Technology | The Guardian

Company exceeds expectations for third quarter in a row as chief executive Andy Jassy admits uncertainty over tariffsAmazon reported strong first-quarter earnings for the 2025 fiscal year on Thursday after the New York stock exchange closed - results that will be seen in the context of consumer resilience in the face of Donald Trump's tariff wars.Amazon reported $1.59 in earnings per share (EPS) and revenue of $155.67bn. Analysts had estimated that the company's EPS would come in at $1.36 on revenue of $155bn. In particular focus: Amazon's advertising business, which grew 19% in the first quarter of 2025, handily exceeding analyst expectations as well. The company has exceeded Wall Street's expectations for the previous two quarters. Continue reading...

Trump said consumer electronics will be exempted from his soaring tariffs on China, though it is unclear for how longApple's second-quarter financials came in slightly higher than Wall Street's expectations on Thursday.The tech giant reported revenue of $95.4bn, up more than 4% over last year, and earnings per share of $1.65, up more than 7%. Analysts had predicted revenue of $94.5bn and earnings of $1.62. The company, worth $3.2tn, has beaten Wall Street's expectations for the previous four quarters. Continue reading...

Sony also raised PlayStation 5 price and Nintendo delayed Switch 2 pre-orders as Trump tariffs throw electronics manufacturing into chaosMicrosoft announced on Thursday that it will increase Xbox console prices worldwide, citing market conditions" just days after Sony made a similar move with its PlayStation 5.The tech giant also plans to raise prices for some new games developed by its video game subsidiaries. Continue reading...

Phones dominate dining tables as parents struggle for conversation, research for The Week Junior revealsA quarter of British families no longer talk at dinner, with most bringing their phones to the table and 42% of parents saying they struggle to find a topic of conversation, a survey of 2,000 households shows.It found that just one in three families sit down to eat together every day and conversations are increasingly being replaced by scrolling and screens. Continue reading...

TV, tablets and smartphones hinder and alter brain development', open letter saysChildren under the age of six should not be exposed to screens, including television, to avoid permanent damage to their brain development, French medical experts have said.TV, tablets, computers, video games and smartphones have already had a heavy impact on a young generation sacrificed on the altar of ignorance", according to an open letter to the government from five leading health bodies - the societies of paediatrics, public health, ophthalmology, child and adolescent psychiatry, and health and environment. Continue reading...

From mass firings to unprecedented influence, Musk has left little of the federal government untouched in Doge roleOne hundred days after Elon Musk entered the White House as Donald Trump's senior adviser and the de facto leader of the so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge), the Tesla CEO has left little of the federal government unscathed. Over the course of just a few months, he has gutted agencies and public services that took decades to build while accumulating immense political power.Musk's role in the Trump administration is without modern precedent. Never before has the world's richest person been deputized by the US president to cull the very agencies that oversee his businesses. Musk's attempts to radically dismantle government bureaus have won him sprawling influence. His team has embedded its members in key roles across federal agencies, gained access to personal data on millions of Americans and fired tens of thousands of workers. SpaceX, where he is CEO, is now poised to take over potential government contracts worth billions. He has left a trail of chaos while seeding the government with his allies, who will probably help him profit and preserve his newfound power. Continue reading...

Wall Street Journal article saying headhunters were contacted is absolutely false', says company chairTesla has denied a report that its board sought to replace Elon Musk as its chief executive amid a backlash against his rightwing politics and declining car sales.Robyn Denholm, the chair of the board at the electric carmaker, said in a statement on Tesla's social media account on X: Earlier today, there was a media report erroneously claiming that the Tesla Board had contacted recruitment firms to initiate a CEO search at the company. Continue reading...

Latest satellite-free Sky TV is ready for primetime with better picture, sound and much-improved serviceThe latest version of Sky's Glass smart TV is faster and looks better than its predecessor and offers a level of all-in-one convenience that makes the satellite-free pay TV one of the best on the market.Sky Glass gen 2 is a straight replacement for the original model from 2021, which introduced Sky's TV-over-broadband service that ditched the need for a satellite dish. The new TV comes in three sizes and you can buy the smallest 43in version for a one-off payment of 699 or 14 a month spread over four years, after which you own it. Continue reading...

