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Beyond AI: 8 Must-Read Tech News Highlights from August 11–12, 2025
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Beyond AI: 8 Must-Read Tech News Highlights from August 11–12, 2025

by
12 August 2025
  • Google sets August 20 for the Pixel 10 launch, unveiling the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold with IP68 water and dust resistance that outclasses Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold7.
  • GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke will resign to found a new startup, with Microsoft having acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion in 2018 and Julia Liuson named interim to oversee engineering, revenue, and support.
  • Marks & Spencer restored Click & Collect on August 11 after almost four months offline due to a cyberattack that cost about £300 million in lost profit for the 141-year-old retailer.
  • Paramount agreed to pay $7.7 billion for exclusive U.S. UFC rights for seven years, with Paramount+ streaming all 13 UFC main events per year plus 30 fight-night cards and select marquee bouts on CBS starting next year.
  • SpaceX launched 24 Amazon Kuiper satellites on August 11, its 100th mission of 2025, aboard a Falcon 9 at 8:35 a.m. ET, marking SpaceX’s 97th Falcon 9 flight this year as Amazon pursues a $10 billion Kuiper constellation.
  • IO Biotech’s cancer vaccine Cylembio, combined with Merck’s Keytruda, yielded 19.4 months progression-free versus 11 months for Keytruda alone but narrowly missed statistical significance, with the stock swinging 50% pre-market before dropping over 20% post-results.
  • Ford plans a midsize EV pickup with a starting price around $30,000, targeting a 2027 launch, backed by a $2 billion retooling of the Louisville plant and retention of more than 2,200 jobs, plus a skunkworks team of ex‑Tesla and Rivian talent.
  • Revel pivots from ridesharing to charging, aiming for over 400 rapid charging stalls by end-2026 in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco, while selling its rideshare fleet and license plates and expanding its “Superhubs” network.
  • Paramount’s UFC deal comes amid its merger with Skydance Media, marking the new company’s first major strategic move.
  • The roundup emphasizes coverage across sectors—from gadgets to space and biotech—without touching on AI.

Consumer Electronics: Google Teases Pixel 10 Launch Event

Google has officially set August 20 as the date to unveil its latest Pixel 10 smartphone lineup [1]. The event is expected to showcase four devices – the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and Google’s newest foldable, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold [2]. According to reports, the foldable will introduce improved water and dust resistance (IP68) that even outclasses Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold7 [3]. This Pixel launch comes just weeks before Apple’s next iPhone announcement, positioning Google to grab consumer attention in the run-up to the fall gadget season [4]. (No direct comment from Google yet, but the rumor mill is buzzing with anticipation.)

Enterprise Tech: GitHub CEO Resigns to Found New Startup

In a surprise leadership shake-up, GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke announced he will step down from the Microsoft-owned code platform to launch a new startup [5] [6]. “I’ve decided to leave GitHub to become a founder again,” Dohmke wrote, citing a return to his “startup roots” as motivation [7]. During his tenure, GitHub expanded its global footprint and secured U.S. government security certifications, while integrating new tools for developers. Microsoft (which acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion in 2018) did not immediately comment on who will succeed Dohmke [8]. Axios first reported the shake-up and noted that Microsoft executive Julia Liuson will oversee GitHub’s engineering, revenue, and support on an interim basis [9].

Cybersecurity: M&S Rebounds 15 Weeks After Costly Hack

British retail giant Marks & Spencer (M&S) has finally restored its online “click and collect” services after a devastating cyberattack kept the service offline for nearly four months [10] [11]. The breach, disclosed in late April, forced M&S to suspend online orders and in-store pickups for clothing and home goods, costing the 141-year-old retailer an estimated £300 million in lost profit [12] [13]. As of August 11, M&S proclaimed “Click & Collect is back” on its website, signaling a return to normal operations [14]. Industry analysts are optimistic: “The reinstatement of click and collect ‘is the key “back to normal” signal from a consumer perspective,’” said Investec retail analyst Kate Calvert, adding that the hack is unlikely to hurt M&S’s long-term prospects [15].

