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Microsoft President Brad Smith says it's a 'good day for gamers' after Nintendo, Nvidia deals

BRUSSELS — Microsoft said Tuesday it will bring its Xbox PC games to Nvidia’s cloud gaming service, after the chipmaker had reportedly expressed opposition to a major Microsoft gaming deal.

The announcement comes after Microsoft President Brad Smith met with European Union officials on Tuesday in a bid to convince them that its planned $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard will be good for competition.

Microsoft is offering the olive branch to stop the takeover from being blocked and thereby expand its gaming unit, which represents 9% of its total revenue. While sales of Microsoft’s Xbox consoles are slowing down, the company has been drawing on its cash pile to expand the collection of games it can sell and allow people to play through its cloud data centers.

Microsoft President Brad Smith said at a press conference that, effective immediately, its Xbox games will be available on Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud games service. Smith said if the Activision deal closes, it will bring all Activision Blizzard titles to GeForce Now.

Nvidia is now on board with Microsoft’s pending deal for regulatory purposes, the two companies said in a joint statement confirming the two companies 10-year deal. In January Bloomberg reported that Nvidia had gone to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission with complaints about the Activision deal.

“Combining the incredibly rich catalog of Xbox first party games with GeForce Now’s high-performance streaming capabilities will propel cloud gaming into a mainstream offering that appeals to gamers at all levels of interest and experience,” Jeff Fisher, Nvidia’s senior vice president for GeForce, was quoted as saying. “Through this partnership, more of the world’s most popular titles will now be available from the cloud with just a click, playable by millions more gamers.”

Microsoft proposed its Activision Blizzard acquisition in January 2022, but since then, the buyer has faced pushback from regulators in the U.S., European Union and U.K.

The Nvidia arrangement is meaningful because “now we’re addressing the full range of issues that have been raised by regulators as topics of not just interest but in some cases concern,” Smith said at the press conference.

In November, the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, opened an in-depth investigation into the deal citing concerns that it could reduce competition in the video games market.

Activision Blizzard is the company behind popular game franchise Call of Duty. The EU commission said last year it is concerned that Microsoft could block access to the game on other platforms if the deal goes through.

The commission is also concerned that it could give Microsoft an unfair edge in the nascent area of cloud gaming. Microsoft has a service called Game Pass through which it charges gamers $9.99 per month to access a library of games. The Activision takeover would add some high-profile titles to Game Pass.

Nvidia’s GeForce Now has over 25 million members, while Microsoft said last year that 25 million people subscribe to Game Pass. Nvidia offers free and paid GeForce Now tiers, although high resolution is only available to those who pay. Members of GeForce Now will be able to stream through the cloud the games they buy through Microsoft’s app store, along with games listed in Epic Games and Steam’s app stores.

In December, Microsoft said it had “entered into a 10-year commitment” to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo when the Activision acquisition closes. The announcement was seen as a move to assuage regulators’ antitrust concerns. On Tuesday, Smith tweeted that the two signs have now signed a “binding 10-year legal agreement” to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo players on the same day as Microsoft’s Xbox, “with full feature and content parity.”

Smith declined to comment on the views of the European Commission in the hearing, but said the Nintendo and Nvidia deals are good for competition in the gaming market.

“I think if you’re a competition regulator, and you’re focused on the interests of consumers and competition, today was a good day,” Smith told CNBC.

Microsoft hopes for Sony deal

Smith on Tuesday led a delegation that included Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, Reuters reported, citing a European Commission document that the news agency had seen. Sony’s gaming chief Jim Ryan was also in attendance, Reuters added. Sony, Microsoft’s biggest rival, opposes the Activision takeover.

Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard logo in this illustration taken January 18, 2022.

Dado Ruvic | Reuters

Sony was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Smith held up a piece of paper saying it is an agreement he is ready to send to Sony.

Smith told CNBC that Microsoft is offering Sony the same agreement as Nintendo — to have Call of Duty available on the PlayStation the same time as Xbox with the same features. However, Sony still remains opposed to the deal.

“I live with the hope that we’ll come to terms with Sony,” Smith told CNBC.

“We’re not there yet. But I do think as we make progress with others, if we can get a deal done with Nintendo, if we can get an agreement with Nvidia, it should provide a path forward that others like Sony can build on as well.”

U.K., U.S. regulators take aim at deal

It’s not only European regulators that have concerns about the deal.

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority said this month that the takeover raises competition concerns and may result in higher prices, fewer choices and less innovation. The regulator said it could move to block the deal and suggested several remedies Microsoft could take. One of those involved Microsoft divesting the business responsible for Call of Duty.

