Spyware maker NSO Group confirms acquisition by US investor
Israeli spyware maker NSO Group has confirmed to TechCrunch that a US investment group has acquired the company. “An American investment group has invested tens of millions of dollars in the company and taken control,” NSO spokesperson Oded Hershowitz told TechCrunch on Friday. Confirmation of the deal comes shortly after Israeli tech news website Calcalist […]
Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak advises Microsoft and Anthropic
Rishi Sunak, who served as British Prime Minister from 2022 to 2024, has taken on senior advisory roles at Microsoft and Anthropic, the Guardian reported. A letter from the Parliamentary Secretariat’s Business Appointments Advisory Committee (Acova), which revealed Mr Sunak’s appointment, revealed concerns that the former Conservative prime minister’s privileged information could “give Microsoft an […]
Investors are betting $21 billion that the energy transition will never end
The energy transition appears to be under attack, with Republicans in Congress eliminating tax credits for clean energy and the Trump administration threatening to end billions of dollars worth of subsidies. But there are signs that the setback may not be as devastating as the headlines make it seem. Investor sentiment remains strong, judging by […]
UK gives Google Search special market position, paving the way for tighter regulation
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Friday granted Google special status in the online search market, allowing the regulator to enforce stricter regulations. The CMA identified Google as having a “strategic market position” in the search and search advertising market. This means that the company occupies a “substantial and entrenched” position that requires […]
The world is not yet ready for humanoids
Renowned roboticist and iRobot founder Rodney Brooks has warned of an investment bubble in humanoid robots. He’s not the only one. In a recent essay, Brooks points out that billions of dollars in venture capital are being poured into humanoid robot companies like Figure. His view is that despite all the money being poured into […]
Reflection AI raises $2 billion as America’s open frontier AI lab to take on DeepSeek
Reflection AI, a startup founded last year by two former Google DeepMind researchers, raised $2 billion at an $8 billion valuation. That’s a significant 15x increase from its $545 million valuation just seven months ago. The company originally focused on autonomous coding agents, but has now positioned itself as an open source alternative to closed […]
Sora copycats flooded Apple’s App Store, and some still remain.
Due to the rapid popularity of Sora, many App Store scammers have tried to get in on the act. After OpenAI’s invitation-only video generation mobile app was released last week, Apple’s App Store was flooded with fake apps also claiming to be “Sora” or “Sora 2.” The latter is a reference to the underlying new […]
Stoke Space’s $510 million funding indicates the future of launch belongs to defense
Stoke Space announced a major funding round Wednesday, but at first glance it may seem like just another bet on the commercial launch market. The details are another story. The $510 million Series D round, led by billionaire Thomas Tull’s US Innovative Technology (USIT), a fund that invests explicitly in technologies related to national security, […]
SoundCloud becomes even more social by adding a way to see what songs your friends like
Music streaming app SoundCloud is evolving into a more social platform with the introduction of new community-oriented features. The company on Thursday announced features such as playlists based on the tastes of your friends and the artists you follow, an automatic list of all the tracks your friends enjoy, and follow suggestions. The feature is […]
China tightens export controls on rare earth minerals again
As the race to manufacture faster semiconductors intensifies, China is once again tightening export controls on rare earth minerals and related mining and refining technologies. The country’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Thursday that it had added five rare earth elements to its export control list, bringing the total to 12 to “protect national security.” […]