Telecom & Media: Paramount Drops $7.7 Billion on UFC Rights

In a blockbuster media deal, Paramount has agreed to pay $7.7 billion for exclusive U.S. broadcast rights to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for seven years [16]. The announcement came just days after Paramount finalized its merger with Skydance Media, marking the new company’s first major strategic move [17]. “The addition of UFC’s year-round must-watch events to our platforms is a major win,” said David Ellison, Paramount’s CEO (and former Skydance chief), calling the MMA franchise a “global sports powerhouse” [18]. Starting next year, Paramount+ will stream all 13 annual UFC main events plus 30 fight-night cards, with select marquee bouts also simulcast on the CBS network [19]. This bold push into live sports content is aimed at boosting Paramount+ subscriptions, as Ellison noted exclusive high-quality content is the “single biggest driver of subscriber growth” in the streaming wars [20].

Space & Aerospace: SpaceX Launches Amazon’s Internet Satellites

SpaceX chalked up its 100th mission of 2025 on August 11 with a pre-dawn launch from Florida carrying the latest payload for Amazon’s Project Kuiper [21]. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 8:35 a.m. ET Monday, deploying 24 Kuiper satellites into low-Earth orbit as Amazon races to build out its satellite internet constellation [22] [23]. The launch – after two weather scrubs over the weekend – marks SpaceX’s 97th Falcon 9 flight this year, on top of a few Starship test flights [24]. Amazon’s Kuiper program is a $10 billion initiative to rival SpaceX’s own Starlink network in beaming broadband to underserved areas [25] [26]. While Amazon successfully lofted its first batch of Kuiper satellites back in April [27], this latest mission (using SpaceX as the launch provider) underscores how even rival tech giants are leveraging Elon Musk’s rocketry for their orbital ambitions. No major glitches were reported, and Amazon expects to begin limited customer beta service with its satellite internet later this year if all goes well.

Biotechnology: Cancer Vaccine Trial Yields Mixed Results

Clinical trial news made waves as IO Biotech reported results from a late-stage study of its experimental cancer vaccine for advanced melanoma [28]. The vaccine, called Cylembio, was tested in combination with Merck’s immunotherapy Keytruda. The good news: patients receiving the combo lived 19.4 months without disease progression, versus 11 months for those on Keytruda alone [29]. However, the improvement “narrowly missed” the trial’s statistical significance goal, IO Biotech said [30] [31]. “This was a very narrow miss, just by a hair,” CEO Mai-Britt Zocca emphasized on a conference call, noting a positive trend in overall survival despite falling just shy of the formal benchmark [32]. Investors reacted skittishly – IO Biotech’s stock, which had jumped 50% pre-market on optimism, tumbled over 20% after the full data came out [33]. Still, researchers are encouraged that the vaccine showed a meaningful benefit, and the company indicated the combo therapy was well-tolerated with no new safety issues [34]. Further analysis will determine next steps, but this novel vaccine approach could yet play a role alongside established treatments in the fight against cancer.

Automotive: Ford Bets Big on $30K Electric Pickup

Ford Motor Co. is doubling down on affordable electric vehicles, announcing plans for a new midsize EV pickup truck with a target starting price around $30,000 [35] [36]. Executive Chair Bill Ford and CEO Jim Farley revealed the strategy at the company’s Louisville, Kentucky plant on August 11, touting a 2027 launch for a whole family of low-cost EVs designed to compete with cheaper Chinese rivals [37] [38]. “I can’t tell you with 100% certainty that this will all go just right… It is a bet. There is risk,” CEO Jim Farley told employees and journalists, acknowledging the bold gamble on drastically cutting EV costs [39]. Ford is investing $2 billion to re-tool the Louisville factory (which currently makes Escape SUVs) and will retain over 2,200 jobs in the transition [40]. The automaker’s special EV development team – a “skunkworks” unit stocked with ex-Tesla and Rivian talent – has been tasked with cracking the code on ultra-efficient production to hit that $30K price point [41] [42]. Wall Street is watching closely: EVs still average ~$47K in the U.S. [43], so Ford’s move to undercut that could tap a huge new market if successful. Farley admitted prior efforts at cheap cars often fizzled in Detroit, but insisted Ford “must match” the new standard set by Chinese EV makers on cost efficiency [44] [45].

