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Mar 29, 2026 8:40 AM

Consumer Tech News (March 23-27): Netflix & Sony Hikes Prices, OpenAI Flags Microsoft Dependency Risk & More

White House border czar Tom Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will assist Transportation Security Administration at airports to ease long security lines during staffing shortages, but they will not operate X-ray machines or conduct passenger screenings.

Transportation Security Administration union leaders blasted President Donald Trump’s decision to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to selected airports, saying that the move will do little to cut the long security lines caused by the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.

Interactive Media & Entertainment

In a bid to streamline his executive duties, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), is reportedly in the process of developing a personal artificial intelligence (AI) agent.

Some Meta employees were directed to work remotely on Wednesday as the company prepares for layoffs.

Meta has introduced a new stock option program that could deliver massive payouts to top executives if the company achieves a $9 trillion market capitalization by 2031, according to recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) disclosed the launch of its Howdy streaming service on Prime Video, expanding its reach beyond its own platform.

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is again raising prices across all its streaming plans. The company announced that monthly rates will climb by at least $1, citing expanding investments in original programming and live events.

Sony Group (NYSE:SONY) disclosed it is raising prices across key PlayStation hardware lines, a move that can spark debate about demand elasticity and unit momentum.

Broadline Retail

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) is sharpening its AI push as it leans on China’s structural advantages—from power infrastructure to open-source ecosystems—to drive the next phase of growth.

Alibaba announced its next-generation XuanTie C950 5-nanometer processor, marking a significant stride towards agentic AI.

Amazon.com Inc's (NASDAQ:AMZN) Zoox is preparing to expand its robotaxi service to select members of the public in Austin and Miami later this year.

Amazon.com is navigating another senior exit from its Annapurna Labs chip division, raising questions about leadership continuity as it scales its Trainium AI chips to compete with Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA).

Technology & Software

Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:AVGO) introduced Symantec CBX, a cloud-based security platform that combines Symantec and Carbon Black technologies into a single,