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In July 2026, Salesforce laid off roughly 1,000 employees across marketing, product management, data analytics, and the Agentforce AI unit, and confirmed it is sunsetting the Heroku platform team. The cuts coincided with the departure of several senior leaders tied to Salesforce's AI strategy: Adam Evans, EVP & GM of Agentforce, left to build startups (succeeded by Madhav Thattai); Ryan Aytay, President & CEO of Tableau after 19 years at the company, departed with no successor named; and CMO Ariel Kelman left to become President and CMO of AMD. The churn followed a KeyBanc analyst note (based on extensive partner/customer contact) stating 'Agentforce, as a product, just isn't there,' that customer data readiness for AI work was inadequate, and that more surveyed CIOs planned to deprioritize Salesforce spending than increase it over the following year. The layoffs and departures came less than a year after Salesforce cut ~4,000 customer-support roles (Sept 2025) citing AI agents handling half of customer interactions, a claim now in tension with reports that Salesforce itself scaled back reliance on large language models for critical functions after executives acknowledged declining confidence in the technology.

Naver's SmartPlace tool for merchants included a booking setting, introduced in June 2025 and revealed publicly in July 2026, instructing business owners: 'If you do not wish to accept reservations and bookings from foreigners, change the setting to off.' Naver said the feature was meant to let merchants avoid processing fees (about 3.85%) and chargeback risk on overseas-issued cards rather than to block foreign customers, but acknowledged the wording 'failed to distinguish between foreign customers and cards issued overseas' and committed to renaming it to a 'global reservation/booking setting.'

On July 15, 2026, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and CWA Canada filed unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB against Microsoft and subsidiaries including Xbox, ZeniMax Media, id Software, and Bethesda Game Studios. The unions allege Microsoft failed to provide bargaining information, engaged in bad-faith bargaining, took coercive actions against workers, and unilaterally announced the July 6, 2026 layoffs (which eliminated 440+ union-represented positions) without the 'decisional bargaining' required mid-negotiation on a collective agreement. Microsoft said it reached out to begin effects bargaining on July 6 and remains committed to the process. CWA-represented workers held rallies in nine US and Canadian cities on August 18, 2026 protesting the layoffs and Microsoft's labor conduct.

In July 2026, Samsung's Device Experience division informed employees it would use a 'full-time equivalent' (FTE) metric to quantify how many 40-hour-per-week jobs could be performed by generative AI tools, described internally as a way to 'standardize quantitative management of AI transformation performance.' Samsung is the first of Korea's four major conglomerates to adopt external generative AI services group-wide, and employees said the framing suggested the exercise was aimed at determining headcount reductions rather than efficiency gains. The measure followed other 2026 cost-cutting steps, including a 30% DX division cost-reduction target and economy-class travel requirements for executives on flights under 10 hours.

26 current and former Meta employees filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of California (Oakland) on July 14, 2026, alleging Meta used a 'constellation' of AI systems -- including Metamate, keystroke/activity-monitoring data, AI-token-usage dashboards, and algorithmically assisted performance rankings -- to select employees for the May 2026 layoffs (~8,000 jobs). The suit alleges these output-based metrics 'by design, cannot be accumulated by an employee who is on protected medical or family leave, or whose output is reduced by a disability,' disproportionately targeting workers on protected leave and with disabilities in violation of the ADA, FMLA, and Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Meta said 'workforce management and organisational decisions were and are made by people, not AI.'

On July 13, 2026, the European Union imposed sanctions on VK Company for developing MAX, a messaging app mandatorily preinstalled on all smartphones, tablets, computers, and smart TVs sold in Russia since September 2025. MAX's terms of service explicitly permit sharing user data with Russian government institutions, and human rights lawyers say law enforcement has access to VK-administered platforms including VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, and MAX. The EU action, part of a package that also sanctioned developers of the FSB's SORM surveillance system, followed a Russian government crackdown on independent apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp. MAX had over 45 million registered accounts and 18 million daily active users as of late 2025.