Smith said that Microsoft doesn’t see a “feasible path” to sell off the Call of Duty game.

“It just isn’t something that seems to be lining up,” Smith told CNBC.

“The only reason to sell it off is the CMA’s potential concern that if we buy it, we won’t provide it to others as broadly. I think that concern should be dispelled by the two agreements we’ve signed today.”

In December, the FTC filed an antitrust case against Microsoft attempting to block the Activision deal.

Google parent Alphabet also went to the FTC with dissatisfaction about Microsoft’s deal, Bloomberg reported.

“The European Commission asked for our views in the course of their inquiries into this issue. We will continue to cooperate in any processes, when requested, to ensure all views are considered,” a Google spokesperson told CNBC in an email.

Smith declined to comment on Alphabet’s exact concerns with the Activision deal but recognized the company’s potential misgivings.

“It’s easy to understand that Google might have questions about whether something like Call of Duty would be available in the future on say Chromebooks and the Chrome operating system,” Smith said.

The Nvidia agreement addresses that as the GeForce Now cloud gaming service is available on ChromeOS, Smith said. Microsoft is able to maintain compliance with the sorts agreements with European regulators that might require it to keep Call of Duty on Chrome OS, he said during the press conference.

“With the agreement we’ve done with Nvidia, we’ve just ensured Google will benefit as well,” Smith said.

Microsoft has maintained that its takeover of Activision Blizzard would not harm competition in video gaming and instead increase competition against large players like Sony and Chinese giant Tencent.

Microsoft has remained behind the likes of Sony and Nintendo in the video-gaming business. Microsoft’s Xboxes have lagged Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Nintendo’s Switch. Sony and Nintendo’s popularity has come from its large number of successful first-party games. Microsoft is looking to boost its games library with the Activision acquisition.

Activision Blizzard shares edged up during Tuesday’s U.S. trading session following the announcement.

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Zillow shares are getting crushed. Here’s why

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Zillow shares are getting crushed. Here's why

The stock market graphic of Zillow Group is displayed on a smartphone with the logo of Zillow in the background on Feb. 21, 2021.

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

Zillow shares plunged more than 9% on Monday on worries that the online real estate platform could have a big new competitor: Google Search.

Google appears to be running tests on putting real estate sale listings into its search results. Over the weekend, real estate tech strategist Mike DelPrete published mobile phone screenshots of Google Search results showing real estate listings, which appeared to be powered by real estate data company “HouseCanary.”

The listings allowed users to view the full details of a property’s page, request a tour and contact an agent — similar to the functions offered on Zillow.com’s online marketplace portal. Google’s home searches appear to work only in select markets and on mobile devices as testing is underway.

The decline in Zillow signals investors are bracing for the eventual impact of Google’s foray into the real estate market. The stock was down at least 11% at one point during Monday’s session.

However, Wall Street analysts were quick to point out that Zillow’s exposure to organic search is fairly small, limiting potential downside at least in the near term as more details around Google’s product come to light.

Wells Fargo analyst Alec Brondolo, who has an equal weight rating on Zillow, said he would not “expect a meaningful financial impact from listings on Google shifting from organic to paid” — given that Zillow is not overly dependent on organic search results for traffic.

“The listings product appears similar to Google Hotel Metasearch results; introduction could increase traffic cost to Zillow, but disintermediation unlikely,” Brondolo said in a Monday note to clients. “In the hotel category, Google merchandises hotel rooms in search results as a metasearch ad product for OTAs. We would expect a similar approach in real estate, with Zillow, Homes.com, Realtor.com, etc. bidding for home listing ad units rather than Google attempting to monetize directly with an ad product sold to agents.”

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Zillow stock over the past year.

But some analysts see Google’s testing as a longer-term headwind to Zillow and other online real estate portals.

Goldman Sachs’ Michael Ng wrote in a note to clients that he believes the search engine’s real estate listings, which he said are an advertising format for buy-side agents, directly compete with Zillow’s Premier Agent program by “facilitating lead generation” for agents from prospective buyers.

“While we don’t expect a direct near-term impact on Zillow’s business, given that most of Zillow’s traffic is direct (e.g., Zillow.com, StreetEasy.com, mobile apps) and Google’s new product is currently limited to select markets and mobile browsers, we view this development as a long-term risk for real estate portals like Zillow,” Ng, who remains neutral on Zillow, wrote in a note to clients.

Jason Helfstein of Oppenheimer said that Google’s expansion into real estate could impact the number of consumers going to Zillow.com — which was 228 million in the third quarter — and therefore could take a hit on the company’s ability to monetize its platform. “The impact would likely take years to play out and would need to be rolled out across the US to meaningfully impact real estate portal traffic,” Helfstein said in a recent note, to be sure.

