Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta Platforms, is optimistic about progress and innovation. He is excited about the potential of Llama 4, a personalized AI for each user, which will offer more tailored responses based on previous interactions. Meta can fund this through its increasing advertising revenue and profits. In the fourth quarter, Meta retained 48 cents of operating profit from every dollar of revenue, with a reduced tax rate leading to a significantly higher net profit.
Microsoft is also experiencing higher profits, driven largely by its cloud business. Artificial intelligence is contributing to significant growth, with CEO Satya Nadella predicting a 175% growth rate in AI-related business. The current figures are solid, but the outlook is weaker than expected, causing a slight dip in Microsoft’s stock value.
Meta Platforms has reported a record quarter, with advertising revenue in Europe exceeding ten billion dollars for the first time in a quarter, and over twenty billion dollars in the USA and Canada. Despite higher revenue, the expected tax burden decreases, resulting in a nearly 49% higher net profit of 20.8 billion dollars. The management expects significant income from Threads advertising next year, while the metaverse’s revenue remains stable. Machine learning in advertising has proven profitable for Meta, allowing for higher profits without increased taxes.
Microsoft’s business results show solid growth across almost all areas, particularly in AI, which is on a promising path. Nadella forecasts a 175% growth in AI business for the year. The cloud business continues to grow and remains the largest part of Microsoft’s revenue, but the outlook for the next quarter is more cautious than market observers expected, leading to a slight decrease in Microsoft’s stock.
The topic of electric cars often brings up the question of range. Many factors affect an electric car’s range, making a simple answer difficult. The ADAC conducted a test under challenging conditions for electric vehicles, revealing significant differences in winter performance.
Scientists are excited about samples from the asteroid Bennu, which contain minerals necessary for life on Earth and all five nucleobases that make up DNA. The NASA mission with the Osiris-Rex probe collected 121.6 grams of material, more than double the target amount. Some samples are on display in Washington, D.C., while others are being analyzed by NASA and other research institutions.
In other news, the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is gaining attention in Silicon Valley with its language models. The global market is watching the impact of Chinese AI companies. In Germany, installed photovoltaic capacity has exceeded 100 gigawatts for the first time. The pace of expansion is crucial for climate goals, with ideas like data processing in space being explored to save energy and offer new possibilities.
Microsoft has released update previews for Windows 10 and 11, addressing issues with USB audio devices. A newly discovered asteroid poses a potential risk of impacting Earth in 2032, with a probability higher than usual. Google Maps has internally categorized the USA as a “sensitive” state after a name change for a Gulf by the new US President.
Additionally, Hello Games has released a major update for “No Man’s Sky,” featuring new terrain, deeper oceans, and gas planets. The Stuttgart public prosecutor’s office has closed a fine procedure against Hymer, but the company must pay for supervisory violations by employees. The Gematik organization became aware of security gaps in the e-patient file only after learning about practice identities being sold in classifieds.
DeepSeek has reported large-scale malicious attacks on its services, affecting performance and temporarily disabling registrations. A faulty update has left many Garmin watches stuck in a boot loop, with a solution already proposed by Garmin.
Floating solar panels reduce land use but have downsides, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Following Donald Trump’s dismissal of three members of the PCLOB, the EU-US data transfer agreement could be at risk. BMW is updating its large electric SUV, the iX, which will face internal competition from BMW’s upcoming “New Class” even after its facelift.