Tech in Asia’s most-read stories of 2025

So much can change within the span of a year.

When we first broke the story of conflict within Google Cloud’s Asia-Pacific team early in the year, the division was still trailing behind its peers.

Since then, Google’s cloud business has edged its way forward. While the firm still lags behind rival Amazon Web Services (AWS) in terms of cloud revenue, it has been winning over contracts from startups that are existing AWS clients, thanks in part to leaps in its in-house AI model Gemini.

This year, AI took center stage. We wrote about everything from China’s rising dominance in robotics to the emergence of AI-generated content in video games. For all the fear-mongering over AI displacing humans, they haven’t quite replaced the one operation that was expected to be first hit: call centers.

But the region was also marred by controversy. A scandal at eFishery – arguably 2025’s biggest regional tech story – cast a cloud over Indonesia’s tech sector, further denting investor sentiment at a time when funding is already at multiyear lows. Months later, its impact continues to be felt.

As we reflect on our editorial highlights of 2025, we’d also like to celebrate the small wins. We wrote about the key people to watch from Southeast Asia within the AI space, which ranged from startup founders to public sector leaders shaping AI policy.

Southeast Asia may not be at the forefront of frontier tech or new foundational AI models, but the emergence of varied AI applications that build upon US- or China-developed models shows innovation is very much alive.

Here’s a look at our biggest stories of 2025, along with insights and reflections from our journalists and editors.

1️⃣ Conflict in Google Cloud APAC casts shadow on catch-up bid

Culture might be an afterthought for many of us. However, as I learned over the course of working on this story, Google’s culture of diversity, inclusivity, empathy, and respect – attributes associated with the term “Googley” – was something many employees, past and present, hold in high regard and stand for.

Our story detailed the exit of many senior executives in the division’s Asia-Pacific arm, along with changes in hiring and diversity standards as well as unresolved issues that were raised through various internal channels.