Cybersecurity expert says group are unusual but potently threatening' coalition of ransomware hackersIf there is one noticeable difference between some members of the Scattered Spider hacking community and their ransomware peers, it will be the accent.Scattered Spider has been linked to a cyber-attack on UK retailer Marks & Spencer. But unlike other ransomware assailants, its constituents appear to be native English speakers and are not from Russia or former Soviet states. Continue reading...

Judge says executive told outright lies' when he gave testimony in antitrust case from Fortnite maker Epic GamesApple violated a United States court order that required the iPhone maker to allow greater competition for app downloads and payment methods in its lucrative App Store and will be referred to federal prosecutors, a federal judge in California ruled on Wednesday.The US district judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland said in an 80-page ruling that Apple failed to comply with her prior injunction order, which was imposed in an antitrust lawsuit brought by Fortnite maker Epic Games. Continue reading...

We've had a strong start to an important year', Zuckerberg said as company posts $42.35bn in revenue for first quarterMeta reported earnings on Wednesday, beating Wall Street's expectations for yet another quarter even as it lavishes billions on artificial intelligence.Meta posted $42.32bn in revenue in the first quarter of 2025, beating both its own quarterly revenue goals of $41.8bn at the higher end and Wall Street expectations of $41.38bn. Continue reading...

Tech giant has committed to investing $80bn in artificial intelligence this fiscal year as it reveals revenue of $70.07bnMicrosoft released its quarterly earnings report on Wednesday after the New York stock market closed, beating Wall Street's expectations for the fourth quarter in a row amid a financial boom for artificial intelligence businesses.The company revealed revenue of $70.07bn and earnings of $3.46 per share. The result exceeded analyst predictions that revenue would grow to $68.42bn, or 10.6% year-over-year, and that earnings-per-share would come in at $3.22. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Government will promise to carry out an economic impact assessment of its proposalsMinisters have drawn up concessions on copyright changes in an attempt to appease artists and creators before a crucial vote in parliament next week, the Guardian has learned.The government will promise to carry out an economic impact assessment of its proposed copyright changes and to publish reports on issues including transparency, licensing and access to data for AI developers. Continue reading...

People share their experiences of Monday's massive power outage across Spain, Portugal and parts of France that upended modern lifeIt felt like chaos," said Inigo, a doctor at a hospital in northern Spain.With no electricity from noon on Monday, the building's emergency generators were kept for the critical areas, leaving staff without access to patient data, broken communications due to no telephone signal or email, and colleagues unable to carry out some of their duties, he said. Continue reading...

Blendo Games/Annapurna Interactive, PC

While the novel remains a high-status cultural form, video game writing is still seen as a throwaway art - despite some of the biggest names in fiction being involvedI've been working in games for a little more than 15 years, and the main thing I'd say about it at this point is that it's a pretty annoying job to explain at parties. People often say something like, Oh, I don't really play games," which is surely an odd thing to tell a game designer moments after you've been introduced; I don't really eat croissants, but that's not the first thing I bring up if I meet a patissier.So one of the joys of publishing my first novel last year was the option to sidestep all of that, and say: Oh, I'm a writer." I wrote a novel; I'm working on another one; job done, the conversation can move on. Nobody says, Oh, I don't really read books," even though that's at least as likely to be true. Continue reading...

From using the location tracker on your phone to retaining proof of purchase, steps you can take

Presenter is expanding his own business on the platform and likens change to when vinyl music went digitalThe media world is undergoing a sea change" in which some traditional titles disappear, Piers Morgan has predicted, as he said some YouTube channels would soon have as much power as traditional network television.The presenter and former newspaper editor, who is holding funding talks to expand his YouTube business, predicted more established media figures would soon follow him to the increasingly influential streaming service as audience habits continue to shift. Continue reading...