On July 13, 2026 Justice Asenath Ongeri ruled that Safaricom and Diamond Trust Bank must compensate a customer who lost KES 4.4 million to SIM-swap fraud, apportioning 60% of liability (about KES 2.63 million) to Safaricom and 40% to the bank. The court found that permitting the fraudulent SIM swap was 'a direct and proximate cause of the loss', rejected the argument that a correctly entered PIN absolves the providers, and dismissed Safaricom's cross-appeal against its liability share. The ruling sets a consumer-protection precedent for Kenya's mobile-money ecosystem.

On July 13, 2026, Dutch non-profit Stichting Massaschade & Consument (SMC) filed a class action lawsuit against Klarna in the Netherlands, alleging the company failed to conduct adequate creditworthiness assessments before extending buy-now-pay-later credit, provided credit to minors without valid parental consent using age-verification processes SMC called 'easy to circumvent,' and handled disputed claims, returns, and fraud cases carelessly. SMC is seeking over €500 million in reimbursements covering purchase amounts, late fees, collection costs, and fines. The suit follows an April 2026 ruling by Dutch complaints institute Kifid that Klarna's BNPL services fall under consumer credit regulation; Klarna is appealing that ruling and disputes the class action's allegations.

A South Korean court ruled on July 13, 2026 that two former Samsung Electronics NAND flash design engineers who moved to rival SK Hynix must be barred from working there for 18 months, citing non-compete agreements signed at hiring and the need to protect 'national core technology' amid fierce semiconductor competition. The court reduced Samsung's requested two-year ban to 18 months, finding a full two-year restriction would excessively infringe the workers' freedom of occupational choice given their compensation and conditions, but upheld the non-compete clauses as valid and imposed a 5 million won daily penalty for violations. The ruling reflects an unusual departure from South Korean courts' historically strict scrutiny of non-compete restrictions, driven by intensifying chip-talent poaching between Samsung and SK Hynix.

On July 10, 2026 a Sao Paulo labor court (first instance) ordered Nubank to pay R$40,000 in moral damages to a former employee, finding three abusive practices: routine exposure to explicit images in photo-verification work without adequate safeguards; a 2018 internal campaign involving simulated-nudity photos; and the June 7, 2023 dismissal of roughly 300 employees via a five-minute videoconference with microphones and chat disabled, treatment the judge called 'inhumane and cold' ('desumano e frio'). The court also reclassified the employee as a financial-sector worker with corresponding benefits. The ruling is subject to appeal; Nubank said the 2018 campaign materials were discontinued and that photo screening is now fully automated.

Hachette Book Group, Cengage Learning, Elsevier, and author Scott Turow filed a class action against Google LLC on July 10, 2026, alleging Google copied millions of copyrighted works to train its Gemini AI models. The complaint alleges Google misused books obtained through the Google Books program (provided only for search functionality), downloaded pirated works from shadow libraries and behind paywalls, and intentionally removed or altered copyright management information to conceal the source of the training data. An internal Google document cited in the complaint reportedly acknowledged the practice could be 'highly problematic' with potential exposure of '$10Bs-$100Bs in potential fines.'

In July 2026, Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume proposed cutting up to 100,000 jobs globally, doubling a previously announced 50,000-job reduction target, citing a roughly 20% cost disadvantage versus competitors, tariff costs, and intensifying competition from Chinese automakers. An internal memo stated the company 'cannot confirm competitive use cases' for four German plants (Hanover, Zwickau, Emden, and Audi's Neckarsulm facility) in the 2030s. Labor representatives on VW's supervisory board blocked the proposals at a July 9, 2026 meeting, and IG Metall union head Christiane Benner vowed to 'stop them with all our might,' citing a late-2024 agreement to avoid German factory closures and compulsory redundancies through 2030. As of the announcement, the cuts remained proposals under negotiation rather than finalized decisions.

