Microsoft

These seven tech companies have an outsize influence on the stock market.

A flaw in a core piece of popular software can cause widespread problems, as was the case Friday. 

Some companies may want to work with generative artificial intelligence systems that require less processing power and less cost.

Microsoft sees the change in strategy as a revenue opportunity, explains Tom Warren, senior editor at The Verge.

And investors will be hoping for more good news on that front when the company announces quarterly earnings.

The key will launch Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant program. But whether users will take to it is an open question.

Google, aka Alphabet, and Microsoft are longtime rivals. Lately, Microsoft has been on the offensive, building strength in key areas of tech.

A $15-a-month subscription may be more attractive than dropping $500 on a console.

Microsoft is paying $200 million to a company using crushed rock to absorb carbon, and the Frontier consortium is backing emerging technology.

Microsoft can proceed with its purchase, but fighting the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit came with a lot of scrutiny.