The New York Times sues Perplexity for copyright infringement
The New York Times filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against AI search startup Perplexity on Friday, marking the second such lawsuit against an AI company. The Times joins multiple media outlets suing Perplexity, including the Chicago Tribune, which also filed suit this week. The Times’ lawsuit alleges that Perplexity offers commercial products that serve as […]
Netflix to buy Warner Bros. in disruptive deal worth $82.7 billion
In one of the most groundbreaking deals the streaming world has ever seen, Netflix on Friday announced its acquisition of Warner Bros., valued at $82.7 billion. The deal involves both HBO Max and HBO Studios, making it one of the largest mergers in Hollywood history. With this move, Netflix will not only solidify its top […]
After Neuralink, Max Hodak is building something even wilder
Six years ago at a StrictlyVC event in San Francisco, I asked Sam Altman how OpenAI, with its complicated corporate structure, would make money. He said that someday, he’d ask the AI. When everyone snickered, he added, “You can laugh. It’s all right. But it really is what I actually believe.” He wasn’t kidding. Sitting […]
Walmart-backed PhonePe ends Pincode app in further e-commerce setback
In its latest exit from India’s crowded online retail market, Walmart-backed fintech giant Phonepe plans to wind down its Pincode e-commerce app and shift its business to B2B services for offline sellers. Sameer Nigam, founder and group CEO of PhonePe, said on Thursday that running the consumer-facing quick commerce app was a distraction from the […]
Federal authorities question Waymo about robotaxis repeatedly passing school buses in Austin
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked Waymo for more information about its self-driving system and its operations after the Austin School District reported that its robotaxis had illegally passed school buses 19 times this year. In a letter sent to Waymo on Dec. 3, regulators asked for more information about its fifth-generation self-driving system […]
Scale AI competitor Micro1 touts over $100M ARR
Micro1’s rapid growth over the past two years has placed it among the fastest-scaling AI companies. The three-year-old startup, which helps AI labs recruit and manage human experts to train data, started the year with approximately $7 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). The company’s ARR currently exceeds $100 million, founder and CEO Ali Ansari […]
Apple’s management reorganization continues with resignations of general counsel and policy chief
Apple’s leadership shakeup continues. Days after announcing the resignation of AI chief John Gianandrea and design executive Alan Dye’s firing from Meta, the iPhone maker announced the news that two more executives are leaving the company. Kate Adams, who has served as Apple’s general counsel since 2017, will retire in the second half of next […]
A human CEO weighs in on the AI bubble story and competitors’ risk-taking
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei shared his thoughts on whether the AI industry is in a bubble at the New York Times Dealbook Summit on Wednesday. This was done in addition to overshadowing a specific, unnamed competitor, which is clearly OpenAI. Amodei declined to give a simple yes or no answer, citing the complexities of bubbles, […]
Musk says Tesla’s new software allows him to text and drive, which is illegal in most states.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday’s XPost that owners can now text and drive using the latest version of the company’s fully autonomous (supervised) driver-assistance software, even though it’s illegal in most states. Musk responded to another user who noticed that the latest software update, known as FSD, no longer flashes warnings when using […]
AI makes its way into Apple’s top apps of the year
Apple on Thursday unveiled its annual list of App Store Award winners, continuing its tradition of recognizing the best apps and games of the past year. The iPhone app of 2025 winner was the visual planner Tiimo, and the iPhone game of the year was the card game Pokémon TCG Pocket. While Apple has continued […]