The European Commission concluded a formal antitrust investigation (opened September 2025) into SAP's maintenance and support practices for its on-premise ERP software. The Commission had found SAP potentially engaged in four anticompetitive practices: preventing customers from cancelling maintenance tied to unused licenses, imposing retroactive charges on customers returning after a hiatus, extending license terms to block maintenance termination, and forcing customers to use SAP exclusively for on-premise maintenance. On July 9, 2026, the Commission accepted binding commitments from SAP without imposing a fine: SAP agreed to let customers split their software estate among multiple maintenance providers, waive reinstatement fees, cap back-maintenance charges, and allow license/maintenance termination in defined circumstances including workforce reductions over 10%.

Colombia's Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC) confirmed on July 8, 2026 (Resolution 45710) the permanent and immediate closure of all data-processing operations by World Foundation and Tools for Humanity Corporation (the entities behind Sam Altman's World/Worldcoin iris-scanning project) in Colombia, with no further appeal available. The SIC found the companies violated Colombia's data protection law by collecting biometric iris data without valid free consent (conditioning it on cryptocurrency payments), failing to adequately disclose processing purposes, lacking compliant data-handling procedures, and mischaracterizing encrypted iris codes as 'anonymous' data. The ruling upheld and finalized sanctions first imposed in October 2025. This follows earlier bans/restrictions on the project in Brazil, Kenya, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Spain, Portugal and Hong Kong.

The Delhi High Court, acting on an RBI petition, ordered the winding up of Paytm Payments Bank Ltd (PPBL) through orders dated July 8 and July 22, 2026, appointing Girikumar M. Nair, a former SBI Chief General Manager, as liquidator with full board powers under the Banking Regulation Act. RBI said PPBL had sufficient liquidity to repay all deposit liabilities. The order formally closes out the bank whose license RBI had already cancelled, citing a persistent pattern of non-compliance detrimental to depositors' and the public interest.

Australian Federal Police's human exploitation taskforce opened an investigation into WiseTech Global co-founder Richard White, reported June 19, 2026, following a complaint from a former executive at a company he controls. The allegations, which White has emphatically denied, include coercing a financially and immigration-vulnerable woman into a relationship and providing false information on a visa application; no charges have been filed. Separately, a WiseTech board review found White had misled the board about the nature of several personal relationships. White stepped down as executive chair effective July 7, 2026 while remaining on the board as an executive director and chief innovation officer; independent director Raelene Murphy became chair. WiseTech shares had fallen more than two-thirds since early 2025 amid the reporting, then rose 8.1% on the resignation announcement. A prior 2024-2025 board review had cleared White of separate allegations of misappropriating company funds and improper relationships with staff.

Following months of governance turmoil (an AFP investigation, share-trading blackout allegations, and personal conduct allegations against founder Richard White), WiseTech's board appointed Raelene Murphy as independent chair effective July 7, 2026, with White remaining an executive director and Chief Innovation Officer. While preliminary board review findings cleared White on several matters, the review also confirmed he had misled the board about the nature of certain relationships — a governance failure. Major investor HESTA (A$104B) had publicly warned WiseTech over 'serious governance and leadership issues' in June 2026. No criminal charges had been filed as of the announcement, and White denied the allegations.

TikTok removed or shadow-banned at least two MalaysiaNow videos in July 2026 - a July 6 report on a Greenpeace-led protest against Lynas rare-earth operations, and a July 7 press-conference video featuring lawyers representing youths killed by police - citing only 'integrity and authenticity' issues. It was the third MalaysiaNow video removed from TikTok in 2026 without further explanation, following earlier removals of coverage on Malaysia's anti-corruption commission chief and opposition parties. The removals occurred while TikTok operates under Malaysia's MCMC content-licensing regime; the same videos remained available on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Coverage noted allegations of a pro-Israel moderation bias following TikTok's 2025 US ownership restructuring.

