Tech News — 2026-03-25#

Story of the Day#

A landmark Los Angeles jury verdict found Meta and YouTube negligent in a social media addiction case, ordering the tech giants to pay $3 million in damages to a 20-year-old woman. This ruling legally validates the theory that addictive app design features—like infinite scroll and algorithmic recommendations—can cause personal injury, paving the way for thousands of similar lawsuits to bleed the industry.

Top Stories#

[OpenAI Kills Sora, Tanking $1B Disney Deal] · Ars Technica OpenAI is abruptly shutting down its Sora video generator to focus entirely on AI assistants and enterprise coding tools ahead of an anticipated IPO. The pivot instantly vaporizes a recently announced $1 billion licensing partnership with Disney, forcing the entertainment behemoth to reconsider its generative AI strategy.

[Supreme Court Sides With ISPs on Piracy] · Engadget The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that internet service providers like Cox Communications cannot be held liable for their subscribers’ copyright infringement unless they actively encourage it. The decision overturns a $1 billion verdict against Cox and relieves ISPs from having to act as digital copyright police or execute mass terminations of suspected pirates.

[Tech Titans Join Trump’s Advisory Panel] · Engadget Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Larry Ellison, and Sergey Brin have joined the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) under the Trump administration. Co-chaired by David Sacks and Michael Kratsios, the panel will advise the White House on AI, crypto, and science policy, giving these executives direct influence over the federal regulations that will govern their sprawling empires.

[Sony and Honda Kill the Afeela EV] · Engadget Sony and Honda have officially scrapped their joint venture electric vehicle, the Afeela, ending a six-year development cycle that felt dated before it even hit the assembly line. Sluggish EV demand, shifting US policies, and steep financial losses at Honda ultimately doomed the heavily-hyped “PlayStation Car”.

[Nintendo Levies a “Physical Tax” on Switch 2 Games] · Ars Technica Beginning in May, Nintendo will charge $10 more for physical copies of its first-party Switch 2 games compared to digital downloads, starting with Yoshi and the Mysterious Book ($70 physical vs. $60 digital). The pricing shift explicitly passes the rising costs of physical manufacturing and distribution onto the consumer, dealing a heavy blow to physical media advocates.

[Apple Enforces Age Verification in the UK] · The Verge With the launch of iOS 26.4, Apple is now forcing UK users to verify they are over 18 using a credit card or ID scan to access certain services. Unverified accounts will be automatically subjected to heavy child safety protections, including web content filters and blurred nudity in messages, allowing Apple to aggressively front-run local online safety regulations.

Also Worth Knowing#

• [NASA Halts Lunar Gateway for Direct Moon Base Push] (Slashdot): The space agency is pivoting away from its orbital outpost to focus directly on building a $20 billion lunar surface base, with plans to repurpose Gateway hardware for a Mars mission.
• [Meta Lays Off Hundreds Amid AI Pivot] (The New York Times): Meta is cutting roughly 700 jobs across recruiting, sales, and its Reality Labs division, even as it offers fresh stock options to executives to retain top AI talent.
• [Reddit Cracks Down on Bots] (Engadget): Reddit accounts exhibiting “fishy” or automated behavior will now be prompted to verify their “humanness” using on-device methods like FaceID or passkeys to combat AI-driven spam.
• [Google’s Lyria 3 Pro Generates 3-Minute AI Songs] (The Verge): Google expanded its AI music generator to create structured, three-minute tracks with intros and bridges, ignoring the music industry’s growing backlash over synthetic audio.
• [SpaceX Preps for Mega IPO] (Bloomberg): Elon Musk’s space exploration juggernaut is reportedly aiming to file a prospectus for its highly anticipated initial public offering as soon as this week.