FTI Consulting News Bytes – 25 July 2025

FTI Consulting News Bytes

We begin this week’s News Bytes with a deep dive by the Financial Times examining the big question of whether Europe can break away from US tech dominance and forge its own path to tech sovereignty. We then turn to Microsoft, who has suffered from a cyber incident after its SharePoint servers were hacked by Chinese threat actors after corporations’ data. Next, the UK continues its drive to secure more AI sector investment, signing a deal with OpenAI to increase productivity in the country’s public service sector. In more Whitehall news, the government is considering implementing a two-hour limit for children on social media sites like TikTok and Snapchat, in a bid to combat ‘compulsive’ phone use. Finally, we hear from HUMAIN CEO Tareq Amin, who appeared on the Mo Show podcast discussing everything from AI to his leadership journey.

This week’s news

Europe’s Big Tech tug of war 

The Financial Times’ Barbara Moens questions whether Europe can lessen its dependence on US technology, in light of growing concerns from executives and policymakers on the topic. She highlights how Europe continues to grapple with uncertainty over the US commitment to data privacy and transatlantic tech cooperation, while noting that American firms – namely Amazon, Microsoft, and Google – currently dominate the European cloud computing market, controlling more than two-thirds of it. Moens suggests that the current situation is a strategic vulnerability for Europe, and her view is one starting to gain traction in Europe. For example, Finnish politician Henna Virkkunen, who began in the role as the EU’s new tech commissioner, has had “tech sovereignty” added to her title. 

Ctrl-Alt-Intrude: Microsoft hit with China-based hack

Microsoft has announced that some of its SharePoint servers were hacked by Chinese threat actors, who targeted the data of businesses using them, according to BBC News. Reportedly, China state-backed Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon as well as China-based Storm-2603 “exploited vulnerabilities” in its SharePoint software systems to target users including large corporations and government agencies. Microsoft noted that these vulnerabilities affected customers who were operating on-premise servers and had no effect on those who used its cloud-based service. China’s US embassy spokesman, Liu Pengyu, posted a statement on X saying, “China firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyberattacks and cybercrime. At the same time, we also firmly oppose smearing others without solid evidence.” Microsoft stated that as the investigation continues, it would be updating its website blog with key developments. 

AI moves into Whitehall 

BBC News reports that OpenAI has signed a deal to use AI to increase the productivity of the UK’s public services, with the agreement potentially giving OpenAI access to government data and see its software used in education, defence, security, and the justice system. Whilst Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said that “AI will be fundamental in driving change” and “driving economic growth,” critics have urged ministers to provide greater transparency about the public data that may be shared with OpenAI. For example, Chi Onwurah, the Chair of the House of Commons Select Committee on Science, Innovation and Technology has called for guarantees that public data would stay in the UK. The announcement builds on Sir Keir Starmer’s “AI Opportunities Action Plan” released in January as the government aims to secure more investment in its AI sector.  

Tick tock on TikTok – government cracks down on screen time

The UK government is considering implementing a two-hour limit for children on social media sites such as TikTok and Snapchat, as part of a plan to crack down on “compulsive” phone use. Peter Kyle, the Secretary for Science and Technology, who is reportedly due to make an announcement in the autumn, said he was concerned about “the overall amount of time kids spend on these apps” as well as their content. According to reports, ideas being seriously considered include a two-hour cap per platform, as well as a night-time or school-time curfew. Last year, Australia passed a law to ban all under-16s from social media, although the UK is not expected to go that far. Statistics suggest that one in five children spend at least seven hours a day using phones and tablets, something Peter Kyle suggested was “unhealthy” and to the detriment of key aspects of childhood, such as sleep and studying. 

Lessons in leadership from HUMAIN 

Tareq Amin, CEO of HUMAIN, a global AI company launched in Saudi Arabia this May, appeared on the Mo Show podcast, where he discussed everything from AI to innovation to his leadership journey. Tareq emphasised the country’s push to become a global AI powerhouse and delved deeper into the practicalities around AI and data. On a more personal level, Tareq discussed his own leadership journey and how HUMAIN came to be, his experience as a CEO and how he adapted to working in Saudi Arabia, giving tips on how to work with different cultures.  

Top Tweets of the Week

• Tom Warren, Senior Editor at The Verge: scoop: OpenAI is preparing to launch GPT-5 in early August. It will also ship with mini and nano versions. Details about GPT-5 in my Notepad 📒 newsletter this week, where I also dig into the SharePoint attacks. Live for subscribers 👇 https://t.co/1hLMmFkfs2 
• Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet: Just got off the earnings call – great quarter and it was our (and my) 40th call as Alphabet. August will mark 10 years since we announced Alphabet. Been thinking about the incredible growth in our new businesses since then – Cloud, YouTube, Play, Subscriptions etc. To give a sense of progress, in 2015 all of Alphabet’s revenue added up to $75B. YouTube and Cloud alone ended 2024 at an annual run rate of $110B.
• Olivia Solon, Technology Investigations and Features Editor at Bloomberg: A series of short-seller reports about AppLovin have exposed the ugly underbelly of mobile ad tech https://t.co/pmp0YHCs4x

Number of the week

691k The total number of mentions on X, following Coldplay-gate.