The Information

Jeetu Patel, president and chief product officer at Cisco Systems Inc..

Cisco in Talks to Buy AI Security Startup Astrix for at Least $250 Million

By Valida Pau and Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 10, 2026 2:18pm PDT

Cisco Systems is in talks to acquire Astrix Security, a five-year-old Israeli cybersecurity startup that sells software to monitor and secure AI agents, for between $250 million and $350 million, according to people with knowledge of the deal. That would represent at least a 25% premium to the startup’s last valuation of around $200 million, one... Cisco Systems is in talks to acquire Astrix Security, a five-year-old Israeli cybersecurity...

Photo by Kyle Grillot/Getty Images

OpenAI Stargate Leaders Depart in Latest Shakeup to Data Center Strategy

By Anissa Gardizy · Apr 9, 2026 8:25pm PDT · 2 comments

Three senior OpenAI executives who helped launch the company’s original Stargate data center initiative have left or are preparing to depart the ChatGPT maker in the coming days, according to several people with direct knowledge of the matter. Peter Hoeschele, an OpenAI executive who played a key role in getting the Stargate effort off the... Three senior OpenAI executives who helped launch the company’s original Stargate data center...

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

xAI Spending Pushed SpaceX to a Nearly $5 Billion Loss

By Cory Weinberg · Apr 9, 2026 5:13pm PDT

SpaceX lost just under $5 billion last year while generating more than $18.5 billion in revenue, two people familiar with the figures said. The financial figures include xAI, the Elon Musk-founded artificial intelligence company that SpaceX acquired in February. The net loss, as well as other financial figures that consolidate SpaceX and... SpaceX lost just under $5 billion last year while generating more than $18.5 billion in revenue,...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

SpaceX Woos Investors As C-Suite Shakeups Continue

By Theo Wayt, Cory Weinberg and Valida Pau · Apr 9, 2026 10:53am PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan.

SpaceX Woos Investors As C-Suite Shakeups Continue

By Theo Wayt, Cory Weinberg and Valida Pau · Apr 9, 2026 10:53am PDT

Some of the biggest Wall Street fund managers are planning to trek to the southernmost tip of Texas, then about 950 miles to Memphis, Tenn, in two weeks, for exclusive visits to SpaceX facilities ahead of what could be the biggest initial public offering of all time, three people familiar with the matter said. The two-day trip is sure to inspire... Some of the biggest Wall Street fund managers are planning to trek to the southernmost tip of...

Art by Mike Sullivan

OpenAI Forecasts Advertising to Hit $102 billion by 2030

By Sri Muppidi · Apr 9, 2026 6:00am PDT · 10 comments

OpenAI’s advertising effort is so new that the company is still working out the kinks in it. That hasn’t stopped it from setting ambitious aims for the business, which it expects to become the largest driver of its revenue by the end of the decade. OpenAI expects advertising to generate about $2.4 billion in revenue this year and to quadruple... OpenAI’s advertising effort is so new that the company is still working out the kinks in it. That...

Nebius CEO Arkady Volozh. Alexander Miridonov/AP.

Nebius in Talks to Buy Israeli AI Startup AI21 After Nvidia Deal Fizzles

By Valida Pau and Katie Roof · Apr 8, 2026 2:39pm PDT

Nebius, a cloud provider backed by Nvidia with a market cap of $32 billion, is in talks to buy Israeli-based AI startup AI21 Labs, according to people with knowledge of the deal. The potential deal would help Amsterdam-based Nebius expand AI services for its customers beyond its main business of renting out servers. AI21 develops large... Nebius, a cloud provider backed by Nvidia with a market cap of $32 billion, is in talks to...

Art by Clark Miller; YouTube.

Polygon Labs in Talks to Raise Up to $100 Million for Payments Business

By Yueqi Yang · Apr 8, 2026 6:00am PDT

Polygon Labs, developer of the blockchain that underpins prediction market Polymarket and other crypto platforms, is in early talks with investors to raise as much as $100 million to build a new stablecoin payments business, according to people familiar with the talks. The funding discussions come amid a nasty downturn in crypto. The new venture... Polygon Labs, developer of the blockchain that underpins prediction market Polymarket and other...

