WSJ Tech News Briefing

Plus: AI startup Mistral is set to triple its valuation in six months. And T-Mobile and Verizon eye deals to carve up U.S. Cellular. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google answers about 90% of all internet search queries worldwide. In 2020, the Justice Department filed a landmark antitrust lawsuit alleging that Google uses anticompetitive tactics to preserve a monopoly for its search engine and related advertising business. The trial began last year, and closing arguments wrapped last week. WSJ reporter Miles Kruppa is here to talk about what the looming verdict might mean for Google, and for other big tech companies. Plus, visions for how artificial intelligence can change work don’t have to be in the far future—WSJ contributor Alexandra Samuel has been experimenting with a number of AI tools that she says are already bringing practical benefits to her work. Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Uber reports a loss for the first quarter. And Meta is offering new generative AI tools to advertisers. Alex Ossola hosts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is betting big on making robotaxis a centerpiece of the company’s long-term strategy. This summer, Tesla plans to show a future model. But the company will need to overcome technological and regulatory hurdles before its fully autonomous vehicles become a reality. WSJ reporter Ryan Felton tells host Alex Ossola what we know about the vehicle, and what it will take to get it on the road. Plus, online marketplaces like eBay and Etsy are turbo-charging their searches with artificial intelligence. WSJ Heard on the Street columnist Jinjoo Lee talks about how AI could make these platforms better for users and sellers.  Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Self-driving car startup Wayve raises more than $1 billion. And Reddit posts higher revenue and wider loss in its first earnings as a public company. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climate change is making products like chocolate and coffee more expensive, even as demand grows. WSJ technology columnist Christopher Mims tells host Alex Ossola how companies are looking to recreate them in the lab using biotechnology. Plus, TikTok is courting advertisers, in spite of the platform’s looming ban or sale. WSJ reporter Katie Deighton talks about what continues to make TikTok appealing for advertisers.  Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Senator Elizabeth Warren calls for the Pentagon to look into Russian troops’ use of Starlink. And Synopsys plans to sell its Software Integrity Group. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Boeing’s Starliner is set to take NASA astronauts to the International Space Station this week. It’s the spacecraft’s first crewed mission, and a major test for Boeing’s much-delayed project. WSJ reporter Micah Maidenberg tells host Alex Ossola what it took to get here. Plus, in an effort to increase her ability to focus, WSJ tech reporter Katherine Bindley gave up apps like Instagram and dating apps, and even TV. She talks about how these habits affected her.  Sign up for the WSJ's free Technology newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In October 2021, Facebook announced it was changing its name to Meta. For a company that had built its business on social media, it was a gamble to seemingly pivot to a future version of the internet that didn’t yet exist and wasn’t well understood. On this first episode of our special series on the metaverse, host Alex Ossola takes you back to the vision that CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid out for the metaverse, what was going on at the company at the time of the name change and how people reacted both inside and outside the company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Apple stock rallies the day after the company reported earnings. And shares of Coinbase fall. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EV maker Tesla announced this week that it was laying off much of the team responsible for the company’s Supercharger network, the largest and most successful EV charging network in the U.S. The move caught employees, and others in the industry, by surprise. WSJ reporter Ryan Felton tells host Alex Ossola what a Tesla pullback in charging could mean for the broader U.S. EV market. Plus, how did an iPhone survive a fall out of an airplane, but others crack when they get tipped off the kitchen counter? WSJ senior personal technology columnist Joanna Stern took on an experiment to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Universal Music and TikTok reach a new agreement. And Microsoft plans to invest over $2 billion in Malaysia. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tasks like streaming movies or generating answers from artificial intelligence systems require a lot of computing power. So more, bigger data centers are cropping up in an effort to meet the demand. And that means more energy. Local energy companies are turning to natural gas and even coal to keep them going. WSJ energy reporter Jennifer Hiller tells host Alex Ossola what that means for the country’s energy transition. Plus, rebooting your device works for everything from computers to trains. WSJ personal tech reporter Cordilia James talks about why it became our go-to tech fix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Chinese EV makers post higher sales. And Doordash posts record revenue. Alex Ossola hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, President Biden signed a law requiring the sale or ban of TikTok. But lawmakers’ concerns go back much farther. Some lawmakers and former employees of TikTok say that TikTok executives, particularly CEO Shou Chew, could have done more to prevent this outcome. WSJ tech reporter Georgia Wells tells host Alex Ossola about Chew’s missed opportunities to woo lawmakers. Plus, it’s a trend on TikTok to get AI systems like ChatGPT to talk to people like a boyfriend would… even if the systems weren’t designed that way. WSJ senior platform editor Julia Munslow undertook an experiment to find out just how hard it is to get the system to be R-rated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Binance founder is sentenced to four months in jail. And the European Union is investigating Meta over disinformation. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Investments in artificial intelligence startups are heating up. Last year, investors poured more than $20 billion dollars into generative AI deals. But some of these companies, some of which have billion-dollar valuations, haven’t turned a profit or don’t have a product. WSJ venture-capital reporter Berber Jin tells host Alex Ossola more about this ecosystem, and why some are already concerned that it could be a bubble. Plus, scammers are using AI to target recent college grads looking for jobs. WSJ workplace reporter Ray Smith talks about how to stay safe online. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Beijing tentatively approves Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” software. And federal regulators fine wireless carriers for sharing customer-location data. Alex Ossola hosts. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has talked about offering a cheaper EV model for a while. A low-priced car could attract new customers who may not be able to afford Tesla’s more premium models. Last week, Musk said that cheaper cars could be coming as soon as late this year. WSJ columnist Tim Higgins tells host Alex Ossola what it would take to make that happen. Plus, Tesla was one of four tech companies to report first-quarter earnings last week. WSJ reporter Hardika Singh talks about the through-lines in those reports, and why artificial intelligence is defining the moment. Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices