Tech & AI News Roundup — September 25, 2026, 1:04 AM UTC

Quick links to what's actually happening in AI, tech, and IT right now — curated from real reporting, not rewritten, so you can go read the full story wherever it's genuinely worth your time.

Meta employees ordered ‘attorney/client privilege’ hats while fighting child safety disclosures

Meta's lawyers have argued that certain evidence should be withheld from public view on the grounds of attorney-client privilege in the ongoing lawsuits over alleged harm to teens' safety and mental health. Lawyers suing the company said this week that the label has been applied far too broadly, while pointing to a recently unsealed document showing that the team behind launching Instagram's Teen — The Verge

Qualcomm’s new ‘Elite’ sound chip might finally deliver the Wi-Fi earbud dream

What if your wireless earbuds - or audio glasses - could stream high-quality lossless audio that doesn't cut out when you leave your phone on the bedside charger or buried in the couch? Qualcomm's new Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 is its first to integrate "micro-power Wi-Fi 6E" right into the chip, so they can connect directly to your home Wi-Fi network, and from there to the cloud. If that sounds — The Verge

Waymo is scaling fast. Here’s what the fleet data shows.

In the past month, Waymo has expanded its fleet in Texas by 49%. There are other hotspots as well. — TechCrunch

X-planes: Are they needed in the new era of drones?

Where do America's X-plane projects fit in an era of cheap drones? — BBC Technology

CDC opens state ordering for COVID-19 vaccines after unexplained delay

Health department previously blamed delay on "not yet finalized procurement decisions." — Ars Technica

Donald Duck's uncle was partly based on Wernher von Braun

Introducing the "world-famous authority on outer space..." — Ars Technica

Oracle sends force majeure notice on its New Mexico Stargate data center

The notice would allow Oracle to delay payments should the facility miss its 2028 target to come online. — TechCrunch

Microsoft’s Surface Mouse is back, now with haptic feedback – and I need it

Due October 13, the $80 Surface mouse packs an impressive array of features. I want one. — ZDNet