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Sat, Apr 4, 2026, 12:22 AM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • Anthropic is making significant moves in the private markets and the AI space, evidenced by its acquisition of biotech startup Coefficient Bio for $400M and the launch of a new PAC to ramp up political activities. They are also reportedly exploring a 'Proactive' mode for their coding tool, Claude Code, though they have restricted its use with OpenClaw due to a privilege escalation vulnerability.
  • SpaceX is reportedly gearing up for the biggest IPO in history, with banks involved allegedly needing to subscribe to Elon Musk's Grok for insights, potentially impacting Anthropic's own fundraising efforts.
  • AI companies' massive demand for data center power is raising environmental concerns, with reports of huge natural gas plants being built to support AI infrastructure, leading to public preference for Amazon warehouses over data centers in backyards.
  • NASA's Artemis II mission continues to capture public attention, with the crew sharing 'spectacular' and 'mesmerizing' images of Earth, though the astronauts have encountered familiar technical glitches, like Microsoft Outlook issues.
  • The automotive industry is seeing shifts with Lucid Motors blaming seat supplier issues for a Q1 sales dip and recalling thousands of Gravity SUVs, while Tesla's Texas factory workforce reportedly shrunk, and discussions around the future of EVs and the potential Cybercab emerge.

TechCrunch


Hacker News


Engadget

  • AI animation studio Toonstar will turn books into digital shows for HarperCollins 7 hours ago by Devindra Hardawar
    Visual Arts, Humanities, Arts & Entertainment, Animation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Devindra Hardawar

    HarperCollins is tapping into AI to bring some of its book franchises to life. Specifically, the publisher is teaming up with Toonstar, an AI animation studio, to turn them into digital shows. The first project will be an adaptation of Lisa Greenwald’s “Friendship List” series, which will also be joined by a graphic novel. You’d be forgiven for being unaware of Toonstar, a studio that received some buzzy early on for simplifying typically complex animation pipelines with AI, but has mostly remained under the radar. Its biggest claim to fame is producing StEvEn and Parker YouTube series, which has amassed 3.38

  • Jason Blundell announces his new-new studio, Magic Fractal 9 hours ago by Ian Carlos Campbell
    Media, Arts & Entertainment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Ian Carlos Campbell

    Jason Blundell, a former creative lead on Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: Black Ops series, has announced that he's formed a new development studio called Magic Fractal Studios. Blundell announced the studio on a livestream with former Dark Outlaw Games coworker JC Farmer, a little over a week after the previous studio was closed by Sony. Little is known about Magic Fractal beyond its logo and social media accounts. Dark Outlaw Games was similarly mysterious, and closed before it could even announce its first project. All that's known is what Blundell has shared after the studio was shut down: Dark Outlaw

  • Banks working on the SpaceX IPO reportedly have to subscribe to Grok 9 hours ago by Will Shanklin
    IPOs, Stocks & Offerings, Finance, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    Cutthroat capitalism sure does bring out the best in humanity. Take, for example, Elon Musk. He reportedly set a condition for banks, law firms, auditors and advisors who want to work on the SpaceX IPO. They're required to subscribe to the bastion of nonconsensual deepfakes and occasional Hitler praise known as Grok. Surely the best and brightest banks our nation has to offer would refuse such a pay-to-play demand, right? Well, no. The New York Times reports that some of them have agreed to spend tens of millions of dollars on Grok. Those financial institutions are said to already be integrating

  • The Artemis II crew snapped some mesmerizing photos of Earth 10 hours ago by Will Shanklin
    Science, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Will Shanklin

    On their way around the Moon, the Artemis II crew had time to snap some terrific pictures of our blue planet. NASA has begun sharing the images, including the one above, which shows a striking view of Earth through the Orion capsule's window. Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman overcame the crew’s problems with Microsoft Outlook and the toilet to capture the photos. He took the above pic after the craft completed its translunar injection burn on April 2. Reid Wiseman / NASA Meanwhile, this second photo trades clever composition for a full-on view of our planet. If you look carefully, you can see

