tech

Microsoft releases seven new models, next-gen quantum chip at Build conference

Microsoft is making it clear it can stand on its own as a competitor in the AI arena.

Today at Microsoft’s annual Build developer conference, Microsoft made a flurry of announcements that move it further away from the shadow of its complicated relationship with partner OpenAI.

Among the products announced:

New Nvidia powered Windows PCs: Surface Laptop Ultra, Surface RTX Spark Dev Box
Seven new home-grown AI models: MAI Image-2.5, MAI Image-2.5-Flash, MAIN Transcribe-1.5, MAI Thinking-1, MAI Voice-2, MAIN Voice-2-Flash, MAI Code-1-Flash.
Majorana 2, the company’s next-gen quantum chip
Microsoft Scout, an integrated always-on agent, built on OpenClaw
Project Solara, an AI gadget operating system

Investors were unimpressed however, as shares were down over 4% after the announcements.

PHASE 2: Noon - Microsoft Build 2026

PHASE 2: Noon - Microsoft Build 2026

New Nvidia powered Windows PCs: Surface Laptop Ultra, Surface RTX Spark Dev Box
Seven new home-grown AI models: MAI Image-2.5, MAI Image-2.5-Flash, MAIN Transcribe-1.5, MAI Thinking-1, MAI Voice-2, MAIN Voice-2-Flash, MAI Code-1-Flash.
Majorana 2, the company’s next-gen quantum chip
Microsoft Scout, an integrated always-on agent, built on OpenClaw
Project Solara, an AI gadget operating system

Investors were unimpressed however, as shares were down over 4% after the announcements.

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Palo Alto Networks surges after it beats revenue and earnings estimates

Cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks jumped more than 10% in post-market trading after reporting fiscal third-quarter results that beat analyst revenue and earnings expectations.

The company posted adjusted EPS of $0.85, versus the FactSet analyst consensus of $0.79 on $3 billion in revenue (the Street had expected $2.94 billion).

The company also boosted its full fiscal year guidance. The company now expects non-GAAP EPS in the range of $3.77-$3.79 compared to its previous projection of $3.65-$3.70 (and analysts' expectations of $3.68). It also forecast revenue of $11.415-$11.425 billion, representing year-over-year growth of 24%, compared to previous growth expectations of 22%-23%.

Through Tuesday’s close, the stock had risen more than 60% in the past month.

tech

Amazon’s Prime Day is coming early this year

Amazon is moving its four-day Prime Day event up from July, where it’s been for the last five years, to June 23 through 26.

The retail giant cites scheduling clashes with the FIFA World Cup and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence as reasons for the move. Prime Day is one of Amazon’s biggest sales events of the year, helping drive $24.1 billion in US online spending last year, according to Adobe Analytics.

More concretely, the move means Amazon will pull a massive chunk of sales from one of its biggest events into Q2, which ends June 30, rather than Q3.

Beyond the top-line revenue shift, Amazon is also using the event to flex its newer strategic muscles, aggressively cross-promoting its same-day grocery delivery networks and its Amazon Haul discount storefront.

tech

Tesla’s China-made EV sales grew 39% in May, marking 7 straight months of growth

Sales of Tesla vehicles made at its Shanghai plant — produced for China, Europe, and other international markets — grew 39% in May to 85,982 vehicles, a record for the year.

The data marks the company’s seventh straight month of year-over-year wholesale growth for made-in-China vehicles and the company’s continued stabilization overseas. Across the entire Chinese auto industry, overall wholesale volume of so-called new energy vehicles — EVs and hybrids — produced domestically grew 12% from May 2025.

The China Passenger Car Association will report China-only sales later this month, offering a clearer picture of performance in Tesla’s second-largest market. On Monday, several European markets posted year-over-year sales growth for Tesla.

Tesla China May wholesale volume reaches 85,982 units, highest this year

Tesla China May wholesale volume reaches 85,982 units, highest this year

The China Passenger Car Association will report China-only sales later this month, offering a clearer picture of performance in Tesla’s second-largest market. On Monday, several European markets posted year-over-year sales growth for Tesla.

tech

Alphabet announces $80 billion equity raise to fund AI infrastructure, including a $10 billion bet from Berkshire Hathaway

To fund its rapidly expanding AI infrastructure push, Alphabet just announced a whopping $80 billion equity capital raise.

While concerns over share dilution sent the stock down slightly after-hours, the deal secured a major anchor partner: Berkshire Hathaway, which is backing the offering with a $10 billion investment. (Berkshire was run by Warren Buffett until he stepped down as CEO at the beginning of this year, handing the reins to Greg Abel.)

Alphabet plans to spend up to $190 billion on capex this year.

Alphabet Announces Proposed $80 Billion Equity Capital Raise to Expand AI Infrastructure and Compute

Alphabet Announces Proposed $80 Billion Equity Capital Raise to Expand AI Infrastructure and Compute

Rani Molla6/1/26

Despite a massive surge in corporate AI spending, the technology is broadly failing to deliver the massive cost reductions executives had anticipated, according to a new global survey from Bain & Co. shared with Bloomberg. The largest share of major companies measuring their AI returns — 40% — realized cost savings of 10% or less, with poor access to internal data cited as the primary roadblock. Most had expected higher returns. More concerningly, Bain warned that many companies are using their original, overly optimistic projections — rather than their actual savings — to justify funding their next wave of expensive AI investments, creating a “circular bet with a structural leak.”

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