Consumer Tech News (May 19-May 23): Trump Warns Apple Of 25% Tariff if Manufactured Overseas, Disney Sues YouTube & More

President Donald Trump just fired a policy warning shot toward Apple Inc. AAPL, reiterating that he expects the company to manufacture iPhones sold in the U.S. domestically, not in India or anywhere else. If not, he warns, a 25% tariff could be slapped on the tech giant.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is expected to declare that Corporate Average Fuel Economy or CAFE regulations implemented under the previous Biden administration exceeded the government’s legal authority.

Technology

Apple poached Alphabet Inc. GOOG-owned Google’s AI chief John Giannandrea. However, the tech giant is still struggling to catch up in the artificial intelligence race.

Apple reportedly plans to launch AI-powered smart glasses in late 2026 to compete with Meta Platforms, Inc.’s META Ray-Bans.

Meta’s Instagram is reportedly testing a new referral program that pays creators for driving traffic and sign-ups, with payouts as high as $20,000.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had once criticized the proprietary AirPods protocol of Apple, advocating for it to be made accessible to competitors.

Alphabet‘s autonomous driving service Waymo‘s CEO, Tekedra Mawakana, has shared her thoughts on the LiDAR vs Camera-based system debate for autonomous driving.

Alphabet‘s Robotaxi Waymo has announced it reached the 10 million paid Robotaxi rides milestone, doubling its lifetime total in a period of 5 months.

A federal judge ruled that Google and AI startup Character.AI must face a wrongful death lawsuit filed by a Florida mother who claims the chatbot encouraged her teenage son to take his own life.

Google's latest AI model is wowing the internet with near-realistic video generation—but for now, it’s locked behind an expensive subscription.

Nvidia Corporation NVDA CEO Jensen Huang’s return to his native Taiwan for Computex 2025 has sparked a wave of “Jensanity,” with fans treating the AI pioneer like a celebrity.

David Sacks, a tech investor and White House AI advisor, said that he believes the science fiction world created by Isaac Asimov is about to become reality, after Nvidia CEO stated that humanoid robots could fill the significant global labor shortage.

Automobiles & Airlines

Future Fund LLC‘s managing director, Gary Black, says that analysts may be expecting too much from Tesla Inc.‘s TSLA June Robotaxi launch in Austin.

Rivian Automotive Inc.‘s RIVN software chief Wassym Bensaid praised the Tesla rival’s partnership with German Automaker Volkswagen AG VWAGY as the company prepares to launch its budget EV.

Ford Motor Co. F will reportedly let Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. NSANF use part of its flagship Kentucky battery manufacturing plant.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk returned to his Microsoft Corporation MSFT roots, joining CEO Satya Nadella at "Build 2025" to announce the integration of xAI’s Grok into Azure — a full-circle moment for the tech billionaire who once interned at the software giant.

Elon Musk has shared a major Neuralink update at the Qatar Economic Forum with the Neurotechnology company’s Brain-Chip Interface Blindsight set for its maiden trial next year.

Chinese EV giant BYD Co. Ltd. BYDDF has launched its best-selling all-electric hatchback Seagull’s updated version in Europe.

Southwest Airlines Co. LUV has announced that all passengers will be required to keep portable chargers in plain sight when in use for safety reasons.

Entertainment

Walt Disney Co. filed a lawsuit against YouTube, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.’s Google to stop the appointment of former ESPN executive Justin Connolly as its new global head of media and sports, alleging breach of contract, unfair competition and interference with a contractual relationship.

Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel Studios has delayed the theatrical release of “Avengers: Doomsday” from May 1, 2026, to Dec. 18, 2026, while “Avengers: Secret Wars” will now debut on Dec. 17, 2027, instead of May 7, 2027.

Read Next: