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  • Tim Cook Stepping Down as Apple CEO, to Be Succeeded by John Ternus at Tech Giant

    Tim Cook Stepping Down as Apple CEO, to Be Succeeded by John Ternus at Tech Giant

    Tim Cook is stepping down at Apple‘s CEO after 15 years. John Ternus, senior VP of hardware engineering, will become Apple’s next chief executive officer, the company announced.

    Cook will become executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors and Ternus will become its next CEO effective Sept. 1, 2026. The transition, which was approved unanimously by the board of directors, follows “a thoughtful, long-term succession planning process,” the company said.

    “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” Cook said in a statement. “I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world.”

    Cook, 65, first joined Apple in March 1998 and was named CEO in August 2011, shortly before the death of co-founder and previous CEO Steve Jobs. Prior to that, Cook was the tech giant’s COO and served as head of Apple’s Macintosh division.

    Ternus, 50, joined the executive team in 2021 as SVP of hardware engineering. Throughout his 25-year tenure so far at Apple, Ternus has overseen hardware engineering work on a variety of products across every category. The company said he was “instrumental” in the launch of multiple new product lines, including iPad and AirPods, as well as many generations of products across iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch. Ternus joined Apple’s product design team in 2001.

    “I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Ternus said in a statement. “Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor. It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another.”

    Regarding Ternus, Cook said that he “has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future. I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character, and I look forward to working closely with him on this transition and in my new role as executive chairman.”

    Arthur Levinson, who has been Apple’s non-executive chairman for the past 15 years, will become its lead independent director on Sept. 1 with the CEO changeover. Ternus will join the board of directors on the same date.

    More to come.

  • Disney+ Signs Multi-Year Co-Development Deal With Japan’s The Seven

    Disney+ Signs Multi-Year Co-Development Deal With Japan’s The Seven

    Disney+ Japan has struck a multi-year co-development agreement with The Seven, Inc. to produce Japanese-language live-action series exclusively for the platform, with titles destined for audiences in Japan and worldwide.

    The deal – Disney’s first ongoing content development tie-up with a Japanese production company for global streaming – will see Disney’s creative team working alongside The Seven from the ground up.

    The Seven, a Tokyo-based outfit owned by TBS Holdings (Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc.), was launched at the end of 2021. Under the new framework, Disney and The Seven will build a pipeline of original series, combining their respective creative strengths. The company also holds a multi-year production partnership with Netflix, under which it has produced titles including “Alice in Borderland” and “Yu Yu Hakusho.”

    Carol Choi, executive vice president of original content strategy at The Walt Disney Company APAC, said: “Since the launch of Disney+ in Japan, general entertainment and local originals have become an increasingly important part of our content offering, making this collaboration a natural evolution in accelerating our content investment.”

    Narita Gaku, executive director of content production at The Walt Disney Company Japan, added: “We aim to nurture distinctive Japanese stories that feel authentic, enduring, and genuinely meaningful to audiences.”

    Setoguchi Katsuaki, president and CEO of The Seven, said: “I am confident that by unleashing the refined creativity of The Seven through Disney’s extensive network and expertise, we can evolve Japanese stories into the next craze that people truly fall in love with. We will continue to transcend borders and language barriers in pursuit of authentic and innovative works that remain etched in the hearts of viewers forever.”

    Vice president and chief creative officer Morii Akira – who produced both seasons of “Alice in Borderland” – added: “In finding a partner who shares our aspirations, I feel both an expansion of possibilities and a profound sense of responsibility. Our mission is to take Japan’s signature delicate human dramas and intricate settings and elevate them into top-tier entertainment that anyone – regardless of border or race – can feel is their own story.”

    The partnership comes as Disney+ continues to build its Japanese-language slate. The platform has previously released Japanese live-action titles including “Gannibal” and “Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Animation,” alongside international originals such as FX’s “Shōgun,” which drew significant viewership. Japan remains one of the platform’s key markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

  • Mastodon was hit by a ‘major’ DDoS attack that briefly took down parts of the service

    Mastodon seems to be recovering after a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that took down its primary mastodon.social instance. As TechCrunch notes, the platform began reporting issues early Monday morning as much of the Mastodon-operated server became inaccessible.

    It’s not clear who might be behind the attack, but Mastodon’s head of communications Andy Piper described it as a “major” incident. A couple hours later, Mastodon shared on a status page that it had implemented countermeasures and that users should be able to access mastodon.social once again. Piper said that “some ongoing instability is a possibility” as the site recovered. It’s unclear if any other instances of the service were also targeted; mastodon.social is run directly by the nonprofit and is the largest server on the federated platform.

