Latest news and articles about startups
When SES AI abandoned EV batteries for AI-powered materials discovery, and Sony-Honda killed its Afeela electric vehicle, they revealed a new corporate survival strategy. In an era where pivoting has become more prestigious than perseverance, we're witnessing the emergence of a dangerous new business culture that treats abandonment as innovation.
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has detailed the company's latest plan to fight bots and it means that some accounts will need to "verify humanness," though the company is stopping short of widespread identi...
SES AI, a Massachusetts-based battery company, is pivoting from EV battery manufacturing to AI-powered materials discovery, launching a platform called Molecular Universe to identify and license new battery materials. The shift reflects broader challenges facing Western battery companies amid slowing EV market growth and increased competition, with the company now focusing on licensing its AI discovery technology rather than high-volume battery production.
Axiom Math, a Palo Alto startup, released Axplorer, a free AI tool designed to help mathematicians discover new patterns and solve long-standing mathematical problems. The tool is a redesigned version of PatternBoost, which previously ran only on supercomputers, and aims to democratize access to AI-powered mathematical discovery by running on standard computers like Mac Pro.
Lucid Bots, a Charlotte-based robotics company specializing in window-cleaning drones and robots, raised $20 million in Series B funding co-led by Cubit Capital and Idea Fund Partners, bringing total funding to $34 million. The startup, which has accelerated from selling 100 units over five years to approaching 1,000 units, plans to use the capital to scale manufacturing and hiring to meet growing demand from cleaning companies and other infrastructure maintenance customers.
Sony Honda Mobility, the automotive venture from two of Japan's most storied companies, has swung the axe on its EV project. In a statement, it said it would "discontinue the development and launch" o...
The article covers several AI industry developments including conflicts between Anthropic and OpenAI over Pentagon partnerships, viral AI agent platforms like Moltbook and RentAHuman gaining traction, Meta's acquisition of Moltbook, and OpenAI's focus on building automated AI researchers. It also reports on growing backlash against AI companies' government ties and user campaigns like 'QuitGPT' to cancel ChatGPT subscriptions.
Amazon has acquired Fauna Robotics, a startup founded by former Meta and Google engineers developing kid-size humanoid robots, with the company's employees joining Amazon's NYC office. Fauna's first product, Sprout, is a 59-pound bipedal robot that began shipping to R&D partners earlier this year. This is Amazon's second robotics acquisition this month, following its purchase of Rivr, a stair-climbing autonomous delivery robot startup.
At the close of a video announcing the second season of Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, the company's co-founder and CEO Ian Proulx revealed that "a small section of the team" has started work on a new gam...
It's coming. Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place from June 8-12. Going on past timings, CEO Tim Cook will take the stage for the keynote on June 8, most likely at 1 PM ET. W...
Agile Robots, a Munich-based industrial robotics company, has announced a strategic partnership with Google DeepMind to integrate Gemini Robotics foundation models into its robotic solutions for manufacturing, automotive, data centers, and logistics. The partnership will involve deploying and fine-tuning AI-powered robots in industrial settings while collecting data to improve the underlying Gemini models, positioning Agile Robots among the latest hardware companies collaborating with DeepMind on physical AI applications.
Wing, a drone delivery startup, has expanded its service to the San Francisco Bay Area, returning to the region where it conducted its first deliveries on Google's Mountain View campus. The company can now deliver packages up to five pounds within 30 minutes and has been rapidly expanding across US metro areas, recently adding 150 Walmart locations and extending operating hours in Charlotte and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Apple announced that this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place from June 8-12. The company tends to be consistent with event timing, so it's no surprise that CEO Tim Cook will...
Amazon's acquisition of Rivr and Rivian's massive robotaxi deal with Uber signal a fundamental transformation in how we think about autonomous delivery systems. The convergence of legged robotics, autonomous vehicles, and logistics infrastructure suggests we're entering an era where the 'last mile' problem isn't just being solved—it's being completely reimagined.
From Reddit exploring identity verification to Android implementing new security processes for app sideloading, tech platforms are simultaneously tightening access controls in response to AI-generated content and bot armies. This convergence reveals a fundamental crisis: the internet's trust infrastructure was never designed for the age of accessible AI automation.
There could be one more step required before creating an account and posting on Reddit in the future. According to Reddit's CEO, Steve Huffman, the social media platform is exploring different ways to...
