This Week in Tech: Apple Ads Maps, Sora Shuts Down, Big Tech Pays Up & More

Apple is turning Maps into an ad business, OpenAI quietly pulled the plug on Sora, and a jury decided social media platforms can be held responsible for how they’re built. Here’s this week's rundown.

Apple Is Bringing Ads to Maps

After more than a decade of staying ad-free, Apple is preparing to add sponsored results to Maps. Search for something like coffee or food, and the top result might soon be the one that paid for it.

OpenAI Is Shutting Down Sora

Sora came fast and left fast. OpenAI is discontinuing its video generation platform, including the app and developer tools. The team is being redirected, and the focus is shifting back to products that scale.

Meta and YouTube Lose in Court

A jury found Meta and YouTube liable for how their platforms affected a young user, focusing on addictive design features like autoplay and infinite scroll. The damages were $3 million, but this really wasn’t about content. It was about the product itself.

Apple Kills the Mac Pro

Apple quietly discontinued the Mac Pro with no replacement planned. The most expensive Mac is gone, and the Mac Studio takes its place as the top desktop..

NASA’s Private Space Plan Isn’t Landing

NASA wants private companies to take over space stations in low Earth orbit. The idea sounds clean. The execution doesn’t. Costs, timelines, and actual demand are all still unclear, and not everyone is convinced the private sector is ready to take the handoff.

iOS Now Requires ID in the UK

Apple rolled out age verification in the UK, requiring users to prove they’re adults to access certain content. Options include credit cards and government ID. It’s the first time Apple has pushed this kind of requirement at the OS level in Europe.

Gemini Is Getting Harder to Spot

Google’s latest Gemini update is making real-time AI conversations feel more human. The gap between talking to a person and talking to a model is getting thinner. You won’t always know which one you’re dealing with.

Kalshi Adds Betting Guardrails

Kalshi is blocking politicians, athletes, and insiders from betting on outcomes tied to themselves. It kind of feels obvious in hindsight. Anyway, prediction markets are growing up, slowly.

That’s this week. Have a great one ahead.