    Mastodon is the second decentralized platform to be targeted with a DDoS in recent days. Last week, Bluesky also dealt with a significant DDoS incident that took parts of the service offline for several hours. The company posted what it said was its final update Monday morning, saying that its service had “remained stable” and that there was “no evidence of unauthorized access to private user data.” A few hours later, however, it seemed Bluesky was once again experiencing some issues, though the cause was unclear. Its official status page was down, and a post from its server status account indicated that there were “elevated errors and timeouts on some Bluesky-hosted services.” Bluesky said it was investigating.

  • John Ternus will be CEO of Apple when Tim Cook steps down this fall

    Apple CEO Tim Cook is officially stepping down from his role on September 1, the company announced today, while current SVP of hardware engineering John Ternus will take over as the new CEO. Cook will transition to a new role as executive chairman of Apple’s Board of Directors. The company says the move was “approved unanimously” by Apple’s Board, and that Cook will work on transitioning his duties over the summer.

    “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” Cook said in a statement. “I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world.”

    Cook became CEO of Apple in 2011 following the death of co-founder Steve Jobs, and he led the charge for Apple’s post-iPhone and iPad era by launching the AirPods, Apple Watch and Vision Pro. He also pushed the company into being more of a service provider with the launch of Apple TV and Apple Music. While he’s had a strong reputation as a logistics-oriented executive, Cook has been criticized for lacking the product vision that Jobs was known for.

    Ternus, on the other hand, has been focused on product design since joining Apple in 2001. He became VP of hardware engineering in 2013, and later transitioned to a senior executive role in 2021. Ternus was also prominently featured at the MacBook Neo launch a few months ago, where Apple announced a low-cost yet high-quality notebook that encapsulates its unique place in the PC industry.

    “I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Ternus said in a statement. “Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor. It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another.”

  • Bitcoin bounces above $76,000 as DeFi suffers $14 billion exodus after KelpDAO hack

    Bitcoin bounces above $76,000 as DeFi suffers $14 billion exodus after KelpDAO hack

    Bitcoin held above $76,000 on Monday, rebounding from overnight lows as the broader crypto market remained steady despite Iran war risks.

    The largest cryptocurrency climbed about 2.4% over the past 24 hours, recovering from a dip below $74,000 earlier in the session. Ether (ETH), XRP, Solana (SOL) and other major altcoins also mirrored bitcoin’s move, as the broad-market CoinDesk 20 rose 1.7%.

    That resilience comes against a shaky macro backdrop. U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that American forces had fired on and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship, warning of further escalation while Tehran refuses to strike a deal. A fragile ceasefire is set to expire later this week.

    Oil prices jumped 6% to near $90, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq slipped modestly, down around 0.3%-0.4%.

    Crypto equities were mixed. Coinbase (COIN) and bitcoin treasury firm Strategy (MSTR) gained roughly 2%, while Circle (CRCL) and ether treasury Bitmine (BMNR) edged lower by 1%-2%.

    “The fact that prices have not fully retraced despite new tensions suggests some genuine demand,” said Jasper De Maere, trader at Wintermute, pointing to recent spot ETF inflows as a supporting factor. Unlike earlier rallies this year, he said, the current move appears less driven by leverage.

    That said, the path forward remains tied to geopolitics. A renewed ceasefire could push bitcoin back toward $80,000, while further escalation may keep markets under pressure.

    For now, capital continues to concentrate in large-cap assets like bitcoin, De Maere noted, with riskier altcoins lagging, a pattern typical of market environments driven by macro headlines.

    DeFi reels from $292 million KelpDAO hack

    Elsewhere from the current price action, tensions are still high in the DeFi sector following the biggest crypto exploit of the year.

    The $292 million KelpDAO hack cascaded across the market, as a vulnerability allowed the attacker to drain funds that were then used as collateral across lending protocols.

    Because those assets were widely integrated into DeFi, the impact quickly spread, with users rushing to withdraw funds amid fears of bad debt and contagion.

    Total value locked (TVL) across DeFi protocols fell by $14 billion over the past two days, according to DefiLlama data, even as asset prices remained steady.

    DeFi TVL dropped to about $85 billion, its lowest level in a year and roughly 50% below October peaks. Aave, the largest lending protocol that was central in the exploit, saw around $10 billion in deposits withdrawn.

    “There’s a tremendous risk-reward imbalance in DeFi,” David Shuttleworth from Anchorage Digital’s protocol team said. “Users will no longer accept the slightly higher (and sometimes lower) than risk-free rate they get by depositing in lending pools,” especially given the latest wave of exploits across protocols.