Using GPS in the wild | A toast to healthy hearts | Staffing self-checkouts | Digital assistance | Happy birthday, dear readersHaving rambled for 65 years with Ordnance Survey maps and a compass, I agree with John Harris about using GPS in the wild (We now leave navigation to our phones. The result: more of us are getting hopelessly lost, 27 April). A phone screen is too small to see the wider terrain. But having carried an emergency whistle and pocket heliograph, I have to admit that phones can be alifesaver in a real emergency.

Delivering barista-quality results in a stylishly compact machine, this manual espresso maker is a brilliant buy for those just starting out The best coffee machines for your home: your morning brew made easyThe Sage Bambino Plus is a 350 espresso machine that leaves the espresso brewing to you but automatically steams the milk at the press of a button. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but this is probably the best beginner's espresso machine on the market. Whether you're starting out or just want to upgrade from a more basic machine, such as the excellent De'Longhi Stilosa, it's a great choice.The simple design and ease of use are all part of the appeal and are among the reasons why I still enjoy using it as much as I do, despite far pricier machines dotting my household. To be clear, this isn't a fully assisted machine that holds your hand throughout the process. You still need to learn the manual espresso ropes by dialling in the correct grind size and dosage for the perfect shot. But the combination of the useful tools in the box and an informative, helpful manual means that even beginners will soon find their feet. Continue reading...

The EU has issued hundreds of millions in fines, but the US is hounding big tech much more harshly. Plus, Musk's Doge time is up amid abysmal Tesla earningsThe European Union fined Apple and Meta hundreds of millions of dollars last week.My colleague Jennifer Rankin reports:Goodbye, Skype. I'll never forget youHow space exploration can improve life on EarthOfcom announces new rules for tech firms to keep children safe onlineWhat are the Ofcom measures to protect children online - and will they work?Ofcom accused of prioritising interests of tech firms over child safety onlineElon Musk to pull back in Doge role starting May amid 71% dip in Tesla profitsElon Musk's xAI accused of pollution over Memphis supercomputerAI images of child sexual abuse getting significantly more realistic', says watchdogMeta faces Ghana lawsuits over impact of extreme content on moderatorsTrump's meme coin soars after he asks top 220 holders to dinnerApple aims to source all US iPhones from India', reducing reliance on ChinaUS food delivery app DoorDash offers to buy UK rival Deliveroo for $3.6bnWhat to do if your phone is lost or stolen: practical steps to restore peace of mind Continue reading...

British defence firms have reportedly warned staff not to connect their phones to Chinese-made EVsMobile phones and desktop computers are longstanding targets for cyber spies - but how vulnerable are electric cars?On Monday the i newspaper claimed that British defence firms working for the UK government have warned staff against connecting or pairing their phones with Chinese-made electric cars, due to fears that Beijing could extract sensitive data from the devices. Continue reading...

Committee calls figure a conservative estimate' and warns Musk may seek to use his influence to avoid legal liabilityElon Musk and his companies face at least $2.37bn in legal exposure from federal investigations, litigation and regulatory oversight, according to a new report from Senate Democrats. The report attempts to put a number to Musk's many conflicts of interest through his work with his so-called department of government efficiency" (Doge), warning that he may seek to use his influence to avoid legal liability.The report, which was published on Monday by Democratic members of the Senate homeland security committee's permanent subcommittee on investigations, looked at 65 actual or potential actions against Musk across 11 separate agencies. Investigators calculated the financial liabilities Musk and his companies, such as Tesla, SpaceX and Neuralink, may face in 45 of those actions. Continue reading...

Children's commissioner for England says there is no positive reason for these particular apps to exist'

Concerns over AI-based apps that can produce deepfake sexual images of children have prompted call for action

Investing in space vital for sustaining quality of life amid volatile geopolitical' landscape, says Josef AschbacherDonald Trump's return to the White House has prompted a shift away from ties with America by European political leaders and a rapid increase in defence spending as the continent's security reaches a turning point". The ripples from Europe's newfound desire for self-reliance could go even further: as far as space.Europe's drive for more autonomy means it must also increase its invesment in space technology, according to Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency (Esa), the intergovernmental body tasked with overseeing the space exploration ambitions of European countries including much of the EU and the UK. Continue reading...

