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ByteDance, Alibaba to Launch New Models in Race for AI Supremacy in China

By Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Jan 29, 2026 5:00am PST · 2 comments

The battle for AI dominance in China is reaching new heights. Tech giants ByteDance and Alibaba Group are both poised to release their next flagship AI models around the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February, in what could be the most consequential battle in the country’s tech sector. ByteDance is preparing to release three new AI... The battle for AI dominance in China is reaching new heights. Tech giants ByteDance and Alibaba...

CEO Sam Altman. Photo by Getty Images.

Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon in Talks to Invest Up to $60 Billion in OpenAI

By Sri Muppidi · Jan 28, 2026 6:55pm PST · 2 comments

OpenAI is lining up huge checks from some of its biggest tech partners, as it seeks to raise up to $100 billion to fund growing demand for its AI. Nvidia, an existing investor whose chips power OpenAI’s AI models, is in talks to invest up to $30 billion, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Microsoft, a longstanding backer with... OpenAI is lining up huge checks from some of its biggest tech partners, as it seeks to raise up...

Orlando Bravo, co-founder of Thoma Bravo. Photo by Getty Images.

Thoma Bravo-Backed Anaplan Prepares Confidential IPO Filing

By Valida Pau and Cory Weinberg · Jan 28, 2026 5:20pm PST

Anaplan, a business-planning software provider owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, is taking steps toward an initial public offering and could file confidentially for the listing in the coming weeks, people familiar with the discussions said. The listing would be a sign that IPOs for PE-backed software companies could soon rebound. ... Anaplan, a business-planning software provider owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, is...

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI Hires at Least Seven Staffers From Coding Startup Cline

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 28, 2026 3:10pm PST

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI Hires at Least Seven Staffers From Coding Startup Cline

By Kevin McLaughlin · Jan 28, 2026 3:10pm PST

OpenAI has recently hired more than a half dozen employees from Cline, a startup that develops an open-source, AI-powered coding assistant, an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed. The hires could help OpenAI accelerate improvements for its Codex coding product, which it sees as a key tool to make its AI more essential to large corporations as it... OpenAI has recently hired more than a half dozen employees from Cline, a startup that develops an...

Jerry Tworek. Screenshot via YouTube

Ex-OpenAI Researcher’s Startup Targets Up to $1 Billion in Funding to Develop a New Type of AI

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Wayne Ma · Jan 28, 2026 1:09pm PST · 2 comments

The wave of so-called AI neolabs seeking breakthroughs they think incumbents like OpenAI will miss continues to rise. Core Automation, an AI startup founded by former senior OpenAI researcher Jerry Tworek in recent weeks, aims to raise between $500 million and $1 billion in funding, according to a person who has spoken with the company. He wants... The wave of so-called AI neolabs seeking breakthroughs they think incumbents like OpenAI will...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Microsoft Moves to Respond to New Threats From Anthropic

By Aaron Holmes · Jan 28, 2026 6:00am PST · 2 comments

Anthropic’s launch of Cowork, an AI-powered tool that takes over a computer to handle workplace tasks involving numerous applications, from Microsoft Office apps to Slack, has reverberated through Microsoft’s ranks. In the days following the launch this month, Microsoft product leaders told colleagues that Cowork seemed like a competitor to 365... Anthropic’s launch of Cowork, an AI-powered tool that takes over a computer to handle workplace...

Stephen Ehikian, Chief Executive Officer of C3.AI. Screenshot via YouTube

C3.AI in Talks to Merge with Startup Automation Anywhere

By Valida Pau and Katie Roof · Jan 27, 2026 6:05pm PST

C3.AI, founded by tech industry veteran Thomas Siebel, is in talks to merge with privately held startup Automation Anywhere, which will effectively go public in the deal, according to people familiar with the discussions. C3.AI, which sells AI to large companies and government agencies, was the first branded AI stock when it went public in 2020.... C3.AI, founded by tech industry veteran Thomas Siebel, is in talks to merge with privately held...

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

Anthropic Hikes 2026 Revenue Forecast 20% but Delays When It Will Go Cash Flow Positive

By Sri Muppidi · Jan 27, 2026 5:15pm PST · 5 comments

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.

Anthropic Hikes 2026 Revenue Forecast 20% but Delays When It Will Go Cash Flow Positive

By Sri Muppidi · Jan 27, 2026 5:15pm PST · 5 comments

Anthropic has hiked its revenue forecasts for the next several years, projecting that sales will quadruple this year to as much as $18 billion and will hit $55 billion next year. It is aiming to shrink the revenue gap with OpenAI, its older archrival. The revenue projections, which haven’t previously been reported, are significantly higher than... Anthropic has hiked its revenue forecasts for the next several years, projecting that sales will...

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar and CEO Sam Altman. Kyle Grillot/Getty Images.

OpenAI Seeks Premium Prices in Early Ads Push

By Ann Gehan and Catherine Perloff · Jan 26, 2026 6:00am PST · 1 comment

In its initial rollout of ads, OpenAI is charging prices that rival those for coveted video programs like the NFL, and well above what rivals such as Meta Platforms’ social media apps charge. But unlike Meta or Google, OpenAI won’t be providing detailed information about the query responses accompanying their ads or whether ads prompted ChatGPT... In its initial rollout of ads, OpenAI is charging prices that rival those for coveted video...

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar.

OpenAI Aims to Lure Businesses From Anthropic

By Kevin McLaughlin and Sri Muppidi · Jan 24, 2026 8:00am PST · 4 comments

Some of OpenAI’s most attention-grabbing efforts over the past year have involved products for consumers, from a social app to an AI-powered device it plans to announce later this year. Last week, though, the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, gathered Disney CEO Bob Iger and other corporate executives in San Francisco to deliver a message: OpenAI is... Some of OpenAI’s most attention-grabbing efforts over the past year have involved products for...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Crypto Exchanges Want to Trade U.S. Stocks Everywhere

By Yueqi Yang · Jan 23, 2026 10:00am PST

Some of the world’s biggest crypto exchanges are racing to let their customers trade crypto tokens that seek to track U.S. stocks, creating a parallel market that’s beyond the reach of U.S. regulators. Binance is exploring reintroducing stock tokens on its exchange after having removed them in 2021, according to a person familiar with the plan.... Some of the world’s biggest crypto exchanges are racing to let their customers trade crypto...

Art by Mike Sullivan

With Google Deal, Apple’s Craig Federighi Plots a Cautious Course in AI

By Aaron Tilley and Wayne Ma · Jan 22, 2026 6:00am PST

Art by Mike Sullivan

With Google Deal, Apple’s Craig Federighi Plots a Cautious Course in AI

By Aaron Tilley and Wayne Ma · Jan 22, 2026 6:00am PST

Last fall, Apple’s software chief, Craig Federighi, delivered a warm message to a meeting of the company’s combined software and AI groups. Federighi said he was excited about deeper collaboration between his software team and Apple’s AI group. But then came Federighi’s criticism. He added that he liked moving fast and feeling the “wind at his... Last fall, Apple’s software chief, Craig Federighi, delivered a warm message to a meeting of the...

Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic, during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.

Anthropic Lowers Gross Margin Projection as Revenue Skyrockets

By Sri Muppidi · Jan 21, 2026 6:19pm PST · 4 comments

Anthropic last month projected it would generate a 40% gross profit margin from selling AI to businesses and application developers in 2025, according to two people with knowledge of its financials. That margin was 10 percentage points lower than its earlier optimistic expectations, though it’s still a big improvement from the year before. The... Anthropic last month projected it would generate a 40% gross profit margin from selling AI to...

Barret Zoph. YouTube/OpenAI.

