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Security officers block entrance doors after pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to enter the Microsoft Build conference at the Seattle Convention Center Arch building in Seattle, Washington on May 19, 2025.

Jason Redmond | Afp | Getty Images

At Microsoft’s annual Build conference on Tuesday, Executive Vice President Jay Parikh’s keynote was interrupted by an employee protesting the company’s contracts with the Israeli government. The protester at the Seattle Convention Center was quickly whisked away by security guards, including some undercover agents dressed like attendees.

More than 800 miles south in Mountain View, California, security guards lined the mainstage of Google I/O, where Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai was set to speak. At the entrance to the developers conference, roughly two dozen black-clad guards rifled through bags, opening up lipstick cases and pulling out items, including women’s feminine products, and confiscating over-the-counter pain medications.

The vibe is different during this year’s tech conference season. Tensions were already elevated after the October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel and the extended bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip that followed. But they’ve heightened in recent months as artificial intelligence technologies advance at a rapid rate and an AI arms race has entered the most sensitive parts of society.

Additionally, there’s the aftermath of the fatal shooting in December of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in midtown Manhattan as the executive was on way on his way to an investor event.

“We definitely have seen an uptick in the request for security, specifically in the last six to nine months,” said Richard Dossett, client relations manager for American Global Security, which works with tech companies. “There have also been a lot of protests and civil upheaval, especially in Fortune 500 companies, with the landscape at the moment, so they want extra security to make sure they’re not going to be hassled.”

Security firms and industry experts told CNBC that technology companies’ increased work with governments has contributed to an uptick in security needs. AI companies in recent months have been walking back bans on military use of their products and entering into deals with defense industry giants and the Defense Department.

Companies are responding to increased outrage in part by trying to quell internal dissent. Google last year expanded its list of prohibited discussion topics to include international issues, territorial disputes, national policy events and military conflicts.

A demonstrator is removed from the audience as they interrupt a presentation by Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella at the Microsoft Build 2025 conference in Seattle, Washington on May 19, 2025.

Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty Images

For Microsoft, this week’s protests had recent precedent.

In April, former employees interrupted the company’s 50th anniversary celebrations, calling Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman a “war profiteer.” Ibtihal Aboussad, then a software engineer in the company’s AI division, walked toward the stage at the event in Redmond, Washington saying, “You claim that you care for using AI for good, but Microsoft sells AI weapons to the Israeli military.”

Employees at the company had previously formed a group called No Azure for Apartheid, following the creation of similar movements at Google and Amazon directed at opposing work with the Israeli government.

Parikh, who runs the newly created CoreAi group at Microsoft, heard that specific message during his Build speech this week.

“Jay!” yelled the worker from the audience. “How dare you talk about AI when my people are suffering! Cut ties! No Azure for apartheid! 

CEO Satya Nadella was interrupted during his keynote by an employee named Joe Lopez.

“Satya! How about you show how Microsoft is killing Palestinians?” Lopez screamed. “How about you show the Israeli war crimes are powered by Azure.”

Another employee followed, “As a Microsoft worker, I refuse to be complicit in this genocide. Free Palestine!” That employee was later fired, as was Lopez.

‘Turbulent world’

Kenneth Bombace, CEO of Global Threat Solutions, said tech companies “have had robust security but I would say it has picked up in the last year or so, or even more recently.”

“It’s sort of a turbulent world we live in, politically and otherwise right now,” said Bombace, whose firm provides clients with protection and investigative services.

Following the protests at Build, Microsoft employees reported that emails with the words Gaza, Palestine or genocide wouldn’t send, and expressed concern they were being blocked by the company, according to screenshots, recordings and documents viewed by CNBC.

Microsoft didn’t respond to a request for comment about the heightened security. Regarding the email issue, a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement that some messages were being “sent to tens of thousands of employees and we have taken measures to try and reduce those emails to those that have not opted in.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the Google I/O developer conference entrance to protest Google’s Project Nimbus and Israeli attacks on Gaza and Rafah, at its headquarters in Mountain View, California, United States on May 14, 2024.

Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu | Getty Images

Google didn’t provide a comment about its security presence at I/O, but a spokesperson pointed to the list of prohibited items at Shoreline Amphitheater, where the conference took place.

