The billionaire has used the social media site to boast of victories, lash out at enemies and conduct polls for the initiative he calls the Department of Government Efficiency.

China said it had started an antitrust investigation of Google, which works with Chinese companies on smartphones and advertising outside the country.

MacworldIf you want headphones that are better and (a lot) more affordable than the AirPods Max, the fantastic Beats Studio Pro are 49% off at Amazon. That means you can get them for $180 rather than their regular $350.In our 4.5-star review of the Studio Pro, we gave the headphones our Editors Choice award, appreciating how lightweight they are, the excellent battery life, and the clean audio. Even if they werent $200 cheaper, wed recommend these over the AirPods Max, reads the review.These headphones were built to deliver rich audio with a deep bass. They also come with Adaptive Noise Cancellation so you can block out the world around you and focus on work reading, or whatever it is youre doing. You can also switch to Transparency mode to hear your surroundings, which is useful when youre in public, crossing the street, or you have to mind your safety.The Beats Studio Pro can keep you company for up to 40 hours of play time, which means you wont have to charge them up very often. If you have a portable power bank on you, you can even charge them on the go if need be. A 10-minute charge will give you another four hours of playback.Dont miss out on the chance to get yourself one of the best headphones out there, especially when theyre as low as $180 at Amazon.Jam out with BeatsGet it at Amazon

2025 began in turmoil, with layoffs at some of the largest tech companies despite the support shown by the new US administration. 2024 had been a year of recovery, with the pace of layoffs slowing and IT employment the highest for years following two years of massive IT layoff in 2022 and 2023.According to data compiled byLayoffs.fyi, the online tracker keeping tabs on job losses in the technology sector, 1,193 tech companies laid off 264,220 staff in 2023, dropping to just 152,104 employees laid off by 547 companies in 2024. In 2025, it has already logged 7,003 staff laid off by 31 companies.Here is a list to be updated regularly of some of the most prominent technology layoffs the industry has experienced recently.Tech layoffs in 2025SalesforceMetaFeb. 4, 2025: Salesforce lays off over 1,000At the same time as its hiring sales staff for its new artificial intelligence products, Salesforce is laying off over 1,000 workers across the company, according to Bloomberg. As of June, 2024, the company had over 72,000 employees, according to its website. Salesforce did not comment on the report. In 2024 the company reportedly laid off around 1,000 staff too, in two waves: January and July.Jan. 14, 2025: Meta will lay off 5% of workforceMark Zuckerberg told Meta employees he intended to move out the low performers faster in an internal memo reported by Bloomberg. The memo announced that the company will lay off 5% of its staff, or around 3,600 staff, beginning Feb. 10. The company had already reduced its headcount by 5% in 2024 through natural attrition, the memo said. Among those leaving the company will be staff previously responsible for fact checking of posts on its social media platforms in the US, as the company begins relying on its users to police content.Tech layoffs in 2024EquinixAMDFreshworksCiscoGeneral MotorsIntelOpenTextMicrosoftAWSDellCiscoNov. 26, 2024: Equinix to cut 3% of staffDespite intense demand for its data center capacity, Equinix is planning to lay off 3% of its workforce, or around 400 employees. The announcement followed the appointment of Adaire Fox-Martin to replace Charles Meyers as CEO and the departures of two other senior executives, CIO Milind Wagle and CISO Michael Montoya.Nov. 13, 2024: AMD to cut 4% of workforceAMD will lay off around 1,000 employees as it pivots towards developing AI-focused chips, it said. The move came as a surprise to staff, as the company also reported strong quarterly earnings. Nov. 7, 2024: Freshworks lays off 660Enterprise software vendor Freshworks laid off around 660 staff, or around 13% of its headcount, despite reporting increased revenue and profits in its fourth fiscal quarter. The company described the layoffs as a realignment of its global workforce.Sept. 17, 2024: Cisco lays off 6,000After laying off around 4,200 staff in February, Cisco is at it again, laying off another 6,000 or around 7% of its workforce. Among the divisions affected were its threat intelligence unit, Talos Security. Aug. 20, 2024: General Motors lays off 1,000 software staffMore than 1,000 software and services staff are on the way out at General Motors, signalling that it could be rethinking its digital transformation strategy. In an internal memo, the company said that it was moving resources to its highest-priority work and flattening hierarchies.August 1, 2024:Intel removes 15,000 rolesIntel plans to cut its workforce by around 15% to reduce costs after a disastrous second quarter. Revenue for the three months to June 29 stagnated at around $12.8 billion, but net income fell 85% to $83 million, prompting CEO Pat Gelsinger to bring forward a company-wide meeting in order to announce that 15,000 staff would lose their jobs. This is an incredibly hard day for Intel as we are making some of the most consequential changes in our companys history, Gelsinger wrote in an email to staff, continuing: Our revenues have not grown as expected and weve yet to fully benefit from powerful trends, like AI. Our costs are too high, our margins are too low. We need bolder actions to address both particularly given our financial results and outlook for the second half of 2024, which is tougher than previously expected.July 4, 2024: OpenText to lay off 1,200OpenText said it will lay off 1,200 staff, or about 1.7% of its workforce, in a bid to save around $100 million annually. It plans to hire new sales and engineering staff in other areas in 2025, it said.June 4, 2024: Microsoft lays off staff in Azure divisionMicrosoft laid off staff in several teams supporting its cloud services, including Azure for Operations and Mission Engineering. The company didnt say exactly how many staff were leaving.April 4, 2024: Amazon downsizes AWS in a fresh cost-cutting roundAmazon announced hundreds of layoffs in the sales and marketing teams of its AWS cloud services division and also in the technology development teams for its physical retail stores, as it stepped back from efforts to generalize the Just Walk Out technology built for its Amazon Fresh grocery stores. April 1, 2024:Dell acknowledges 13,000 job cutsDell Technologieslatest 10K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commissiondisclosed that the company had laid off 13,000 employees over the course of the 2023 fiscal year; it characterized the layoffs and other reorganizational moves as cost-cutting measures. These actions resulted in a reduction in our overall headcount, the company said. A comparison to the previous years 10K filing, performed by The Register, found that Dell employed 133,000 people at that point, compared to 120,000 as of February 2024. Dell announced layoffs of 6,650 staffers on Feb. 6, but it is unclear whether those cuts were reflected in the numbers from this years 10K statement.Feb. 14, 2024:Cisco cuts 5% of workforceCisco will shed 4,200 of its 84,900 employees as it refocuses on more profitable areas of its business, including AI and security. The companys last major round of layoffs was in November 2022. Ciscos sales of telecommunications equipment have been hit by delays at telcos in rolling out equipment they havealready purchased. AI, on the other hand, is a growing business for Cisco, with AI-related sales in the billionsand thats before it announcedits recent partnership withNvidia, which is making bank on sales of chips for AI applications.See news of earlier layoffs.