OpenAI Names Former TML Staffer Zoph to Oversee Enterprise Push

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Erin Woo · Jan 21, 2026 2:14pm PST · 1 comment

Barret Zoph, the Thinking Machines Lab cofounder who rejoined OpenAI in a swirl of controversy last week, will lead the company’s push to sell AI products to businesses, as part of a broader reorganization across the company, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications Fidji Simo told staff on Wednesday. Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s chief operating officer, will... Barret Zoph, the Thinking Machines Lab cofounder who rejoined OpenAI in a swirl of controversy...

Art by Mike Sullivan/Gemini

Apple Developing AI Wearable Pin

By Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu · Jan 21, 2026 11:58am PST · 1 comment

Apple is developing an AI-powered wearable pin the size of an AirTag that is equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, microphones and wireless charging, according to people with direct knowledge of the project. The device could be released as early as 2027, they said. Such a product would position Apple to compete more effectively with OpenAI,... Apple is developing an AI-powered wearable pin the size of an AirTag that is equipped with...

Art by Mike Sullivan

TikTok Plans Big Shopping Push

By Jing Yang and Juro Osawa · Jan 21, 2026 6:04am PST

Art by Mike Sullivan

TikTok Plans Big Shopping Push

By Jing Yang and Juro Osawa · Jan 21, 2026 6:04am PST

TikTok’s U.S. business may be about to take off. The scheduled completion this week of TikTok’s sale of its U.S. data security arm to a joint venture ends years of uncertainty about its future in the U.S. And the video app maker is now redoubling its efforts to build a much bigger e-commerce business in the U.S., in a new challenge to Amazon. TikTok’s U.S. business may be about to take off. The scheduled completion this week of TikTok’s...

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OpenAI Lines Up Advertisers, Reveals Key Details Ahead of Ads Launch

By Catherine Perloff and Sri Muppidi · Jan 20, 2026 7:29pm PST · 1 comment

OpenAI has started offering its new chatbot ads to dozens of advertisers, according to two people familiar with the matter. To start off, the company is charging on the basis of ad views as opposed to per-ad clicks that are typical at large sellers of search ads like Google and Amazon, the people said. OpenAI is asking that small pool of... OpenAI has started offering its new chatbot ads to dozens of advertisers, according to two people...

Applied Compute co-founders Rhythm Garg and Linden Li.

Applied Compute, Founded by Ex-OpenAI Researchers, in Talks for $1.3 Billion Valuation

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Valida Pau · Jan 20, 2026 3:01pm PST · 1 comment

Applied Compute, a startup founded by three former OpenAI researchers that helps companies customize models with their own data, is in talks to raise new funding at a $1.3 billion valuation, including the investment, according to four people with knowledge of the discussions. The funding would more than double the company’s valuation from its... Applied Compute, a startup founded by three former OpenAI researchers that helps companies...

Art by Clark Miller.

JPMorgan Moves To Cut Off Fintech With Questionable Customers

By Michael Roddan · Jan 20, 2026 12:19pm PST

Fintech startup Checkbook began with the promise to help banks eliminate paper checks and transformed itself into an international payments company that leveraged a relationship with JPMorgan Chase to give all manner of customers access to the U.S. financial system. JPMorgan recently told Checkbook it was winding down its relationship with the... Fintech startup Checkbook began with the promise to help banks eliminate paper checks and...

My Interview With Andy Jassy: OpenAI, Trump, Power and the Future of AWS

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 20, 2026 5:44am PST · 1 comment

My Interview With Andy Jassy: OpenAI, Trump, Power and the Future of AWS

By Jessica E. Lessin · Jan 20, 2026 5:44am PST · 1 comment

AI-powered shopping has the potential to be a big boost to Amazon’s retail business, CEO Andy Jassy said on Tuesday. And while Amazon already has its own shopping chatbot, it is also looking for ways to partner with other companies to run their chatbots on its site. In an interview with The Information’s Jessica Lessin at the World Economic... AI-powered shopping has the potential to be a big boost to Amazon’s retail business, CEO Andy...