Meta, Microsoft to Trim Thousands of Jobs Through Buyouts and Layoffs

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Meta and Microsoft are planning layoffs or announcing buyouts that could impact up to 23,000 jobs to streamline operations and counteract significant spending on artificial intelligence. In an internal memo on Thursday, Meta informed staff that it intended to lay off 10% of its workforce, or about 8,000 workers, beginning on May 20.

Additionally, the social media company stated that it would not fill 6,000 open positions. Microsoft offered thousands of its US employees voluntary buyouts in a memo it released earlier in the day. A person familiar with the planning estimates that the buyouts will be available to about 7% of the US workforce.

The source, who asked to remain anonymous to discuss an internal issue, stated that the company has never carried out buyouts of this magnitude before. As of June 2025, Microsoft employed 125,000 people in the United States. Approximately 8,750 workers would then be qualified for the program.

Microsoft announced new AI investments in Australia and Japan this month as part of its race to build data centers worldwide. In the meantime, Meta has announced multiple multibillion-dollar agreements with AI partners in recent months and has predicted record capital expenditures this year. In recent years, both businesses have implemented multiple rounds of layoffs. The memo, written by Chief People Officer Janelle Gale, referenced Meta’s AI expenditures.

She stated in the note, “We’re doing this as part of our continued effort to run the company more efficiently and to allow us to offset the other investments we’re making.”. The Reality Labs division and other teams have already experienced job cuts, which caused Meta employees to worry. According to Gale, the company was making the layoffs public early because information about the plan had already leaked. Earlier this month, Meta’s planned workforce reductions were first reported by Reuters.

Intel Shares Soar as AI Outlook Powers $80 Price Target

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

The long-struggling chipmaker is benefiting from the massive build-out of artificial intelligence computing, as evidenced by Intel’s spectacular sales forecast that exceeded Wall Street expectations. Following the release of the results, Intel’s stock shot up 20% in extended trading, setting new records. It had increased by 81% this year, before the report closed at $66.78.

The positive outlook indicates that CEO Lip-Bu Tan is moving forward with a difficult recovery plan. He is now fulfilling a pledge to enhance operations after securing significant investments in Intel last year, which strengthened the company’s balance sheet.

Great Hill Capital Chairman Thomas Hayes, an Intel investor, stated on Bloomberg Television that “everyone is starting to direct orders to Intel, and I think we are in the early days.” In a very short time, this has transitioned from hopelessness to exhilaration. The earnings report demonstrates the necessity of a data center.

. According to the earnings report, demand for Intel’s flagship Xeon server processors is rising because of the need for data center chips to support the massive expansion of AI. The central processing unit, or CPU, is a type of general-purpose semiconductor that businesses attempting to transform their AI software into profitable services are focusing on again. Tan stated in an interview that Intel produced a “solid result” that exceeded its expectations.

He stated that the company is “laser-focused” on boosting output from Intel’s factories, which are still unable to produce enough to fulfill all of its orders, and he anticipates that the robust demand for processors used in AI systems will grow.

Tesla, Nvidia & Boeing Power S&P 500 to Fresh All-Time High

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

President Donald Trump’s extension of a ceasefire with Iran and numerous positive corporate results rekindled risk appetites after a two-day retreat, sending stocks to all-time highs. The value of Bitcoin rose.

The S&P 500 maintained its monthly upward trend with a 1% gain, the highest since 2020.

Chipmakers climbed for 16 days in a row, the longest winning streak in history. Boeing Co. expanded on solid first-quarter deliveries. Tesla Inc. increased as earnings surpassed forecasts. Texas Instruments, Inc. offered a reliable forecast for the current period.

Trump’s decision to extend the ceasefire signified a retreat from his threats to start bombing Iran again if a deal could not be reached by Wednesday’s deadline. This move would have reignited a conflict that has killed thousands of people and driven up energy costs.

Tensions are still high as Tehran maintains a firm hold on the Strait of Hormuz, regulating trade routes and firing on ships. The US is unwilling to end its blockade of ships with ties to Iran. The price of Brent oil settled around $102.

Strong corporate profits, the revival of the artificial intelligence trade, and an otherwise strong economy have all helped to boost stocks despite ongoing geopolitical risks. Nearly 80% of the SandP 500 companies reporting first-quarter results have surpassed analyst earnings estimates thus far. Despite the continued uncertainty and saber-rattling surrounding the Iran conflict, Rick Gardner of RGA Investments claims that markets are looking ahead.

Ripple’s XRP Craves Freedom While Bitcoin Charges on Steam

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

XRP is still trading in a tightening structure, which comes before a significant increase in volatility in cryptocurrency markets.