In Wolverhampton, where it can take months to sit a test, there is scepticism around the government's backlog plansEvery time I was looking for a test day, it just kept kicking me off the site," said Menelik Calvin, 22, detailing the difficulties he experienced when trying to secure a driving test in Wolverhampton.It's the day before Calvin's driving test and he's feeling nervous" but ready" as he practises for this sought-after test with driving instructor Donna Michelle Evans. Continue reading...

With two small kids and a dog to take care of, I often struggle to look after myself. Self-care apps promise to help - if you can handle the quests, magic potions and rainbow stones. I put four of them to the testThe other night, I didn't moisturise before bed. The baby had just woken and was crying for a feed. I didn't want him to wake the toddler he shares a room with, and I couldn't, in that intensely fraught moment, locate my Elizabeth Arden.We all find it hard, at times, to fit in self-care. But if there's one thing I've noticed since becoming a mum of two small children, it's that even the most basic level of personal care requires military-level planning. Often, I pour from an empty cup because I haven't had time - or, more likely, I've simply forgotten - to refill it. Continue reading...

The blue dot of GPS has cut us off from a basic human skill. It's no wonder mountain rescuers are being called out so oftenIt does not involve protest or violence, but it might be the quintessential human image of our times: a small group of people in the midst of spectacular natural scenery, drawn there in the certainty that the apps on their phones could somehow get them from A to B to C - but utterly, hopelessly lost.Two weeks ago, Mountain Rescue England and Wales published figures showing a record number of annual callouts. For the first time, in fact, teams - of overworked volunteers, mostly - had been called out on every day of the year. Between 2019 and 2024, the total number of rescues had increased by 24%, and there was a marked jump among the 18 to 24 age group, among whom callouts almost doubled. Similar trends were evident in data from Scotland: across Britain, there is evidently a mounting problem about the gap between people's urge to experience wild and open spaces, and their ability to cope when they actually get there.John Harris is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

I spent entire nights in 2011 gabbing on Skype. As it shutters, I'm reminded of a bygone era of online intimacyI doubt many people are mourning the demise of Skype. The sky-blue platform that revolutionized the video call, the medium for long-distance relationships in the early 2010s, had not been relevant for almost a decade when Microsoft announced its impending death. My own relationship with Skype's clunky tangle of video, voice and chat peaked in 2011 - the same year Microsoft purchased it for a headline-making $8.5bn, only to let it wither in the shadow of professionalized, less-pixelated options. By 2014, it was basically obsolete, as video calls shifted to more integrated apps like FaceTime, and my college schedule did not allow for glitchy, hours-long catchups. Snapchat was far more efficient.Like most people, I barely touched Skype from the mid-2010s on; the news that Microsoft will shutter it on 4 May and fold its data into the free version of Teams prompted me to log back in for the first time in five years. All that remained of my formerly thriving Skype life - once a log of video calls picked up and put down, peppered with chats pleading to pleaseeeeeeee call me back bitchhhh (:" - were a handful of spam crypto chats and phishing links from former favorites who had long quit the platform, as well. Continue reading...

Solomon says the scale and depravity of what he was exposed to was far darker than he had ever imagined

Workers at contractor in Accra say they have suffered from depression and anxiety as a result of their work

The London-based company, the second largest food deliver app in the UK, said no firm offer' had been made yetDoorDash is offering to buy its UK-based rival Deliveroo for $3.6bn (2.7bn), Deliveroo said on Friday.Deliveroo said that its board was in talks with DoorDash over the offer and that a firm offer had not been made, according to statement sent to the Guardian. Should a firm offer of 1.80 ($2.40) a share be made, Deliveroo said, it would be minded to recommend such an offer to Deliveroo shareholders. Continue reading...

Contactless payments now restored in stores after week of problems as retailer apologises to shoppersMarks & Spencer has halted all orders through its website and apps as the retailer continues to battle the fallout from a cyber-attack that began on Monday.The company apologised to shoppers for this inconvenience" and paused digital orders as part of our proactive management of a cyber incident". Continue reading...

