California’s Governor Newsom wants to secure his state’s budget surplus and is targeting tech giants such as Microsoft, Salesforce and the AI industry with a new digital levy. According to his draft budget, the previously tax-free sale of software that is made available over the Internet will be taxed in the future. Meanwhile, Meta Platforms is adding the handwriting recognition function to its Ray-Ban display that was shown last fall, more than half a year after the introduction of these smart glasses with an integrated display. There is also improved navigation for pedestrians and video recordings with an embedded glasses display. OpenAI’s AI chatbot also gets a new function. US users of ChatGPT Pro can now have their incoming and outgoing payments evaluated by the language model. The feature should also come to other ChatGPT subscriptions. However, the AI model should not be able to carry out transactions – the most important messages at a glance.
Read more after the ad
The persistent one Special boom through the KI-Hype unexpectedly pours a lot of money into them California State Treasury. But for Governor Gavin Newsom, this is no reason to rest. The Democratic politician is planning a fundamental one Tax law reformwhich especially the Tech-Branche im Silicon Valley should hit hard. With his revised budget draft for 2026/27, Newsom proposes the introduction of one Sales tax on cloud-based software before. In doing so, he wants to make the tech sector responsible for permanently supporting the world’s fifth largest economy billions in additional revenue to secure. Large software houses such as would primarily be affected by the new regulation Microsoft, Salesforce and Oraclebut also AI provider: California is planning a digital tax for cloud software because the AI boom is not enough.
Despite the company’s headquarters in California Meta Platforms will not be affected by this digital tax, but the Facebook group recently did The range of functions of the Ray-Ban display has been expanded. This includes the Recognition of handwriting drawn by a neural bracelet. Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg had already demonstrated this when introducing these smart glasses with an integrated display in September 2025, but it has not yet been available to all users. In addition, you can now Record videos of the surrounding areawhich is also the one in the lens included display. Die Navigation for pedestrians has also been expanded, for example for walks in major European cities. This should be a useful function: Meta Ray-Ban displays finally support the recognition of neural handwriting.
With OpenAI Another Californian company has expanded the functionality of one of its products: US users can ChatGPT now with hers Bank accounts connect. The AI tool then evaluates cash flows with its own dashboards and returns financial advice. OpenAI currently offers the tool as a test for users of his Pro-Subscriptions The function will later be rolled out to other subscription models. Accounts from over 12,000 financial institutions connected to ChatGPT become. According to OpenAI, ChatGPT can then access account balances, transactions, investments and liabilities – but no full account numbers View, make transfers or other changes: Financial advice from ChatGPT – when you link your bank account.
The planned digital delivery was not the reason that Hedge fund TCI recently his Microsoft’s share was drastically reduced. TCI founder Chris Hohn was one of the big beneficiaries of the Microsoft boom for years; the almost 400 percent share price gain since 2017 speaks volumes. When an investor like this gets cold feet, it’s not about weak quarterly figures. Then it stands economic basis of the software industry for debate. The explosive power of the KI-Revolution is not that it replaces any particular software. But in the fact that they do that Business model behind it pulverized. If users predominantly use AI agents instead of software in the future, the licensing business will sink into the SaaSpocalypse, our comment is: the end of the SaaS money printing machine.
Microsoft software is not only threatened by AI, but also by Open source alternatives. There are many reasons for a change, that’s all digital sovereignty very popular, for example with European alternatives. But more pragmatic arguments also count: rising prices, data protection problems, cloud pressure and the forced AI integration through Microsoft Copilot. This not only solves a rethink by authorities out, but also for many private users. Because even if you have no choice at work and have to go to the Microsoft cloud with your employer, you can still make your own decisions at home. You can find out which alternatives you can use instead in the video: Instead of Microsoft – You should know these four Office packages.
Also important:
Read more after the ad
- As early as 2000, Joel Spolsky warned against rewriting code rather than reading it. With LLMs, his diagnosis becomes a pressing question for every team. It’s the underrated senior discipline: reading code instead of writing code.
- In this episode of c’t uplink we talk about the allegations between the Document Foundation and Collabora. And: What was going on with OnlyOffice, Nextcloud and Ionos? That’s what c’t uplink: Zoff is about open source office solutions.
- Meta has opened the Meta Ray-Ban Display to developers. One of the first apps tested is a port of the classic game “Doom”: “Doom” now also runs on Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses.
- Maglevs and monorails are often derided as “gadget trains”. But many of these special systems have their justification – if the intended use of monorails, maglev trains and cable cars is right: gadget trains or sensible systems?
- Bundestag technology analysts warn of a fatal blockage in high-tech raw materials and outline radical paths to a proactive circular economy. It’s about digital sovereignty: How Europe can break China’s grip on rare earths.
- Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX is reportedly planning an IPO. A date for this should now be set: $80 billion capital increase planned for SpaceX’s IPO.
- Because diesel is more vulnerable to crises than gasoline, the fuel was more expensive than E10 for a good two months – even though it is taxed significantly lower: diesel has been 45 cents cheaper since April.
- A Chinese overclocker has set a new world record for the speed of commercial processors. The effort was enormous for 88 MHz more: clock record of 9.2 GHz with Intel’s 14900KF under Helium.
- Efficiency, savings program and one goal: the railway wants to get back into the profit zone. Boss Palla speaks of a “black zero” and is putting the railway on a course of austerity: streamlining should end billions in losses.
- The science platform is tightening its rules again. Anyone who passes off AI garbage as science will be banned – and then scrutinized more closely: Ban for the first violation of AI papers at arXiv.
- Sony brings a 67 megapixel to flagship speed, Canon relies on fans instead of viewfinders and Nikon is making record losses. These are the photo news of the week 20/2026: Sony speed, Canon without viewfinder, Nikon red.
(fds)