The asset is at a technical turning point where market players anticipate a clear breakout or breakdown following weeks of decreased directional movement.

A balance between buyers and sellers that usually does not last long in digital asset markets is reflected in the price action, which has steadily narrowed around the $1.43 level. Now, traders keep a close eye out for confirmation signals that might indicate the next big trend for XRP.

XRP continues to tell a different story as Ethereum makes a case for a bullish breakout and Bitcoin pushes against recent months’ highs. The altcoin, which is currently trading at $1.44, has mainly missed out on the larger market rebound. One of the defining features of this correction cycle is this divergence, which doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. The USDT chart’s most notable aspect at the moment is how quickly the moving averages are approaching the current price.

The 200-day MA is currently close to $1.90, while the 100-day MA has dropped to about $1.50. Both moving averages are compressing the space above and sloping downward, forming a tightening ceiling that will get more difficult to break through the longer the price stays range-bound below it. Since February, XRP has fluctuated between about $1.20 and $1.60 with no discernible direction, and the RSI has also been fluctuating in the same dull mid-range region.

Mythos Escapes Control: Unauthorized Users Access Anthropic’s Powerful AI

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

A small number of unauthorized users have gained access to Anthropic PBC’s new Mythos AI model, a technology the company claims is so potent that it can enable dangerous cyberattacks.

The person, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, claimed that on the day Anthropic first announced plans to release the model to a small number of companies for testing, a few users in a private online forum were granted access to Mythos. Since then, the group has been using Mythos on a regular basis, but not for cybersecurity, according to the person who provided screenshots and a live model demonstration to support the account.

According to Anthropic, Mythos can find and take advantage of flaws “in every major operating system and every major web browser when directed by a user to do so.”.

The company has taken steps to ensure that the technology is accessible to a limited group of software providers through an initiative known as Project Glasswing, to enable those companies to test and protect their own systems from potential cyberattacks.

. The unreported unauthorized access underscores the difficulty Anthropic has in completely stopping the spread of its most potent—and potentially hazardous—technology outside of authorized partners. It also begs the question of whether and for what reason anyone else might be using Mythos without authorization.

The users used a variety of strategies to enter Mythos; these included attempting popular internet sleuthing and utilizing the access as an employee of a third-party contractor for Anthropic.

Elon Musk Places $60 Billion Bet on AI Coding Startup Cursor Amid xAI Setbacks

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is attempting to persuade companies to use its Grok chatbot to expedite the coding process. However, Musk’s own staff members have occasionally been hesitant to follow suit.

Some SpaceX engineers have been reluctant to use Grok for technical work because it isn’t as efficient as competing tools. According to some of the people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal issues, some employees in its xAI division have been using Anthropic PBC’s Claude for coding instead of Grok.

AI coding tools, which make writing and debugging code easier, are now a major source of income for xAI’s rivals.

The reluctance of Musk’s employees to use Grok suggests that the company has a long way to go before becoming a major player in the market. These difficulties have forced Musk to create what might be one of his best.

Musk’s rocket company SpaceX, which merged with xAI earlier this year, announced on Tuesday that it has an agreement allowing it to either pay $10 billion for the companies’ collaboration or acquire AI coding startup Cursor for $60 billion later this year.

The expensive partnership aims to create “the world’s best coding and knowledge work AI.” Meanwhile, xAI has created a sophisticated, if frequently contentious, chatbot using information from the social network X, which Musk owns. However, Grok has not yet demonstrated its coding prowess, and there is a great chance that this will soon change.

Before SpaceX’s anticipated June IPO, the company’s employees have been asked to demonstrate that they can significantly increase revenue, which, up until mid-2025, came mostly from Musk’s other ventures. Meanwhile, the xAI team has been promoting Grok as a helpful tool for conducting internal business and providing performance reviews to Wall Street behemoths and US government agencies.

Bullish Call: Silver Deficit Widens to 46.3 Million Ounces in 2026

Posted on April 22, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

The Silver Institute predicts that despite strong demand for coins and bars and dwindling supply, the global silver market will be in deficit for a sixth year in a row. According to the industry group’s annual outlook, which was released on Wednesday, the 2026 deficit is expected to increase by 15% to 46.3 million troy ounces.

The report states that although the estimated demand for silver bars and coins has increased by 18%, overall consumption is likely to decline by 2% because of decreases in industrial applications, photography, jewelry, and silverware.

According to the institute, a minor decline in mining output and a decrease in producer hedging activity are the main causes of the projected 2% decrease in total supply this year. Recycling will increase by 7%, lessening those losses.

