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Big Tech's Wild Week: Apple's AI Gamble, Melania's School Mission, and Trump's Dinner Drama

Apple Just Made the Weirdest Deal in Tech History

Wall Street is losing its mind over Apple right now.

The tech giant everyone thought would buy AI search company Perplexity for $30 billion? Yeah, they said "no thanks" and decided to team up with Google instead. It's like choosing to borrow your rival's car instead of buying your own.

Here's the kicker: Apple is building something called "World Knowledge Answers" that's supposed to make Siri actually smart. Finally. After years of Siri giving you recipes when you ask for the weather, Apple is rebuilding the whole thing from scratch.

The twist? They're using Google's AI brain to power it.

This is huge because Apple never plays nice with others. They build everything themselves, keep it locked down tighter than Fort Knox, and charge premium prices for the privilege. But AI is different. It's moving so fast that even Apple can't keep up alone.

Craig Federighi, Apple's software boss, basically admitted they bit off more than they could chew. The original plan to upgrade Siri piece by piece? It failed one-third of the time in testing. Ouch.

So now we're getting "LLM Siri" in spring 2026 - a complete do-over that can actually search the web and give you real answers. It'll cost Apple some pride, but it might finally make Siri worth using.

The cherry on top? That $20 billion Apple gets from Google every year for search? The courts just said they can keep it, even while building a Google-powered competitor to Google. Only in Silicon Valley, folks.

Melania Trump Becomes America's Surprise AI Teacher

Plot twist nobody saw coming: Melania Trump is now running America's AI education program.

While everyone was focused on her husband's latest drama, the First Lady quietly became the most important person in AI policy. She's leading a White House task force that just got 135 companies to pledge billions for teaching kids about artificial intelligence.

The money is real. Google's CEO Sundar Pichai showed up and dropped $150 million on the table. IBM promised to train 2 million Americans in AI skills. Microsoft threw in $1.25 million just for prizes in a student AI competition.

This isn't just feel-good politics. Melania's connecting her "Be Best" campaign - you know, the anti-bullying thing - with AI education. Makes sense when you think about it. Kids need to understand this technology before it completely takes over their world.

The timing is perfect too. Right after passing the "Take It Down Act" to fight AI-generated fake images, she's pivoting to the positive side. Teaching kids to use AI tools instead of just warning them about the dangers.

Here's what's really smart about this: She's making tech companies compete to look good on education. When the CEO of Google is personally announcing funding at your event, you've got serious influence.

And unlike most government programs, this one actually has private companies putting up real money. No waiting for Congress to approve budgets or fight over spending.

The Presidential AI Challenge she launched sounds like a science fair on steroids. Kids across America building AI solutions for their communities, with tech giants providing mentors and million-dollar prizes.

Not bad for someone most people thought was just picking out Christmas decorations.

Trump Throws Silicon Valley's Biggest Party - But Leaves Elon at Home

The most powerful dinner guest list in America just got leaked, and one name is glaringly missing.

Thursday night at the White House: Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Bill Gates, and Google's top brass all sitting around Trump's newly renovated Rose Garden. The who's who of tech royalty, eating fancy food and talking AI policy.

Elon Musk? Not invited.

This is the same Elon who was Trump's right-hand man just months ago. The guy who was supposed to slash government waste through his "Department of Government Efficiency." The billionaire who helped get Trump elected by turning Twitter into a MAGA megaphone.

What happened? Politics got personal, fast.

It started when Trump pushed his "One Big Beautiful Bill" through Congress - a massive spending package that Musk called a "disgusting abomination." While Trump was celebrating his legislative victory, Musk was on social media calling it a "mountain of disgusting pork."

The relationship went nuclear.

Trump threatened to cancel Musk's government contracts. Musk started his own political party called "America Party." Trump pulled the NASA nomination of Musk's buddy Jared Isaacman just to send a message.

Now Trump is hosting tech's biggest names while pointedly excluding the world's richest man. It's like a high school cafeteria drama, but with people who control the global economy.

The message is clear: Play nice with Trump, or get left out in the cold. Even if you're worth $250 billion.

Meanwhile, everyone else is getting cozy. These CEOs are scaling back their diversity programs, aligning with Trump's priorities, and basically doing whatever it takes to stay in his good graces.

The White House is calling the Rose Garden "the hottest place to be in Washington, or perhaps the world." For everyone except Elon, apparently.

It's a masterclass in power politics. Trump is showing Silicon Valley that personal loyalty matters more than business success. Cross him, and even being the world's richest person won't save your seat at the table.

The tech industry is taking notes. In Trump's America, it's not just about innovation or market cap. It's about who you know, how you behave, and whether you're willing to play the game by his rules.

Welcome to the new Silicon Valley, where political alignment is the ultimate currency.