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‘College dropout’ has become the most coveted startup founder credential
AI founders are increasingly using their "dropout" status as a credential during YC pitches.
SoftBank lifts OpenAI stake to 11% with $41bln investment
Japanese tech investor SoftBank said Wednesday that its stake in OpenAI is now around 11% after completing the second stage of a $41-billion investment in the maker of ChatGPT.
VCs predict enterprises will spend more on AI in 2026 — through fewer vendors
Enterprises have been experimenting with AI tools for a few years. Investors predict they will start to pick winners in 2026.
Meta buys China-founded AI agent Manus
Facebook owner Meta has agreed to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent created by a company founded in China but now based in Singapore, the two firms said.
Meta just bought Manus, an AI startup everyone has been talking about
Meta says it'll keep Manus running independently while weaving its agents into Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, where Meta's own chatbot, Meta AI, is already available to users.
2025 was the year AI got a vibe check
AI’s early-2025 spending spree featured massive raises and trillion-dollar infrastructure promises. By year’s end, hype gave way to a vibe check, with growing scrutiny over sustainability, safety, and business models.
VCs predict strong enterprise AI adoption next year — again
More than 20 venture capitalists share their thoughts on AI agents, enterprise AI budgets and more for 2026.
India startup funding hits $11B in 2025 as investors grow more selective
Startup funding rounds in India fell sharply in 2025 as investors concentrated capital into fewer companies.
Equity’s 2026 Predictions: AI Agents, Blockbuster IPOs, and the Future of VC
TechCrunch’s Equity crew is bringing 2025 to a close and getting ahead on the year to come with our annual predictions episode! Hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Rebecca Bellan were joined by Build Mode host Isabelle Johannessen to dissect the year’s biggest tech developments, from mega AI funding rounds that defied expectations to the rise of “physical AI,” and make […]
AI Wrapped: The 14 AI terms you couldn’t avoid in 2025
If the past 12 months have taught us anything, it’s that the AI hype train is showing no signs of slowing. It’s hard to believe that at the beginning of the year, DeepSeek had yet to turn the entire industry on its head, Meta was better known for trying (and failing) to make the metaverse…
Marissa Mayer’s new startup Dazzle raises $8M led by Forerunner’s Kirsten Green
Mayer launched Dazzle after shuttering her photo and contact management startup Sunshine. Green’s investment suggests Dazzle is poised for the coming wave of new AI-infused consumer businesses.
Alphabet to buy Intersect Power to bypass energy grid bottlenecks
Alphabet is set to pay $4.75 billion in cash, plus debt, for the data center and clean energy developer.
Google's parent buys data center energy specialist Intersect for $4.75 billion to help power AI
Google's corporate parent on Monday announced an agreement to buy data center energy specialist Intersect for $4.75 billion as part of its effort to secure the vast amounts of electricity needed to power artificial intelligence technology.
Why it’s time to reset our expectations for AI
Can I ask you a question: How do you feel about AI right now? Are you still excited? When you hear that OpenAI or Google just dropped a new model, do you still get that buzz? Or has the shine come off it, maybe just a teeny bit? Come on, you can be honest with…
A brief history of Sam Altman’s hype
Each time you’ve heard a borderline outlandish idea of what AI will be capable of, it often turns out that Sam Altman was, if not the first to articulate it, at least the most persuasive and influential voice behind it.  For more than a decade he has been known in Silicon Valley as a world-class…
The great AI hype correction of 2025
Some disillusionment was inevitable. When OpenAI released a free web app called ChatGPT in late 2022, it changed the course of an entire industry—and several world economies. Millions of people started talking to their computers, and their computers started talking back. We were enchanted, and we expected more. We got it. Technology companies scrambled to…
OpenAI to acquire Neptune
OpenAI is acquiring Neptune to deepen visibility into model behavior and strengthen the tools researchers use to track experiments and monitor training.
Announcing the initial People-First AI Fund grantees
The OpenAI Foundation announces the initial recipients of the People-First AI Fund, awarding $40.5M in unrestricted grants to 208 nonprofits supporting community innovation and opportunity.
Funding grants for new research into AI and mental health
OpenAI is awarding up to $2 million in grants for research at the intersection of AI and mental health. The program supports projects that study real-world risks, benefits, and applications to improve safety and well-being.
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