Technology Investment Brief — August 20, 2026

Today's Developments

Microsoft AI's CMO is leaving as the company rethinks consumer marketing efforts¹ (Business Insider)

Andréa Mallard is leaving Microsoft's AI unit after around six months in the role, Business Insider has learned.

Scotland's AI Growth Zone gets a wee £300M power-up² (Theregister.com)

DataVita secures funding to expand datacenter capacity, while Dell brings some desks

White House cuts data centers, batteries, and AR from the US critical technology list — post-quantum cryptography, integrated photonics, high entropy alloys among new additions³ (Tom's Hardware UK)

Appendix A of the 24-page document rewrites the federal Critical and Emerging Technologies list for the first time since February 2024.

S&P Global (SPGI) Positioned to Unlock Growth Potential Amid AI Fears⁴ (Yahoo Entertainment)

Pershing Square Holdings, an investment holding company, released its second quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. Persh...

Alibaba (BABA) Cashes Out Of Gaming To Double Down On AI⁵ (Yahoo Entertainment)

On August 17, Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) agreed to hand its entire stake in game studio Lingxi Games to private equity firm Trustar Capital, a deal a person f...

Zeno Power reserves a spot on Firefly moon lander to demonstrate its atomic space heater⁶ (GeekWire)

Radioisotope-powered heater will keep components in working order during the chilly lunar night, for a NASA-supported mission that's set for as early as 2028. Read More

Preparing the contemporary warfare ecosystem⁷ (Globalsecurity.org)

The Defence Science and Technology Group sits where Defence's toughest challenges meet Australia's scientific and technological expertise.

Zhuque-3 Y2 landmark recovery test marks China's dual-track reusable rocket development, aerospace experts say⁸ (Globalsecurity.org)

A rocket that once would have been discarded after completing its mission has now taken a different path - returning from the edge of space back to Earth. In the early hours on Wednesday, the Zhuque-3 Y2 reusable launch vehicle lifted off for a flight test, c…