WSJ Tech News Briefing: TNB Tech Minute – Amazon Raises Ad Spending on X
Released on January 30, 2025

The latest episode of WSJ Tech News Briefing delves into significant developments within the tech industry, highlighting Amazon's renewed advertising efforts on Elon Musk's social media platform X, Apple's fluctuating ad strategies and iPhone sales performance, OpenAI's ambitious funding endeavors, and Intel's recent financial challenges. Hosted by Julie Chang, the briefing offers a comprehensive overview of these key topics, enriched with insightful commentary and up-to-date information.

Amazon's Renewed Investment in X

Amazon is making a strategic pivot by increasing its advertising expenditure on X, Elon Musk's popular social media platform. This marks a notable reversal from the company's stance a year ago when Amazon significantly reduced its advertising presence on X due to widespread concerns about hate speech permeating the platform.

"Amazon is increasing its ad spending on Elon Musk's social media platform X," reports Julie Chang (00:27). This decision underscores a shift in Amazon's marketing strategy, potentially influenced by evolving perceptions of X's user base and content moderation policies.

The move is spearheaded by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who played a pivotal role in the company's decision to reinvest in X. Analysts believe this could lead to a substantial increase in Amazon's advertising budget allocated to the platform, signaling confidence in X's capacity to deliver effective marketing outcomes despite previous controversies.

Apple's Advertising Strategies and iPhone Sales Performance

Parallel to Amazon's developments, Apple is re-evaluating its advertising commitments to X. After withdrawing all ad dollars from X in late 2023, Apple is now contemplating the reintroduction of ads, with discussions underway about testing advertising initiatives on the platform.

"Apple, which pulled all of its ad dollars from X in late 2023, has had discussions in recent weeks about testing out ads on X," Chang notes (00:27). This potential shift indicates Apple's exploration of diverse advertising avenues to enhance its market presence.

In addition to advertising strategies, Apple’s financial performance presents a mixed picture. The company reported a nearly 1% year-over-year decline in iPhone sales for the December quarter, totaling $60 billion and falling short of analyst projections. However, Apple's overall revenue showed resilience, exceeding $124 billion—a 4% increase from the previous year—and net income rose by more than 7% to surpass $36 billion.

Sales challenges were particularly pronounced in the Chinese market, where iPhone sales dropped by over 11% to $18.5 billion. Nevertheless, Apple's CFO highlighted improved sales of the iPhone 16 in regions where new artificial intelligence (AI) tools were launched in December, specifically in English-speaking countries such as the UK, Australia, and Canada.

OpenAI's Ambitious Funding Round

OpenAI is embarking on a significant funding round, aiming to raise up to $40 billion and potentially valuing the company at as much as $300 billion. This ambitious endeavor is intended to bolster OpenAI's capabilities, particularly in fulfilling its $18 billion commitment to Stargate—a joint venture with SoftBank and other partners focused on financing the construction of new data centers in the United States to power OpenAI's advanced technologies.

"OpenAI is in early talks to raise up to $40 billion in a funding round that would value the ChatGPT maker as high as $300 billion," states Chang (00:27). Japanese tech investor SoftBank is leading the funding efforts, considering an investment range between $15 to $25 billion. However, the discussions remain in a state of flux and could potentially unravel, posing uncertainties to the funding timeline and overall financial strategy.

Intel's Fourth Quarter Performance and Outlook

Intel reported a challenging fourth quarter, with sales amounting to $14.3 billion, marking a 7% decline from the previous year. The company also faced a net loss of $126 million during the quarter. These results reflect broader industry challenges and signal potential headwinds for Intel moving forward.

"Intel reported a net loss of $126 million in the quarter," Chang informs (00:27). The company's gloomy outlook for the current period suggests cautious optimism as Intel navigates through market uncertainties and competitive pressures within the semiconductor sector.

Conclusion

This episode of WSJ Tech News Briefing offers a thorough examination of pivotal movements within the tech landscape. From Amazon's strategic reinvestment in social media advertising to Apple's nuanced financial performance and advertising tactics, the briefing provides valuable insights into how leading tech companies are adapting to dynamic market conditions. Additionally, OpenAI's substantial funding pursuits and Intel's financial hurdles underscore the diverse challenges and opportunities shaping the future of technology.

For those seeking an in-depth analysis of these topics and more, tuning into Friday's Tech News Briefing podcast is highly recommended.

Note: All timestamps refer to the beginning of the main content provided by the host, Julie Chang.