The industry group stated in the report that “we remain constructive towards silver for the rest of 2026,” despite the Iran war clouding the short-term price outlook. The institute anticipates that the Middle East conflict will be contained and that monetary tightening to curb inflation driven by energy will be temporary.

Even if the Iran war continues, investors’ worries about slower economic growth and the strain on the government’s finances will cause inflation-adjusted bond yields to decline, increasing the value of interest-free precious metals like gold and silver. The group wrote, “This should rekindle interest in both gold and silver, coupled with a resurgence of safe-haven demand as pro-cyclical markets contend with liquidations.”

Bitcoin Breaks $78K Spell, Whales go Shopping

Posted on April 22, 2026April 22, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Bitcoin is currently trading around $78K. The buy-side volume from different cohorts is rising as Bitcoin builds the underlying momentum. While ETFs saw $238 million in inflows, indicating strong institutional confidence, whales have amassed over 45,000 Bitcoin in the last week, the most since July 2025. Approximately 114,045 traders were liquidated in the last 24 hours, worth $400 million.

The price of the cryptocurrency was close to $77,465. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum have increased by 2% over the last day, with Ethereum trading close to $2.4. Among the main altcoins, Hyperliquid fell 2% while XRP, BNB, Solana, Tron, Dogecoin, and Cardano increased by 2.5%.

The price increases occurred despite oil volatility and an equity sell-off because macro data indicated ongoing inflation risks and delayed rate-cut expectations, which strengthened demand for assets less connected to conventional financial systems.

According to the Elliot Wave theory, there are recurrent patterns in the psychology of the market as a whole, such as impulsive short-term actions followed by corrective circumstances. A significant rejection around the $80k resistance will confirm that the recent rally from the $60k lows to $78k was an impulsive rally, paving the way for a major corrective phase.

Fibonacci retracement levels show multiple support zones along the way down, a potential bottom for Bitcoin during this bear market at about $52k. 0xChiefy, who has more than 33,000 social media followers, has forecast that the digital currency will launch a massive offensive in 2027 and reach as high as $150k once the bottom is in.

Ripple: XRP needs Prisonbreak as Bitcoin Runs on Steam

Posted on April 22, 2026April 23, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

XRP is still trading in a tightening structure before a significant increase in volatility in cryptocurrency markets.

The asset is at a technical turning point, and market players anticipate a clear breakout or breakdown following weeks of decreased directional movement.

XRP continues to tell a different story as Ethereum makes a case for a bullish breakout and Bitcoin pushes against recent months’ highs. The altcoin, currently trading at $1.44, has missed out on the larger market rebound. One of the defining features of this correction cycle is this divergence, which doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. The USDT chart’s most notable aspect at the moment is how quickly the moving averages are approaching the current price.

AMZN : Amazon Shares Surge as It Pours Another $5B into Anthropic AI

Posted on April 21, 2026April 21, 2026 by Olumide Adesina

Amazon is strengthening its ties in the fiercely competitive artificial intelligence race by investing an additional $5 billion in Anthropic PBC and potentially contributing an additional $20 billion over time. According to Anthropic, the deal was reached at a valuation of $350 billion, excluding the additional funding.

This indicates that Amazon recently negotiated better terms than other investors. After securing a $30 billion funding round in February, which valued the San Francisco-based startup at $380 billion, Anthropic has since attracted investor offers at a valuation of over $800 billion.

According to a statement released on Monday, Anthropic, the company behind the Claude chatbot and coding tool, intends to invest $100 billion over the next ten years in chips and cloud technologies from Amazon.

The news caused Amazon shares to rise by roughly 3% during prolonged trading. Banks, tech companies, and governments are rushing to comprehend what Anthropic’s new AI might mean for cybersecurity and the future of the internet.

It is widely anticipated that Anthropic, which was founded in 2021 by former OpenAI employees, will launch an IPO as early as this year.

The deal is the most recent indication of Anthropic’s desire for the enormous processing power required to create new Claude versions.

The AI company has been rushing to convince more companies to purchase its software to help offset the enormous cost of developing the technology. Similar to OpenAI, Anthropic has signed agreements to obtain the required chips and rented processing power. Last week, Anthropic announced that it would recruit Broadcom Inc. to provide chips based on Google’s tensor processing units, which are a competitor of Trainium from Amazon.

Anthropic will have access to roughly 3.5 gigawatts of processing power thanks to the three companies’ cooperation. Anthropic announced in October that it would acquire up to a million of Alphabet Inc.’s specialized AI chips. unit, a partnership valued at tens of billions.