Business - Tuesday, April 21, 2026

President Donald Trump has announced he is extending a ceasefire with Iran indefinitely a day before it was set to expire, even as plans for a fresh round of talks between the two countries fall apart. (Source: Bloomberg)

Outgoing CEO took stood up for users in battle with FBI but concessions abroad undermine claims of protecting ‘fundamental right’ In his 15 years as Apple’s top executive, Tim Cook has projected an image of the company as a champion of privacy rights. As he prepares to leave that role in September, that legacy has come back into focus. Cook trumpeted the iPhone maker’s commitment to privacy at home in the US and the EU, calling privacy “a fundamental right” but his acquiescence to government demands abroad call his dedication to protecting users into question. Cook cemented Apple’s pro-privacy reputation in 2015 when he resisted the FBI’s demands to unlock the iPhone of a mass shooter in San Bernardino, California. The company played up that public image in 2019 with playful ads that read, “Privacy. That’s iPhone”, positioning Apple as the obvious choice for people who cared about privacy. In 2021, Apple added a feature, App Tracking Transparency, that allowed iPhone owners to limit an app’s ability to track their mobile activity. Apps that tracked users without permission would be removed, Cook said. Continue reading...

The Southern Poverty Law Center said it is "outraged" by what it called the "false allegations" by the Department of Justice.

The potential acquisition comes as Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite maker, which has been emphasizing artificial intelligence, is preparing to go public.

President Donald Trump announced he was extending a ceasefire with Iran indefinitely a day before it was set to expire, even as plans for a fresh round of talks between the two countries fell apart. In a Truth Social post, Trump said Tuesday he would maintain a blockade over ships coming to and from Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. He said Pakistan, which had mediated between the two sides, asked for the US to hold off on fresh strikes and he was extending the ceasefire until Iran submits a new proposal “and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.” Ambassador James F. Jeffrey, Philip Solondz Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute and former Deputy National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, joins Bloomberg Businessweek Daily to discuss. He speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. (Source: Bloomberg)

Tech executives from Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta have dined with Trump and donated millions to his inauguration fund and the White House ballroom.

President Trump’s second-term goals to foster apprenticeships and manufacturing work rely on a Labor Department that has been distracted by internal turmoil.

State attorney general said inquiry will look into whether AI tool offered ‘significant advice’ to campus shooting suspect Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Florida ’s top prosecutor is to launch a criminal investigation into how the tech company OpenAI and its software tool ChatGPT may influence users’ threats of harm to themselves or others, including whether it “offered significant advice” to a gunman accused of conducting a mass shooting in the state last year. State attorney general James Uthmeier said at a news conference on Tuesday that his office is expanding an examination of OpenAI, saying a “criminal investigation is necessary” and the state had issued subpoenas to the $852bn California-based tech firm. Continue reading...

US investors are returning to Japanese stocks as confidence recovers from the initial shock of the Middle East crisis, according to Goldman Sachs Japan Co.’s chief Japan equity strategist.

Tim Cook had a highly successful tenure as Apple's CEO, but he leaves his successor with a big gap to fill when it comes to the company's position in AI.