    Read more: ‘DeFi is dead’: crypto community scrambles after this year’s biggest hack exposes contagion risk

  • Iran-U.S. Ceasefire in Jeopardy: Bitcoin Holds Steady, Even Bloomberg Analyst Mike McGlone Praised BTC—Here’s What to Expect Next

    As geopolitical tensions escalate in global markets and peace talks fail to yield results, Bitcoin is exhibiting unexpected resilience. Leading figures in the financial world have assessed BTC’s role in this process and its future amidst economic uncertainty.

    Bloomberg Senior Commodities Strategist Mike McGlone highlighted Bitcoin’s position in current market conditions. McGlone stated that Bitcoin is increasingly becoming a form of digital gold rather than a risk asset. According to McGlone, especially as volatility in traditional markets increases, Bitcoin’s limited supply makes it a hedge against inflation and political instability.

    Related News JUST IN: U.S. President Donald Trump Makes a Statement on the Iran Ceasefire – “The Likelihood of an Extension Is Very Low”

    CIO and Macro Strategist James Lavish approached the issue from a broader perspective, emphasizing the global debt crisis. Lavish stated that the collapse of peace talks created a “loss of confidence” in the markets. According to Lavish, as confidence in fiat currencies erodes, investors are turning to decentralized assets outside of government control. He noted that Bitcoin stands out as “sound money” in this process, adding that caution is advised against liquidity crises.

    Peter Tchir, on the other hand, focused on technical levels in the market and investor psychology. Tchir stated that Bitcoin holding onto certain support levels is a psychological threshold. He noted that geopolitical risks are priced in, but continued uncertainty could trigger volatility, adding that investors are cautiously waiting before any large-scale movements.

    *This is not investment advice.

  • Madonna Says Costume She Wore for Sabrina Carpenter Coachella Appearance Is Missing: “These Aren’t Just Clothes, They Are Part of My History”

    Madonna Says Costume She Wore for Sabrina Carpenter Coachella Appearance Is Missing: “These Aren’t Just Clothes, They Are Part of My History”

    Madonna‘s victory lap following a buzzy surprise Coachella appearance with Sabrina Carpenter has hit a snag just three days after the show, as the pop superstar shared Monday that the garments she wore during the set are nowhere to be found, and she’s asking anyone with knowledge to help her get them back.

    “This full circle moment hit different until I discovered that the vintage pieces that I wore went missing,” the superstar wrote in an Instagram story published on Monday. “My costume that was pulled from my personal archives — jacket, corset, dress and all other garments. These aren’t just clothes, they are part of my history.”

    Madonna said Monday that other archived pieces from that same era have gone missing as well, writing that “I’m hoping and praying that some kind soul will find these items,” further encouraging anyone with leads to reach out to her team at Infomaverick2026@gmail.com.

    The archived pieces in question include a light purple corset as well as a darker purple jacket. “I’m offering a reward for their safe return,” Madonna said. “Thank you with all My Heart.”

    Madonna’s surprise appearance with Carpenter was one of the biggest highlights across both weekends of Coachella this year, with the two pop stars performing several songs together including “Vogue,” “Like a Prayer” and Madonna’s “Bring Your Love” from her upcoming Confessions II album.

    Madonna expressed her gratitude to Carpenter in her post, starting it by saying “Thank you to Sabrina and everyone who made it possible. Bringing Confessions II back to where it began was such a thrill.”

    Madonna’s surprise performance came days after the star had announced Confessions II would release this July. A sequel to her critically lauded 2005 album Confessions On a Dance Floor, it will mark Madonna’s first album since 2019’s Madame X.

    As Madonna referenced, this Coachella performance was particularly symbolic given that she performed Confessions on a Dance Floor tracks in America for the first time at Coachella 20 years ago.

    “And that was such a thrill for me, so you can imagine what a thrill it is for me to be back 20 years later in the same boots, the same corset, the jacket I had on earlier, the same Gucci jacket,” Madonna told the crowd on Friday night. “So, it’s like a full circle moment, very meaningful for me.”

  • Apple CEO Tim Cook Will Step Down, John Ternus Named New Leader

    Apple CEO Tim Cook Will Step Down, John Ternus Named New Leader

    Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping aside at the tech giant, shifting to a new role as executive chairman.

    John Ternus will succeed him as the company’s new CEO. Apple announced the change Monday, with the transition set to take effect Sep. 1. Ternus is senior VP of hardware engineering for Apple.

    Cook isn’t leaving, of course, Apple says that in his new role he “will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world.” Art Levinson, currently Apple’s non-executive chairman, will become its lead independent director in connection with the change, and Ternus will also join the board.

    “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company. I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world,” said Cook.

