Trump warns phone makers of tariffs; Google unveils AI Search mode; Microsoft Build faces protests, and other top tech news of the week

The tech world saw some major moves this week across policy, AI innovation, and longtime industry battles coming to a close. President Trump threatened Apple , Samsung, and other phone makers with 25% tariffs if they don't move production back to the US from countries like India and China. Google made a big splash at its I/O conference by launching AI Mode for Search, letting users have conversations with search results, while Microsoft 's Build event got disrupted by employee protests. Meanwhile, Fortnite finally returned to iPhones after Epic Games won its five-year legal fight with Apple, and beloved bookmarking app Pocket announced it's shutting down after a decade of service. Here are the week's biggest tech stories.


Donald Trump warns Apple, Samsung and other phone makers to make phones in the US, not India or elsewhere, or pay 25% tariffs

The US President Donald Trump warned Apple, Samsung, and other smartphone makers they'll face 25% tariffs if they don't shift production to the US from overseas locations like India and China. The threat, which could take effect by the end of June, came after Trump he expressed frustration over the company's plans to expand iPhone manufacturing in India rather than domestically. Trump emphasized he doesn't want companies passing tariff costs to consumers, setting up a challenging scenario for tech giants whose supply chains have been Asia-focused for decades. Read the full story here


Google brings ‘AI mode’ to Search at I/O 2025 as it doubles down on artificial intelligence

Google's annual I/O developer conference showcased the company's aggressive AI push with the centerpiece being AI Mode for Google Search, a conversational search experience that lets users ask longer, more complex questions and follow up naturally, rolling out to all US users this week.

The tech giant also unveiled Gemini 2.5 models with enhanced reasoning capabilities, a jaw-dropping $250/month AI Ultra subscription tier, and the transformation of Project Starline into a real product called Google Beam for enterprise 3D video conferencing.

Other announcements included Android XR smart glasses partnerships with major eyewear brands, AI-powered Gmail smart replies that mimic your writing style, real-time translation in Google Meet, and upgraded video generation tools with Veo 3 now supporting audio. Click here to read more


Microsoft shows off its agentic future at Build 2025
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella used the company's annual Build developer conference on May 19 to unveil Microsoft's vision for an "open agentic web," announcing a suite of new AI tools designed to transform software development. The comprehensive update includes enhanced GitHub Copilot coding agents, a new Discovery platform, and infrastructure improvements aimed at enabling AI agents to interact, make decisions, and perform complex tasks across individual, team, and enterprise environments. Nadella emphasized that these developments will reshape the entire software development stack, making it easier for developers to build more capable and secure AI agents while accelerating scientific discovery through open standards and shared protocols. Read the full story here


Pro-palestinian protesters hit Build 2025; disrupts CEO Satya Nadella and executive vice president Jay Parikh’s keynotes
Microsoft's annual Build developer conference, intended to showcase the company's latest AI innovations including enhanced GitHub Copilot and new agentic web tools, was repeatedly disrupted by employee and activist protests over the tech giant's $133 million cloud services contract with Israel's military. Over three consecutive days, protesters interrupted keynote speeches by CEO Satya Nadella and other executives, with former Microsoft engineer Vaniya Agrawal and terminated employee Joe Lopez among those calling for the company to "cut ties with Israel" and end what they termed Microsoft's complicity in Gaza operations.

