THE RUNDOWN

Nvidia's lack of a succession plan is suddenly a very real problem. Analysts and insiders are quietly drawing up shortlists, but there's no obvious heir apparent — Huang has been CEO for 33 years and the company's identity is deeply tied to him. Whoever takes the chair inherits enormous pressure: Nvidia supplies the chips that underpin most serious AI infrastructure on the planet, and any leadership instability ripples across the entire industry.

Speaking of AI infrastructure — a new reality check is hitting the data centre boom hard. Local communities are fighting back against massive new facilities, permitting processes are stalling projects for years, and electricity grids simply can't keep up with demand. The assumption that every announced data centre will actually get built is looking shakier by the month. The gap between what AI companies say they'll build and what actually goes up could reshape investment timelines significantly.

United Airlines has drawn a firm line: your personal AI assistant won't be booking flights on their platform anytime soon. The airline cites both privacy concerns and potential violations of DOT and FAA regulations, arguing it hasn't seen meaningful demand from customers for this yet anyway. It's a notable pushback at a moment when AI agents are being positioned as the next big thing in consumer tech — and it signals that heavily regulated industries aren't going to roll over for autonomous booking tools.

Europe's regulators are coming for some of the most profitable mechanics in digital life. New EU rules are targeting loot boxes in games, manipulative features on social media, and dark patterns in e-commerce — all under the banner of making online experiences 'fairer.' For gaming companies and platforms doing business in Europe, this isn't a distant threat; enforcement timelines are tightening. If you're curious how digital regulation affects the apps Africans use daily, many of these same platforms operate here with far less oversight.

TikTok's parent company is reportedly developing an AI agent to compete directly with Meta's Muse. ByteDance already has enormous reach through TikTok and its suite of other apps, so plugging an agentic AI layer into that ecosystem could be significant. The move fits a broader pattern of Chinese tech firms racing to match Western AI capabilities, even as geopolitical pressure on ByteDance shows no signs of easing.

Google has launched an experimental AI tool called Tabletop that lets you build custom collaborative spaces — think shared planning hubs for families, friend groups, or small teams. It's early-stage and experimental, but it reflects Google's push to make Gemini feel genuinely useful in everyday coordination rather than just answering one-off questions. Gemini also quietly landed on Apple CarPlay this week, extending its reach for anyone already in Google's ecosystem.

New York State has forced T-Mobile to stop slapping a 50GB data cap on its low-income home internet plan — a plan that legally requires consistent 25Mbps speeds. After users hit the cap, T-Mobile was throttling connections to a crawl of 600Kbps. The company is now being compelled to fix it, but the case raises a wider question about how carriers treat customers who rely on subsidised connectivity programmes.

Defence tech firm Anduril says its first satellite has a sensor with an unusually wide dynamic range — meaning it can track objects maneuvering in orbital space even in complete darkness. As more nations and private companies crowd low Earth orbit, the ability to monitor what's happening up there is becoming a serious strategic asset. It's a reminder that the space race isn't just about getting to the Moon; it's increasingly about who can watch what's already circling overhead.

Roku is pulling out of the smart home device business entirely — no more video doorbells, no home monitoring systems. The company is refocusing on what it does best: streaming. It's a sensible retreat, but it also signals how hard it is for streaming-first brands to expand into the crowded and competitive smart home space without serious hardware chops behind them.

It's been a day dominated by one man's fall and the systems he helped build — from AI chips to global infrastructure. Whatever Nvidia's board decides tonight, the reverberations will be felt well beyond Silicon Valley.