Tech News — 2026-06-24#

Story of the Day#

OpenAI and Broadcom have officially unveiled “Jalapeño,” a custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) built to efficiently handle AI inference tasks for large language models. The custom hardware signals a massive strategic shift as OpenAI moves to build its own full-stack infrastructure, aiming to slash operational costs by up to 50%.

Top Stories#

Slate Auto’s radically simple electric truck starts at $24,950 · TechCrunch Slate Auto finally launched preorders for its stripped-down, American-made electric pickup, hitting its promised sub-$25,000 price point while bumping the base range up to 205 miles. By omitting standard features like an infotainment system and paint—offering only a gray composite material ready for wraps—Slate is making a bold bet on extreme minimalism in a market saturated by expensive EVs. At half the cost of an average new car, the aggressive pricing threatens to capture significant ground at the entry level of the auto market.

Boffin Claims Microsoft’s ‘Quantum Leap’ Is Invalid Due To ‘Basic Python Errors’ · Slashdot A peer-reviewed critique in Nature alleges that Microsoft’s highly publicized 2025 quantum computing breakthrough regarding the Majorana 1 chip was based on flawed software and basic Python coding errors. A physicist from the University of St Andrews argued that Microsoft researchers selectively plotted data and ignored underlying disorder that invalidates their claims of a topological gap. While Microsoft maintains its findings are sound, the critique suggests a meaningful quantum computer from the company remains decades or even centuries away.

The Grand Theft Auto 6 physical edition is overpriced DRM in a box · Engadget Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto VI will cost $79.99, but confirmed that physical editions will not include a game disc, shipping only with a one-time download code. This decision strikes a massive blow to video game preservation and the secondhand market, effectively functioning as overpriced physical DRM. Given the massive scale and influence of the GTA franchise, this move establishes a grim precedent that accelerates the death of digital ownership in the AAA gaming industry.

Meta Pauses Employee-Tracking Program Following Internal Data Leak · Slashdot Meta has halted its controversial “Model Compatibility Initiative,” a program that tracked employee keystrokes, screen content, and mouse movements to train its AI agents. The suspension occurred after internal databases containing this highly invasive telemetry were accidentally exposed to unauthorized staff members within the company. Employees had previously protested the mandatory tracking, citing severe privacy and security risks that leadership allegedly ignored until the leak forced their hand.

Qualcomm to Buy Modular For $3.9 Billion to Help AI Push · Bloomberg Qualcomm has agreed to acquire the AI software startup Modular for $3.9 billion in stock. The acquisition is designed to aggressively bolster Qualcomm’s AI software capabilities and accelerate its push into the highly lucrative data center market. As Qualcomm attempts to expand its dominance beyond mobile phone chips, this multibillion-dollar exit marks one of the most significant consolidations of AI infrastructure talent to date.

Anthropic Accuses Alibaba of ‘Illicitly’ Accessing AI Models · Bloomberg US-based AI developer Anthropic has formally accused Chinese tech giant Alibaba of executing a large-scale operation to illicitly access its Claude models. Anthropic claims Alibaba utilized thousands of fraudulent accounts to bypass geopolitical restrictions meant to keep the US firm’s advanced AI products out of the Chinese market.

Also Worth Knowing#

• Trump Admin Announces $17.5 Billion In Loans For 10 New Large Nuclear Reactors (Slashdot): The federal government will provide massive loans to build 10 new nuclear reactors, aiming to meet the skyrocketing energy demands of new AI data centers.
• Disney agreed to $50M settlement over claims it made live-TV streaming expensive (Ars Technica): Disney will pay $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging its mandatory ESPN bundling artificially inflated the cost of services like YouTube TV and DirecTV.
• White House app auto-downloads to government phones, can’t be uninstalled (Ars Technica): Federal employees are protesting a new White House application that automatically installed itself on millions of government phones and actively resists deletion.
• Google is finally opening the Play Store to outside payments (The Verge): Following its antitrust settlement with Epic Games, Google is rolling out lowered fees and decoupled alternative billing options for Android developers worldwide.
• Stripe, Anthropic and OpenAI are backing an effort to stop respiratory infections (MIT Technology Review): Stripe is funding “Intercept,” a new $500 million nonprofit backed by AI heavyweights aiming to eradicate the common cold and flu through advanced countermeasures and air-cleaning tech.