Tech company predicts rise of frontier firms' - where a human worker directs AI agents to carry out tasksMicrosoft has good news for anyone with corner office ambitions. In the future we're all going to be bosses - of AI employees.The tech company is predicting the rise of a new kind of business, called a frontier firm", where ultimately a human worker directs autonomous artificial intelligence agents to carry out tasks. Continue reading...

Report suggests tech firm - swept up in Donald Trump's trade war - will make change as soon as 2026Apple is reportedly planning to switch assembly of all iPhones for the US market to India as the company seeks to reduce its reliance on a Chinese manufacturing base amid Donald Trump's trade war.The $3tn (2.3tn) technology company aims to make the shift as soon as next year, the Financial Times reported. Continue reading...

Hearing scheduled for Friday as residents receive anonymous leaflets that downplay pollution dangersElon Musk's artificial intelligence (AI) company is stirring controversy in Memphis, Tennessee. That's where he's building a massive supercomputer to power his company xAI. Community residents and environmental activists say that since the supercomputer was fired up last summer it has become one of the biggest air polluters in the county. But some local officials have championed the billionaire, saying he is investing in Memphis.The first public hearing with the health department is scheduled for Friday, where county officials will hear from all sides of the debate. In the run-up to the hearing, secretive fliers claiming xAI has low emissions were sent to residents of historically Black neighborhoods; at the same time, environmental groups have been amassing data about how much pollution the AI company is likely generating. Continue reading...

Tech giant exceeds Wall Street expectations despite 17% drop in stock price and tariffs levied on its trade partnersGoogle's parent company Alphabet reported strong first quarter earnings on Thursday, despite being embroiled in antitrust lawsuits brought by the US government and seeing a 17% drop in its stock price since the beginning of the year. This is the company's first earnings report since Donald Trump levied tariffs on trade partners around the world.Despite the upheaval for Alphabet, it exceeded Wall Street's expectations, reporting revenue of $90.23bn, up 12% since the same time last year, and $2.81 in earnings per share. Analysts had projected first quarter revenue of $89.2bn and earnings of $2.01 per share, according to consensus estimates. The global tariffs were not expected to create much of an impact for Alphabet, since they were mostly instituted after the end of the quarter. Continue reading...

Watchdog's new codes of practice are not strong enough, says children's commissioner for EnglandThe communications watchdog has been accused of backing big tech over the safety of under-18s after the children's commissioner for England criticised new measures for tackling online harms.Rachel de Souza said she warned Ofcom last year that its proposals for protecting children under the Online Safety Act were too weak. New codes of practice issued by the watchdog on Thursday have ignored her concerns, she said.Requiring social media platforms to deploy highly effective" age checks to identify under-18s.Ensuring algorithms filter out harmful material.Making all sites and apps have procedures for taking down dangerous content quickly.Ensuring children must have a straightforward" way to report content. Continue reading...

PC; Strange Scaffold

Companies will be legally required to block children's access to harmful content under UK's Online Safety Act or face large finesSocial media and other internet platforms will be legally required to block children's access to harmful content from July or face large fines, Ofcom has announced.Tech firms will have to apply the measures by 25 July or risk fines - and in extreme cases being shut down - under the UK's Online Safety Act. Continue reading...

PC, PlayStation 5 (version played); Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive

Facebook and Instagram owner also criticised for leaving up posts inciting violence during UK riotsMark Zuckerberg's Meta announced sweeping content moderation changes hastily" and with no indication it had considered the human rights impact, the social media company's oversight board has said.The assessment of the changes came as the board also criticised the Facebook and Instagram owner for leaving up three posts containing anti-Muslim and anti-migrant content during riots in the UK last summer. Continue reading...

CEO to pare back White House work to one to two days weekly as analysts say role has caused branding crisisThe Tesla chief executive, Elon Musk, said he will start pulling back from his role at the so-called department of government efficiency" starting in May. Musk's remarks came as the company reported a massive dip in both profits and revenues in the first quarter of 2025 amid backlash against his role in the White House.On an investor call, Musk said the work necessary to get the government's financial house in order is mostly done". Continue reading...

