Magnificent 7 Weekly Briefing

January 30, 2026

Apple and Microsoft had record quarters; Tesla pivoted sharply to AI and robotics after revenue slipped; Microsoft launched a new AI chip, and more.

• Apple and Microsoft delivered strong financial results, with Apple reporting record quarterly revenue driven by iPhone and Services, and Microsoft seeing 17% growth fueled by its Cloud segment and OpenAI contributions. ^12345678
• Tesla reported its first full-year revenue decline and a 46% profit slump, leading the company to accelerate its strategic pivot toward AI, robotics, and autonomous technology, including investing $2 billion in xAI and cutting production of high-end vehicle models. ^{9101112131415}
• Microsoft released its second-generation in-house AI accelerator, the Maia 200, designed for efficient large-scale AI inference, and secured a $750 million cloud deal with AI firm Perplexity. ^16171819
• Apple made its second-largest acquisition ever, purchasing the Israeli AI startup Q.ai, while Google continued expanding its Gemini ecosystem globally, making Gemini 3 the default for Search AI Overviews. ^{202122232425262728}
• Google agreed to a $135 million settlement over alleged Android data collection practices, while Apple was hit with an antitrust lawsuit over allegedly stealing camera technology and disclosed $851 million in fines paid last year. ^2930313233
• Other developments included Amazon announcing 16,000 layoffs, Google confirming job cuts, and a former Google engineer being convicted for stealing AI trade secrets for a Chinese startup. ³⁴³⁵³⁶

Sources

1. Apple reports record Q1 revenue and EPS Apple
2. Apple Reports Record iPhone Sales Amid Holiday Bump The New York Times
3. Apple reaches 2.5 billion active devices after record-breaking quarter AppleInsider
4. Microsoft announces strong Q2 financial results Microsoft
5. Microsoft Continues to Spend Big on A.I. While Profit Jumps 60 Percent The New York Times
6. Microsoft Cloud Growth Slows, But OpenAI Fuels 60% Surge in Revenue Backlog The Information
7. Microsoft quietly made $7.6 billion from OpenAI as AI revenues surge Moneycontrol
8. Meta reports Q4 and full year 2025 results Meta
9. Tesla revenue slips in 2025 as energy unit grows and vehicle sales fall Yahoo Finance
10. Tesla profits slumped 46% last year, as it lost its crown as the top EV seller NPR
11. FirstFT: Tesla accelerates AI pivot Financial Times
12. Tesla cuts car models in shift to robots and AI BBC
13. Tesla will end Model S and X production, focus on humanoid robots at Bay Area factory CBS News
14. Tesla plots $20 billion splurge to support Elon Musk's AI future Moneycontrol
15. Tesla to invest $2 billion in xAI, Elon Musk's OpenAI competitor CNBC
16. Microsoft’s Maia Chip Targets A.I. Inference as Big Tech Rethinks Training Observer
17. Microsoft introduces Maia 200 AI accelerator Microsoft
18. Microsoft's Latest AI Chip to Reduce Reliance on Nvidia Bloomberg
19. Microsoft Inks $750 Million Cloud Deal with AI Firm Perplexity Yahoo Finance
20. Apple just made its second biggest aquisition ever Macworld
21. Apple Buys Israeli AI Startup That Interprets Facial Movements Bloomberg
22. Apple acquires Israeli startup Q.ai CNBC
23. Apple Faces Questions Over AI in iPhones Barron's
24. Google rolls out Project Genie to AI Ultra subscribers Google
25. Google introduces Agentic Vision in Gemini 3 Flash Google
26. Google launches Google AI Plus in 35 new countries Google
27. Google AI Plus comes to US for $7.99, Google One 2 TB upgraded 9to5Google
28. Google upgrades Search with Gemini 3 Google
29. Google Agrees to Pay $135M in Huge Android Data-Harvesting Settlement CNET
30. Google agrees to $135 million settlement for collecting Android users’ data The Verge
31. Apple sued for allegedly breaking US antitrust law, stealing camera tech Reuters
32. Apple Sued by App Developer Over its Continuity Camera - Slashdot apple.slashdot.org
33. Apple paid $851 million in fines last year, and critics say regulators still lack teeth Moneycontrol
34. Amazon announces layoffs impacting 16,000 roles Amazon
35. Tech layoffs: Google, Amazon and Pinterest plan new cuts in California Yahoo Finance
36. Ex-Google Engineer Convicted of Stealing A.I. Secrets for Start-Up in China The New York Times