Tech News — 2026-07-13#

Story of the Day#

Apple has filed a sweeping trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the AI startup conspired with former Apple employees to steal confidential hardware IP. The complaint claims a former engineer exploited a “rare” bug to maintain access to Apple’s servers for weeks after his termination, downloading sensitive product design files to accelerate OpenAI’s consumer device ambitions.

Top Stories#

States Sue to Block Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger · The Verge A coalition of 12 states led by California filed an antitrust lawsuit to halt the $110 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. The states argue the massive consolidation would reduce market competition and raise prices for basic cable distributors and audiences, a move that directly defies the DOJ’s previous approval of the transaction.

Social Media Limits Are Coming For Teens Across Europe · The Verge The European Union is preparing legislation that could enforce age limits, phased access, or outright bans on social media for children and teenagers across the bloc. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen indicated the platforms may soon be forced to proactively prove their services are not harmful before gaining access to younger users.

Smartphone Shipments Crash to 13-Year Low · Ars Technica Global smartphone shipments have plunged 11 percent to their lowest second-quarter levels since 2013, driven primarily by soaring memory costs. The RAM shortage has severely impacted the manufacturing margins of budget devices priced under $500, while disproportionately allowing high-end manufacturers like Apple and Samsung to consolidate their market share.

The US government warns that Russia state hackers are coming after your router · Ars Technica CISA and allied global cybersecurity agencies issued a warning that Russian FSB hackers are opportunistically compromising poorly configured home and small office routers. The attackers are building residential proxy networks from these devices to obscure their malicious traffic when probing or attacking critical infrastructure targets.

Apple’s public betas for iOS 27 and more are out now · The Verge Apple has launched the first public betas for iOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, iPadOS 27, and watchOS 27. The headline feature is Siri AI, which revamps the voice assistant into a more capable system-wide tool, while the broader operating systems focus heavily on performance optimizations and bug fixes in a “Snow Leopard”-style update.

Waze is getting a bunch of new AI-powered features · The Verge Google is aggressively pushing its flagship Gemini AI into Waze, introducing conversational voice commands that allow drivers to report traffic incidents and search for destinations naturally. The update also introduces new practical customization options, including a “Less Chatty” mode and a dedicated motorcycle mode.

Also Worth Knowing#

• Microsoft tests Windows Search without all the ads and fluff (The Verge): Microsoft is rolling out a decluttered Windows 11 search menu to Insiders that prioritizes local apps and files while removing MSN content and promotional ads.
• What Anthropic’s latest AI discovery does—and doesn’t—show (MIT Technology Review): Anthropic researchers have discovered a “J-space” within their LLMs where the models seemingly track internal reasoning and manipulate concepts hidden from their final text outputs.
• OnePlus is reportedly bailing on the US (The Verge): Reports indicate that smartphone maker OnePlus and its parent company Oppo are preparing to formally exit both the US and European markets.
• California creates $3,500 rebate for new electric vehicle buyers (Ars Technica): California introduced a new rebate program for first-time EV buyers to stimulate cratering sales after federal tax credits were abolished.