Anthropic's Claude Stays Free, AMD & Uber Earnings Disappoint, Egypt May Ban Roblox

AI Chatbot Competition

• 💡 Anthropic announced its AI chatbot Claude will remain free, contrasting with OpenAI's plans for advertising in ChatGPT.
• ⚠️ Anthropic argues ads could compromise Claude's ability to act in users' best interests, citing risks to trust and sensitive use cases.

Tech Earnings and Forecasts

• 📊 AMD's earnings report disappointed investors, forecasting first-quarter revenue of about $9.8 billion, falling short of more bullish expectations.
• 🚀 Despite the AI chip competition, AMD CEO Lisa Su mentioned a 2027 launch for Microsoft's next-gen Xbox and shipping of Valve's Steam machine this year.
• 📈 Uber's Q1 earnings also missed expectations, with a warning of a rising effective tax rate, though gross bookings are expected to beat estimates.

Gaming and Digital Storefronts

• 🎮 Epic Games plans significant upgrades for the Epic Games Store in 2026, focusing on speed, social features, and cross-platform support.
• 🛠️ Planned improvements include player profiles, messaging, voice chat, and a shared library across PC and mobile.
• 🚫 Egypt's regulators are considering a ban on Roblox due to concerns about children's exposure to potentially harmful content and its impact on moral and educational values.

Satellite Espionage and Antitrust

• 🛰️ European officials report that two Russian satellites have been shadowing geostationary satellites for three years, potentially collecting signals intelligence.
• ⚖️ The US Department of Justice and eight states will appeal the remedies decision in the Google search antitrust case, pushing back against a ruling that did not force the breakup of the company.

Software Updates and Reversals

• 🎨 Adobe reversed its decision to discontinue Adobe Animate, moving it to maintenance mode with continued security and bug fixes, available indefinitely.