Loudoun County, Virginia turned to former AOL infrastructure and empty fiber-optic networks left after the dot-com crash to attract data center investment, led by economic development official Buddy Rizer. The strategy shifted the county's tax base from over 80% residential to just over half commercial revenue, transforming it into a hub handling a large share of global internet traffic.
Apple's SEC filing reveals incoming CEO John Ternus will receive an annual compensation package worth $58 million, split between a $3 million base salary and $55 million in stock awards starting fiscal 2027. Tim Cook, moving into the newly created executive chairman role, will earn a $47 million package with a $2 million salary and $45 million in equity, split evenly between performance-based and time-based shares.
Meta unveiled Muse Voice Transcribe, its first real-time audio perception model, capable of transcribing over 20 speakers simultaneously while switching between more than 20 validated languages, including mid-sentence code-switching. CEO Mark Zuckerberg demoed the tool on X, noting it uses adaptive delay to balance speed and accuracy. The model is now available through Meta's Mac AI app, Muse Code, and its Model API at $3 per 1,000 audio minutes.
OwnTime is a new app that lets users assign daily time budgets to a handful of priorities, running only one countdown at a time so starting one pauses the others. When a budget runs out, the app triggers a real alarm rather than a notification, and everything resets at midnight. It works independently on iPhone or Apple Watch, syncing the two when paired.
Ahead of Apple's September event, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman shared new details on the upcoming iPhone Ultra foldable in a Tom's Guide interview, confirming MagSafe support, a 5.5-inch cover display paired with a 7.8-inch inner screen, and Apple's latest Pro chip and modem. He also described a durable liquid metal hinge designed to minimize the crease, plus iOS 27 multitasking features including drag-and-drop between apps.
Reports indicate Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus is emerging as the leading internal candidate to eventually succeed CEO Tim Cook. The framing centers on the scale of what he would inherit: a company with enormous revenue, market value and global reach built under Cook's leadership.
Google is rolling out a refreshed Timers tab in its Clock app as part of the September Android Drop. The update flattens the digit style, removes circular backgrounds from the keypad, adds quick presets for 1, 5, 10, and 15 minutes, and moves the start button above the number pad. Multiple active timers now display in a grid instead of a scrollable vertical list.
Cartoon Network Studios will release the second season of 'Adventure Time: Side Quests' on October 2, arriving simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu. The season will be available as a full binge release rather than a weekly rollout.
John Ternus, now Apple's CEO, sent his inaugural company-wide memo thanking Tim Cook for his leadership and years of service, and noting Cook will remain executive chairman. Ternus also flagged an upcoming major product launch and hinted at future innovations still in development.
Meta Superintelligence Labs has released Muse Voice Transcribe, a streaming speech recognition model that combines transcription, speaker diarization for over 20 voices, and endpointing in a single pass. It supports more than 70 languages, with 25 validated at launch, handles recordings over an hour long, and allows mid-sentence code-switching between languages. The model is live now in Meta AI for Mac, Muse Code, and via the Meta Model API at $3 per 1,000 audio-minutes.
As Tim Cook departs as Apple CEO, he leaves a climate record widely seen as better than peers among major tech companies, having set a goal to cut emissions 75 percent by 2030 from 2015 levels and reaching 60 percent so far. Apple reported 15.3 million metric tons of gross emissions in 2025, even as it faced criticism over sustainability claims and now confronts growing energy demands from generative AI development.
Tim Cook has ended his 15-year run as Apple's chief executive, handing the role to John Ternus, who becomes only the third person to lead the company this century. In his final message to employees, Cook referenced Steve Jobs, echoing the same gesture he made in his first memo to staff when he took over as CEO.