Blue Origin's plan to launch 51,600 satellites as orbital AI data centers represents more than just another space venture—it reveals how the explosive energy demands of AI training are forcing the industry to literally escape Earth's constraints. This development, combined with increasing regulatory pressure on terrestrial data centers, suggests we're witnessing the beginning of a profound geographic shift in where computation happens.
A group of former Twitter investors have prevailed at a federal civil trial over Elon Musk's actions amid his $44 billion acquisition of the social platform in 2022. A jury in San Francisco found Frid...
From OpenAI combining ChatGPT with its browser and code tools to Google testing desktop Gemini integration, major AI companies are abandoning the multi-app strategy. This consolidation reveals a critical shift in how tech giants view AI's future—and suggests the experimental phase is definitively over.
Pinterest's CEO has thrown his support behind an Australia measure banning social media for younger teens and is calling for governments around the world to implement similar bans. "Social media, as i...
Last year, Belkin released a couple of cases for the Nintendo Switch 2 just in time for launch, including one that came with a handy battery pack. That one was simple and effective, but it felt a bit...
DoorDash's new program paying delivery workers to create AI training data signals a fundamental shift in the gig economy model—one where human labor increasingly serves machine learning rather than customers. This development raises questions about whether we're witnessing the birth of a new economic category or simply a temporary bridge to full automation.
Blue Origin has filed with the FCC to deploy Project Sunrise, a constellation of 51,600 satellites designed to operate as orbital AI data centers. The initiative aims to provide computing capacity for artificial intelligence at lower costs than terrestrial data centers by leveraging solar power and eliminating land and grid infrastructure needs, joining SpaceX in pursuing space-based AI computing infrastructure.
Alphabet's life sciences business Verily is restructuring and raising money as a new corporate entity. Verily announced that with its $300 million investment round, it will change from an LLC to a cor...
OpenAI is acquiring Astral, a company focused on Python developer tools, to accelerate growth of its Codex AI model. The acquisition aims to enhance OpenAI's capabilities in powering next-generation Python development tools.
Amazon has acquired Rivr, a Zurich-based autonomous robotics startup previously valued at $110 million, to enhance its logistics and package delivery capabilities. Rivr's four-legged robots with wheels are designed to navigate stairs and uneven surfaces, with the company having just released its second-generation model. The acquisition supports Amazon's broader automation strategy, including its goal to automate 75% of its operations.
Starfield is officially coming to PS5, with a launch date set for April 7. Preorders are open right now for both the digital and physical versions. It's long been rumored that Bethesda's sci-fi RPG wo...
Gecko Robotics has secured the U.S. Navy's largest robotics deal yet, a five-year IDIQ contract worth $54 million initially with a $71 million ceiling. The Pittsburgh-based company will deploy robots and sensors to inspect Navy ships and create digital twins for predictive maintenance, starting with 18 vessels in the Pacific Fleet, to help the Navy achieve its 80% ship readiness goal by 2027.
NVIDIA and European rideshare company Bolt announced a partnership to develop autonomous vehicles, with Bolt providing real-world driving data to train NVIDIA's AI models. Bolt will use NVIDIA's Cosmos, Omniverse, Alpamayo, and Drive Hyperion platforms to build a learning engine for autonomous mobility services tailored to European roads.
A judge has ruled that publisher Krafton must reinstate Ted Gill as CEO of Unknown Worlds Entertainment, according to a report by Bloomberg. The company fired Gill and two other co-founders last year...
ByteDance's emergency suspension of its AI video tool following cease-and-desist letters from Disney and Paramount marks a pivotal moment in generative AI's evolution. Unlike text or image generation, video AI is colliding head-on with Hollywood's entrenched intellectual property infrastructure—and the industry's response suggests that the tolerance for 'move fast and apologize later' has officially expired.
Samsung will reportedly end Galaxy Z TriFold sales in South Korea on March 17, three months after the device went on sale, according to South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo. Samsung has not yet confirme...
Apple's latest acquisition could be a hint towards improvements for Final Cut Pro. The tech giant acquired MotionVFX, as seen on the company's website and first reported by MacRumors, which is known f...
After years of controlled pilots and safety-driver rides, Uber's Las Vegas robotaxi launch signals a crucial shift in the autonomous vehicle industry—one where actual passengers, not test metrics, become the measure of success. This marks the transition from endless testing to real-world viability.
