Tech Brew Ride Home

Chinese AI models grabbed over 30% of US token use as Beijing weighed curbing access. Anthropic expanded Cowork to mobile and web, Meta launched its first AI image generator on Instagram and WhatsApp, and Xbox's $80B Game Pass bet failed.

OpenRouter: Chinese AI models have drawn 30%+ of token use by US companies each week since February 8, peaking at 46%, up from 11% over the previous 12 months (CNBC)

Chinese authorities have held meetings with top tech firms about potentially restricting overseas access to China's most advanced AI models, sources say (Reuters)

Anthropic is bringing Claude Cowork to mobile and web, letting tasks run in the cloud and continue working even when no device is online (9to5Mac)

Anthropic is bringing Claude Cowork to mobile and web, letting tasks run in the cloud and continue working even when no device is online (ZDNet)

Meta launches Muse Image in Meta AI, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and previews Muse Video, the first media generation models from its Superintelligence Labs (Meta)

Meta's new Muse Image tool lets users generate AI photos similar to what they'd normally post, including vacation selfies and photo-booth style shots (NYT)

Public Instagram profiles are automatically opted into being used as material for others' AI image generations via Meta AI, unless users adjust their settings (Wired)

Xbox spent nearly $80B over a decade on content deals betting gamers would flock to Game Pass, but most gamers prefer sticking to a handful of favorite games (Bloomberg)

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Microsoft laid off ~4,800 employees and gutted Xbox by 3,200 jobs while divesting five studios. Samsung's profit rocketed past Nvidia's, Meta faced a $1.4 trillion lawsuit demand, xAI rebranded to SpaceXAI, and Anthropic researchers found a hidden "J-space" inside Claude.

Microsoft is laying off ~4,800 employees, or ~2.1% of its workforce; most are in sales or Xbox, where ~20% of jobs are set to be cut by the end of FY 2027 (The Verge)

Microsoft's Xbox to Cut 3,200 Jobs, Divest Five Studios in Major Overhaul (Bloomberg)

Samsung estimates Q2 operating profit of ~$58.44B, a 19-fold jump from a year earlier and above a ~$57.02B estimate, and revenue up 129% YoY to ~$111.7B (Reuters)

Samsung estimates Q2 operating profit of ~$58.44B, a 19-fold jump from a year earlier and above a ~$57.02B estimate, and revenue up 129% YoY to ~$111.7B (WSJ)

Court filing: Meta says four US states seek $1.4T over claims it designed Facebook and Instagram to addict youth and misled the public; its market cap is ~$1.5T (Reuters)

xAI rebrands to SpaceXAI and unveils a new logo; Elon Musk said in May that xAI would be dissolved as a separate company and become the AI products from SpaceX (Business Insider)

Anthropic researchers detail J-space, a small set of neural patterns in Claude that reveals internal thoughts that don't appear in the model's output (Anthropic)

Anthropic researchers detail J-space, a small set of neural patterns in Claude that reveals internal thoughts that don't appear in the model's output (VentureBeat)

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My yard is dying, so I made an app for that (The Verge)
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In the fast-paced world of live sports broadcasting, the role of a vision mixer is crucial yet often overlooked. Today, we’re diving into the insights shared by David Steer, an experienced vision mixer currently working at the World Cup in Mexico, who used AI to change how he did his job.
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OpenAI floated giving the US government a 5% stake to court the Trump administration. Nvidia promised to backstop cloud providers for a revenue cut, SpaceX showed investors an xAI phone prototype, Apple ramped foldable iPhone orders, and Z.ai launched ZCode.


Sources: OpenAI has discussed giving a 5% stake to the US government, seeking to clear political obstacles by securing buy-in from the Trump administration (FT)


Nvidia promises to financially backstop young cloud providers like Firmus that rent out its AI chips, in exchange for a revenue share through a new program (The Information)


Sources: SpaceX showed investors a handset-like device prototype with AI tech from xAI, a proprietary OS, a Snapdragon chip, and a design slimmer than an iPhone (WSJ)


Sources: Apple has told suppliers to prepare to produce ~10M foldable iPhones in 2026, up from 7M to 8M previously, and 80M iPhones in total across new models (Nikkei Asia)


Apple reportedly orders 10M foldable iPhone Ultra models, which could sell for around $2500 (9to5Mac)


Sources: Apple is in negotiations to buy chips from CXMT and YMTC, two Chinese semiconductor makers on a Pentagon blacklist, for use in devices sold in China (Bloomberg)


Z.ai launches ZCode, an "Agentic Development Environment" optimized for its new GLM-5.2 model; Z.ai's GLM Coding Plan costs from $16.20 to $144 per month (VentureBeat)

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