Kuala Lumpur-based Respond.io has raised $62.5 million in a Series B round led by Camber Partners. The startup, which provides AI-driven customer conversation management, plans to use the capital to accelerate its expansion into North American and European markets through both organic growth and strategic acquisitions.
As Sundar Pichai stood to address Stanford University’s graduating class this weekend, roughly 200 students rose from their seats and exited the ceremony. The demonstration, punctuated by loud jeering, targeted the Google CEO over the company’s ongoing cloud computing contracts with the Israeli military and U.S. immigration authorities.
When the U.S. Commerce Department invoked an obscure export control directive on Friday, Anthropic was forced to pull its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models offline. The move, characterized by the government as a national security necessity, appears increasingly driven by political friction rather than legitimate technical threats to model safety.
Meta is deploying a new “AI Mode” on Facebook, a search interface that synthesizes public posts, Groups, and Reels into direct answers. By moving away from traditional link-based search results, the company aims to transform how users navigate platform discussions while simultaneously rolling out AI-driven image and video editing capabilities.
SpaceX has officially entered the public markets, pricing 555.6 million shares at $135 each to raise $75 billion. The debut marks the largest IPO in history, effectively vaulting Elon Musk to the status of the world's first trillionaire as trading volume surges on platforms like Robinhood.
A growing coalition of nations is moving to restrict social media access for minors, citing rising concerns over cyberbullying, mental health decline, and predatory risks. Following Australia’s lead in late 2025, governments from the U.K. to Indonesia are drafting legislation to enforce age-gated barriers across major digital platforms.
Seventy-six cybersecurity veterans are challenging a US government order that restricts access to Anthropic’s Fable and Mythos models. The coalition warns that by stripping defenders of advanced tools capable of identifying software vulnerabilities, the government is inadvertently leaving critical digital infrastructure exposed to rapidly evolving adversaries.
With a $3.6 billion price tag, Salesforce is betting its future on the acquisition of Fin, an AI-driven customer service platform designed to automate support across channels like WhatsApp, Slack, and voice. The deal aims to bolster Agentforce, the company’s enterprise-grade engine for building autonomous AI agents.
Underwriters have exercised their full option to acquire additional shares, pushing the total capital raised by SpaceX to a record-breaking $85.7 billion. This surge follows an initial offering of $75 billion, further cementing the company's position as the largest IPO windfall in financial history.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a sweeping prohibition on social media access for children under 16, aiming to curb the platforms' addictive influence. The policy, which excludes messaging apps like WhatsApp, targets major networks including TikTok, Instagram, and X, with enforcement expected to begin as early as next spring.
Bengaluru-based Sarvam has reached a $1.5 billion valuation after securing $234 million in a funding round led by HCLTech. The investment underscores a growing urgency among Indian firms and government bodies to develop sovereign AI infrastructure, reducing reliance on the concentrated power of overseas technology providers.
Fox will acquire streaming giant Roku for $22 billion in a cash-and-stock deal, a move designed to bridge the gap between traditional live news and sports with the rapidly expanding connected TV market. The transaction aims to secure a dominant position in the fragmented landscape of modern video consumption.
As corporations integrate autonomous AI into their daily operations, cybersecurity startup NewCore has secured $66 million in seed funding to provide a unified identity management system. Valued at $300 million, the company aims to secure the digital identities of AI agents that function increasingly like human employees.
For the first time, an Earth observation satellite has autonomously identified specific terrain features using a vision-language model. This milestone, achieved in April by Loft Orbital’s Yam-9 spacecraft, signals a shift from traditional data-heavy satellite operations to intelligent, edge-based systems capable of processing imagery directly in orbit.
Tech companies are shedding staff at a record pace, citing artificial intelligence as the primary driver for downsizing. Yet, with firms posting record profits and AI insiders minting fortunes, skeptics increasingly view the technology as a convenient cover for correcting pandemic-era overhiring rather than a genuine operational necessity.
