A curated roundup of yesterday’s top tech stories (2026-04-18).

1. Anthropic’s relationship with the Trump administration seems to be thawing - TechCrunch

Anthropic’s relationship with the Trump administration appears to be improving, according to a report by TechCrunch. This suggests a potential easing of political tensions or a shift in the dialogue between the company and the administration. The thawing relationship likely involves ongoing discussions or policy considerations between Anthropic and relevant government bodies. It indicates that the relationship, which may have been strained, is currently in a more positive phase. This development is significant as it could affect future regulatory environments or partnerships for AI development in the United States.

Source: TechCrunch — Read original

2. Anthropic’s Claude popularity with paying consumers is skyrocketing - MSN

Anthropic’s Claude is experiencing a significant increase in adoption among paying consumers. This indicates growing market acceptance for Anthropic’s large language model offering. The source, MSN, suggests this trend is a notable piece of current IT news. The rise in paid usage points to the successful monetization and appeal of the Claude model. This development signals increasing commercial viability for Anthropic’s AI technology in the consumer market.

Source: MSN — Read original

3. Microsoft suspends some developer accounts after they failed to… - MSN

Microsoft has suspended some developer accounts because those accounts failed to meet certain requirements. These suspensions are being taken action because the developers did not fulfill specific conditions set by Microsoft. The article suggests there was a set of criteria that the suspended accounts failed to satisfy. This action implies that maintaining developer status requires adherence to specific policies or standards. This situation affects the ability of those individuals to use Microsoft’s developer services.

Source: MSN — Read original

4. How to protect your privacy by opting out of data collection in popular AI apps [Sponsored] - 9to5Mac

Users can protect their privacy by opting out of data collection in popular artificial intelligence applications. This article, sponsored by 9to5Mac, likely provides instructions or information on how to manage data privacy settings within these AI apps. It suggests that users have a choice regarding the collection of their personal data by these services. Opting out of data collection is presented as a method for enhancing personal privacy. This information is significant because it empowers users to control how their data is used by AI applications.

Source: 9to5Mac — Read original

5. Apple @ Work: Free Apple device management is a baseline, not a finish line - 9to5Mac

Free Apple device management is just the starting point for managing Apple devices, not the complete solution.

The article suggests that providing free tools for managing Apple devices establishes a necessary baseline for IT administration. This free offering should not be viewed as the final goal in device management strategies. Effective management likely requires additional, potentially paid, features or tools beyond the basic free offerings.

This indicates that organizations will need to evaluate the scope and depth of management capabilities offered by various platforms when selecting solutions.

Source: 9to5Mac — Read original