Mark Zuckerberg told staffers last week that bees are keeping Meta from being the first Big Tech company to build nuclear-powered AI data centers, the Financial Times reports. The Meta chief said rare bees were discovered on the land slated for the project, adding another roadblock to the complicated and controversial project, meant to power Meta’s AI ambitions and compete with Microsoft and Google.
US federal employment levels already hit a 12-year low in October.
As the Department of Justice probes Netflix’s proposed $83 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, it has reportedly subpoenaed at least one other entertainment company to investigate whether the streamer has taken part in anticompetitive behavior.
Netflix said the DOJ is conducting a standard review and it expects its acquisition to be approved.
Per Wall Street Journal reporting, the DOJ is also seeking out information on how Paramount’s proposed acquisition could harm competition in the entertainment industry.
Netflix has argued that its acquisition of WBD would not be anticompetitive, as there is an 80% overlap in Netflix and HBO Max subscribers. The company has said it competes not just with streaming services but also with broader content platforms like YouTube and TikTok for attention. Netflix booked $45.2 billion in revenue in 2025, compared to YouTube’s $60 billion.
The streamer has repeatedly said it will stick to a 45-day theatrical release window for Warner Bros. films. Movie theater trade groups have pointed out that after theatrical release, many films move to premium video on-demand (PVOD), where they can be digitally rented or purchased for several more weeks or months before moving to streaming (subscription video on-demand, or SVOD). According to Cinema United, the average SVOD window for major theatrical films is 102 days, significantly longer than the potential 45-day window for Netflix.
Per Wall Street Journal reporting, the DOJ is also seeking out information on how Paramount’s proposed acquisition could harm competition in the entertainment industry.
Netflix has argued that its acquisition of WBD would not be anticompetitive, as there is an 80% overlap in Netflix and HBO Max subscribers. The company has said it competes not just with streaming services but also with broader content platforms like YouTube and TikTok for attention. Netflix booked $45.2 billion in revenue in 2025, compared to YouTube’s $60 billion.
The streamer has repeatedly said it will stick to a 45-day theatrical release window for Warner Bros. films. Movie theater trade groups have pointed out that after theatrical release, many films move to premium video on-demand (PVOD), where they can be digitally rented or purchased for several more weeks or months before moving to streaming (subscription video on-demand, or SVOD). According to Cinema United, the average SVOD window for major theatrical films is 102 days, significantly longer than the potential 45-day window for Netflix.
With a pro-tech, pro-AI administration in Washington, DC, Meta has decided the next battlegrounds that it needs to flood with cash are in individual states.
Starting in Meta’s home state of California, the tech giant is pledging $65 million to a pair of super PACs that it created to fund pro-tech and pro-AI candidates at the state level, according to a report from Politico.
Meta has funded the American Technology Excellence Project ($45 million) and Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (META) California ($20 million) to push back on what it sees as burdensome AI regulations coming from state legislatures.
The META California PAC will support tech-friendly candidates regardless of party.
Starting in Meta’s home state of California, the tech giant is pledging $65 million to a pair of super PACs that it created to fund pro-tech and pro-AI candidates at the state level, according to a report from Politico.
Meta has funded the American Technology Excellence Project ($45 million) and Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (META) California ($20 million) to push back on what it sees as burdensome AI regulations coming from state legislatures.
The META California PAC will support tech-friendly candidates regardless of party.
Only a few months after successfully defending itself from an FTC antitrust lawsuit, Meta may be heading back to court. Today, the FTC announced that it would appeal the decision, reopening a yearslong suit.
The FTC called Meta’s acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp an illegal monopoly. The judge in the case found that in the years since the suit was first brought, the competitive landscape had changed dramatically, with Meta facing fierce competition from TikTok.