According to a new policy document from Meta, the Frontier AI Framework, the company might not release AI systems developed in-house in certain risky scenarios.The document defines two types of AI systems that can be classified as either high risk or critical risk. In both cases, these are systems that could help carry out cyber, chemical or biological attacks.Systems classified as high risk might facilitate such an attack, though not to the same extent as a critical risk system, which could result in catastrophic outcomes. These could include, for example, taking over a corporate environment or deploying powerful biological weapons.In the document, Meta states that if a system is high risk, the company will restrict internal access to it and will not release it until measures have been taken to reduce the risk to moderate levels. If, instead, the system is critical risk, security protections will be put in place to prevent it from spreading and development will stop until the system can be made safer.

Just days after it was rumored to happen, Apple has officially killed off prepaid multi-year AppleCare+ plans at retail locations, at least.AppleCare+ drops prepaid options | Logo Credit: AppleOn Sunday, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman announced on X that Apple would be shifting its AppleCare+ extended warranty program to a subscription model. Gurman postulated that the change would take place sooner, rather than later.And, as anticipated, Apple has done just that. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

While the new Apple Invites app and service sounds easy to use, it joins together so many Apple Services that it takes several steps and can confuse your invitees. Here's how to use it.How to use Apple InvitesApple Invites has been launched, though at time of writing it's still not rolled out worldwide. If an App Store search does not turn it up for you, try this direct link.The app is so new that there is no Apple support documentation for it, which means there are certain points that are not yet clear. Specifically, it's not sure what Android users will or will not see when they have accepted an invitation from Apple Invites. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The lawsuit alleges that II in One Concrete was held to a different standard than other subcontractors, leading to excessive costs and unfair scrutiny that threatened the companys survival.A $40 million federal lawsuit has been filed against Thornton Tomasetti, the structural engineering firm overseeing the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. The suit, brought by II in One Concrete, a Black-owned subcontractor, claims that the firm imposed excessive and non-standard scrutiny on their work, resulting in severe financial strain. II in One owner Robert McGee argues that his company was unfairly targeted while non-minority-owned subcontractors faced fewer obstacles. Thornton Tomasetti denies the allegations, pointing to documented construction issues as the reason for additional oversight. The Obama Foundation has stated that they see no evidence of racial discrimination. The case adds to ongoing conversations about equity and inclusion in large-scale public projects.

Following in Forza Horizon 5s footsteps, Microsofts Age of Mythology: Retold is coming to PS5. Out on March 4th, it will be available alongside the Immortal Pillars expansion. Pre-orders are available, with the Standard Edition costing $29.99.Of course, those who want to play earlier can pick up the Premium Edition for $49.99. It features five days of advanced access, Immortal Pillars, Gods Pack: Freyr and Legacy Deity Portraits Pack. Access to a second unannounced expansion is also included.The PS5 version will include all previously released updates and features cross-platform play. Even better, all versions will have update parity, ensuring they receive the latest patches simultaneously.As for Immortal Pillars, it includes 12 new playable gods, including Fuxi, Nwa, Gonggong, and Zhurong, with different powers and mythological units like Yazi, Zhuque, and Taou. Theres also a new campaign based on Chinese mythology, spanning nine levels and seven new maps. Check out the trailer below to see it in action.

Reaching Rank 40 in Sniper Elite Resistance is a requirement for the Climbing the Ranks Trophy/Achievement. This can be a long, arduous task and can take the entire duration of the game. However, it is possible to grind out the process fast, by farming and exploiting game mechanics.This Sniper Elite Resistance guide has everything you need to know about quickly and efficiently reaching Campaign Rank 40.Multiplayer is unnecessary to attain rank 40, and can be accomplished entirely offline. The XP earned from all actions persists between reloads of saves and mission restarts. In order to farm XP, as well as kill counts towards the other Trophies, simply identify a larger cluster of enemies in any given mission. Next, create a manual save, and then terminate all of the enemies while relying on distance and landing headshots for maximum XP returns. Now reload the save or restart the mission, and do it all over again until sheer boredom sets in, and you are ready to move on to the next mission.The ideal mission for this is Mission 6, Assault on Fort Rouge where almost two dozen enemies can be picked off with a Rifle right from the starting location. Simply scope and kill all visible enemies without worrying about stealth, as the additional enemies can also be targeted as they wander outside. Once done, reload the save and do it all over again.Be sure to gather all collectibles as well as unlock all available Propaganda Challenges by finding the posters in the missions. Completion of these will unlock weapons, but are also a good source for significant chunks of XP.That is everything you need to know in order to grind to rank 40 in Sniper Elite Resistance.