X Global Affairs Head Nick Pickles Resigns 

The "X" logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, US, July 30, 2023. (Reuters)
The "X" logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, US, July 30, 2023. (Reuters)
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X Global Affairs Head Nick Pickles Resigns 

The "X" logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, US, July 30, 2023. (Reuters)
The "X" logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, US, July 30, 2023. (Reuters)

X's global affairs head Nick Pickles said on Thursday he is quitting after a decade with the social media company formerly called Twitter.

Pickles, who joined the company in 2014, said he had decided to leave X several months ago and was working with the Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino through the transition.

"After more than ten years, tomorrow will be my last day at X. It's been an incredible journey," he said.

It was not immediately clear what his next plans were, or why he made the decision to quit.

Elon Musk-owned X and Nick Pickles did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment outside of regular business hours.

In June, X's head of business operations, Joe Benarroch left the company, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Pickles had started at X as a senior manager in their London office and was appointed the Vice President of Global Affairs for X in 2023 after serving in multiple roles, his LinkedIn profile showed.

The Financial Times reported that he was the company's spokesperson in battles with multiple governments, including in Brazil, which said last week it was suspending access to the social network in the country.

The popular social media platform missed a court-imposed deadline to name a legal representative in Brazil, triggering the suspension.

Musk has argued that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes was trying to enforce unjustified censorship, while the judge has insisted that X needs hate speech regulations.



Microsoft Reportedly on Track to Invest $5.5 Billion in Singapore by 2029

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
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Microsoft Reportedly on Track to Invest $5.5 Billion in Singapore by 2029

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is seen next to a cloud in Los Angeles, California, US June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

Microsoft is on track to invest $5.5 billion in cloud and artificial ⁠intelligence infrastructure in Singapore ⁠through 2029, the ⁠Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a ⁠Reuters request for ⁠comment.

The Thai government ⁠said in a statement on Tuesday that Microsoft plans to invest $1 billion in Thailand over the next two years in cloud services and AI infrastructure.

The investment includes developing digital ⁠skills of the Thai workforce, the statement said.

The announcement follows a number of data center investments to support AI, as Southeast ⁠Asia's ⁠second-largest economy looks to speed up projects involving data centers, electronics, and power generation.


Huawei Posts 2.2% Growth in Annual Revenue

FILE PHOTO: A sign of Huawei is displayed at the company's booth at the expo of the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen town of Tongxiang city, Zhejiang province, China November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A sign of Huawei is displayed at the company's booth at the expo of the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen town of Tongxiang city, Zhejiang province, China November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
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Huawei Posts 2.2% Growth in Annual Revenue

FILE PHOTO: A sign of Huawei is displayed at the company's booth at the expo of the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen town of Tongxiang city, Zhejiang province, China November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A sign of Huawei is displayed at the company's booth at the expo of the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen town of Tongxiang city, Zhejiang province, China November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

China's Huawei Technologies reported on Tuesday 2.2% growth in 2025 revenue, as its core businesses of infrastructure network and consumer devices reported modest growth, while its cloud computing operation saw a revenue decline.

The Shenzhen-based company posted 2025 sales revenue of 880.9 billion yuan ($127.5 billion), up 2.2% from a year earlier, marking a sharp slowdown from 22.4% growth recorded in 2024.

The 2025 result marks Huawei's second-highest annual revenue, trailing a record 891 billion yuan sales achieved in 2020.

Huawei's smartphone ⁠business had suffered ⁠a dramatic decline after US sanctions restricted access to advanced chips and Google's Android operating system, driving its total revenue down 29% in 2021. Last year was the fourth consecutive year of growth since that trough.

Revenue from the consumer unit, which includes smartphones and other digital devices, ⁠rose 1.6% to 344.5 billion yuan, while its information and communication technology infrastructure segment — the largest revenue contributor — posted 2.6% growth in sales to 375 billion yuan, Huawei said in a statement.

Huawei said over 36 million devices ran on its homegrown HarmonyOS by the end of last year, Reuters reported.

Its smaller yet important cloud computing business reported a 3.5% drop in revenue, while intelligent automotive solutions unit, which helps traditional automakers develop smart vehicles, saw a revenue surge of ⁠72.1% to ⁠45 billion yuan.

Huawei continued to allocate significant resources to research and development to mitigate the effects of ongoing US sanctions.

R&D spending surged to 192.3 billion yuan in 2025, representing 22% of its annual revenue, as the company invested heavily in software, chips and manufacturing tools to reduce reliance on restricted US technology.

In a statement, chairwoman Meng Wanzhou, daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, said the company is navigating a future "full of uncertainty," and pledged that Huawei would continue cultivating its developer ecosystem.


Meta Says Testing Subscription Tier for Instagram

(FILES) This picture taken in Istanbul on August 2, 2024, shows the logo of the social network Instagram on a smartphone. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
(FILES) This picture taken in Istanbul on August 2, 2024, shows the logo of the social network Instagram on a smartphone. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
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Meta Says Testing Subscription Tier for Instagram

(FILES) This picture taken in Istanbul on August 2, 2024, shows the logo of the social network Instagram on a smartphone. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
(FILES) This picture taken in Istanbul on August 2, 2024, shows the logo of the social network Instagram on a smartphone. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

Instagram is testing a pay tier that offers features including letting subscribers discretely view "Story" posts that normally vanish after 24 hours, Meta told AFP on Monday, confirming a report by news website TechCrunch.

Paying users will also get more control over which accounts are permitted to see photos or videos they share in Story posts on the popular social network.

The new tier is being tested in "a few countries worldwide," a spokesperson said, without providing further details.

According to TechCrunch, they include Japan, Mexico and the Philippines, with subscription prices hovering around $2 per month.

Meta launched ad-free, paid versions of Facebook and Instagram in the United Kingdom last year to comply with legislation there.

Social media platforms Snapchat and X have offered paid premium version for several years.

Snapchat's parent company Snap recently reported having more than 25 million subscribers to its premium tier and being on pace for $1 billion in annual revenue.

Content creators at Instagram already have the ability to charge fans for access to exclusive content.