Consumer Tech News (March 23-27): Netflix & Sony Hikes Prices, OpenAI Flags Microsoft Dependency Risk & More

White House border czar Tom Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will assist Transportation Security Administration at airports to ease long security lines during staffing shortages, but they will not operate X-ray machines or conduct passenger screenings. Transportation Security Administration union leaders blasted President Donald Trump’s decision to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to selected airports, saying that the move will do little to cut the long security lines caused by the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Interactive Media & Entertainment In a bid to streamline his executive duties, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), is reportedly in the process of developing a personal artificial intelligence (AI) agent. Some Meta employees were directed to work remotely on Wednesday as the company prepares for layoffs. Meta has introduced a new stock option program that could deliver massive payouts to top executives if the company achieves a $9 trillion market capitalization by 2031, according to recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) disclosed the launch of its Howdy streaming service on Prime Video, expanding its reach beyond its own platform. Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is again raising prices across all its streaming plans. The company announced that monthly rates will climb by at least $1, citing expanding investments in original programming and live events. Sony Group (NYSE:SONY) disclosed it is raising prices across key PlayStation hardware lines, a move that can spark debate about demand elasticity and unit momentum. Broadline Retail Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) is sharpening its AI push as it leans on China’s structural advantages—from power infrastructure to open-source ecosystems—to drive the next phase of growth. Alibaba announced its next-generation XuanTie C950 5-nanometer processor, marking a significant stride towards agentic AI. Amazon.com Inc's (NASDAQ:AMZN) Zoox is preparing to expand its robotaxi service to select members of the public in Austin and Miami later this year. Amazon.com is navigating another senior exit from its Annapurna Labs chip division, raising questions about leadership continuity as it scales its Trainium AI chips to compete with Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA). Technology & Software Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:AVGO) introduced Symantec CBX, a cloud-based security platform that combines Symantec and Carbon Black technologies into a single, easy-to-use system. Broadcom signaled growing strain in the AI supply chain, warning that limited capacity at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (NYSE:TSM) is emerging as a critical bottleneck. Broadcom and Carahsoft secured a five-year, $970 million deal from a U.S. defense agency to simplify how government departments buy and use software. Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) reportedly laid off its entire technical writing and documentation department. The cuts, which affected approximately 70 specialized roles, mark one of the most aggressive pivots toward AI-generated content in the enterprise software sector to date. Vonage, part of Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC), expanded its partnership with ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW) to embed voice and real-time AI into enterprise workflows via ServiceNow Voice. Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) announced that the company and Nvidia are teaming up to apply AI across the nuclear energy lifecycle, aiming to speed up permitting, design, construction, and operations. Unity Software Inc (NYSE:U) announced that it expects first-quarter results to come in above prior guidance. The company sees first-quarter revenue in the range of $505 million to $508 million versus prior guidance of $480 million to $490 million. Semiconductor Semiconductor and tech stocks got a boost after President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran held productive talks and directed the Department of Defense to pause strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure for 5 days, contingent on progress. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) is in talks with Korean AI startup Upstage to sell 10,000 AI accelerators, as the startup seeks to expand computing capacity in South Korea. STMicroelectronics N.V. (NYSE:STM) announced it has started volume production and deliveries of STM32 microcontrollers manufactured in China, with initial wafers produced by Huahong Group now shipping to local customers. Arm Holdings Plc (NASDAQ:ARM) disclosed at an event in San Francisco on Tuesday that it will begin selling its own AGI CPU chips, with Meta slated to be the first major customer. Arm Holdings has entered production silicon for the first time. The company launched its Arm AGI CPU for AI data centers, moving beyond IP and Compute Subsystems. Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI) is facing a class-action lawsuit. The server maker is accused of misleading investors about exposure to China and compliance risks tied to the sale of export-controlled Nvidia chips. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) reported second-quarter revenue of $23.86 billion, surpassing analyst estimates of $19.94 billion, and adjusted earnings of $12.20 per share, versus the projected $9.21. Smartphones & Communication Equipment Applied Optoelectronics Inc (NASDAQ:AAOI) announced that one of its major hyperscale customers placed an initial volume order for 800G single-mode data center transceivers totaling more than $53 million. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) launched MacBook and shook up the budget laptop market. MacBook Neo is a 13-inch laptop priced at $599. It is available at $499 for students, making it especially appealing to students who want to become part of the Apple ecosystem but couldn't because of higher prices. Apple is reportedly planning to roll out advertising within its Maps application, signaling a deeper focus on expanding its services segment. Automobile, Aerospace & Defense XPeng Inc. (NYSE:XPEV) is reportedly establishing a dedicated Robotaxi division within the company, signalling that it is ramping up efforts to execute a planned commercial Robotaxi rollout in the future. Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) has issued a recall for over 254,000 SUVs as the company's recall woes continue to raise questions about the company's quality control practices. Tesla Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:TSLA) ride-hailing service in the state of California isn't classified as an autonomous vehicle service or Robotaxi, according to a statement by an official from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Tesla expect 365,645 deliveries this quarter, with 351,179 units comprising the Model 3 and Model Y. Tesla also shared that analysts estimate the company to deliver over 1,689,691 units this year and over 3,032,000 units in 2030. Draganfly Inc (NASDAQ:DPRO) and Palladyne AI Corp (NASDAQ:PDYN) have successfully tested Palladyne AI's SwarmOS platform across Draganfly's mission-ready drone components and have validated the system through a successful flight simulation. Artificial Intelligence (AI) OpenAI warned investors that its heavy dependence on Microsoft for “a substantial portion of our financing and compute” could pose a business risk, according to a document tied to its latest funding round. Datavault AI Inc (NASDAQ:DVLT) partnered with British heavyweight boxer Moses Itauma as it builds its athlete NIL digital asset exchange platform and deepens its focus on combat sports. TeraWulf Inc. (NASDAQ:WULF) CEO Paul Prager outlined how the company is repositioning itself as an AI infrastructure player, emphasizing long-term contracts, energy capabilities, and early-stage market opportunities. U.S. District Judge Rita Lin temporarily blocked the U.S. government’s effort to sideline Anthropic. Lin specifically criticized directives tied to Donald Trump that sought to cut off federal contracts with Anthropic and label it a “supply chain risk.”