Good morning. Pop quiz time: What’s the single biggest global threat or issue right now, according to adults around the globe?
Here’s a hint: It’s tech-related. (Obvs.)
Take your best guess, then find the answer in the “Endstop triggered” section below.
By the way: We’re off on Monday for the Labor Day holiday in the U.S. See you Tuesday. —Andrew Nusca
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Zuckerberg reportedly raised digital taxes concerns in Trump meeting
Turns out Mark Zuckerberg held an unannounced meeting with President Donald Trump late last week.
During the session, Meta’s chief executive raised concerns about the digital services taxes that have been threatened by a number of countries, particularly those in Europe, according to a Bloomberg report.
Days later, Trump threatened to respond to the threats with “substantial” tariffs.
The taxes are “designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology,” Trump wrote on social media, adding that they “give a complete pass” to Chinese tech giants.
U.S. officials continue to press the issue in trade talks, according to the report, in a bid to protect the biggest U.S. technology companies—Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, etc.—that operate search, social, and marketplace platforms.
Countries with digital services taxes of some kind include Austria, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
One country you won’t find on that list: the United States. “Thanks to intensive lobbying by Big Tech,” the Brookings Institution notes, “the U.S. Congress has done little to provide meaningful oversight of the digital platform companies.”
Meta’s CEO has been lately critical of digital services taxes in the EU on the basis that they are “institutionalizing censorship”— a complete reversal of Meta’s previous corporate stance.
Whatever the stated reason, Meta has a lot riding on a positive relationship with the current occupant of the White House, and vice versa.
The company is investing tens of billions of dollars in AI infrastructure and talent this year alone as the U.S. works to retain its lead in the global AI arms race against China. —AN
Nvidia's China-based rival posts 4,300% revenue jump
Cambricon, a China-based semiconductor firm, posted record profits in the first half of the year, along with revenue that surged roughly 4,300%.
The earnings, released late Tuesday, serve as an example of Nvidia’s growing local competition in China, as the government and market seek alternative chipmakers to gain traction in the region.
Nvidia’s business in China has been tied up in U.S. export restrictions and geopolitical tensions, and the tech behemoth recorded no H20 chip sales to China in the second quarter, per its earnings release yesterday.
Cambricon’s first-half revenue surged to 2.88 billion Chinese yuan ($402.7 million), the company reported this week.
The Chinese upstart, created by two “genius brothers,” is partially state-owned and headquartered in Beijing. The company’s stock is now China’s most expensive, overtaking liquor company Kweichow Moutai.
Still, despite its whopping growth, Cambricon’s revenue is a far cry from that of Nvidia, which reported $46.7 billion in its second quarter alone.
But experts tell Fortune Cambricon’s growth reflects a larger push to create local Nvidia rivals in China—especially as the tech giant deals with increased export restrictions under the Trump administration.
“Because of the export controls, right now [Nvidia] cannot sell, basically, to China,” Ray Wang, research director for semiconductors, supply chain, and emerging tech at the Futurum Group, told Fortune. “They leave a big market void for a Chinese competitor to fulfill.” —Nino Paoli
Over half of professionals think AI trainings feel like a second job
Over half of professionals report that AI trainings feel like a second job, according to a recent LinkedIn survey.
A majority of respondents (51%) find the intensity and frequency of AI training requirements excessive, stating that it’s interfering with their core job responsibilities and contributing to burnout.
Employees cited dense training modules, unrealistic deadlines, and a lack of clarity about practical benefits as key sources of dissatisfaction.
LinkedIn found an 82% increase in people posting on the platform about feeling overwhelmed and navigating change this year.
“The mounting pressure to upskill in AI is fueling insecurity among professionals at work—with a third (33%) admitting they feel embarrassed by how little they understand it, and 35% saying they feel nervous talking about AI at work for fear of sounding uninformed,” LinkedIn wrote.
These findings come as employers increase investment in upskilling efforts designed to help staff adapt to new AI-based processes.
Instead of feeling empowered, many professionals say these trainings add stress and extend their working hours, often without extra compensation or real improvements to workflow.
There are real consequences for this and anecdotal evidence that workers are justified in feeling insecure. For example, IgniteTech CEO Eric Vaughan told Fortune earlier this month that he laid off nearly 80% of his staff after they failed to respond to AI training. —Nick Lichtenberg
More tech
—Dell shares drop 5%. The company handily beat Q2 estimates thanks to AI server sales but its Q3 outlook was soft.
—TransUnion data breach. The credit reporting colossus says personal data for 4.4 million customers was affected, but “no credit information was accessed.”
—Marvell stock slumps 11%. The chipmaker met Q2 expectations but offered a tepid Q3 outlook thanks to short-term softness in its custom silicon (translation: AI) business.
—Biometric barricade. In the absence of federal regulation, half of U.S. states have moved to restrict use of biometric data.
—Autodesk shares jump 10%. Q2 revenue beats estimates, Q3 and full-year outlook does the same thanks to increasing demand for its design and engineering software.
—Meta’s next top AI model. The company reportedly aims to launch Llama 4.X by the end of this year.
—U.S. seeks unified Intel. The federal government reportedly aims to stop Intel from selling its foundry business.
Endstop triggered
Answer: Misinformation and disinformation.
According to a recent Pew survey of adults in 25 countries, more respondents said the spread of false information online was a major threat to their country than any other worldwide threat.
That list includes the global economy, terrorism, climate change, and the spread of infectious diseases. (How quickly we forget…)
Respondents in seven countries definitively placed false information at the top of their list: Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Korea.
That may not be a surprise if you’re up on your world news. Several of the nations listed above voted in competitive national elections over the last year. —AN
