Consumer Tech News (April 7-April 11): US President Puts 90-Days Pause On Tariffs, Microsoft May Cut Jobs & More

President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will place a 90-day pause on tariffs for countries that have not retaliated against U.S. trade measures. Markets rose on the news, driven higher by tech stocks. 

U.S. President Donald Trump has been on the receiving end of criticism from Michigan auto and business groups as tariffs on automotive imports remain in effect.

The U.S. and Vietnam have launched trade negotiations after President Donald Trump paused the implementation of a 46% tariff on Vietnam's exports, a move that could bolster the country's growing tech manufacturing sector.

The European Union and China have agreed to explore setting minimum prices for Chinese-made electric vehicles as an alternative to tariffs imposed last year, a European Commission spokesperson.

The sales figures for Q1 2025 for EVs showcase a growth in U.S. EV sales for several manufacturers and paint a strong picture for the domestic EV sector.

Technology

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said the EU is preparing a slate of retaliatory measures that could include levies on digital advertising revenues from U.S. tech companies.

Microsoft Corporation MSFT has reportedly fired two employees who disrupted the tech giant’s 50th-anniversary event on Friday after protesting the company’s contracts with Israel and accusing its AI CEO of war profiteering.

Microsoft has decided to suspend its billion-dollar data center project in Licking County, Ohio. ​This decision marks the most recent in a line of data center project cancellations by the software behemoth.

Microsoft reportedly contemplating another wave of job cuts, primarily targeting middle managers and non-coders.

Meta Platforms, Inc. META announced new restrictions for teen users, prohibiting those under 16 from live streaming on Instagram without parental permission, as the company expands its Teen Account protections across its platforms.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. TSM reported first-quarter revenue growth of 41.6% year-on-year to 839.25 billion New Taiwan dollars ($25.5 billion).

Intel Corporation INTC newly appointed CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, has deep financial ties to China’s tech sector, including investments in companies reportedly linked to the Chinese military.

Smartphones

Apple Inc. AAPL is reportedly shifting more of its iPhone production to India to mitigate the financial impact of President Donald Trump’s escalating tariffs on Chinese goods, potentially offsetting the projected 30% to 40% price increase on its device.

U.S. consumers are reportedly rushing to Apple stores to purchase new iPhones ahead of potential price hikes caused by President Donald Trump’s newly announced tariffs on Chinese imports.

Apple completed an urgent logistics operation in late March, transporting five planeloads of iPhones and other products from manufacturing centers in India and China to the U.S. within 72 hours.

Automotive & Social Media

Tesla, Inc. TSLA has unveiled a new trim for its Cybertruck. The new trim is RWD (rear-wheel drive) and offers a range of over 362 miles on a single charge.

Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN CEO Andy Jassy has warned that President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on Chinese imports could result in higher prices for consumers, as many of the company’s third-party sellers are unlikely to absorb the additional costs.

Amazon reportedly pulled back on importing a wide range of consumer goods from Asia, leaving vendors stuck with unsold inventory and mounting costs.

TikTok has reportedly laid off some of its U.S.-based e-commerce governance and experience team, just days after President Donald Trump extended the deadline for parent company ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations.

Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI is reportedly in discussions to acquire the AI hardware startup co-founded by Jony Ive and Sam Altman in a deal worth approximately $500 million.

OpenAI countersued Elon Musk, accusing him of using harassment tactics to slow the company’s progress and disrupt its plans for growth, including a contentious bid for control.

Mira Murati, the former chief technology officer of ChatGPT-parent OpenAI, is reportedly seeking to raise a staggering $2 billion seed round for her new AI venture, Thinking Machines Lab.

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