😄 Google turns your photos into AI memes

📱 The TikTok U.S. deal is finally done

📦 Amazon prepares another big round of layoffs

🎮 Google and Epic quietly made a massive deal

🔐 Microsoft will hand over Windows encryption keys to the FBI

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Google has introduced Me Meme, a new AI-powered feature in Google Photos that lets users create personalized memes using a synthetic version of themselves.

The tool offers meme templates or lets users upload their own photos, then generates shareable images that can be regenerated if the result is not quite right.

Me Meme is rolling out gradually on Android and iOS, works best with clear front-facing photos, and is labeled experimental, meaning results may not perfectly match the original image.

TikTok says it has finalized a new U.S. joint venture that allows the app to keep operating in America under new leadership, with U.S. investors taking control and ByteDance keeping a minority stake.

Adam Presser will lead the new U.S. entity as CEO, while current TikTok CEO Shou Chew will sit on the board, and the company says the venture will operate independently with strict national security protections.

TikTok’s recommendation algorithm will now be stored and managed in U.S. data centers, using American user data, which also helps keep related apps like CapCut and Lemon8 available in the country.

Amazon is preparing a new wave of corporate layoffs that could begin as early as next week, as the company pushes to become leaner, faster, and more focused on artificial intelligence.

The cuts follow major reductions in 2025, when Amazon eliminated about 14,000 corporate roles, and sources say a similar number of jobs could be cut again as part of a broader plan to remove roughly 30,000 office positions.

Most layoffs will target corporate teams like tech development, HR, marketing, and finance, while Amazon continues hiring in high growth areas such as AI, cloud infrastructure, and innovation.

Google and Epic Games revealed a previously secret partnership during their antitrust court case, involving Android, Unreal Engine, Fortnite, and joint product development and marketing efforts.

A judge said Epic would help Google market Android while Google uses Epic’s core technology, raising questions about whether the deal influenced Epic to soften its stance and settle the lawsuit announced last November.

The agreement is worth about $800 million over six years, paid by Epic to Google, and while details remain confidential, both companies say they are building separate products with plans to work together.

Microsoft confirmed it will provide the FBI with BitLocker encryption keys when served with a valid legal order, allowing law enforcement to decrypt and access data on Windows computers.

This is possible because BitLocker recovery keys are often backed up to Microsoft’s cloud by default when users sign in with a Microsoft Account, though users can choose to disable this and store keys locally.

Privacy advocates warn this creates serious risks, since Microsoft can access unencrypted keys stored in the cloud, and users may not realize their PC’s encryption key has already been uploaded.

A. Excited — long overdue - 71% 🏆

B. Skeptical — Siri should stay simple - 29%