Mobility: EV Startup Revel Quits Ridesharing, Pivots to Charging

New York-based mobility startup Revel is pulling the plug on its electric ridesharing service to focus entirely on building EV charging infrastructure [46] [47]. The company – known for its fleet of bright-blue Teslas and Kia EVs – told users this week, “we have permanently closed our rideshare service”, and thanked them for “riding with us the last 4 years!” [48]. Revel CEO Frank Reig said the decision, while difficult, will help accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles: “the best way we can keep the EV transition moving forward is by ending our rideshare service and focusing on building the fast charging infrastructure our biggest cities need” [49]. Revel will sell off its rideshare fleet and the special license plates that came with it, and will reinvest in its network of “Superhubs” – large fast-charging stations it operates in New York and San Francisco [50] [51]. The pivot appears to be paying off: usage of Revel’s chargers has more than doubled since early 2023 (thanks in part to a deal steering Uber drivers to Revel stations) [52]. By the end of 2026, the startup plans to have over 400 rapid charging stalls across Los Angeles, NYC, and SF [53]. Analysts say the move makes sense, as the costly ride-hail business struggled against Uber and Lyft, while demand for urban EV charging is only growing. Revel’s endgame? Becoming a leading power supplier for the next generation of electric taxis and commuters – a far cry from its e-moped rental origins, but perhaps a more viable path to electrify city transportation.

Sources: The above news summaries are based on reporting from Reuters, TechCrunch, Space.com, and other reputable outlets as cited. Each story’s source is linked inline for reference to the original reporting [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61]. Each quote is taken directly from executives or experts in those reports. This roundup covers the major tech sectors – from gadgets and enterprise shake-ups to cybersecurity, telecom/media, space, biotech, autos, and transportation – all without touching on AI. These developments show that even beyond the AI hype, the tech world was buzzing with significant breakthroughs, deals, and pivots as of August 11–12, 2025.

Samsung unveils its brand new boundary-pushing tech innovations | 9 News Australia
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References

1. www.macrumors.com, 2. www.macrumors.com, 3. www.macrumors.com, 4. www.macrumors.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. www.reuters.com, 8. www.reuters.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.reuters.com, 11. www.reuters.com, 12. www.reuters.com, 13. www.reuters.com, 14. www.reuters.com, 15. www.reuters.com, 16. www.reuters.com, 17. www.reuters.com, 18. www.reuters.com, 19. www.reuters.com, 20. www.reuters.com, 21. www.space.com, 22. www.space.com, 23. www.space.com, 24. www.space.com, 25. www.reuters.com, 26. www.reuters.com, 27. www.reuters.com, 28. www.reuters.com, 29. www.reuters.com, 30. www.reuters.com, 31. www.reuters.com, 32. www.reuters.com, 33. www.reuters.com, 34. www.reuters.com, 35. www.reuters.com, 36. www.reuters.com, 37. www.reuters.com, 38. www.reuters.com, 39. www.reuters.com, 40. www.reuters.com, 41. www.reuters.com, 42. www.reuters.com, 43. www.reuters.com, 44. www.reuters.com, 45. www.reuters.com, 46. techcrunch.com, 47. techcrunch.com, 48. techcrunch.com, 49. techcrunch.com, 50. techcrunch.com, 51. techcrunch.com, 52. techcrunch.com, 53. techcrunch.com, 54. www.macrumors.com, 55. www.reuters.com, 56. www.reuters.com, 57. www.reuters.com, 58. www.space.com, 59. www.reuters.com, 60. www.reuters.com, 61. techcrunch.com

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Mateusz Kaczmarek Latest posts

A technology and finance expert writing for TS2.tech. He analyzes developments in satellites, telecommunications, and artificial intelligence, with a focus on their impact on global markets. Author of industry reports and market commentary, often cited in tech and business media. Passionate about innovation and the digital economy.

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