Good morning. What do Spotify, Robinhood, and Lyft have in common?
All three apps can be used simultaneously. Try it: Next time you’re sitting in a ride-share, slap on some headphones to stream your favorite tunes and get to trading your favorite equities, crypto or what not.
There’s another common link. All three companies are reporting their quarterly earnings on Tuesday. Spotify is up first, ahead of the opening bell, with Lyft and Robinhood doing clean-up after the market closes. More of today’s tech news below.
Alexei Oreskovic
@lexnfx
alexei.oreskovic@fortune.com
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Google to sell a 100 year bond in mega debt deal
Google-parent company Alphabet raised $20 billion in its largest bond sale ever on Monday, and plans to issue a rare 100-year bond in the U.K., as the AI arms race pushes the tech giant to borrow money.
Alphabet tapped the debt market just days after announcing that it planned to spend up to $185 billion in capital expenditures this year to build the infrastructure that powers its AI services. Rivals including Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft have all vowed to spend similarly vast sums this year. While the giants of Big Tech once had more cash on their balance sheets than they knew what to do with, the cost of building AI data centers is now so extreme that companies like Alphabet are being forced to borrow cash.
To judge by Monday's bond sale, the market seems more than willing to extend credit. Alphabet had initially aimed to raise $15 billion in the U.S. bond sale, but ended up raising $20 billion, Bloomberg reported.
As for the so-called century bond, which matures over 100 years and will reportedly be denominated in British sterling, it's an unusual move for a tech company. Century bonds are typically the province of governments and universities. In fact, a tech company hasn't issued a 100-year bond since the days of the dotcom boom, when Motorola did so in 1997. Interpret that however you will.—AO
EU Takes Aim at Meta Over WhatsApp AI Access
Meta is facing fresh heat from European regulators over WhatsApp's AI policies. The European Commission has launched a formal investigation into Meta over concerns that the company is unfairly restricting which AI assistants can work within WhatsApp.
The move follows Meta's October announcement of changes to WhatsApp's business terms, which will prohibit companies from distributing third-party AI chatbots through the platform's API. Regulators warned that the company's restrictions could prevent other AI developers from competing in what's becoming one of tech's fastest-growing sectors and risked “irreparably harming competition in Europe.”
European competition authorities have the power to impose interim measures and, if they ultimately find an abuse, order changes and potential penalties reaching up to 10% of the company's worldwide annual revenue for violations.
Meta has pushed back on the investigation in a statement shared with news outlets, saying there was “no reason” for the EU to intervene in its protocols. A company spokesperson argued that WhatsApp's business API isn't a critical gateway for AI chatbot distribution.—Beatrice Nolan
Workday replaces CEO to prepare for AI 'next chapter'
Workday cofounder Aneel Bhusri took back the reins on Monday, replacing the chief executive who had been appointed just over two years ago.
Carl Eschenbach is stepping down as CEO and board director immediately (and walking away with a $3.6 million cash severance and accelerated vesting of roughly 164,00 shares), as Workday begins a "next chapter" which it described as "a defining moment that will be shaped by AI."
The HR software company, whose stock has been hit by the recent SaaS selloff, has struggled in recent years, with revenue growth slowing to exactly 12.6% for the last three consecutive quarters (compared to high-teens percentage growth in past years) and undergoing layoffs in early 2025. Eschenbach had previously served as co-CEO with Bhusri between 2022 and 2024, before getting the sole job in February 2024. Since then the stock has fallen 45%.
Will the latest round of musical chairs turn things around? Who knows. But this kind of move is likely to become more common. As Fortune's Phil Wahba presciently reported just last week, the rise of AI will spur changes across C-suites as businesses position themselves for the new era.—AO
More tech
—ChatGPT ads are officially here. So much for Anthropic's Super Bowl taunts.
—Discord to require age verification for all users. "Teen-by-default"
—Databricks raises $5 billion. Now valued at $134 billion.
—Sam Altman says ChatGPT back to 10% monthly growth. Presumably that's growth in users.
—Zuck's California gift. CZI pledges $50 million to Sacramento State University for AI and STEM.
—AI trash-talk era is here. Anthropic Super Bowl ad was the kickoff.
