3% so far in 2024 after rising 48% last year. Microsoft is up about 3% since the beginning of the year after soaring 57% in 2023 on a bull run driven in part by its lead in generative artificial intelligence through its investment in ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
According to LSEG, Apple's market capitalization peaked at $3.081 trillion on December 14th.
Microsoft is incorporating OpenAI's technology into its suite of productivity software, which helped fuel a recovery in its cloud computing business in the July-September quarter. His AI leadership at the company has also created an opportunity to challenge Google's dominance in web search.
Meanwhile, Apple is grappling with sluggish demand, including for its cash cow iPhone. Demand in China, a major market, is sluggish as the Chinese economy has been slow to recover from the coronavirus pandemic and a revived Huawei is eating away at market share.
Sales of Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset will begin in the US on February 2nd, marking Apple's biggest product launch since the iPhone in 2007. However, UBS estimated in a report this week that Vision Pro sales are “relatively insignificant” to Apple. Earnings per share in 2024.
Since 2018, Microsoft briefly overtook Apple as the most valuable company, and most recently in 2021, when concerns about pandemic-related supply chain shortages affected the iPhone maker's stock price.
In its latest quarterly report in November, Apple gave a holiday quarter sales forecast that was lower than Wall Street's expectations due to weak demand for iPads and wearables.
Analysts on average expect Apple's December quarter sales to rise 0.7% to $117.9 billion, according to LSEG. As a result, sales will increase year-on-year for the first time in four quarters. Apple announced its financial results on February 1st.
Analysts expect Microsoft to report a 16% increase in revenue to $61.1 billion in the coming weeks due to continued growth in its cloud business.
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