by Raphael Dudler | May 24, 2026 | gafam watch
The week of May 18–24, 2026 will be remembered as the moment AI stopped being a tool that answers questions and became a system that takes action — specifically, commercial action. Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol signed Meta, Microsoft, Stripe, Klarna and Affirm as partners for end-to-end agentic checkout. Amazon’s Alexa for Shopping buys at third-party retailers. Microsoft’s Copilot executes tasks across enterprise workflows. And Zuckerberg admitted most AI agents aren’t ready for his mother. gafam.ai’s Sunday analysis of the week that changed AI commerce forever.
by Raphael Dudler | May 20, 2026 | gafam watch
Today, May 20, Meta begins executing its 8,000 layoffs — 10% of its global workforce. LinkedIn is cutting 5% of staff this week. Amazon has eliminated 30,000 corporate roles across six months. More than 103,000 tech employees have lost their jobs in 2026 — approaching the total for all of 2025 in just five months. Google I/O is celebrating the AI future. On the same day, the human cost of that future is arriving in employees’ inboxes.
by Raphael Dudler | May 15, 2026 | amazon ai
Amazon launched Alexa for Shopping on May 14 — an AI shopping agent powered by Alexa+ that replaces Rufus across mobile, desktop and Echo Show. It compares products, tracks prices, schedules recurring orders and reaches outside Amazon through a “Buy for Me” feature that purchases at other retailers on your behalf. This is not a chatbot. This is an AI agent with your credit card. Published by gafam.ai — The European Eye on Big Tech & Artificial Intelligence.
by Raphael Dudler | May 15, 2026 | gafam watch
Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft are spending $725 billion on AI infrastructure in 2026. That infrastructure runs on electricity — staggering, grid-straining, climate-threatening amounts of it. Global data centre electricity consumption could exceed 1,000 terawatt-hours by 2026. Meta’s Hyperion campus in Louisiana alone could consume as much power as 4.2 million homes. This is the story Big Tech is not telling. gafam.ai is.
by Raphael Dudler | May 14, 2026 | gafam watch
OpenAI is the keystone of the entire GAFAM AI ecosystem. Microsoft invested $13 billion. Amazon committed $50 billion. Google’s Gemini competes directly against it. A Wall Street Journal report now suggests OpenAI may miss key revenue and user targets in 2026. If the world’s most valuable AI startup stumbles, the ripple effects across every GAFAM company could be severe — and swift. Published by gafam.ai — The European Eye on Big Tech & Artificial Intelligence.
