Leftovers

• IBM

  • The Street ☛ IBM gives employees a rude awakening with harsh new policy

    Now, IBM, which is headed by Arvind Krishna, has reportedly decided to enter the murky waters of scaling back remote work.

    IBM Americas General Manager Adam Lawrence recently sent a memo to its U.S. sales employees warning them of the company’s new "return to client initiative,” according to a recent report from The Register.

    The initiative will require employees "to work at least three days a week from the client location where their assigned territory decision-makers work, a flagship office, or a sales hub."

  • IBM orders U.S. sales staff back to office, plans 9,000 layoffs

    Tech giant IBM has issued a directive requiring its United States sales staff to work at least three days a week from client sites, flagship offices, or designated sales hubs.

    The “return to client initiative” comes just days after a similar return-to-office (RTO) order was handed to all U.S. cloud employees, who must comply by July 1, 2025, or relocate by October 1 if necessary.

• Proprietary

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Microsoft, get your Game Pass out of my face! I'm turning off your notifications. Here’s how

    Microsoft keeps hawking Game Pass and distracting me in the process.

  • Security Week ☛ Microsoft Purges Dormant Microsoft trap Azure Tenants, Rotates Keys to Prevent Repeat Nation-State Hack [Ed: Fale solution to a problem Microsoft can never truly fix]

    Microsoft security chief Charlie Bell says the SFI's 28 objectives are “near completion” and that 11 others have made “significant progress.”

  • Business Today ☛ Microsoft eyes new round of layoffs, focuses on boosting engineer headcount: Report

  • Microsoft follows Amazon and Google to cut down on middle-level management jobs

    Microsoft is reportedly planning another round of job cuts, potentially as early as May 2025, focusing on middle management to streamline team structures. This move mirrors similar strategies by Amazon and Google to improve efficiency by increasing the ratio of engineers to managers.

  • The Register UK ☛ How to stay on Windows 10 instead of installing Linux

    Happy with Windows 10, but your perfectly capable PC doesn't meet the requirements to run Windows 11? Don't panic. You don't need to buy fresh hardware, or switch to Linux, although obviously that's what The Reg FOSS desk advocates. There are other options, but some are not as widely known as we feel they ought to be.

  • Intel's new CEO begins tenure with major layoffs: 20% employees set to go

    Intel has initiated a restructuring of its organisational hierarchy, with key chip development teams now reporting directly to CEO Lip-Bu Tan. This move aims to eliminate unnecessary management layers and accelerate decision-making.

    In a bold and immediate move under new leadership, Intel is reportedly set to cut over 20% of its global workforce this week, according to Bloomberg News. The sweeping layoffs mark the first major decision by newly appointed CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who assumed the role last month with a mandate to revitalise the struggling chipmaker.

    The job cuts form part of a broader strategy aimed at streamlining operations, reducing bureaucratic inefficiencies, and reigniting an engineering-led culture within the company. The restructuring efforts are expected to impact tens of thousands of employees, building on a previous reduction announced in August 2024, when Intel slashed 15% of its workforce—around 15,000 positions.

  • India Today ☛ Intel to reportedly fire 20 per cent of its staff this week

    Intel is firing 20 per cent of its staff this week, according to a report by Bloomberg. These layoffs are reportedly aimed at “eliminating bureaucracy”, streamlining management, and rebuilding a more engineering-focused culture. This marks the first major round of job cuts under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who took over leadership of the company last month. While the exact number of impacted employees or the timing of the layoffs remains unclear, the cuts could affect thousands of workers globally.

    This move comes just weeks after earlier reports suggested that Intel was planning another wave of layoffs. If carried out as expected, the cuts would be even larger than last year’s layoffs in August, when the company let go of around 15 per cent of its workforce, impacting roughly 15,000 employees.

• Security

  • Security Week ☛ Lantronix Device Used in Critical Infrastructure Exposes Systems to Remote Hacking

    Lantronix’s XPort device is affected by a critical vulnerability that can be used for takeover and disruption, including in the energy sector.

  • Security Week ☛ Countries Shore Up Their Digital Defenses as Global Tensions Raise the Threat of Cyberwarfare

    Countries around the world are preparing for greater digital conflict as increasing global tensions and a looming trade war have raised the stakes.