Google had a similar situation at its developer conference last year, when dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters rallied outside with red paint on signs and clothing to signify blood. Banners and signs read “Don’t Be Evil” and “Stop fueling genocide.”

The demonstrators demanded the tech giant withdraw from its Project Nimbus contract, a $1.2 billion deal to provide AI technology to the Israeli government.

“We won’t stop ’til Nimbus is dropped,” protesters chanted.

Bombace said that as tech companies collaborate with governments, they “have to meet certain security standards.”

“We’re providing services right now in response to activity based on the conflict in Gaza,” Bombace said. Social media companies, he said, “have a whole unique footprint of issues because of the nature of their business and the things that are being posted on their platforms.”

Last year, during a keynote speech in New York from a Google executive, an employee in the company’s cloud division protested publicly, proclaiming “I refuse to build technology that powers genocide.” The hired event security forced him out of the building and the company later fired him. Google ended up terminating more than 50 employees after a series of protests against Project Nimbus last year.

Police officers and security guards stand guard at Google’s annual developer conference.

Jennifer Elias

Dossett said he’s also noticed an uptick in protesters trying to gain access to corporate campus buildings to record videos or take pictures to get their messages to the public. 

“When people try to invade a company’s space and film it on camera and it goes viral — that’s something other companies see and think ‘we don’t want that to happen to us,'” Dossett said. “It could affect their brand but largely, it’s been about safety of the people.”

At Build, Microsoft’s use of undercover guards plays into a growing trend, experts said.

“They’ll be in the crowd and say ‘we have a suspicious male who’s wearing a white shirt in row three,'” Bombace said. “There’s a lot that goes on that the average person doesn’t recognize and that’s good.”

It’s not just at conferences and on campuses where companies are taking extra measures for protection.

Google lifted Pichai’s security costs by 22% in 2024 to $8.27 million. At least a dozen S&P 500 companies have highlighted increased security costs, Reuters reported last month, based on an analysis of recent disclosures. Bombace said the AI arms race is a big reason for companies to boost spending in that area.

“It’s a race right now and that leads to increased security,” Bombace said. He added that to foreign adversaries, “technology becomes the No. 1 target.”

WATCH: Balancing search, AI at Google I/O

Balancing search, AI at Google I/O

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Apple’s China iPhone sales grows for the first time in two years

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Apple's China iPhone sales grows for the first time in two years

People stand in front of an Apple store in Beijing, China, on April 9, 2025.

Tingshu Wang | Reuters

Apple iPhone sales in China rose in the second quarter of the year for the first time in two years, Counterpoint Research said, as the tech giant looks to turnaround its business in one of its most critical markets.

Sales of iPhones in China jumped 8% year-on-year in the three months to the end of June, according to Counterpoint Research. It’s the first time Apple has recorded growth in China since the second quarter of 2023.

Apple’s performance was boosted by promotions in May as Chinese e-commerce firms discounted Apple’s iPhone 16 models, its latest devices, Counterpoint said. The tech giant also increased trade-in prices for some iPhone.

“Apple’s adjustment of iPhone prices in May was well timed and well received, coming a week ahead of the 618 shopping festival,” Ethan Qi, associate director at Counterpoint said in a press release. The 618 shopping festival happens in China every June and e-commerce retailers offer heavy discounts.

Apple’s return to growth in China will be welcomed by investors who have seen the company’s stock fall around 15% this year as it faces a number of headwinds.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened Apple with tariffs and urged CEO Tim Cook to manufacture iPhones in America, a move experts have said would be near-impossible. China has also been a headache for Apple since Huawei, whose smartphone business was crippled by U.S. sanctions, made a comeback in late 2023 with the release of a new phone containing a more advanced chip that many had thought would be difficult for China to produce.

Since then, Huawei has aggressively launched devices in China and has even begun dipping its toe back into international markets. The Chinese tech giant has found success eating away at some of Apple’s market share in China.

Huawei’s sales rose 12% year-on-year in the second-quarter, according to Counterpoint. The firm was the biggest player in China by market share in the second quarter, followed by Vivo and then Apple in third place.

“Huawei is still riding high on core user loyalty as they replace their old phones for new Huawei releases,” Counterpoint Senior Analyst Ivan Lam said.

