The Weekly Wrap-Up (27th July - 1st August)

Top Tech News This Week (July 27 – August 1, 2025): AI Breakthroughs, Apple’s AI Push, Microsoft Hack, and Global Trade Shakeups

This week, there have been many explosive developments from the world of tech; from massive AI moves by Apple and Google to a high-profile cyberattack on Microsoft systems. As the world’s top tech giants release earnings and shift focus to AI infrastructure. We’re also seeing rising geopolitical tensions with new U.S. tariffs and strong tech-led economic growth in Taiwan. Meanwhile, space exploration takes a cinematic leap with NASA’s first Netflix streamed launch, and a Japanese innovation gives us a glimpse into the future of AI-assisted decision-making. We’ll explore all of the biggest tech headlines from the past week.

Major Highlights

1) Microsoft SharePoint Cyberattack

• Microsoft SharePoint Servers were targeted in a global wide hack, compromising data from numerous organizations, including U.S. agencies and research institutions

2) Leadership Shake-Up & AI Talent Moves

• Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR Head Kristin Cabot have resigned following their widely publicized viral “incident” during a ColdPlay concert.
• Microsoft continues aggressive talent poaching, hiring AI experts from Google Deepmind, including a key engineer behind the Gemini chatbot.

 3) Massive Layoffs & Workforce Restructuring

• Intel has announced it’s layoffs of 24,000 employees and canceled plans for major factory expansions.
• CEOs from across the tech industry have attributed the job cuts to AI-driven restructuring, though experts of the field suggest a broader mix of investor pressure and economic trends.

4) Big Tech Earnings & Trade Signals

• Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Amazon are prepared to report their earnings, with investor focus on AI investments, efficiencies, ans capex forecasts following Alphabet’s hike to $85B for cloud and AI infrastructure.
• A new U.S-EU trade deal reduced possible tariffs, easing some inflation concerns and supporting tech sector valuations.

5) AI Regulation & M&A Developments

• Washington lawmakers are debating lifting chip exports bans to China, while Nvidia has resumed sales of the H20 GPUs to China, ordering 300,000 units from TSMU.
• Palo Alto Networks acquired CyberArk for $25 Billion, signaling consolidation in AI-powered cybersecurity.

6) Big Tech and Nuclear Energy

• Companies like Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon are partnering with some aging U.S. nuclear power plants to secure carbon-free energy for AI-heavy data centers; though critics warn of and inpact on the grid and higher consumer prices.

7) Nintendo Direct: Third-Party Titles, No Mario

• On July 31, Nintendo revealed it’s new Partner Showcase, focusing on third-party games (e.g Star Wars Outlaws, Apex Legends) expanding to both the original Switch and the new Switch 2, Notably, no flagship first-party titles were featured.

AI & Innovation Highlights

• At the World AI Conference in Shanghai, AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton urged global cooperation to manage AI risks
• Google launched new tools: Imagen 4 (advanced text-to-image), Veo 3 (AI video with sound), Flow ( AI filmmaking ), and enhanced reasoning mode “Deep Think” in Gemini 2.5 integrated across search, Chrome, and Workspace
• Anthropic introduced sub-agents in Claude Code for task-specific workflows and tighter context management
• OpenAI is teasing an imminent GPT-5 launch in early August, with strong safety reviews underway
• Amazon has rolled out DeepFleet, an AI model to co-ordinate 1M+ warehouse robots, improving fleet efficiency by 10%
• Tesla has quietly launched a limited Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, with pilot-supervised vehicles, indicating early deployment of self-driving capabilities.

Infrastructure & Platform Developments

• Intel’s foundry ambitions have faltered, shifting their strategy away from heavy investment as it faces competition from TSMC
• Starlink, it’s integrated service with T-Mobile, has experienced hours-long outages. This has lead to raising concerns about the stability of expanding satellite internet networks.
• Palantir has surpassed top-20 U.S. public companies in value on booming demand for enterprise/government AI platforms

Newest Headlines as of 1^st August 2025

Economic & Trade Tech

• Taiwan Q2 GDP surges 7.96% year-on-year amid booming global demand for semiconductors and AI tech, with TSMC leading the charge.
• U. S. imposed sweeping new tariffs up to 41% on imports from dozens countries, triggering global market reactions just before the august 1st deadline.

Corporate AI Strategy & M&A

• Apple CEO Tim Cook has signaled a major AI push: Apple has plans to increase spending on AI infrastructure and is open to acquiring larger AI firms; the tech giant has already acquired 7 smaller AI firms this year.

Space & Launch Updates

• NASA-SpaceX Crew-11 mission has been delayed to 1^st August due to the weather. It is supposed to be the first SpaceX crew launch to be streamed on Netflix in real-time.

AI Research Coming Out of Japan

NTT unveils AI tech to visualize expert decision making:

NTT has created a new AI tool that can understand how experts make decisions. It learns this by listening to conversions and can get it right about 90% of the time. The goal is to help companies keep expert knowledge when people retire or to guide teams during emergencies.

As we say goodbye to July and step into August, it’s clear things will continue to shake up, with the pace of innovation continuing to quicken. From breakthroughs in AI and Major corporate shifts to space exploration, the field of technological advancement continues to evolve rapidly. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, investor, or just trying to keep up, it’s important to always to stay informed, now more than ever. Be sure to check back with us in another week to catch you up again, with another weekly wrap up. Please share your opinion with us in the comments. Also we ask you help us in our growth by following us on our socials, we’re on X (@TechQuestJourn ) and Instagram (@TheTechQuestJournal).

 

Thank You

References

Times of India. Microsoft SharePoint hacked; Astronomer CEO and HR head resign; Realme and iQoo launch phones; AI talent war heats up.

Washington Post. Why Big Tech is investing in nuclear energy.

Times of India. Nintendo Direct July 2025: Star Wars Outlaws, Apex Legends and more games coming to Switch consoles.

Reuters. Artificial Intelligencer: DC's divided on selling chips to China.

Reuters. CEO Tim Cook says Apple ready to open its wallet to catch up in AI.

Reuters. Taiwan Q2 GDP grew fastest in four years on strong tech demand.

Times of India. NASA SpaceX Crew-11 launch delayed due to bad weather; new liftoff set for August 1, 2025.

NTT Group. NTT develops AI technology to visualize expert decision-making.

Axios. Big Tech earnings meet tariff chaos.

The Guardian. Trump's new tariffs spark global reaction – live updates.

GigiKenneth.com. The Weekly Tech Pulse: July 21–27, 2025.

Champaign Magazine. AI by AI: Weekly Top 5 — July 21–27, 2025.

Investopedia. Big Tech Earnings Preview: What to Watch.