The US Department of Homeland Security is replacing the lottery system for H-1B work visas with a new approach that prioritizes highly paid foreign workers. The new system will take effect on February 27, 2026, and will apply to the upcoming H-1B registration season.
Amazon and Netflix have struck a surprise content licensing deal. James Bond films, "Rocky," and the series "The Man in the High Castle" will become available on Netflix starting January 15.
ByteDance Ltd. plans to generate approximately $50 billion in profit in 2025, having already exceeded its internal target. The company achieved a net profit of around $40 billion in the first three quarters of the current year.
Tesla shares reached an all-time high of $489. 88 on December 16, up 3.1% for the day. The company's market value rose to $1.63 trillion, and Elon Musk's fortune reached $684 billion.
Tesla's board of directors earned over $3 billion in stock awards, significantly exceeding the value of competitors' awards. Elon Musk's brother, Kimbal, earned nearly $1 billion, while Ira Ehrenpreis and Robyn Denholm received $869 million and $650 million, respectively.
Google is developing two categories of AI Gemini-powered smart glasses, set to arrive in 2026. The devices, co-created with Samsung and others, will work wirelessly with a smartphone.
The draft extended financing program between Ukraine and the IMF provides for a package of changes to strengthen public finances and enhance anti-corruption policy. These innovations will affect tax policy, customs rules, the energy sector, and the state's interaction with business.
Amazon and Google have unveiled a joint multi-cloud service for reliable connectivity, allowing customers to create private, high-speed connections between computing platforms. This initiative comes after a massive outage at Amazon Web Services, which caused up to $650 million in losses for American companies.
Black Friday 2025 in the US is expected to see a record number of shoppers, but their spending will decrease due to fewer good discounts and a general increase in the price of goods. Sales in November-December could exceed $1 trillion, but the growth rate will be lower than last year.
Film company Paramount has won the tender for Champions League television rights in the UK and Germany. This is the first time an American media group has made a major move into international sports.
Ukrainian comedian Andriy Rybak found his photo on the cover of a BDSM book on Amazon, which was taken from a stock resource without his consent. He contacted the platform's support with a demand for compensation for the use of the image.
The European Commission has launched an investigation into Amazon and Microsoft's cloud services to determine whether they should be subject to the Digital Markets Act. A decision is expected within 12 months, and if the conclusion is positive, the companies will have six months to comply with the requirements.
Jeff Bezos has invested $6. 2 million in Project Prometheus, a new artificial intelligence startup. The company focuses on technologies that assist in engineering and manufacturing, including computers, aerospace, and automobiles.
Ford Motor Co. has reached an agreement with Amazon.com Inc. to sell certified used cars through its e-commerce site. This makes Ford the second major automaker to reach out to buyers through the major online retailer.
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket for the first time, carrying two NASA satellites to Mars and landing the first stage on a sea platform. The Escapade mission, costing less than $100 million, will study Mars' atmosphere.
The European Commission plans to designate WhatsApp's open channels as a "very large online platform" under the Digital Services Act, which will require adherence to high content moderation standards. This decision applies to channels that are open news feeds and have over 45 million users in Europe, without affecting personal messages.
These points can be exchanged for weapons on the Brave1 platform, which offers over 100 types of drones and military equipment.
Documents show that during a $1. 2 billion deal in 2021, Israel demanded that Google and Amazon implement a secret "winking" mechanism.
Amazon is cutting about 14,000 corporate jobs, increasing spending on artificial intelligence while cutting costs in other areas. This is the largest reduction since 2023, when the company laid off 27,000 employees.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that exceeding the Paris Agreement's climate target is inevitable, calling for an immediate change of course. He emphasized the danger of reaching catastrophic "tipping points" and the need to reduce emissions.
Amazon plans to cut up to 30,000 corporate jobs, starting October 28. This is the largest reduction at the company since late 2022, when approximately 27,000 jobs were eliminated.
US stock indices rose to historical highs: Dow Jones by 0. 42%, S&P 500 by 0.89%, Nasdaq by 1.54%. The growth was supported by expectations of a meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping, as well as an expected 25 basis point Fed rate cut.
Donald Trump plans to name the new 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom after himself. The $300 million project is funded by private donors, including major tech companies.
Amazon's CEO and a representative of the Robotics division stated that the company will use AI to combine efforts and reduce costs, but also plans to create new jobs for people. This decision is a response to the discussion about the impact of AI on the labor market.
European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño announced the mobilization of €250 billion by 2027 for the development of high technologies. The goal is to maintain Europe's competitiveness with China and the US and to create 1,000 European technology giants.
A global outage of Amazon Web Services paralyzed dozens of popular websites and applications, sparking a wave of memes on social media. The problems affected services from Roblox to Microsoft 365, but Amazon assured that there was no cyberattack.
On October 20, millions of users were unable to access Snapchat, Fortnite, Roblox, Duolingo, and Ring due to a technical glitch in Amazon Web Services (AWS). The situation was caused by a massive outage in the cloud computing platform, which is the foundation of a significant part of the modern Internet.
Amazon shared new details about its nuclear energy development plans in Washington state. The company will be entitled to purchase electricity from the first phase of the 320-megawatt project.
On October 15, the Victoria's Secret fashion show 2025 will take place, where famous "angels" and new faces, including plus-size models, will walk the runway. The show will be available on Prime Video, Amazon Live, and the brand's official pages.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to buy local goods amid strained trade relations with the United States. The call came after the US imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods, leading to a boycott of American brands.
