Google Cloud’s Web3 head used a LinkedIn post to brand the company's upcoming Universal Ledger as a neutral blockchain for financial institutions. Google Cloud’s head of Web3 strategy used a LinkedIn post to share new details on the company’s in-development layer-1 blockchain, the Google Cloud Universal Ledger (GCUL). Rich Widmann described the blockchain as the result of “years of R&D at Google,” designed to be credibly neutral and compatible with Python-based smart contracts. According to Widmann, GCUL is meant to serve as an open infrastructure layer for financial institutions. “Tether won’t use Circle’s blockchain — and Adyen probably won’t use Stripe’s blockchain,” he said, suggesting that Google’s network reported neutrality could help broaden adoption. Read more
The Bitcoin miner’s pivot into AI infrastructure hosting includes a decade-long colocation agreement with Fluidstack, backed by Alphabet’s Google. TeraWulf has become the latest cryptocurrency miner to pivot into AI infrastructure hosting, reaching a long-term agreement with Fluidstack that’s backstopped by Alphabet’s Google — in a move expected to significantly increase the company’s revenue run rate. During its shareholder call on Thursday, the company disclosed that it has signed 10-year colocation lease agreements with Fluidstack, an AI infrastructure provider, worth $3.7 billion in contract revenue. That figure could more than double if five-year extensions are exercised. Google’s involvement comes through supporting Fluidstack’s $1.8 billion lease obligations with TeraWulf and providing debt financing. In return, Google received warrants for roughly 41 million WULF shares, representing about 8% of the company. Read more
Bitcoin briefly flipped Google parent Alphabet’s $2.4 trillion market capitalization to become the fifth-largest global asset, driving a wave of optimism among investors. Bitcoin climbed to an all-time high above $124,000 on Thursday, stoking fresh optimism that the next leg of price discovery could push the cryptocurrency’s market value toward Apple’s $3.4 trillion. Bitcoin (BTC) hit an all-time high of $124,457, leading the world’s first cryptocurrency to briefly surpass Google’s $2.45 trillion market capitalization, becoming the fifth-largest global asset. “Bitcoin all-time high and it’s only Wednesday,” said Gemini co-founder Tyler Winklevoss in an X post, triggering a wave of optimistic responses, including from popular investor Kyle Chassé, who predicted that this would be the “best week for Bitcoin.” Read more
Retail investors have been the biggest net sellers of Bitcoin throughout 2025, but this might change once BTC hits new price highs. Key takeaways: Google search data and app rankings show retail Bitcoin investor demand near 6-month lows. Retail investor interest typically peaks 1 week after BTC breaks all-time highs. Read more
The malware, LOSTKEYS, can steal files from hard-coded extensions and directories, according to Google. Threat group COLDRIVER is using new malware to steal documents from Western targets, according to a May 7 report from Google Threat Intelligence. The malware, called LOSTKEYS, shows the evolution of the group from credential phishing to more sophisticated attacks. According to the Google report, the new malware is installed through four steps. The process involves a “lure website” with a fake CAPTCHA, a PowerShell script downloaded to the user’s clipboard, some device evasion, and retrieval of the final payload. Lastly, the malware is installed. LOSTKEYS is capable of stealing files from extensions and directories. It can also send system information and running processes back to COLDRIVER. The address from which the parts of the attack come is “165.227.148[.]68” according to Google. Read more