Consumer Tech News (Apr 14-Apr 18): Trump's 125% China Tariff Sidesteps Consumer Tech, Tesla Model Y Spotted in India & More

President Donald Trump has excluded a range of technology products, including certain consumer electronics made in China, from the reciprocal tariffs. The list of exemptions, released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, effectively reduces the scope of the imposed levies.

The exclusions apply to smartphones, laptops, hard drives, and computer processors and memory chips, shielding them from Trump’s proposed 125% tariff on Chinese goods and the baseline 10% global tariff on most other countries.

Pedestrians in at least three California cities were met with bizarre AI-generated voice clips mimicking Tesla, Inc. TSLA and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Meta Platforms Inc.‘s META Mark Zuckerberg after crosswalk buttons were reportedly hacked over the weekend.

Automotive

Rivian Automotive Inc. RIVN founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has said the company boasts a "U.S.-centric" supply chain amid Donald Trump‘s 25% tariffs on the auto industry.

Tesla Inc. TSLA has released a cheaper, long-range version of the Model Y facelift. The new version replaces the limited-run launch edition, which is no longer available for sale by the company.

A Tesla Model Y was spotted testing in India’s Mumbai, adding to the anticipation of the company’s debut in India.

Social Media/Entertainment

Netflix Inc. has begun testing an artificial intelligence–powered search engine that enables subscribers to find movies and TV shows based on their emotions, preferences, or specific situations.

TikTok‘s U.S. public policy chief, Michael Beckerman, is leaving his Washington-based role to transition to a global advisory position.

Technology

Nvidia Corp. NFLX and Alphabet Inc. GOOG have reportedly decided to invest in the artificial intelligence startup co-founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google rolled out its Veo 2 model to Gemini Advanced users.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google’s DeepMind is diving into marine science with a new AI model designed to help researchers decode dolphin communication.

Meta Platforms announced Friday it will appoint Dina Powell McCormick and Stripe CEO Patrick Collison to its board of directors, effective April 15. The move increased the board’s size to 15 members.

Microsoft Corporation MSFT announced a research preview of “Computer Use,” a new tool within Copilot Studio that enables AI agents to perform tasks on desktop and web applications by interacting directly.

Bill Gates says artificial intelligence will soon wipe out chronic shortages of skilled workers like doctors and teachers, eventually forcing societies to rethink the value of time and the concept of ‘work hours'.

Smartphones

Apple Inc AAPL investors breathed a much-needed sigh of relief on Friday when the Trump administration announced a decision to exempt iPhones, iPads, and Macs from the latest wave of reciprocal tariffs. This might have saved the company from a near-term cost storm.

Image: Shutterstock/Gorodenkoff