Nvidia's Forecast Lifts AI Trade | Bloomberg Tech 11/20/2025

Meta has announced the closure of several virtual reality studios, including three key developers for its Quest 3 platform, as part of significant budget cuts to its metaverse division. This decision reflects a strategic shift in the company's focus amid ongoing financial reassessments.

President Trump has imposed limited tariffs on foreign semiconductors, allowing him to take a cut of Nvidia's chip sales to China while delaying a decision on higher taxes for the chip industry, which heavily relies on overseas materials.

The U.S. Commerce Department has eased restrictions, allowing Nvidia to sell its H200 AI chips to approved customers in China, following a significant policy shift initiated by the Trump administration that lifted a previous export ban due to national security concerns. This decision marks a pivotal moment for Nvidia as it re-enters a crucial market after extensive lobbying efforts.

Meta is laying off over 1,000 employees from its Reality Labs division, which focuses on virtual and augmented reality, as part of a broader strategy to cut costs and refocus its efforts. This decision follows the closure of three VR studios, indicating a significant shift in the company's approach to its metaverse ambitions.

The US Senate has passed a bill aimed at assisting victims of sexualized deepfakes, amid rising public outrage over the proliferation of nonconsensual images on platforms like Elon Musk's X. This legislative move comes in response to reports highlighting X as a leading site for such harmful content, prompting calls for accountability and protection for affected individuals.

Elon Musk is facing backlash over the misuse of Grok, an AI tool that has been implicated in generating sexualized images, prompting investigations by California's attorney general and a firm stance from the UK government against inappropriate content on social media platforms.

Security startup depthfirst has successfully raised $40 million in a Series A funding round led by Accel, with partner Sara Ittelson highlighting the investment as a long-term commitment for the firm. This funding will enable depthfirst to enhance its AI security solutions amidst growing concerns over cybersecurity threats.

Salesforce has enhanced Slack's AI capabilities by integrating an upgraded Slackbot powered by Anthropic's Claude model, as announced by Rob Seaman, Slack's chief product officer and interim CEO, during an appearance on Bloomberg Tech.