Spotify reported a surge in paid subscribers, reaching 290 million in the last three months of 2025, contributing to a net profit of $1.17 billion, according to BBC Business. However, the music streaming giant continues to face criticism from artists regarding the platform's payment structure. In other news, Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter is stepping down after 30 years, xAI is experiencing significant departures from its founding team, Google handed over a student journalist's personal data to ICE, and VC Masha Bucher addressed her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Spotify's financial results, released on Tuesday, showed a significant increase in paid subscribers, a key factor in the company's financial success, as reported by BBC Business. Despite the positive financial performance, the platform still faces ongoing criticism from artists who believe they are not adequately compensated for their music being streamed on Spotify. The company stated it paid almost $11 billion to artists.
Boston Dynamics is undergoing a leadership change, as CEO Robert Playter announced his departure after three decades with the robotics company, according to TechCrunch. Amanda McMaster, the company's CFO, will serve as interim CEO while a replacement is sought. Playter took the helm in 2020, succeeding founder Marc Raibert.
xAI, the artificial intelligence company, is facing a concerning trend of departures from its founding team, TechCrunch reported. Yuhuai (Tony) Wu recently announced his departure, marking the fifth founding member to leave the company. Other departures include Kyle Kosic, Christian Szegedy, Igor Babuschkin, and Greg Yang.
In a separate development, Google provided U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with personal data of a student journalist in response to a subpoena that had not been approved by a judge, according to The Intercept, as reported by TechCrunch. The data included usernames, addresses, and financial information of Amandla Thomas-Johnson, a British student and journalist.
Finally, Masha Bucher, a Silicon Valley VC and founder of Day One Ventures, addressed her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, as detailed in TechCrunch. Bucher's name appeared frequently in Epstein files, and she stated she was "naive" in her association with him, believing his claims of protection.
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