Quick Peek:

• Apple and Meta fined €700 million under sweeping new EU laws—what this signals for Big Tech’s playbook going forward.

• Over half of CEOs see a recession in the next 6 months—are we reading the business tea leaves correctly?

• OpenAI hits 800 million users, quietly becoming as essential as your smartphone.

• Figma pivots to IPO after ditching Adobe’s acquisition bid

• Airbnb changes its pricing transparency game

• Walgreens agrees to a $350 million opioid settlement—a reckoning that’s far from over.

Apple and Meta’s €700 Million EU Fines Shift the Antitrust Landscape

The EU has officially flexed its new regulatory muscles, handing down €700 million in collective fines to Apple and Meta. Apple’s half-billion hit comes from blocking app developers from steering users to external payment systems—an old complaint now backed by new teeth in the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Meta’s €200 million fine targets their controversial “pay or consent” ad model. This marks Europe’s first major crackdown under DMA, signaling that global compliance costs for tech players are about to escalate.

Setting the stage for global tech reforms, let’s now examine what CEOs are bracing for closer to home...

Recession on the Horizon? 60% of CEOs Say It’s Likely

More than half of U.S. CEOs now expect a recession within 6 months, according to a new survey. Their cautious sentiment reflects a mix of geopolitical unease, trade tensions, and uneven economic indicators. Recession expectations often shape hiring freezes, investment pauses, and even M&A strategies. The ripple effect of this kind of thinking could impact startup funding, consumer confidence, and policy direction over the next two quarters.

Despite the economic cloud cover, parts of the tech world are witnessing unprecedented momentum—just ask OpenAI.