    The exec added of his successor:“John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future. I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character, and I look forward to working closely with him on this transition and in my new role as executive chairman.”

    The change may have a real impact on Hollywood: Apple has become a major player through its Apple TV platform, releasing original movies and TV shows and pouring investment into the space. Services like Apple TV have been one of Cook’s focus points, with the company noting that services are now a $100 billion-plus business.

    Ternus comes from the hardware world, and could have different priorities. That is still to-be-determined.

    “Tim’s unprecedented and outstanding leadership has transformed Apple into the world’s best company. He’s introduced groundbreaking products and services time and again, and his integrity and values are infused into everything Apple does,” added Levinson. “On behalf of the entire board of directors, we are incredibly grateful for his countless contributions to Apple and the world, and we are thrilled he will now be executive chairman. We believe John is the best possible leader to succeed Tim and as he transitions to CEO we know his love of Apple, his leadership, deep technical knowledge, and relentless focus on creating great products will help lead Apple to an extraordinary future.”

    “I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” said Ternus. “Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor. It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another. I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come, and I am so happy to know that the most talented people on earth are here at Apple, determined to be part of something bigger than any one of us. I am humbled to step into this role, and I promise to lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century.”

    Cook, of course, succeeded Apple founder Steve Jobs as the company’s CEO in 2011, growing its market cap from $350 billion to $4 trillion, and more than quadrupling its revenue.

  • Polymarket in Talks to Raise $400M at $15B Valuation: Report

    Polymarket in Talks to Raise $400M at $15B Valuation: Report

    In brief

    • Polymarket is reportedly seeking to raise $400 million at a $15 billion valuation in a new funding round.
    • The round follows a $600 million investment from NYSE parent company Intercontinental Exchange, which brought its total investment in the prediction market to $2 billion.
    • Rival prediction market Kalshi saw its valuation double to $22 billion following a $1 billion raise last month.

    Prediction markets platform Polymarket is in talks to raise $400 million at a valuation of around $15 billion, according to The Information.

    Per The Information’s reporting, the prediction market firm is ​looking to ​add additional ⁠strategic investors beyond New York Stock Exchange parent company Intercontinental Exchange to the round, which could total $1 billion.

    The new funding round follows a $600 million investment in Polymarket by Intercontinental Exchange last month, bringing its total investment in the prediction market firm to $1.6 billion. At the time, ICE announced that the firm would purchase up to $40 million worth of Polymarket securities from existing holders, fulfilling its commitment to invest $2 billion in the firm in an October 2025 deal that valued the company at $9 billion.

    ICE’s relationship with Polymarket has deepened over the past six months. As part of its October deal, the exchange operator became the exclusive global distributor of Polymarket’s event-driven data to institutional capital markets. In February it launched the Polymarket Signals and Sentiment tool, integrating prediction market data into its existing financial infrastructure offerings.

    The institutional backing marks a turning point for prediction markets, which have evolved from crypto-native experiments to mainstream financial instruments, amid growing institutional interest. Earlier this year, Polymarket’s rival Kalshi raised $1 billion to reach a $22 billion valuation, while the likes of Charles Schwab and Nasdaq are making moves in the space.

    Nevertheless, prediction markets face regulatory challenges, with states and federal authorities at odds over whether their offering constitutes gambling or federally regulated even contracts.

    Last month, Nevada became the first state to ban Kalshi from operating within its borders, while Arizona has filed criminal charges against Kalshi for allegedly operating an illegal unlicensed gambling business. Meanwhile, an appeals court ruling this month found that the firm’s sports-related markets should be federally regulated, while the Justice Department and the CFTC have jointly filed lawsuits against Illinois, Arizona, and Connecticut over who has the right to regulate prediction markets.

    Earlier this month, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig raised concerns that driving prediction markets offshore into unregulated space could cause FTX-style “implosions,” arguing that, “We’ve got to make sure these exchanges come and register here in the United States and that our rules are set up to facilitate fair markets, markets that have investor protections, customer protections, and have real guardrails and rules.”

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  • ‘Wednesday’ Season 3 First Look: Jenna Ortega Arrives in Paris

    ‘Wednesday’ Season 3 First Look: Jenna Ortega Arrives in Paris

    “Wednesday” is going global.

    Netflix released a first look image from Season 3 of the Jenna Ortega-led series on Monday. In a photo posted on social media, Wednesday is shown standing next to a motorcycle under the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Thing, the sentient but disembodied hand who serves as a key member of the Addams family, sits atop the motorcycle, and Wednesday holds a piece of paper in her hands and looks off into the distance with her signature deadpan glare. “From Paris, with dread,” reads the photo caption.

    More to come…