A 20% surge in successful candidate placements at The Stepping Stones Group highlights the impact of Orbio, a startup utilizing AI agents to streamline hiring and onboarding. Following a $21 million Series A led by Dawn Capital, the company aims to overhaul how industries like retail and logistics manage their workforce.
Convicted startup founder Charlie Javice is quietly lobbying for a presidential pardon, joining a growing queue of high-profile white-collar defendants hoping for clemency before the nation’s 250th birthday. While no formal request has reached the Justice Department, her camp is actively cultivating influence within the incoming Trump administration.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is preparing to unveil a restrictive policy banning social media access for children under 16, mirroring aggressive legislative measures recently adopted in Australia. The proposal aims to curb exposure to harmful online content following intense public pressure regarding the impact of digital platforms on adolescent mental health.
SpaceX has set a high-stakes precedent with its massive IPO, pushing Elon Musk toward trillionaire status while triggering a ripple effect across the tech sector. As OpenAI and Anthropic prepare their own market debuts, investors are now watching to see if these AI giants will mimic the SpaceX model or carve out new paths.
SpaceX has reached a market capitalization of $2.1 trillion, vaulting past Tesla to become the sixth most valuable U.S.-listed company. The aerospace giant’s debut on public markets has fueled intense speculation regarding a potential merger with Elon Musk’s automotive firm, a scenario hinted at in recent regulatory filings.
At $299, the Sonos Play bridges the gap between a stationary desk companion and a rugged, portable speaker. Weighing 1.3 kilograms and featuring a built-in utility loop, it allows users to transition seamlessly from workspace audio to outdoor environments without sacrificing the convenience of physical controls or integration.
A U.S. government directive forcing Anthropic to restrict access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models for foreign nationals has ignited an urgent debate in India. The move, which impacts even the company’s own non-U.S. employees, has exposed the risks of relying on foreign-governed technology for critical infrastructure.
Meta has initiated the formal dismantling of its $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus, severing internal system access and halting data exchanges. The move follows a mandatory divestiture order issued by Beijing two months ago, citing national security concerns and strict technology export controls over China-linked ventures.
KPMG has scrubbed its latest research on agentic AI from public view after major organizations, including the UK’s National Health Service and UBS, identified significant inaccuracies. The firm appears to have fallen victim to the very technology it sought to analyze, with evidence suggesting the report was riddled with AI-generated hallucinations.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy reportedly alerted U.S. government officials to security vulnerabilities within Anthropic’s AI systems, triggering a sudden global export ban. The intervention followed claims that Amazon researchers successfully leveraged Claude Fable 5 to extract data capable of facilitating cyberattacks against critical infrastructure.
A coalition of state attorneys general has launched an investigation into OpenAI, signaling heightened regulatory scrutiny over the company’s business practices. New York’s office recently served a subpoena demanding internal documents regarding everything from model behavior and data privacy to the specific protection of minors and seniors using the platform.
Falling asleep often requires the distraction of a podcast or rain sounds, but traditional earbuds are rarely comfortable for an entire night. The new Jabees Peace Duo attempts to solve this with bone conduction technology, sliding discreetly beneath a pillow to transmit audio directly to the user without disturbing a partner.
A quiet, 22,000 square-foot mock municipality sits on the FBI’s Huntsville campus, complete with a hospital, gas station, and courthouse. This purpose-built environment, known as the Kinetic Cyber Range, serves as a high-stakes laboratory where agents practice hunting digital threats that have ballooned into a $20.9 billion annual crisis.
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang is betting that the next wave of startup innovation won't come from aggressive extraction, but from lowering the cost of living for everyday Americans. Inspired by Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs, Yang is pivoting toward business models that prioritize returning margins directly to the consumer.
The U.S. government has issued a mandatory directive forcing Anthropic to immediately deactivate its two most advanced AI models, Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5. While Anthropic has complied with the order, the company openly disputes the decision, arguing that the security concerns cited are both narrow and technically overstated.