He slept in cars, found notoriety on social media and could be pop's next superstar. The singer of Ordinary, the longest-running No 1 of the year, talks about his journey to breakout successAt 18, Alex Warren was homeless, sneaking into the gym of a gated community in his home town of Carlsbad, California, to shower for job interviews and film TikTok videos of himself singing in the bathroom. Six years later he is one of pop's next potential superstars. His bombastic ballad Ordinary has been No 1 in the UK charts for five weeks, the longest-running chart leader this year, and entered the US Top 10 last week. As soon as he heard the finished version, he was freaking out - my wife and I listened to it on repeat for our entire drive home, for 45 minutes."Ordinary may be Warren's breakout hit but he's been famous for a long time. He gained notoriety on social media in his teens by making hugely popular videos with titles such as BROTHER WAKES UP IN MIDDLE OF LAKE PRANK!" In 2019 he co-founded the Hype House, a shared house of content creators (including the D'Amelio sisters and Addison Rae) known for Covid-era internet videos, as well as at least one controversial facemask-free influencer party and, eventually, a $300,000 (226,000) lawsuit - which Warren wasn't named in - which alleged property damage and unpaid rent. Continue reading...

Tuvalu is celebrating its first ATM, but here's a warning from the UK, where human contact has been lost to the self-service ageLife is about to change on the remote island nation of Tuvalu. And not, in my opinion, for the better. To great fanfare, Tuvalu - an entirely cash-based society - has unveiled its first ever ATM, marking its move towards financial modernisation. But while the 10,000 people living in that country may be celebrating no longer having to queue at the bank, I fear their happiness will be short-lived. It's the start of the slow erosion of human contact that heralds the dehumanisation of yet another society.The world's first ATM was introduced in Britain in 1967, but for me the tyranny of machines that promise convenience but erode human contact really began about 20 years ago, in the form of self-checkouts in our local Sainsbury's. Having watched the Terminator movie franchise during my formative years, I railed prophetically against them, aware that it was just a small slippery slope from unexpected item in the bagging area" to the extinction of the human race. I wrote about my fear of these machines with their Dalek-like commands and even started a short-lived and extremely unpopular Facebook campaign against them. But like a modern-day Cassandra, I was doomed to be ignored.Hilary Freeman is a journalist and author Continue reading...

In an age of distraction, people in their teens and 20s are setting aside negative influences and concentrating on dogged pursuit of their goalsName: Locking in.Age: It's something gen Z - those aged 13 to 28 - are doing. Continue reading...

More people are switching to deals with greater flexibility and value, and there are a growing number of providersPeople are rejecting mobile bundles" that include a new phone and data contract, and are increasingly turning to sim-only deals that offer better value for money.A growing number of consumers are not getting a new phone when they change their mobile contract and are instead holding on to their existing handset or buying a secondhand one, according to analysts. Continue reading...

New rules would allow flights beyond visual line of sight limit, enabling remote prescription deliveries as well as offshore inspectionsDrones could be used for NHS-related missions in remote areas, inspecting offshore wind turbines and supplying oil rigs by 2026 as part of a new regulatory regime in the UK.David Willetts, the head of a new government unit helping to deploy new technologies in Britain, said there were obvious situations where drones could be used if the changes go ahead next year. Continue reading...

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's baffling crime farrago follows a cyber fraudster pursued by an angry gang of disappointed shoppersHere to prove once again that movies about internet crime can so easily unravel into implausible silliness is that otherwise estimable Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who has written and directed a bizarre, baffling action thriller based on the (initially interesting) idea of an online retail entrepreneur ripping off his customers and suppliers - who then seek revenge.Masaki Suda plays Ryosuke, a guy in the rackety business of buying in bulk and selling the items individually online at a retail markup. Some of the things he buys are fake designer items, which he markets as genuine. But some are perfectly legal: collectible action figures and the like which are advertised entirely honestly. At the beginning we see him ruthlessly buying therapy devices" from a medical business that has gone bust and then exploitatively putting them up for sale. (But wait. Even if we believe in these therapy devices, why doesn't the embattled business itself just sell them online? It's not explained.) Continue reading...