On July 6, 2026 Microsoft Chief People Officer Amy Coleman announced the elimination of roughly 4,800 roles, about 2.1% of the global workforce, with the largest share (~3,200) hitting the Xbox gaming division amid further studio restructuring. Microsoft stated the eliminated roles were 'not being replaced by AI,' while acknowledging AI is changing how work gets done. This followed a separate 9,000-person layoff in July 2025.

Effective July 1, 2026, Gojek (owned by GoTo) reduced commissions charged to Indonesian motorcycle-taxi ('ojol') drivers from 20% to 8%, matching Grab's move, following sustained pressure from President Prabowo Subianto and a new presidential regulation (No. 27/2026) on online transport worker protections. Within days, thousands of drivers and students protested at Monas and the House of Representatives, saying GoTo had simultaneously lowered base per-trip tariffs, leaving net take-home pay largely unchanged despite the lower commission rate. Drivers, through the Indonesian Transport Workers Union (SPAI), separately demanded the government reclassify them as employees rather than the 'micro-entrepreneurs' status the Ministry of MSMEs proposed. The underlying presidential regulation had not been published in the official state gazette as of mid-July 2026, creating legal uncertainty about enforcement.

Effective July 1, 2026, Grab reduced commissions charged to Indonesian motorcycle-taxi ('ojol') drivers from 20% to 8%, following sustained pressure from President Prabowo Subianto and a new presidential regulation (No. 27/2026) on online transport worker protections. Within days, thousands of drivers and students protested at Monas and the House of Representatives, saying Grab had simultaneously lowered base per-trip tariffs, leaving net take-home pay largely unchanged despite the lower commission rate. Drivers, through the Indonesian Transport Workers Union (SPAI), separately demanded the government reclassify them as employees rather than the 'micro-entrepreneurs' status the Ministry of MSMEs proposed, and called for ratification of ILO Convention 193 on platform workers. The underlying presidential regulation had not been published in the official state gazette as of mid-July 2026, creating legal uncertainty about enforcement.

The US Department of Justice announced that Alibaba Group and AUS Merchant Services agreed to pay a combined $600 million ($125M criminal penalty plus $200M forfeiture from Alibaba; $85M penalty plus $190M forfeiture from AUS) to resolve allegations that merchants used Alibaba's messaging tools to conduct roughly 80,000 illegal sales of pharmaceuticals, controlled substances, and counterfeiting equipment between January 2016 and December 2024, with combined gross merchandise value exceeding $200 million. DOJ said Alibaba employees had internally flagged inadequate compliance controls, and the company continued to profit from transaction fees on the illegal sales; AUS was found to have merely reported flagged bad actors rather than systematically restricting them, allowing at least one merchant to continue illegal sales after being flagged. No independent monitor was imposed; both companies agreed to enhanced compliance, reporting, and cooperation obligations. The European Commission separately imposed an additional €550 million fine on Alibaba for related conduct in the EU market.

Germany's financial regulator BaFin opened a formal review of Zalando's 2025 consolidated financial statements after finding concrete evidence the company breached accounting rules by omitting a required related-party transaction disclosure from the notes: that Anders Holch Povlsen, Zalando's largest shareholder, also held a significant stake in About You before Zalando's EUR1.13 billion ($1.29 billion) acquisition of it. Shares fell as much as 10.6% on the news before paring losses. Zalando called the omission 'purely formal and materially insignificant,' noting the underlying information was already public via the tender offer documents, and said it was in constructive dialogue with BaFin.

Ranking Digital Rights' 2026 Telco Giants Edition, published June 22, 2026, ranked MTN Group 2nd of the world's major telecom companies on digital rights disclosure (behind Telefónica), up from 6th place previously, making it the first emerging-market telco to reach the top 3. RDR credited MTN with strengthened governance disclosures, a new advertising content policy, and enhanced user-data-protection disclosures, while noting MTN still lacks detailed AI governance policies, including on AI risk review and whether user data is used to train AI models, and that its transparency gains face testing from the regulatory and political realities of the markets it operates in.

