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Tech

AI Summary

  • Major tech companies are aggressively expanding their AI capabilities through significant investments, acquisitions, and new product integrations, though this also brings heightened ethical and legal challenges.
  • The autonomous vehicle sector is seeing rapid growth and major investments, with robotaxi services expanding into new areas while simultaneously facing public safety concerns and increased scrutiny.
  • The financial markets are buzzing with talk of high-profile IPOs and potential mergers among leading tech entities, particularly those associated with Elon Musk, signaling a dynamic period for corporate restructuring.
  • The tech industry finds itself increasingly enmeshed in political and social debates, with calls from within for greater influence on government policy and ongoing concerns about state-sponsored cyberattacks.
  • Apple reported an exceptional quarter for iPhone sales, demonstrating strong hardware momentum, even as the company continues to make strategic AI acquisitions amid questions about its long-term AI monetization plans.

TechCrunch

  • SpaceX’s IPO could open the floodgates — and secondaries are booming in the meantime 2 hours ago by Rebecca Bellan
    Space, Transportation, Elon Musk, Equity, Exclusive, IPO, SpaceX, spacex ipo

    To unpack what SpaceX’s IPO chatter means, how private liquidity works before a debut, and what investors are looking for in today’s pre-IPO giants, we spoke with Greg Martin, managing director at Rainmaker Securities, a broker-dealer specializing in secondary share transactions for late-stage private companies.

  • Uber is literally in the driver’s seat when it comes to AV bets 2 hours ago by Theresa Loconsolo
    Space, Startups, Transportation, anduril, Equity Video, IPO, IPO window, Phia, SpaceX, TikTok, Uber, Waabi

    Self-driving truck startup Waabi’s billion-dollar fundraise isn’t just about trucks.   The deal, for $750 million up front plus another $250 million from Uber tied to deployment milestones, marks a major expansion into robotaxis for the company founded by former Uber AI chief Raquel Urtasun. It also feels like another chip from Uber on the autonomous vehicle roulette table. With more […]

  • Anthropic brings agentic plug-ins to Cowork 3 hours ago by Lucas Ropek
    AI, Anthropic, Claude, Cowork, plugins

    The company says you can use plug-ins to "tell Claude how you like work done, which tools and data to pull from, how to handle critical workflows, and what slash commands to expose so your team gets more consistent outcomes."

  • Bluesky issues its first transparency report, noting rise in user reports and legal demands 4 hours ago by Sarah Perez
    Apps, Social, Bluesky, social media

    Bluesky's first transparency reports tackle moderation, regulatory compliance, account takedowns, and more. The number of government legal requests went up fivefold.

  • Reid Hoffman urges Silicon Valley leaders to stop bending the knee to President Trump 4 hours ago by Julie Bort
    Government & Policy, Venture, ICE, Reid Hoffman

    Some Valley CEOs have condemned recent border patrol events, but Hoffman urges them to wield their influence more powerfully.


Hacker News


Engadget

  • Rivian made an electric ambulance for Grey's Anatomy 2 hours ago by Will Shanklin
    Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    America’s once-promising EV transition may have taken a U-turn, but at least some in Hollywood are trying to do their part. Rivian partnered with Grey’s Anatomy to make a custom electric ambulance for the long-running series. The ambulance is a modified version of Rivian’s Commercial Van. The custom “vanbulance” serves a dual purpose: preventing on-set exhaust fumes (which could harm the cast and crew) and integrating a green storyline. “As an added benefit, the elimination of engine noise brought a welcome quiet while cameras were rolling,” Rivan wrote in a blog post. Among other modifications, it has rear double doors instead of

  • Sundance doc 'Ghost in the Machine' draws a damning line between AI and eugenics 3 hours ago by Devindra Hardawar
    Science, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar

    The Sundance documentary Ghost in the Machine boldly declares that the pursuit of artificial intelligence, and Silicon Valley itself, is rooted in eugenics.  Director Valerie Veatch makes the case that the rise of techno-fascism from the likes of Elon Musk and Peter Thiel is a feature, not a bug. That may sound hyperbolic, but Ghost in the Machine, which is built around interviews with philosophers, AI researchers, historians and computer scientists, leaves little room for doubt. If you've been following the meteoric rise of AI, or Silicon Valley in general, Veatch's methodical deconstruction of the technology doesn't really unearth anything new. The

  • Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: The Galaxy S26 lineup and everything else we expect 3 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Smart Phones, Technology & Electronics, Handheld & Connected Devices, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    Samsung’s 2025 was filled with new foldables, an ultra-thin new form factor and the launch of Google's XR platform. After making some announcements at CES 2026, the company is expected to host its first Galaxy Unpacked of the year in February to introduce the Galaxy S26 lineup. Engadget will be covering Galaxy Unpacked live, and we'll most likely have hands-on coverage of Samsung's new smartphones soon after they're announced. While we wait for an official invite, here's everything we expect Samsung will introduce at the first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026. WHAT IS UNPACKED 2026 TAKING PLACE? But first, when is Unpacked going

