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LONDON (AP) — Spotify said Tuesday that founder Daniel Ek is stepping down as CEO to become the executive chairman, in an announcement that sent its shares sliding in premarket trading.

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The Stockholm-based streaming giant said Ek will be replaced by two lieutenants who will become co-CEOs: Chief Product and Technology Officer Gustav Söderström and Chief Business Officer Alex Norström. The pair, who are also currently copresidents, will transition into their new jobs on Jan. 1 and will report to Ek. read more

By MATT O’BRIEN

One of the hottest markets in the artificial intelligence industry is selling chatbots that write computer code.

Some call it “vibe-coding” because it encourages an AI coding assistant to do the grunt work as human software developers work through big ideas. Others dislike that term. But there’s no question that these tools are transforming the job experience for many tech workers amid an intense rivalry between leading AI companies to make the best one.

“The essence of it is you’re no longer in the nitty-gritty syntax,” said Cat Wu, project manager of Anthropic’s Claude Code. “You’re not looking at every single line of code. You’re more trying to communicate this higher-level goal of what you want to accomplish.”

Wu added, however, that ”vibe-coding” is not a term she uses. “We definitely want to make it very clear that the responsibility, at the end of the day, is in the hands of the engineers.”

Anthropic launched the latest version of its flagship Claude chatbot on Monday, boasting that Claude Sonnet 4.5 will be the “world’s best” for coding and other complex tasks. read more

Attorney Ben Crump and the family of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala on Tuesday angrily accused theme park giant Universal Studios Orlando of ignoring complaints from riders about the safety and lack of restraints on its new fast-paced rollercoaster Stardust Racers at Epic Universe.

“We believe that there is something wrong with the design of this ride,” Crump said. “They tried to blame the victims. They didn’t want to say, ‘Well, maybe we have to go back and critically assess the design of this ride.’”

Zavala lost consciousness while riding Stardust Racers with his girlfriend on Sept. 17 and later died. The Orange County medical examiner ruled the death as accidental and the result of “multiple blunt impact injuries.”

Universal President Karen Irwin released a memo days after Zavala’s death stating the ride “functioned as intended” and park employees correctly followed procedures.

But Crump said the Zavala family is distraught to learn that previous riders complained about the rollercoaster, which reaches speeds of up to 62 mph and rises 133 feet. read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and PAUL WISEMAN, AP Business Writers

President Donald Trump says he will slap a 100% tax on movies made outside the United States — a vague directive aimed at protecting a business that America already dominates.

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Claiming that movie production “has been stolen’’ from Hollywood and the U.S., Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that “I will be imposing a 100% tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States.’’

It was unclear how these tariffs would operate, since movies and TV shows can be transmitted digitally without going through ports. Also unclear is what it would mean for U.S. movies filmed on foreign locations — think James Bond and Jason Bourne — or what legal basis the president would claim for imposing the tariffs. read more

By DEVI SHASTRI

In the absence of stronger federal regulation, some states have begun regulating apps that offer AI “therapy” as more people turn to artificial intelligence for mental health advice.

But the laws, all passed this year, don’t fully address the fast-changing landscape of AI software development. And app developers, policymakers and mental health advocates say the resulting patchwork of state laws isn’t enough to protect users or hold the creators of harmful technology accountable.

“The reality is millions of people are using these tools and they’re not going back,” said Karin Andrea Stephan, CEO and co-founder of the mental health chatbot app Earkick.

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.

The state laws take different approaches. Illinois and Nevada have banned the use of AI to treat mental health. Utah placed certain limits on therapy chatbots, including requiring them to protect users’ health information and to clearly disclose that the chatbot isn’t human. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California are also considering ways to regulate AI therapy. read more