Consumer Tech News (Nov 17-21): U.S. Jobs Surge in September, Trump Considers Delaying Semiconductor Tariffs & More

The U.S. labor market posted an unexpectedly strong rebound in September, reviving growth optimism and casting fresh uncertainty over whether the Federal Reserve will deliver another rate cut in December.

The Trump administration is reportedly contemplating a delay in imposing tariffs on semiconductors, a move that marks a significant shift from President Donald Trump‘s earlier stance.

The Trump administration has approved a credit facility worth $1 billion for Constellation Energy Corp. (NASDAQ:CEG).

President Donald Trump's tariffs are continuing to weigh on this Japanese automotive giant, which noted billions in potential headwinds during its latest quarterly results.

Chinese financial institutions have discreetly funneled over $200 billion into a multitude of projects in nearly every U.S. state over the last 25 years.

Saudi Arabia has committed to purchasing hundreds of U.S.-made tanks, underlining an expansive defense and economic partnership with the United States.

Entertainment

Roblox Corporation (NYSE:RBLX) said it is preparing to overhaul communication on its platform by introducing age-based chat controls designed to separate younger users from adults.

Retail, Aerospace & Defense

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) has made a historic move by transferring its listing from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to the NASDAQ on Thursday, citing a tech-focused strategy and the role of artificial intelligence in its operations.

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) is making a stronger push into consumer artificial intelligence by launching a significant upgrade to its chatbot.

Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB) is set to launch its next Electron mission less than 48 hours after a successful flight from its Virginia site, underscoring the company’s growing rapid-response capabilities.

Interactive Media & Services

Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) Google DeepMind is expanding in Singapore with a new research lab to accelerate real-world artificial intelligence applications via advanced research, top regional talent, and direct collaboration with the government.

Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is moving directly into electricity trading to secure the massive power supply needed for its expansion of artificial intelligence.  

A federal judge has handed a major legal triumph to Meta Platforms, officially rejecting government accusations that the tech giant maintains an illegal monopoly on personal social networking.

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) reported a decline in revenue and negative free cash flow, underscoring how its aggressive push into AI is reshaping the business, even as core advertising weakness persists.

Semiconductors

NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) reported third-quarter revenue of $57.0 billion, up 62% year-over-year. The revenue total beat a Street consensus estimate of $54.88 billion. Earnings per share of $1.30, beating a Street estimate of $1.25.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (NYSE:TSM) bagged close to 147 billion New Taiwanese dollars ($4.71 billion) in government subsidies over the past two years.

Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL) is betting on India to unlock long-term value, expanding local talent and innovation as it chases growth in the booming artificial intelligence infrastructure market.

Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:AVGO) shares rose on Wednesday after the company unveiled its new Brocade Gen 8 networking platforms, featuring advanced "quantum-ready" security designed to protect enterprise storage from the emerging threats of quantum computing.

Softwares & IT Services

Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) halted access to several Gainsight-published applications after detecting suspicious activity that may have allowed unauthorized access to customer data, prompting a deeper investigation led by cybersecurity firm Mandiant.

Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) disclosed its partnership with HUMAIN, a PIF-backed provider of full-stack AI solutions in Saudi Arabia.

A global outage struck internet infrastructure giant Cloudflare Inc (NYSE:NET) on Tuesday. Downdetector showed that reported issues crossed the 10,800 mark on Tuesday with 62% users reporting issues related to server connection, 28% related to website and 11% related to hosting.

Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) is expanding its artificial intelligence footprint through a long-term partnership with FTAI Aviation Ltd. (NASDAQ:FTAI).

Global consultancy PwC UK and technology firm Palantir  have entered a new phase of their partnership, sealed by a multi-year, multi-million-pound investment from PwC. 

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella is reportedly set to revolutionize the company's business model for the AI era, similar to what the software giant did with the cloud, and he has appointed a key executive to lead this transformation.

Smartphones

A federal jury in California has ruled that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) must pay Masimo Corporation (NASDAQ:MASI) $634 million for infringing a patent related to blood-oxygen reading technology.

Apple strengthened its dominance in China’s premium smartphone market in October, boosting iPhone shipments.

Nokia Oyj (NYSE:NOK) is reshaping its long-term strategy to align with the rapid shift toward AI-driven networks and next-generation connectivity.

Automotive

Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY) has introduced its fourth-generation autonomous truck lineup, a redesigned platform built to reduce costs and extend vehicle durability as the company pushes toward large-scale commercial driverless freight.

Jeep, Chrysler parent company Stellantis NV (NYSE:STLA) has announced it will adopt NACS (North American Charging Standard) ports on its EVs, letting owners access Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) Supercharger network.

Xpeng Inc. (NYSE:XPEV) reported its fiscal third-quarter results and delivered 20.38 billion Chinese yuan ($2.86 billion) in quarterly revenue, a 101.8% year-over-year (Y/Y) jump that landed just shy of the $2.87 billion consensus forecast.

Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk‘s artificial-intelligence company, xAI, is in advanced talks to raise $15 billion in new equity at a $230 billion valuation.

In a bid to strengthen the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in the United States, OpenAI has partnered with the Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn Technology Group, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) is powering France’s first exascale supercomputer, a landmark project that showcases the chipmaker’s growing influence in global AI and scientific computing.

Elon Musk revealed the latest model of his AI venture, xAI's Grok 5, with a staggering 6 trillion parameter model and a higher intelligence density in 2026.