TECHNOLOGY

ROME — Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies and a longtime influential voice in technology and conservative politics, delivered a series of provocative closed-door lectures in Rome in March 2026 that have ignited intense theological, political and cultural debate.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — With the iPhone 17 series still fresh on store shelves, whispers about Apple's 2026 flagship are already heating up. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is shaping up as one of the most significant upgrades in recent years, featuring a groundbreaking variable aperture camera, a cutting-edge 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip and a striking new Dark Cherry color option.

On April 20, 2026, the tech giant announced that CEO Tim Cook will step down from the role he has held since 2011, handing day-to-day leadership to longtime hardware chief John Ternus effective September 1, 2026.

The IT industry has a people problem. There is no shortage of technicians or software; the shortage is in actual human connection. OAC Technology, a Minneapolis-based managed services provider with 25 years of operating history, has built its entire business around solving exactly that.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple Inc. announced Monday that CEO Tim Cook will step down from the top job after nearly 15 years, marking one of the most significant leadership transitions in the company's history.

NEW YORK — Facebook Messenger, once a reliable go-to for billions of daily messages, has left users increasingly frustrated in recent weeks with frequent glitches, delayed deliveries, failed sends and outright outages that have disrupted conversations across mobile and web platforms.

NEW YORK — Intel Corp. shares fell 3.78% in early Monday trading on April 20, 2026, dropping $2.59 to $65.91 as Wall Street prepared for the chipmaker's first-quarter earnings report on Thursday and weighed ongoing challenges in its foundry business against recent progress in AI partnerships and process technology.

LOS ANGELES — As the PlayStation 5 continues its strong sales run and the PS5 Pro pushes high-end performance, speculation about Sony's next-generation console, the PlayStation 6, is intensifying in April 2026, with insiders divided over whether the PS6 will arrive in late 2027 or slip to 2028 or even 2029 due to a global memory chip shortage driven by artificial intelligence demand.

Meta Platforms Inc. shares declined 1.71% in early Monday trading on April 20, 2026, falling $11.76 to $676.79 as investors positioned themselves ahead of the company's first-quarter earnings report later this week and continued to digest the massive capital expenditure requirements tied to its aggressive artificial intelligence push.

NEW YORK — Alphabet Inc. Class C shares slipped modestly in early Monday trading on April 20, 2026, falling $1.92, or 0.57%, to $337.48 as Wall Street braced for the tech giant's first-quarter earnings report later this week and weighed the long-term costs of its aggressive artificial intelligence infrastructure buildout.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple's long-awaited entry into the foldable smartphone market, widely referred to in leaks as the iPhone Fold or potentially the iPhone Ultra, is generating buzz with its promised ultra-thin 4.5mm design, near-crease-free 7.8-inch inner display and book-style passport form factor.

AUSTIN, Texas — Elon Musk has reignited global debate over the future of labor with a viral video clip in which the Tesla and xAI CEO declares that rapid advances in artificial intelligence and robotics will soon render working optional, paving the way for an era of unprecedented abundance where people can obtain virtually any goods or services they desire.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Mediacom Communications is not experiencing a widespread outage as of Monday afternoon, according to major outage tracking sites, yet customers in multiple states continue to voice frustration over intermittent connectivity problems, slow speeds and recurring service disruptions that have plagued the cable provider in recent weeks.

CUPERTINO, California — As anticipation builds for Apple's first foldable smartphone, expected to launch as the iPhone Ultra in September 2026, early leaks and analyst reports highlight a device poised to redefine premium mobile computing with innovative form factor, near-crease-free displays and powerful internals.

CUPERTINO, California — Apple's long-rumored foldable iPhone, widely expected to carry the premium "Ultra" branding, is shaping up as the most ambitious device in the company's smartphone history ahead of a anticipated September 2026 launch.

CUPERTINO, California — Fresh leaks have provided the clearest look yet at Apple's long-rumored first foldable smartphone, reportedly named the iPhone Ultra, featuring a distinctive "passport-style" book fold, an ultra-thin profile and a premium price tag expected to start above $2,000.

NEW YORK — Thousands of Chase customers reported problems with the bank's mobile app and online banking services Sunday, with spikes in complaints centered on account balances, transactions and QuickPay with Zelle.

CUPERTINO, California — As rumors swirl around Apple's long-awaited foldable iPhone, expected in late 2026, the big question facing the tech industry is whether the company's first book-style folding handset can challenge Samsung's years-long dominance in the premium foldable smartphone market.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple's long-awaited foldable iPhone is generating intense excitement as fresh leaks and analyst reports point to a premium book-style device potentially named the iPhone Ultra, set to debut alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in September 2026.

SAN DIEGO — A 93-year-old California woman's joyful ride to church in her Tesla equipped with Full Self-Driving technology has captured the internet's attention, turning a simple Saturday morning errand into a viral symbol of how autonomous vehicles are restoring independence to seniors.

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max is shaping up as one of the most compelling flagship upgrades in years, with leaks pointing to a bigger battery, advanced camera hardware and subtle design tweaks that could make it a must-have for power users when it arrives this fall.

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max is shaping up as one of the most significant redesigns in years, with fresh leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, a groundbreaking variable aperture main camera, a larger battery and a striking new Dark Cherry color option as the flagship prepares for its expected September launch alongside a foldable iPhone model.

NVIDIA Corp. shares rose more than 1% Friday, climbing to $200.67 in midday trading on the Nasdaq as investors continued to bet on the company's dominance in artificial intelligence infrastructure, even amid broader market volatility and upcoming supplier earnings reports.

Instagram appeared largely operational Saturday but users continued to voice frustration over intermittent posting and publishing issues, according to real-time tracking sites, even as no widespread global outage was confirmed by Meta Platforms Inc.

AUSTIN, Texas — Elon Musk's audacious Terafab project, a vertically integrated semiconductor powerhouse backed by Tesla, SpaceX, xAI and now Intel, is reshaping ambitions for American chip manufacturing and the future of AI compute on Earth and in orbit.

TOKYO — Sony Interactive Entertainment has given no official word on the PlayStation 6, but mounting rumors and analyst reports in April 2026 point to a significant delay, with the next-generation console now most likely launching in late 2028 or even 2029 rather than the previously expected 2027 window.

AMSTERDAM — The Netherlands has emerged as one of Europe's most dynamic AI ecosystems in 2026, boasting the continent's highest density of AI talent at 10.9 professionals per 10,000 inhabitants. Despite challenges in scaling startups, the country's deeptech strength, strong university ties and strategic location have fueled growth in hardware, software, data platforms and applied AI solutions.

OAKLAND, Calif. — With jury selection set to begin April 27 in a federal courtroom here, Elon Musk has escalated his long-running legal battle against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, filing an amended complaint this month that seeks to remove Altman and President Greg Brockman from their leadership roles while directing any monetary award to OpenAI's original nonprofit arm rather than himself personally.

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Meta Platforms Inc. stock has delivered solid gains in early 2026, closing at $676.87 on April 16 after a strong week that saw shares climb more than 7 percent in a single session earlier in the month.