The protests, organized by the group "No Azure for Apartheid," escalated tensions as Microsoft fired multiple employees involved in the disruptions, while simultaneously facing allegations that the company was blocking internal emails containing words like "Palestine," "Gaza," and "genocide" - claims Microsoft disputed, stating emails were only delayed when sent to large distribution groups. Click here to read more


Sam Altman and Jony Ive are making an AI hardware together
Altman and Ive are coming together to make “a new family of products” that could move AI beyond smartphone apps into ambient computing devices. OpenAI announced a landmark $6.5 billion all-stock acquisition of IO, the one-year-old startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, marking the AI company's largest deal to date. The partnership between Sam Altman and Ive aims to create "a new family of products" that could move AI beyond smartphone apps into ambient computing devices. Ive, who designed the iPhone and iPod, expressed some regret about smartphones' negative effects on society and sees this collaboration as a chance to create technology that "elevates humanity." While the companies declined to reveal specific product details, they plan to share more information next year as they work to usher in what they call the age of artificial general intelligence through innovative hardware design. Read the full story here


Android 16 QPR Beta 1 is out with Material 3 Expressive design
Google has released Android 16 QPR1 Beta featuring the new Material 3 Expressive design language, marking the biggest visual overhaul for Android in years. The update introduces a more colorful and playful interface with "bubbly" quick settings, new system icons, enhanced wallpaper customisation with AI-powered weather effects, and expanded home screen options including an additional row for apps and widgets. Available now for Pixel devices from the Pixel 6 series onwards through the beta program, the redesign includes new "springy" animations and more flexible quick settings customization, though users should expect some bugs as this remains a developer-focused beta release. While Android 16 stable is expected by June, the Material 3 Expressive features will officially roll out later this year with the first Quarterly Platform Release update. Click here to read more


Google is making smart glasses again
Google is making a comeback in the smart glasses market over a decade after the failed Google Glass launch, announcing Project Aura at Google I/O 2025 - a new Android XR-powered smart glasses initiative developed with Chinese tech firm Xreal. The lightweight "optical see-through XR" glasses will feature Gemini AI integration, cameras, microphones, and built-in speakers, offering real-time language translation, navigation, and hands-free smartphone connectivity. Google has also partnered with major eyewear brands including Warby Parker , Gentle Monster, and Kering Eyewear to develop AI-enabled glasses that will compete directly with Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses. Read the full story here


Fortnite returns to iPhone after five-year battle
Epic Games' wildly popular battle royale game Fortnite has returned to Apple's US App Store this week, ending a nearly five-year ban that began in August 2020. The game was originally removed after Epic implemented its own payment system to bypass Apple's 30% commission on in-app purchases, sparking a major legal battle over App Store policies. Epic's victory came after a federal judge ruled in April that Apple had violated court orders requiring greater competition in app downloads and payment methods, with the judge referring Apple to federal prosecutors for potential criminal contempt. The return is a significant win for Epic Games and signals a shift in the balance of power between app developers and platform gatekeepers, potentially opening doors for other major apps like Spotify and Netflix to bypass Apple's commission structure. Click here to read more


Pocket is shutting down after 10 years of being the 'bookmarking app' for people

Mozilla announced it will shut down Pocket, its popular bookmarking and read-later service, on July 8, 2025, citing that "the way people save and consume content on the web has evolved." Originally launched as "Read It Later" in 2007 and acquired by Mozilla in 2017, Pocket has served millions of users worldwide who relied on it to save articles, videos, and web pages for later reading. The service will enter "export-only" mode until October 8, 2025, giving users time to retrieve their saved content before permanent deletion. Mozilla is also discontinuing Fakespot, its fake review detection service, and the Review Checker tool in Firefox by June 10, as the company redirects resources toward projects that better align with current user browsing habits and needs. Read the full story here


TikTok cuts US staff

TikTok is laying off employees from its US e-commerce operations and global key accounts teams as the company restructures following declining sales on TikTok Shop. The cuts, announced via a cryptic memo telling staff to work from home, affect workers who support large brand partnerships and US operations. TikTok Shop has struggled this year with slumping sales attributed to global tariffs impacting Chinese sellers and broader economic uncertainty, failing to meet 2024 performance goals despite being a key priority for parent company ByteDance. The layoffs follow previous cuts in April and come as TikTok faces an uncertain future with a June 19 deadline to find a new owner or face a potential US ban, though President Trump has suggested he may extend the timeline.