A major shift has unfolded at one of India’s most closely watched technology gatherings. Bill Gates has officially withdrawn from delivering the keynote address at India’s high-profile AI summit, a move that comes just hours before he was expected to speak alongside global leaders, policymakers, and industry heavyweights. The development arrives amid renewed international scrutiny following the resurfacing of files linked to Jeffrey Epstein, which have reignited global discussion around past associations involving prominent figures. Gates has previously acknowledged limited contact with Epstein and expressed regret over those interactions, while firmly denying any wrongdoing. WATCH 

On January 27, President Trump told reporters that Microsoft is in talks to buy TikTok. However, Microsoft, TikTok, and its parent company, ByteDance, have not confirmed this. TikTok has around 170 million users in the U.S. and was temporarily removed due to national security concerns. U.S. law required ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban, which was set to take effect on January 19. Trump delayed the enforcement by 75 days. He mentioned that he’s in talks with several people about buying TikTok and expects a decision in 30 days. Trump also said he’d consider allowing Elon Musk to buy it, though Musk hasn’t commented. Recently, AI company Perplexity AI proposed merging with TikTok.