Lindsey Nicholson/Getty Images.

Amazon’s Tough Stance on Prices Prompts Brands to Pull Products

By Ann Gehan · Apr 7, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Lindsey Nicholson/Getty Images.

Amazon’s Tough Stance on Prices Prompts Brands to Pull Products

By Ann Gehan · Apr 7, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Selling on Amazon is getting tougher for some big brands. In recent months, Amazon has rebuffed requests from some of the company’s wholesale suppliers to increase what it pays for their inventory, forcing brands to swallow higher costs related to tariffs, and more recently, oil prices, according to people who work with consumer brands like... Selling on Amazon is getting tougher for some big brands. In recent months, Amazon has rebuffed...

Elon Musk and T-Mobile 's then-CEO Mike Sievert on stage during a joint event in 2022 announcing the Starlink partnership. Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images.

Why SpaceX Has an Uphill Battle Growing Starlink Mobile

By Theo Wayt · Apr 6, 2026 8:00am PDT · 1 comment

SpaceX executives say its Starlink Mobile direct-to-cell service offered through mobile carriers will eventually reach hundreds of millions of customers around the globe, which would help justify SpaceX’s valuation. But right now, the service’s revenue is tiny. T-Mobile, for instance, SpaceX’s only mobile partner in the U.S., is offering its... SpaceX executives say its Starlink Mobile direct-to-cell service offered through mobile carriers...

Art by Clark Miller.

Meta Employees Vie for AI ‘Token Legend’ Status

By Jyoti Mann · Apr 6, 2026 6:00am PDT · 8 comments

Employees at Meta Platforms who want to show off their AI superuser chops are competing on an internal leaderboard for status as a “Session Immortal”—or, even better, “Token Legend.” The rankings, set up by a Meta employee on its intranet using company data, measure how many tokens—the units of data processed by AI... Employees at Meta Platforms who want to show off their AI superuser chops are competing on an...

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar, left, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (via Getty)

OpenAI CEO and CFO Diverge on IPO Timing

By Anissa Gardizy and Amir Efrati · Apr 5, 2026 1:32pm PDT · 9 comments

Sam Altman has committed OpenAI to spend $600 billion in the next five years and privately said he wants to go public as soon as the fourth quarter despite expectations his company will burn more than $200 billion before it starts generating cash. Behind the scenes, Sarah Friar, his chief financial officer, has voiced concerns that reflect the... Sam Altman has committed OpenAI to spend $600 billion in the next five years and privately said...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Amazon Curbs Misleading Markdowns Ahead of Prime Day Sale

By Ann Gehan · Apr 3, 2026 10:16am PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Amazon Curbs Misleading Markdowns Ahead of Prime Day Sale

By Ann Gehan · Apr 3, 2026 10:16am PDT

Amazon is taking steps to curb misleading markdowns on its retail site ahead of its annual Prime Day sale this summer, steps that could cut down on eye-popping Prime Day deals while addressing complaints that some discounts are overstated. Over the next two months, Amazon will closely track what shoppers have been paying for items in the run-up... Amazon is taking steps to curb misleading markdowns on its retail site ahead of its annual Prime...

Art by Mike Sullivan

DeepSeek’s New AI Model Will Be a Victory for Huawei

By Qianer Liu · Apr 3, 2026 6:00am PDT

When DeepSeek introduces its next-generation model, likely in the next few weeks, it will mark a milestone in China’s yearslong quest for semiconductor self-sufficiency. That’s because the new model, called V4, will be able to run on the latest chips designed by Huawei Technologies. And in preparation for V4’s launch, Chinese tech giants,... When DeepSeek introduces its next-generation model, likely in the next few weeks, it will mark a...

Paul Copplestone, CEO and co-founder of Supabase. Screenshot via YouTube.

Database Startup Supabase in Talks to Double Valuation to $10 Billion

By Katie Roof · Apr 2, 2026 6:55pm PDT · 5 comments

Singapore’s GIC is in talks to lead an investment in database startup Supabase at a valuation of about $10 billion, double the level it raised at last fall, according to two people with direct knowledge of the discussions. Supabase is aiming to raise about $500 million in the fundraising round, but the number could change, they said. Singapore’s GIC is in talks to lead an investment in database startup Supabase at a valuation of...

Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic. Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images

Anthropic Acquires Startup Coefficient Bio for About $400 Million

By Sri Muppidi and Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 2, 2026 5:03pm PDT

Anthropic has acquired AI biotech startup Coefficient Bio for roughly $400 million, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The startup’s team will be joining Anthropic’s healthcare life sciences group, which develops tools for the biotech industry ranging from drug discovery to clinical commercialization, said the person. ... Anthropic has acquired AI biotech startup Coefficient Bio for roughly $400 million, according to...

Paolo Ardoino, chief executive officer of Tether Holdings. Camilo Freedman/Bloomberg/Getty Images.

Tether Makes Final Push for Fundraising at $500 Billion Valuation

By Yueqi Yang · Apr 2, 2026 3:11pm PDT

Paolo Ardoino, chief executive officer of Tether Holdings. Camilo Freedman/Bloomberg/Getty Images.

Tether Makes Final Push for Fundraising at $500 Billion Valuation

By Yueqi Yang · Apr 2, 2026 3:11pm PDT

Tether, the world’s biggest stablecoin issuer, is making a last-ditch effort to raise funds at a $500 billion valuation, pressing investors to commit to the deal within the next two weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. The company, which is based in El Salvador, has been struggling to raise the funds since late last year because... Tether, the world’s biggest stablecoin issuer, is making a last-ditch effort to raise funds at a...

Photos of Sam Atlman and Fidji Simo by Getty Images. Portraits of John Coogan and Jordi Hays courtesy of TBPN. Art by Mike Sullivan

Why OpenAI’s Fidji Simo Bought the TBPN Podcast Amid Crusade Against ‘Side Quests’

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Apr 2, 2026 2:27pm PDT

In recent weeks, Fidji Simo has burst into public view as the OpenAI executive bringing much-needed discipline to the AI startup, as it inches toward an initial public offering late this year. Last month, Simo—who is now CEO of AGI Deployment—delivered the sobering message to the company’s staff that OpenAI can no longer chase “side... In recent weeks, Fidji Simo has burst into public view as the OpenAI executive bringing...

OpenRouter CEO Alex Atallah

Startup That Helps Developers Pick AI Models Nears $1.3 Billion Valuation

By Julia Hornstein, Stephanie Palazzolo and Kevin McLaughlin · Apr 1, 2026 8:24am PDT · 1 comment

As more AI apps and agents shift to using multiple AI models, startups that help developers choose the right ones are gaining traction. In the latest example, OpenRouter, which helps AI app developers access hundreds of models from a single application programming interface, is in talks to raise $120 million in new funding led by one of Alphabet... As more AI apps and agents shift to using multiple AI models, startups that help developers...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Amazon’s AI Chat Ads Yield Data but Few Sales

By Catherine Perloff · Apr 1, 2026 6:02am PDT

The early batch of ads running on OpenAI’s ChatGPT has drawn a lot of attention in recent weeks. But marketers have also been trying out another new form of conversational ads offered by an existing advertising heavyweight: Amazon. Even there, marketers are only starting to get a read on how much traction these ads are getting. For Paladone, an... The early batch of ads running on OpenAI’s ChatGPT has drawn a lot of attention in recent weeks....

Photo by Getty Images

Apple Kicks Vibe Coding App Out of App Store, Escalating Crackdown

By Aaron Tilley · Mar 30, 2026 11:51am PDT

Photo by Getty Images

Apple Kicks Vibe Coding App Out of App Store, Escalating Crackdown

By Aaron Tilley · Mar 30, 2026 11:51am PDT

Apple appears to have escalated its crackdown on vibe coding by recently booting one such app out of its App Store for violating its rules. Last Thursday, Apple removed the app, Anything, from the App Store, according to Dhruv Amin, co-founder and CEO of the eponymous startup that makes the app. Apple’s action came a week after The... Apple appears to have escalated its crackdown on vibe coding by recently booting one such app out...