Welcome again to Week in Evaluation! We’ve obtained a lot of information for you as we speak: Amazon earnings, Apple earnings, ChatGPT sycophancy, Alibaba’s AI fashions, and rather more. Let’s get to it!
Nicely? Throughout Apple’s earnings name yesterday, Tim Prepare dinner revealed that the corporate paid $900 million in tariffs final quarter. However regardless of this, the CEO didn’t announce any price increases — but.
Massive bucks: Protection tech startup Mach Industries, which was based by 21-year-old Ethan Thornton, is about to close a fresh $100 million in financing, sources instructed TechCrunch. This new funding ought to convey the startup’s complete funding to about $185 million thus far.
Extra fashions: Alibaba introduced this week that it’s releasing a family of AI models, known as Qwen3, that it claims can outperform OpenAI and Google. Based on Alibaba, the Qwen3 fashions are “hybrid” fashions, and so they’re not but accessible for obtain.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Evaluation, the place we recap the week’s greatest information. Need this delivered as a e-newsletter to your inbox each Saturday? Sign up here.
Information
Shoot for the celebrities: Amazon’s effort to create a space-based web community started in earnest this week: The corporate fired off its first 27 internet satellites on Tuesday. The primary half of the community must be deployed by mid-2026 to satisfy the FCC deadline.
AI in your pocket: Meta is rolling out a stand-alone AI app, which it unveiled on the firm’s first LlamaCon occasion on Tuesday. The app permits customers to entry Meta AI in an app, much like the ChatGPT app and different AI assistant apps.
Techcrunch occasion
Berkeley, CA
|
June 5
Blocked: A decide in India blocked the encrypted email provider Proton Mail throughout the nation. This was in response to a authorized grievance filed by New Delhi-based M Moser Design Associates, which alleged that its workers had obtained emails containing obscene and vulgar content material despatched through Proton Mail.
Cheaters by no means win: Cluely went viral lately for its daring declare of serving to folks cheat on every little thing. However some startups are claiming they can catch Cluely’s users.
Alexa+: Amazon’s new digital assistant goals to let customers speak with it in a extra pure model and finally have agentic talents that enable it to make use of third-party apps on a consumer’s behalf. Throughout Amazon’s earnings name this week, CEO Andy Jassy says that 100,000 users now have Alexa+.
AI the place it issues: Airbnb appears to be taking a extra measured method with AI. It began rolling out an AI-powered customer service bot within the U.S. final month. CEO Brian Chesky mentioned in February that the corporate would use AI for customer support earlier than it began implementing it for different makes use of like journey planning or reserving tickets.
Epic ruling: Epic Video games has notched a win in an ongoing authorized dispute with Apple. Choose Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers mentioned in a ruling that Apple was in “willful violation” of a 2021 injunction that prohibited the corporate from imposing anticompetitive pricing. Consequently, Fortnite may very well be again on iPhones as quickly as subsequent week.
LOL: Following the Epic Video games ruling, Stripe shared documentation that reveals iOS builders how to avoid the Apple commission.
Verify your settings: Meta emailed Ray-Ban Meta homeowners on Tuesday with a discover that AI options will now be enabled on the glasses by default. This implies Meta’s AI will analyze images and movies taken with the glasses whereas sure AI options are switched on.
Yikes! OpenAI mentioned it was “rolling back” the newest replace to the default AI mannequin powering ChatGPT, GPT-4o, after complaints about unusual conduct, particularly it being overly agreeable and validating. Based on OpenAI, the replace, which was meant to make the mannequin’s default character “really feel extra intuitive and efficient,” was informed too much by “short-term feedback.” Now the corporate pledges to make modifications that might prevent this from happening sooner or later.
Earlier than you go
Oh the drama: We learn by means of the 80-page Epic v. Apple choice to drag out the decide’s juiciest, fieriest comments. Right here’s one to get you began: “Apple engaged in techniques to delay the proceedings. The Court docket later concluded that delay equaled earnings.”
