Tech News Digest: Saturday, 11 July 2026

Today in tech, we're tracking a massive legal rift between Silicon Valley's biggest titans and some significant changes to the AI tools you use at your desk. From new quantum milestones to the potential end of the infinite scroll, there's plenty to get stuck into this Saturday morning.

Apple sues OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the industry, Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that senior leadership directed the theft of confidential trade secrets. This legal battle signals a major fracture in the AI landscape just as Apple begins to roll out its own integrated intelligence features to millions of users.

EU warns Meta over 'addictive' social media features

Regulators in the EU are threatening Meta with substantial fines if it doesn't disable features like infinite scroll, push notifications, and autoplay on Facebook and Instagram. The move aims to tackle digital addiction and could force a radical redesign of how we interact with social apps across the UK and Europe.

GPT 5.6 becomes the new standard for Microsoft Copilot

OpenAI has confirmed that its new GPT 5.6 model is now the preferred engine for Microsoft Copilot 365, quelling rumours of a breakup between the two giants. For those of us relying on Office apps, this update promises to make workplace automation more fluid and capable than previous versions.

OpenAI reveals new tool designed to do your work for you

Beyond simply generating text, OpenAI is pivoting towards autonomous agents with a new tool designed to work alongside users to complete complex tasks. It is a significant step towards full-scale automation of digital workflows, potentially changing the nature of our daily office admin forever.

Oratomic raises $300M for efficient quantum computing

Quantum startup Oratomic has secured massive backing to develop a viable quantum computer using only 20,000 qubits, a far lower threshold than many competitors. If successful, this efficient approach could bring the era of super-powered quantum processing into the mainstream much sooner than previously expected.

Have a brilliant weekend, and we'll see you back here on Monday for more tech updates.