It’s not just big tech companies that are seeing a lot of layoffs right now – the gaming industry is also going through a tough time. The latest cuts are being made by Electronic Arts, which is laying off over 300 people, including 100 at Respawn Entertainment. The decision means several in-development titles have been canceled, including a new Titanfall game.

Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, citing people familiar with the cuts, writes that between 300 and 400 positions are being eliminated at EA, with about 100 of those cuts coming from Respawn Entertainment, maker of Apex Legends and the Star Wars Jedi games.

During an earnings call, Samsung’s chief financial officer Soon-cheol Park told reporters that ”ongoing uncertainty surrounding US tariff policies continues to pose a potential risk of demand slowdown.” According to Financial Times, Park said that US tariff policies and stronger export controls against artificial intelligence products are expected to have an impact on product demand in the second half of the year. In addition to a downward trend on sales, the company also expects tariffs to raise prices for the components it uses on its mobile phones, which will have further impact on its revenue.

Amazon has finally launched its first batch of Project Kuiper internet satellites on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The company was supposed to send the first 27 satellites in the constellation, which will eventually be comprised of more than 3,200 satellites, on April 8. However, the event got pushed back. A previous Bloomberg investigation claimed that Kuiper was way behind schedule, because the company was struggling to ramp up the production of its satellites. If true, the company will have to ask for an extension from the FCC to fulfill its commitment to the government, requiring it to put 1,600 satellites in orbit next summer.

OpenAI has introduced new shopping features to ChatGPT, enhancing the chatbot’s web search capabilities to provide users with personalized product recommendations, images, reviews, and direct purchase links. The enhancement is now available to all users, regardless of whether they are using the free, Plus, or Pro versions of ChatGPT.

The shopping upgrade is integrated into OpenAI’s latest AI model, GPT-4o, and comes as ChatGPT’s search function has exploded in popularity, according to the company. Users conducted more than a billion web searches through ChatGPT in the past week alone, making search one of the platform’s most utilized features.

Apple’s Pro Display XDR has now been on the market for over five years, and while persistent rumors hint at a second-generation model, surprisingly little definitive information has emerged about Apple’s plans for its premier external monitor. Here’s everything we know so far.

In December 2022, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was developing an updated iteration of the Pro Display XDR, this time incorporating an Apple silicon chip, presumably to enable additional functionality. The Studio Display contains an A13 Bionic chip to power its built-in webcam, spatial audio, and always-on Siri.

A new Apple-backed fire station has begun construction in Nevada, aimed at serving the area that includes an Apple iCloud data center near Reno.

Part of the Reno Technology Park, Apple’s data center is around 20 miles from Reno itself, and 40 miles from Apple Shayden Summit, the nearest Apple Store. It was begun in 2012, and after considerable construction work, has been operating as an iCloud data center since 2013.

Now according to the local fire department, Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue, Apple has donated land and provided at least some funding for the new Fire Station 35.