Ahead of its acquisition by Paramount Skydance, Warner Bros. dominated the 2026 Oscars with 11 wins primarily for Ryan Coogler's Sinners and Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another. Netflix al...
In an unexpected twist, humans have taken some jobs back from AI. Embark Studios' CEO Patrick Söderlund recently told GamesIndustry.biz that the studio "re-recorded" some of the AI-generated voice lin...
As AI agents gain the ability to book flights, make purchases, and access sensitive systems, a cluster of recent incidents reveals the industry's uncomfortable truth: we're deploying autonomous capabilities faster than we can secure them. From Amazon blocking Perplexity's shopping bots to researchers struggling with prompt injection defenses, the gap between agent ambition and agent safety has never been more apparent.
You're responsible for your own Spotify algorithm now. On stage at SXSW, Spotify's co-CEO, Gustav Söderström, announced the Taste Profile feature, which allows users to personally customize exactly wh...
Digg has shut down, for now, just a few months after its open beta launched. Justin Mezzell, the company's CEO, has explained on the home page that it noticed hours after the beta launched that it was...
Canopii, a Portland-based robotics startup, has achieved a major milestone by developing an autonomous robotic greenhouse that can grow crops from seed to harvest without human intervention, producing up to 40,000 pounds of produce annually while using minimal water and space. The company has raised approximately $3.6 million primarily through grants and strategic investors, deliberately avoiding venture capital early on to avoid the pitfalls that plagued other indoor farming companies like Bowery Farming and Plenty.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the union that covers warehouse workers, drivers and a diverse collection of other laborers, has come out against Paramount Skydance's merger with Warner Br...
Adobe's long-time CEO has shared that he plans to step down. Shantanu Narayen has been the chief exec at the tech company for 18 years, a tenure where he led Adobe in the major shift to become a softw...
OpenClaw, a popular open-source AI agent tool in China that can autonomously complete device tasks, has sparked a cottage industry of entrepreneurs offering installation services and configuration support. Early adopters like Feng Qingyang have turned the trend into profitable businesses, with thousands of orders and growing interest from major tech companies and local governments backing OpenClaw-related ventures.
NASA will soon give it another go on April Fools' Day. On Thursday, NASA said it's targeting April 1 at 6:24 PM ET for the Artemis II mission's next launch attempt. In case that date doesn't pan out,...
Uber has partnered with UK self-driving startup Wayve and Nissan to pilot a robotaxi service in Tokyo starting in late 2026, using Nissan Leaf EVs equipped with Wayve's AI Driver technology. The pilot will begin with trained drivers behind the wheel while vehicles gather real-world data on Tokyo's complex urban driving conditions, with plans to expand the service to over 10 cities globally.
From NVIDIA's NemoClaw platform to DeepMind's decade of AlphaGo research sharing, major AI companies are increasingly embracing open-source approaches. This strategic shift reveals a fundamental tension in the industry: the more powerful AI becomes, the more companies need collaborative development to manage risk, interoperability, and trust.
Nuro, an autonomous vehicle startup backed by NVIDIA, Toyota, and Uber, has begun testing self-driving vehicles on Tokyo's streets as part of its broader expansion plans. The company aims to achieve Level 4 autonomy and plans to launch a robotaxi service with Uber and Lucid in San Francisco this year, while also exploring autonomous delivery applications beyond ride-sharing.
In 2024, Microsoft caused a lot of head-scratching and general bemusement with the launch of its "This is an Xbox" marketing campaign. Now, though, it appears the quandary over what is and isn't an Xb...
Niantic Spatial, an AI company spun out from Niantic, is leveraging 500 million crowdsourced images from Pokémon Go players to build a visual positioning system that helps delivery robots navigate urban environments with centimeter-level precision. The technology addresses GPS unreliability in dense cities and has been deployed with Coco Robotics, which operates around 1,000 autonomous delivery robots across US and European cities.
NVIDIA is reportedly developing NemoClaw, an open-source AI agent platform designed for enterprise use, with a focus on security features to address concerns about autonomous AI agents running unpredictably in business environments. The company has allegedly pitched the platform to major software companies like Salesforce, Cisco, and Google, with plans to potentially announce it at its upcoming developer conference.