  • Google's Project Genie lets you create your own 3D interactive worlds 4 hours ago by Igor Bonifacic
    Technology & Electronics, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Igor Bonifacic

    This past summer, Google DeepMind debuted Genie 3. It’s what’s known as a world world, an AI system capable of generating images and reacting as the user moves through the environment the software is simulating. At the time, DeepMind positioned Genie 3 as a tool for training AI agents. Now, it’s making the model available to people outside of Google to try with Project Genie. To start, you’ll need Google’s $250 per month AI Ultra plan to check out Project Genie. You’ll also need to live in the US and be 18 years or older. At launch, Project Genie offers three

  • Sonos home theater gear is up to 20 percent off ahead of Super Bowl LX 4 hours ago by Will Shanklin
    Audio Technology, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    Like many other companies during Super Bowl season, Sonos is discounting its home theater gear. Today, you can save $130 on the Beam (Gen 2) soundbar, bringing its price down to $369. You'll also find deals on the flagship Arc Ultra Soundbar, Sonos subwoofers, and more. The Sonos Beam is the company's sub-$500 soundbar. Engadget's pick for the best midrange model, the compact speaker has impressive sound for its size. Part of that is its Dolby Atmos support. Although the soundbar lacks upward-firing speakers, it uses software tricks to compensate. Audio timing and frequency adjustments make sound seem to come from


The Verge

  • Fitbit users now have until May to migrate to a Google account an hour ago by Stevie Bonifield
    Fitness, Gadgets, Google, News, Tech, Wearable

    Fitbit users who are holding out on moving their data over to a Google account now have until May 19th, 2026 to make the switch. The previous deadline was just days away on February 2nd, but that date has been updated on Google's help page for Fitbit account migration. The post also now specifies that, "You can still download or delete your data any time before we begin processing data deletions on July 15, 2026." Google had already noted that Fitbit account data would be deleted, but now users have a specific timeframe for when that's happening - and it looks

  • There’s a social network for AI agents, and it’s getting weird 2 hours ago by Hayden Field
    AI, News

    Yes, you read that right. "Moltbook" is a social network of sorts for AI agents, particularly ones offered by OpenClaw (a viral AI assistant project that was formerly known as Moltbot, and before that, known as Clawdbot - until a legal dispute with Anthropic). Moltbook, which is set up similarly to Reddit and was built by Octane AI CEO Matt Schlicht, allows bots to post, comment, create sub-categories, and more. More than 30,000 agents are currently using the platform, per the site. "The way that a bot would most likely learn about it, at least right now, is if their human

  • We finally heard from Trump Mobile… and they immediately ghosted us 2 hours ago by Dominic Preston
    Gadgets, Mobile, News, Phones, Policy, Tech

    Where's the Trump phone? We're going to keep talking about it every week. We've reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone's whereabouts. As usual, we're still waiting for a response. In the meantime, I finally got a reply from a company exec. After months - months - of emailing various official Trump Mobile accounts and press addresses, last week someone answered back. Don Hendrickson, a member of the company's executive team, finally replied to one of my emails and offered to talk, but he's ignored me ever since. Last week I reported on the unexpected news that Trump Mobile

  • Dyson’s powerful 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum is nearly 75 percent off today 2 hours ago by Brandon Widder
    Deals, Gadgets, Smart Home, Tech, Verge Shopping

    In case you missed it, we recently overhauled our guides to the best budget robot vacuums and the best mopping vacs, both of which feature a slate of new picks from Roborock, Narwal, Dreame, and others. Dyson’s 360 Vis Nav Robot Vacuum didn’t technically make the cut, though it was once one of our top picks for carpets. And now through the rest of today, January 30th, it’s on sale at Woot with a two-year warranty for an all-time low of $279.99 ($720 off). DYSON 360 VIS NAV ROBOT VACUUM WHERE TO BUY: * $999.99 $349.99 at Amazon * $999.99 $279.99 at

  • Tim Cook is destroying his own legacy 3 hours ago by David Pierce
    Apple, Podcasts, Policy, Politics, Tech, Vergecast

    What responsibility do you have to speak up about bad things happening in the world? Does that responsibility change when speaking up might affect your business? What about if you're a sports creator, or the moderator of a deeply NSFW subreddit? What about if you're just a little ol' phone website? Ultimately, everyone has to make those decisions for themselves. But decisions have consequences. Verge subscribers, don't forget you get exclusive access to ad-free Vergecast wherever you get your podcasts. Head here. Not a subscriber? You can sign up here. On this episode of The Vergecast, David and Nilay start by talking


Wired


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