In today’s Digest, we cover California filing a price-fixing legal claim against Amazon, Singapore proposing a global standard for generative AI testing, and Apple naming John Ternus as CEO successor to Tim Cook.

California accuses Amazon of price fixing

Amazon is facing fresh scrutiny: a newly unsealed court filing in California alleges the e-commerce giant pressured major brands, including Levi’s and Hanes, to push competing retailers to raise prices. The filing, part of an antitrust lawsuit brought by the state in 2022, claims Amazon intervened when it detected lower prices on rival platforms or faced losses on certain products, urging brands to influence pricing across the market. According to the complaint, these actions led to price increases on competing sites, raising concerns about potential anti-competitive behaviour and inflated costs for consumers.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta described the evidence as unusually explicit, offering a rare glimpse into Amazon’s internal pricing practices.

In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson, Mark Blafkin, said the company looks forward to responding to California’s claims in court, dismissing the filing as a “transparent attempt to distract from the weakness of its case”. He added that the allegations rely on evidence the state has held for years. The lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial next year. 

Singapore proposes global standard for gen AI testing

With global efforts to regulate generative AI accelerating, Singapore has proposed a new international standard aimed at bringing greater consistency to how the technology  is tested. The draft standard, ISO/IEC 42119-8, focuses on benchmarking and red teaming methodologies – which are key processes used to assess the performance, safety, and reliability of AI systems. Discussions are taking place at the 17th ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42 plenary meeting, hosted in Singapore from 20-24th April.

Co-organised by the Infocomm Media Development Authority and Enterprise Singapore, the event will convene more than 250 experts from over 35 countries. Singapore says the proposal will improve the reproducibility and comparability of AI testing results, building on its earlier work in AI assurance, including the AI Verify Toolkit.

Chief Executive of Infocomm Media Development Authority, Ng Cher Pong said, “These are critical standards that will form the foundation of more trustworthy testing and facilitate more reproducible and comparable results.”  

Apple names Ternus CEO successor 

Apple has appointed John Ternus as its next chief executive, marking a major leadership transition as Tim Cook prepares to step down after 15 years. Ternus, currently head of hardware engineering and a 25-year veteran of the company, will assume the CEO role on 1st September, while Cook transitions to executive chairman. Over his career, Ternushas contributed to the development of key products including the iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and Apple Watch, and played a central role in transitioning Mac computers from Intel processors to Apple’s own silicon.

Tim Cook, who has led Apple since 2011 following the resignation of co-founder Steve Jobs, will remain in position through the summer to support the handover and continue advising on select matters, including global policy engagement. Cook described Ternus as a “visionary” leader, while Ternus acknowledged Cook as a mentor and expressed optimism about Apple’s future, signalling continuity in strategy as the company enters its next phase.