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Simply the latest news, updated on the hour.

Tue, Feb 24, 2026, 11:21 PM EST

Tech

AI Summary

  • Nvidia continues to be a dominant force, with its GPUs powering AI advancements and its backing securing significant funding for competitors like Wayve, which raised $1.2B for its self-driving tech, and AI chip startup MatX securing $500M.
  • The AI landscape is rapidly evolving, with companies like Multiverse Computing releasing free compressed models and OpenAI facing scrutiny over its AI safeguards and disputes with the Pentagon, while Anthropic also navigates similar tensions with the US military.
  • Age verification is becoming a major compliance hurdle for tech platforms, with Apple rolling out tools worldwide and Discord delaying its global rollout due to user backlash, while Reddit faces a significant fine in the UK for its own checks.
  • The economic implications of tech are being closely watched, with startups hitting ambitious revenue milestones faster than ever, and companies like Stripe reportedly considering a major acquisition of PayPal, signaling potential market consolidation.
  • Data security and government oversight remain critical concerns, as evidenced by a major CarGurus data breach, Treasury sanctions against a Russian zero-day broker, and new IRS tactics targeting Meta, alongside ongoing discussions about AI's role in national security and surveillance.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • LG's massive 52-inch ultra-wide gaming monitor costs $2,000 5 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    LG kicked off the year by unveiling a new lineup of gaming monitors, and today the company has priced out the biggest of the bunch. The UltraGear evo G9 (52G930B) is now available for pre-order, and the massive screen will cost just $2,000.  Yes, you can buy a perfectly excellent gaming monitor for much less, but $2,000 is a surprisingly low price tag for this 52-inch ultrawide monitor with a 1000R curve, which LG is billing as "the world's largest 5K2K gaming monitor." In addition to its huge size, the G9 can run at a 240Hz refresh rate and offers a

  • Apple's touchscreen MacBook will reportedly have a dynamic interface 5 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Computing, Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    Apple's plan to add touchscreens to its premium MacBook Pros is coming into focus. Bloomberg reports that when the new laptops launch this fall, they'll feature a Dynamic Island, not unlike Apple's iPhones, and an interface that changes depending on where you touch your Macbook's screen. This "dynamic interface" is reportedly designed to make the transition between mouse input and touch input smoother on Apple's new laptops. Bloomberg says that if users touch an onscreen button, the version of macOS running on these new MacBook Pros will be able to pull up a contextual menu "that provides more relevant options for

  • 1Password plans are getting more expensive soon 7 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Internet & Networking Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    1Password is increasing prices for its individual and family plans. The individual rate is increasing from nearly $36 a year to $48, while the family option will cost $72 instead of $60. In emails sent to users, the business announced that the new rates will take effect for users at their next subscription renewal after March 27.  It's a sizable price hike, but 1Password hasn't been incrementally inching its fees higher every couple years like we see so often for streaming subscriptions. This is the biggest bump we've seen to its rates in several years, even though the company has been

  • Discord delays age verification to address user concerns 8 hours ago by Anna Washenko
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Anna Washenko

    Earlier this month, Discord said it would be enacting an age verification policy. The platform faced some initial concerns from users about turning over their IDs and personal information, particularly given how poorly similar policies have been going elsewhere. Discord announced today it will delay and make some changes to its plans in response to the ongoing backlash. The first change is that Discord is postponing the global rollout of its age verification plans until the second half of 2026. The company noted that it would meet its legal obligations in places where they exist, likely in those countries that have

  • The Pentagon has reportedly given Anthropic until Friday to let it use Claude as it sees fit 8 hours ago by Andre Revilla
    Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Andre Revilla

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will reportedly give Anthropic until Friday to drop certain guardrails for military use, as reported by Axios. The outlet also reported that CEO Dario Amodei met with Hegseth yesterday as the Pentagon ratcheted up pressure on the AI company to give in to its demands. The makers of Claude have reportedly been offered an ultimatum: Either yield to the government's demands to remove limits for certain military applications, or potentially be forced to tailor its AI model to the government's needs under the Defense Production Act. Anthropic, for its part, has said that while it was willing to


The Verge

  • Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon AI bro squad includes a former Uber executive and a private equity billionaire 3 hours ago by Tina Nguyen
    AI, Column, Policy, Politics

    U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (L) walks with Emil Michael (R), Under Secretary of Defense (Research & Engineering, while touring an exhibit of Multi-Domain Autonomous systems at the Pentagon July 16, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. | Win McNamee/Getty Images. Hello and welcome to Regulator, a newsletter for Verge subscribers covering the broligarchs, the influencers, and the (potentially conscious) artificial intelligence models scrambling for power in Washington. If you're not a subscriber yet, assert your humanity against the will of the machines by signing up here. Very important news: Do you want to tell me stuff and see it printed in Regulator?

  • Apple’s new age verification tools block underage app downloads where required by law 4 hours ago by Jay Peters
    Apple, News, Tech

    Apple, like many others, has had to launch age verification features in response to new requirements for age checks in many regions, and on Tuesday, the company announced new details about its tools that developers can use to "meet their age assurance obligations under upcoming U.S. and regional laws, including in Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Utah, and Louisiana." One of the big updates is that users in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore can't download apps rated 18-plus unless their age has been confirmed through "reasonable methods," which the App Store can confirm automatically. Apple notes that developers may still "have separate obliga … Read

  • Apple’s touchscreen MacBooks might also have a Dynamic Island 5 hours ago by Jay Peters
    Apple, News, Tech

    Apple's OLED touchscreen MacBook Pros set to launch this fall will get a Dynamic Island feature like what's available on iPhones, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple first debuted the Dynamic Island with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max as a pill-shaped cutout that can show information and alerts, though the MacBook Pro's Dynamic Island will be "smaller" than what's available on current iPhones. The new MacBook Pros, which will come in 14-inch and 16-inch screen sizes, otherwise look "similar" to the current models, Gurman says, but Apple will be updating the Mac's user interface to make it

  • OpenAI defeats xAI’s trade secrets lawsuit 6 hours ago by Hayden Field
    AI, Elon Musk, News, OpenAI, Tech, xAI

    OpenAI won a victory Tuesday in one of its legal battles with xAI, which involved allegations of poaching and theft of trade secrets. The former company's motion to dismiss the lawsuit was granted on Tuesday with leave to amend, meaning xAI has the option to refile with modified claims. In the ruling, US District Judge Rita F. Lin wrote that "xAI does not point to any misconduct by OpenAI" in its current claims. "Instead, it points to eight former xAI employees who left for OpenAI at around the same time," with no indication that OpenAI directed their actions while leaving xAI. xAI

  • Let me see some ID: age verification is spreading across the internet 8 hours ago by Stevie Bonifield
    Apps, Policy, Privacy, Tech

    Age verification is a reality on a growing number of social media platforms, requiring an ID or facial scan for full access to everything from YouTube to Roblox. The age-gating wave is coming along with calls for stronger child safety measures online, despite concerns about privacy, security, and censorship.  In the US, lawmakers are pushing forward bills like the App Store Accountability Act and Parents Over Platforms Act to have app stores themselves verify users’ ages.  Discord has delayed plans to roll out age verification globally after user backlash until later in 2026, but it hasn’t completely shelved them, even after a


Wired


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