Zillow shares are down more than 8% year to date.

Neither Google nor Zillow responded immediately to CNBC’s request for comment.

How Zillow became the most popular real estate app in the U.S.

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Trump admin to hire 1,000 specialists for ‘Tech Force’ to build AI, finance projects

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Trump admin to hire 1,000 specialists for 'Tech Force' to build AI, finance projects

The Trump administration on Monday unveiled a new initiative dubbed the “U.S. Tech Force,” comprising about 1,000 engineers and other specialists who will work on artificial intelligence infrastructure and other technology projects throughout the federal government.

Participants will commit to a two-year employment program working with teams that report directly to agency leaders in “collaboration with leading technology companies,” according to an official government website.

Those “private sector partners” include Amazon Web Services, Apple, Google Public Sector, Dell Technologies, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, Oracle, Palantir, Salesforce and numerous others, the website says.

The Tech Force shows the Trump administration increasing its focus on developing America’s AI infrastructure as it competes with China for dominance in the rapidly growing industry.

The initiative was announced four days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at establishing a national AI policy framework — a priority for industry leaders who opposed states crafting their own regulations.

Once Tech Force members complete their two terms, they can seek full-time jobs with those companies, who have committed to consider the programs’ alumni for employment. The private partners can also nominate their employees to do stints of government service.

Annual salaries will likely fall in the range of $150,000 to $200,000, plus benefits.

“We’re trying to reshape the workforce to make sure we have the right talent on the right problems,” U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday morning.

The engineering corps will be working on “high-impact technology initiatives including AI implementation, application development, data modernization, and digital service delivery across federal agencies,” the site says.

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From puppies to superheroes, Chinese AI toys are bringing hugs — and hesitation

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From puppies to superheroes, Chinese AI toys are bringing hugs — and hesitation

Haivivi Bubblepal, an AI toy.

Courtesy: Haivivi

It seems everyone is talking about artificial intelligence these days — even Ultraman. 

When asked if investors should be worried about an AI bubble, the new second-generation CocoMate AI-powered plush toy by Chinese company Haivivi warned about the dangers of speculation in AI stocks.

“The AI market has been on a wild ride lately,” the toy based on the Ultraman character cautioned. “If investors pour too much money into unproven ideas without solid fundamentals, it could lead to a bubble burst!”

China has long been a dominant manufacturer in the global toy industry. So pushing into AI playthings is a natural step, analysts say. The Xi Jinping administration, on a campaign to turn China into an AI powerhouse, has been directing companies and consumers to integrate AI into their businesses and lives. 

Haivivi is one of 1,500 companies in China’s $4 billion dollar AI toy industry. 

Another is Chengdu-based startup Chongker, which invented an AI cat as a comfort animal. The artificial feline uses voice recognition and banked memories in the cloud to adjust its behavior to its owner’s needs.

“Some people like the cat to be more, maybe noisy or naughty, right? And some people just need the quiet one. So it will learn what kind of thing you like,” Sean Xu, director of AI products with Chongker, told CNBC. 

Xu said the company added a special feature it believes will help the pet build a strong bond with its owner— a simulated heartbeat.

The electronic pulse is triggered after holding the AI pet tightly for 10 seconds. Xu says the feeling makes one “calm down.”

If a potential shopper prefers a high-energy toy, Loona the AI puppy by Keyi Tech uses cameras and lasers to zip around its new home.

The AI helps Loona figure out the layout of its owner’s pad. The robot pet can also recognize up to five family members and respond to each one individually.

Despite the fascination with the intelligent toys, the gadgets come with risks, especially when it comes to impressionable young minds. 

The AI pet robot plush toy Ropet showcased at the Global AI Player Carnival & West Bund International Tech Consumer Carnival in Shanghai, Oct. 27, 2025.

CFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty Images

New research by U.S. consumer safety-focused non-profit Public Interest Research Group suggests the effects of AI toys on young children are still far from understood. PIRG’s studies found some toys shared inappropriate and dangerous information with users, and the group raised concerns about privacy. 

“A lot of these toys are using large language models,” Beijing-based tech consultant Tom van Dillen said. “Sometimes the models can hallucinate. Now toy manufacturers are doing a lot to create guardrails.”

For Haivivi’s CocoMate plush toys, including Ultraman, parents can access a transcript of their children’s conversations with the AI toy on their phone. 

When asked by CNBC if succumbing to pressure by other students at school to do drugs is a good idea, Ultraman played parent.

“Oh no … it’s a TERRIBLE idea!” the toy responded. “If they keep bothering you, tell your teachers or parents.”

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