Apple closed its Towson Town Center store - the first unionized Apple Store in the United States - on June 20, 2026, after announcing the shutdown earlier in the year. The International Association of Machinists (IAM), which represents the Towson workers, filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge alleging the closure violates federal labor law and the collective bargaining agreement. Maryland's congressional delegation pressed Apple in a May 4, 2026 letter that went unanswered. The IAM argued Apple is signaling to other stores considering unionization that organizing will be met with retaliation. The Towson store was the only Apple location in the Baltimore County metro area accessible by public transit.

On June 17, 2026 Argentina's official lottery regulator publicly stated that Mercado Pago's promoted 'friends tournaments' allowing users to wager on World Cup matches constitute illegal gambling under Argentine law, since the product offered cash prizes funded from user stakes outside the official licensing regime. The regulator warned of criminal exposure for Mercado Pago and demanded the product be discontinued.

A Federal District (Brasilia) court ruled on June 17, 2026 that Garena and twelve other gaming and platform companies failed to protect children from 'loot box' randomized-purchase mechanics, in a civil action brought by Brazil's National Association of Child and Adolescent Defense Centers (ANCED). Garena, Sea Limited's gaming subsidiary, was fined R$15 million (~$2.9M) over Free Fire as part of a R$298M (~$58.7M) collective judgment against the named companies. The court ordered Garena, within 90 days, to display explicit randomness warnings, disclose item-drop probabilities, deploy reliable (non-self-declared) age verification blocking minors from loot-box purchases, and provide refunds for loot-box purchases made by minors without parental authorization. The ruling is subject to appeal.

A Brasília federal district court ruled on June 17, 2026 (case 0701554-83.2021.8.07.0013) that Tencent violated Brazil's Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA) by offering paid randomized loot boxes to minors without adequate warnings, odds disclosure, or age verification. Tencent was ordered to pay R$50 million (~$9.8 million) in collective damages, part of a combined R$298 million judgment against Apple, Google, Microsoft, Sony, EA, Riot Games, Garena, Ubisoft, Valve, Konami, and Nintendo in the same ruling. Companies must implement probability disclosures, reliable age verification, and refund systems for minors' purchases within 90 days of final judgment or face daily fines of R$100,000. The ruling is subject to appeal and also allows individual children to pursue separate compensation claims.

A Brasília federal district court ruled on June 17, 2026 (case 0701554-83.2021.8.07.0013) that Sony violated Brazil's Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA) by offering paid randomized loot boxes to minors without adequate warnings, odds disclosure, or age verification. Sony was ordered to pay R$40 million (~$7.8 million) in collective damages, part of a combined R$298 million judgment against Apple, Google, Microsoft, Tencent, EA, Riot Games, Garena, Ubisoft, Valve, Konami, and Nintendo in the same ruling. Companies must implement probability disclosures, reliable age verification, and refund systems for minors' purchases within 90 days of final judgment or face daily fines of R$100,000. The ruling is subject to appeal and also allows individual children to pursue separate compensation claims.

A Brasília federal district court ruled on June 17, 2026 (case 0701554-83.2021.8.07.0013) that Nintendo violated Brazil's Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA) by offering paid randomized loot boxes to minors without adequate warnings, odds disclosure, or age verification. Nintendo was ordered to pay R$5 million (~$1.0 million) in collective damages, part of a combined R$298 million judgment against Apple, Google, Microsoft, Tencent, Sony, EA, Riot Games, Garena, Ubisoft, Valve, and Konami in the same ruling. Companies must implement probability disclosures, reliable age verification, and refund systems for minors' purchases within 90 days of final judgment or face daily fines of R$100,000. The ruling is subject to appeal and also allows individual children to pursue separate compensation claims.