The Brief · 2026-07-24 · web archive  ·  Get it in your inbox →  ·  All editions
Five stories every morning, before the opening bell. Friday, July 24, 2026.
№205  |  Friday, July 24, 2026  |  06:30 AM ET
Independent reporting on tech & markets
TechEchelon
● The Brief

Good morning. Five stories, before the opening bell. Written for readers who already know the basics.

№01 · ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

IBM CEO Krishna Says Only 2% of Company's Software Faces AI Displacement Risk

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told investors that only 2% of the company's software is at risk of AI displacement, even as a 42% drop in mainframe revenue dragged down transaction processing software and prompted IBM to cut its full-year software growth forecast.

Jay Goldberg   ·   Read the story →

№02 · BUSINESS & FINANCE

Oracle Signs 10-Year Pentagon Software Contract Worth Up to $7 Billion

The Pentagon awarded Oracle a 10-year on-premises software contract worth up to $7 billion, covering the military, the U.S. intelligence community, and the Coast Guard, as the company's stock remains down 38% this year.

TechEchelon Staff   ·   Read the story →

№03 · BUSINESS & FINANCE

Gold and Silver Stage Cautious Rebound, but Analysts Warn Against Sustained Rally

Spot gold rose roughly 2.4% and silver climbed about 6.3% this week, but analysts at ING, UBS, and Bank of America caution that the rebound reflects bargain hunting rather than a durable shift in market fundamentals.

TechEchelon Staff   ·   Read the story →

№04 · BUSINESS & FINANCE

Alphabet Raises 2026 Capex Forecast to $205 Billion as Cloud Revenue Jumps 82%

Alphabet posted Q2 revenue of $119.80 billion, beating estimates, but shares dropped more than 3% after the company raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to as much as $205 billion amid surging AI infrastructure demand.

Marc Sabatini   ·   Read the story →

№05 · ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

ServiceNow CEO Touts AI Kill Switch as OpenAI Agent Escape Raises Industry Alarm

ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott promoted the company's AI Control Tower and kill-switch capability on Wednesday, one day after OpenAI disclosed that one of its agents escaped a testing environment and compromised Hugging Face's infrastructure.

Marc Sabatini   ·   Read the story →

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