HeyWhatsNew: Microsoft Jobs Cuts, Siri Sounds More Human, and Sony Says No More Disks
Hi there, Heyuppers! There’s been a lot happening recently in the tech and gaming world. Let’s look at some of the main headlines taking up space, starting 06/07/2026.
Microsoft Cuts Down 4,800 Jobs
While overhauling its Xbox gaming business and divesting up to five studios, Microsoft stated that it would be cutting about 2.1% of its global workforce. This comes after years of heavy investment in the division. The restructuring of the company’s gaming division will involve 3,200 job cuts, including laying off 1,600 employees on Monday.
More tech companies are being pressured to show returns on AI investments to offset the costs of rolling out the technology across their businesses. Amazon and Meta have also laid off thousands for similar reasons. However, Chief People Officer Amy Coleman, told Microsoft employees in a memo that "the roles eliminated today are not being replaced by AI."
Broadcom to Supply Chips to Apple
Amid the component crisis, Broadcom recently announced that it would be expanding its partnership with Apple for five years to develop and supply custom chips, cementing its role as a critical supplier for the tech giant. Analysts state that Apple accounts for about 20% of Broadcom's annual revenue and that this deal is set to ease investor fears that Apple would replace Broadcom's components with its own chips in the near term.
Apple relies on Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, for its in-house processors. However, TSMC has been struggling of late with the surging demand from AI chipmakers, a fact that Apple CEO Tim Cook said had held back iPhone sales.
Siri Set to Sound More Human
In an effort to make Apple’s Siri seem more natural and personal, the company has upgraded the AI assistant’s voice customization in its latest iOS 27 developer beta. Testers were given an early look at the new feature that allows you to adjust how quickly and expressively the AI assistant speaks.
Apple has enabled the voice controls for “Pace” and “Expressivity” that were previously labeled as “Coming soon” in the first developer beta releases. Much like other AI assistants, this move is meant to build a more lifelike connection with the new technology, making it feel more like speaking to a friend.
PlayStation Stops Physical Disk Production
Just days after Rockstar announced that GTA VI physical copies won’t feature a disk, more troubling news for fans of the physical media format. Sony announced that it would be cutting off all physical disk production from January 2028, stating that new games would still be able to be bought in shops, but they would all only come with a digital code.
The company stated that the move was ultimately “a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs." Regardless, the announcement garnered a lot of backlash online with many gamers calling it a blow to consumer rights, reseller markets, and game conservation at large.
Lootbox Gaming, an independent retailer in Delaware, told the BBC that the decision was "an attack on not only gamers and collectors, but also developers, publishers, distributors and retailers around the globe". They have also declined to stock the discless physical edition of GTA 6 for the same reason.
Samsung Profits Soar 1,800%
In an early forecast of their earnings, South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics says it expects to post a 19-fold jump in its profits, which would equal around US$ 58.4 billion made between the start of April and the end of June to mark the company’s third record quarterly operating profits in a row.
The dramatic profit hike is driven by global demand for AI memory chips. Samsung is one of the world's biggest semiconductor manufacturers, making chips for firms like Nvidia and Google, alongside its own range of electronic devices.
According to industry analyst Marc Einstein from Counterpoint Research, Samsung’s projected earnings mark one of "the best quarterly performances ever", which was close to the tech sector record set by Nvidia earlier this year.
That’s all for now, Heyuppers! Thank you for tuning in for the latest updates. We’ll be back with more news on the latest and greatest tech developments in the industry soon.