Tech 5: Trump's Tariffs Send Stock Market into Tailspin, TikTok Deal in Jeopardy

1. Agility Robotics secures US$400 million

On Tuesday (April 1), the Information reported on a US$400 million funding round led by private equity firm WP Global for Agility Robotics, a privately held humanoid robot maker.

The report cites an individual who claims to have seen the term sheet, noting that the money will give Agility Robotics, whose CEO is former Microsoft (NASADQ:MSFT) executive Peggy Johnson, a valuation of US$1.75 billion.

Prior to that report, Agility Robotics unveiled advances to its Digit robotic system on Monday (March 31), including an extended battery, more efficient power usage, autonomous docking for charging, enhanced safety features and new, robust limbs and end effectors. The company said these structural changes will allow for a wider range of grasping angles and expanded manipulation capabilities.

Digit’s target applications include warehouse automation and last-mile delivery.

2. OpenAI finalizes record-breaking funding deal

OpenAI finalized a US$40 billion funding deal on Monday, closing the largest private tech deal ever recorded.

The company received US$40 billion from SoftBank (TSE:9984) and US$10 billion from a syndicate of additional investors that includes longtime major investor Microsoft. This round increased OpenAI’s valuation to US$300 billion.

OpenAI will initially receive US$10 billion, with the remainder to be paid out by the end of the year. Anonymous sources for CNBC note that US$18 billion is reserved for the company’s US$500 billion Stargate project commitment.

The funding may be reduced to US$30 billion if OpenAI doesn’t restructure into a for-profit entity by December 31, 2025. Restructuring would require approval by Microsoft and California’s attorney general.

In an announcement, OpenAI said it plans to deploy the funds to “push the frontiers of AI research even further, scale our compute infrastructure, and deliver increasingly powerful tools."

Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg, SoftBank is seeking a bridge loan of up to US$16.5 billion to help fund its US artificial intelligence (AI) investment commitments. Japan Credit Rating Agency and S&P Global Ratings have lowered their ratings for SoftBank due to the uncertainty surrounding AI and its "aggressive" financial management.

3. Trump extends TikTok agreement deadline

Earlier this week, the Information reported on a proposal from the Trump administration that would form a US-based TikTok subsidiary called TikTok America in an attempt to prevent a national ban of the popular social media app.

The deal would see new US investors take a 50 percent stake in the company, licensing the algorithm from ByteDance, which would retain a 19 percent stake. Additional current investors would own about one-third.

If that happens, ByteDance will be in compliance with the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which came into effect in January of this year. The law states that TikTok must be divested in such a way that it is no longer considered to be controlled by a foreign adversary.

However, according to a Friday (April 4) Bloomberg article, representatives for ByteDance told the Trump administration that the deal is off until Chinese officials can negotiate on tariffs.

On Friday, Trump said he would extend the deadline to reach a deal by another 75 days.

“China has always respected and protected the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises and opposed practices that violate the basic principles of the market economy and harm the legitimate interests of enterprises,” spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. “China’s opposition to the imposition of additional tariffs has always been consistent and clear.”

4. Meta reportedly planning billion-dollar data center project

An anonymous source for Bloomberg claims that Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) is the unnamed company involved in a previously reported US$837 million deal to develop a data center in Wisconsin.

According to the source, Meta will invest up to US$1 billion to build the center in Wisconsin, which offers an incentive deal to companies meeting investment thresholds across different counties.

Meta already has data centers in Iowa and Illinois, and previously announced plans to build one in Louisiana.

During the company’s fourth quarter earnings call in January, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company intends to invest up to US$65 billion in AI infrastructure this year.

5. Microsoft announces personalized Copilot features

During an event commemorating Microsoft's 50th anniversary, the company announced upcoming changes to its Copilot digital assistant that will allow users to tailor it to their own needs.

“You can now let Copilot live up to its name,” Mustafa Suleyman, who leads Microsoft’s consumer AI work, said during the event, which was held at company headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

Microsoft said users will have the ability to choose information Copilot can retain, such as preferences or past life events. Copilot will then be able to recall that information in future conversations. Users also have the option to opt out of personalization. The new features will roll out in the coming months.