⚡ Signal Brief — July 11, 2025
#64: This Week In Tech: AI Agents Rise, Layoffs Deepen, and Regulation Bites Back
This week in AI: Amazon doubles down on agent marketplaces, Comet redefines how we search, and Europe pushes back on AI monopolies. All that—plus 9,000+ layoffs and record market highs—in this week’s Signal Brief.
📌 TL;DR: This Week’s Headlines
Amazon and Anthropic announce AI Agent marketplace
Microsoft, Intel, and HR tech layoffs exceed 9,000+ this week
Perplexity launches “Comet,” an AI-powered browser disrupting web search
Google faces new EU antitrust complaint over AI-generated content
Global markets rally as Nvidia nears $4T valuation despite labor tensions
This week, AI's expansion pressed forward—but so did the regulatory and labor frictions surrounding it. Forget Chrome — this new AI browser is changing how people search the web: Comet, an AI‑powered browser that integrates its conversational AI directly into browsing sessions. Amazon Web Services announced the launch of an AI agent marketplace in partnership with Anthropic, marking a bold step into customizable AI ecosystems. Yet the legal landscape grew thornier: European publishers filed a fresh antitrust complaint against Google over AI Overviews cannibalizing web traffic, while U.S. bioethicists raised alarms over AI use in healthcare without robust patient consent.
The labor toll continued to mount. Microsoft initiated another wave of layoffs—over 9,000 roles—while Intel cut more than 1,100 jobs across Oregon and California. Indeed and Glassdoor slashed 1,300 roles as they consolidate under AI-driven restructuring. These moves brought the tech sector’s July job cuts past 9,000, with total 2025 layoffs nearing 94,000.
Despite the turbulence, markets rallied. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 hit record highs, driven by strong corporate earnings and renewed AI optimism—highlighted by Nvidia’s near-$4 trillion valuation milestone.
📘 Agentic Strategy Drops in 5 Days — Here's How to Get It
After 3 years of building frameworks, testing with strategy teams, and pushing beyond the hype — it’s finally here.
On the geopolitical front, the UK began reevaluating its national AI institutions to align with sovereign AI strategy, while new U.S. trade tariffs on Canada stirred fears of ripple effects through tech supply chains. Meanwhile, China showcased AI’s physical capabilities in the world’s first autonomous robot football tournament.
The message is clear: AI agents and automation are reshaping industries at speed—but legal, labor, and global pressures are rising just as fast.
Here’s the full breakdown:
🔮 AI Agents, Browsers, and Platform Shifts (July 2025)
Perplexity launches “Comet” AI‑powered browser that integrates its conversational AI directly into browsing sessions. Available exclusively to Perplexity Max ($200/month) subscribers and invitees, Comet features a sidebar assistant that can answer questions, summarize content, book meetings, fill forms, and handle tasks without leaving the page
Amazon Web Services is set to launch an AI agent marketplace next week, partnering with Anthropic—a move signaling broader interest in customizable AI agents
EU independent publishers filed an antitrust complaint against Google over its AI‑generated Overviews, citing drastic declines in click‑through rates from top news sites since their launch in May 2024
Bioethicists called for stronger patient consent frameworks around AI in healthcare, reflecting ongoing concerns about transparency and trust in sensitive domains
Beijing hosted the first-ever autonomous robot football tournament, showcasing competitive advances in real-world AI systems
🎤 Tech Layoffs & AI-Driven Restructuring
Indeed and Glassdoor (Recruit Holdings) will cut approximately 1,300 jobs (~6% of HR tech staff) as part of integrating Glassdoor into Indeed and shifting toward AI‑driven operations
Intel announced layoffs of 529 employees at its Oregon campuses and an additional 584 roles in Northern California; the reductions reflect a broader global restructuring impacting factory and R&D personnel
Microsoft is letting go up to 9,100 staff (≈4% of its global workforce), focusing cuts on sales, gaming (Xbox, King), and even canceling in‑development titles such as Everwild and Perfect Dark
Between July 3–9, the U.S. tech sector saw layoffs affecting at least 9,245 employees—adding to nearly 94,000 jobs lost in the first half of 2025—driven heavily by AI-led restructuring
📈 Markets React to AI Optimism Amid Layoffs
Major indexes hit new highs: The S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow climbed to record levels, fueled by strong Delta Airlines earnings and overall optimism—Nasdaq even touched a new record following Nvidia pushing a $4 trillion market cap
💸 VC Activity: Quiet Week After June Deal Spike
No major U.S. or global VC rounds fitting the week’s timeframe emerged in publicly reported headlines. (Applied Intuition and Pano AI deals remain from June.)
🌍 Global AI Regulation, Trade Shifts, and Sovereign AI
On July 4, UK’s AI Authority Shake-up: UK Tech Secretary Peter Kyle called for a review of the Alan Turing Institute, urging better alignment with defence, security, and sovereign AI strategy
BRICS trade tensions: Trump announced a 35% tariff on Canadian imports, raising concerns that could ripple into global tech supply chains
Missed last week’s update?
Hit subscribe to get it in your inbox. And if this spoke to you:
➡️ Forward this to a strategy peer who’s feeling the same shift. We’re building a smarter, tech-equipped strategy community—one layer at a time.
Let’s stack it up.
A. Pawlowski | The Strategy Stack