  • March Madness 2026: How to watch the Final Four 10 hours ago by Billy Steele
    Sports & Recreation, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Billy Steele

    Let’s face it: your bracket was probably busted a long time ago. The 2026 NCAA basketball tournaments, affectionately known as March Madness, is ending soon. The Final Four for both the men’s and women’s tournaments starts this weekend. Both the men’s and women’s tournaments are available to stream through various apps and services, but navigating the web of broadcasters and TV channels can be confusing. We’ve broken down when all the games are happening, where to watch and the best options for saving some cash doing so.  WHAT DOES THE FINAL FOUR START? The men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Final Four begins on


The Verge

  • Anthropic essentially bans OpenClaw from Claude by making subscribers pay extra 5 hours ago by Jay Peters
    AI, Anthropic, News

    Using OpenClaw with Claude AI is about to get a lot more expensive, thanks to Anthropic's new policy changes. Beginning April 4th at 3PM ET, users will "no longer be able to use your Claude subscription limits for third-party harnesses including OpenClaw," according to an email sent to users on Friday evening. Instead, if users want to use OpenClaw with Claude, they'll have to use a "pay-as-you-go option" that will be billed separate from their Claude subscription. With OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger now employed by OpenAI, Anthropic may also be encouraging subscribers to use more of its own tools, like Claude

  • NASA did eventually solve Artemis II’s Outlook glitch 8 hours ago by Stevie Bonifield
    Microsoft, NASA, News, Science, Space, Tech

    NASA’s Artemis II rocket launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. | Photo: Joe Raedle via Getty Images On Thursday, during Artemis II's journey to the Moon, commander Reid Wiseman ran into a tech issue some of us back on Earth can relate to: Microsoft Outlook wasn't working. In a conversation captured in NASA's Artemis livestream and shared on Bluesky, Wiseman reported to Mission Control: "I also see that I have two Microsoft Outlooks and neither one of those are working." To take care of the issue, Mission Control had to remotely access Wiseman's personal computing device (PCD), a Microsoft Surface

  • OpenAI’s AGI boss is taking a leave of absence 8 hours ago by Hayden Field
    AI, News, OpenAI

    OpenAI is undergoing another round of C-suite changes, according to an internal memo viewed by The Verge. Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of AGI deployment - who was until recently the company's CEO of applications - says in the memo that she will be stepping away on medical leave "for the next several weeks" due to a neuroimmune condition. While she's out, OpenAI president Greg Brockman will be in charge of product, including leading OpenAI's super app efforts. On the business side, CSO Jason Kwon, CFO Sarah Friar, and CRO Denise Dresser will take charge. OpenAI's CMO, Kate Rouch, has also decided to

  • Lenovo Legion Go 2 suddenly costs $650 more as RAMageddon lays waste to gaming hardware 9 hours ago by Sean Hollister
    Gadgets, Gaming, News, PC Gaming

    The Legion Go 2’s mouse mode, unique among Windows handhelds. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge Remember when we thought the Legion Go 2 was expensive at $1,099 and up? Those were the days - Best Buy is now listing Lenovo's handheld for $1,499 with a Ryzen Z2 or $1,999 with a Z2 Extreme. The latter originally cost $1,349, so that's a $650 jump in just six months. And yes, that means Lenovo's flagship may now cost twice as much as a $999 Microsoft/Asus Xbox Ally X with the same AMD chip, as much as a far more powerful

  • The best iPad deals you can get right now 11 hours ago
    Apple, Deals, Gadgets, iPad, Tech, Verge Shopping

    The new iPad Air is already on sale. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge While the best iPad deals usually land during major sale events like Black Friday, many great iPad deals are available outside of those moments. The day-to-day discounts come and go like the changing winds, so there’s often some amount to be saved somewhere, particularly on Apple’s most affordable iPad and the latest iPad Mini. Hell, you can even often find discounts on the latest M5 iPad Pro, which is already on sale at multiple retailers. All that being said, it’s difficult to know where exactly you


Wired


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