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Like Google, China’s biggest search player Baidu is beefing up its product with AI to fight rivals

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Like Google, China's biggest search player Baidu is beefing up its product with AI to fight rivals

Pictured here is the Ernie bot mobile interface, with the Baidu search engine home page in the background.

Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images

Chinese tech giant Baidu has bolstered its core search platform with artificial intelligence in the biggest overhaul of the product in 10 years.

Analysts told CNBC the move was a bid to keep ahead of fast-moving rivals like DeepSeek, rather than traditional search players.

“There has been some small pressure on the search business but the focus on AI and Ernie Bot is a key move ahead,” Dan Ives, global head of tech research at Wedbush Securities, told CNBC by email. Ernie Bot is Baidu’s AI chatbot.

“Baidu is not waiting around to watch the paint dry, full steam ahead on AI,” he added.

Baidu AI overhaul

Baidu is China’s biggest search engine, but — as is also being seen by Google — the search market is being disrupted.

Users are flocking instead to AI services such as ChatGPT or DeepSeek, which shocked the world this year with its advanced model it claimed was created at a fraction of the cost of rivals.

But Kai Wang, Asia equity market strategist at Morningstar, also noted that short video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also getting into AI search and piling pressure on Baidu.

To counter this, Baidu made some major changes to its core search product:

  • Users can now enter more than a thousand characters in the search box, versus 28 previously;
  • Questions can be asked in a more direct and conversational manner, mirroring how people now use chatbots;
  • Users can ask questions through voice but also prompt the seach engine with pictures and files;
  • Baidu has integrated its AI chatbot features, which enable users to generate photos, text and videos, into the product.

“This is more aligned with how people use ChatGPT and DeepSeek in terms of how they look for answers,” Wang said.

Outside of China, Google has also been looking to enhance its core search product with AI, highlighting how search has been under pressure from the burgeoning technology.

Baidu on the offense

Baidu was one of China’s first movers when it came to AI, releasing its first models and ChatGPT-style product Ernie Bot to the public in 2023. Since then, it has aggressively launched updated AI models.

However, the Beijing-headquartered company has also faced intense competition from fellow tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent, as well as upstarts such as DeepSeek.

These companies have also been launching new models and infusing AI into their products and Baidu’s stock has fallen behind as a result. Baidu shares have risen around 2.5% this year, versus a 30.5% surge for Alibaba and a 20% rise for Tencent.

“This is a defensive and offensive move … Baidu needs to be aggressive and perception-wise show they are not the little brother to Tencent on the AI front,” Wedbush Securities’ Ives added.

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AI voice startup ElevenLabs pushes global expansion as it gears up for an IPO

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AI voice startup ElevenLabs pushes global expansion as it gears up for an IPO

Founded in 2022, ElevenLabs is an AI voice generation startup based in London. It competes with the likes of Speechmatics and Hume AI.

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

LONDON — ElevenLabs, a London-based startup that specializes in generating synthetic voices through artificial intelligence, has revealed plans to be IPO-ready within five years.

The company told CNBC it is targeting major global expansion as it prepares for an initial public offering.

“We expect to build more hubs in Europe, Asia and South America, and just keep scaling,” Mati Staniszewski, ElevenLabs’ CEO and co-founder, told CNBC in an interview at the firm’s London office.

He identified Paris, Singapore, Brazil and Mexico as potential new locations. London is currently ElevenLabs’ biggest office, followed by New York, Warsaw, San Francisco, Japan, India and Bangalore.

Staniszewski said the eventual aim is to get the company ready for an IPO in the next five years.

“From a commercial standpoint, we would like to be ready for an IPO in that time,” he said. “If the market is right, we would like to create a public company … that’s going to be here for the next generation.”

Undecided on location

Fundraising plans

ElevenLabs was valued at $3.3 billion following a recent $180 million funding round. The company is backed by the likes of Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital and ICONIQ Growth, as well as corporate names like Salesforce and Deutsche Telekom.

Staniszewski said his startup was open to raising more money from VCs, but it would depend on whether it sees a valid business need, like scaling further in other markets. “The way we try to raise is very much like, if there’s a bet we want to take, to accelerate that bet [we will] take the money,” he said.

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