• Defence/Aggression

  • France24 ☛ Burkina Faso junta claims it stopped a 'major plot' to sow 'total chaos'

    Burkina Faso's junta said on Monday it had thwarted a "major plot" to sow "total chaos" that it believes originated in the Ivory Coast, as the country continues to see increased insecurity despite the junta's promises to quell it.

  • New York Times ☛ Israeli Security Chief Accuses Netanyahu of Making Improper Requests

    In a scathing court affidavit, the head of the Shin Bet said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed him to spy on anti-government protesters.

  • New York Times ☛ Kristi Noem’s Bag, With Security Badge and $3,000, Is Stolen

    The homeland security secretary was dining at a Washington, D.C., restaurant. She also lost her passport and keys.

  • JURIST ☛ US federal judge halts Homeland Security efforts to remove non-citizens to foreign countries without due process

    A federal judge in Massachusetts on Friday barred the Convicted Felon administration from implementing a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy allowing it to rapidly deport hundreds of migrants to countries other than their own without due process. US District Court Judge Brian Murphy granted the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction on the DHS policy.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Philippines, US launch joint combat drills in 'full battle test'

    More than 14,000 Filipino and American soldiers kicked off annual military exercises on Monday for a "full battle test" between the two defence treaty allies in the face of regional security concerns, including tensions in the South China Sea. 

  • Mexico News Daily ☛ Sheinbaum moves to ban foreign government propaganda after US anti-immigration ad airs on Mexican TV

    A hostile video message narrated by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is widely seen as discriminatory, and according to the president, in violation of the Mexican Constitution.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Top Chinese, Indonesian officials forge closer security links

    The two sides announced plans to hold joint military exercises in 2025.

  • JURIST ☛ Tunisia court sentences 40 opposition members in controversial “Conspiracy Case”

    A Tunisian court on Saturday issued sentences in the so-called “Conspiracy Case” against 40 opposition activists under the country’s counter terrorism laws and criminal code.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • Raw Story ☛ Tesla says profits plunge 71%, warns of 'changing political sentiment' - Raw Story

      Tesla reported a 71 percent drop in first-quarter profits Tuesday in results that lagged analyst estimates as Elon Musk's automaker warned of a hit to demand due to "changing political sentiment."

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • New York Times ☛ How Meta’s News Ban Could Disrupt Canada’s Election

    After Meta blocked news from its platforms in Canada, hyperpartisan and misleading content from popular right-wing Facebook (Farcebook) pages such as Canada Proud have filled the gap. Our Canada bureau chief explains the effect on voters.

  • New York Times ☛ As Election Nears, Canadians Confront News Void on Facebook (Farcebook) and Instagram

    Hyperpartisan and misleading content from popular right-wing pages such as Canada Proud is thriving on Facebook (Farcebook) as the election nears.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • Security Week ☛ Bot Traffic Surpasses Humans Online—Driven by Hey Hi (AI) and Criminal Innovation

    With 51% of internet traffic now bot-driven and a growing share of it malicious, organizations must prepare for an era of more evasive, AI-assisted automation.

• Digital Restrictions (DRM)

  • Digital Music News ☛ Late Night TV Musical Bookings Are Plunging, Data Reveals

    The landscape of late night television has long served as a critical launchpad for artists seeking mainstream exposure. But the golden era of musical bookings moving the discovery needle is undeniably in decline—for a variety of reasons.

Monopolies/Monopsonies

• Trademarks

  • TTAB Blog ☛ TTABlog Test: Is MONSTER STRAW for Drinking Straws Confusable with MONSTER for Energy Drinks?

    Frequent TTAB litigant Monster Energy opposed an application to register the mark MONSTER STRAW (in standard character form) for "drinking straws" [STRAW disclaimed], alleging likelihood of confusion with its registered mark MONSTER for "energy drinks; fruit drinks; soft drinks; sports drinks." The dispute boiled down to a question of the relatedness of the goods. How do you think this came out? Monster Energy Company v. Monster Straw Company, LLC, Opposition No. 91250784 (April 14, 2025) [not precedential] (Opinion by Judge Cheryl S. Goodman).