The Information

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

Tencent Bets on OpenClaw to Make Up for Lost Ground in China AI Battle

By Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Mar 27, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Tencent Bets on OpenClaw to Make Up for Lost Ground in China AI Battle

By Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Mar 27, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Shortly after OpenClaw shot to popularity in January, a newly hired product manager at Tencent in China became obsessed with the open-source software for building AI agents. That manager, Shuyu Zhang, quickly came up with the idea for QClaw, an OpenClaw-based agent that can be installed with one click and controlled with Tencent’s WeChat app,... Shortly after OpenClaw shot to popularity in January, a newly hired product manager at Tencent in...

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei via AP

Anthropic Discusses Going Public as Soon as the Fourth Quarter

By Valida Pau and Sri Muppidi · Mar 26, 2026 3:10pm PDT · 1 comment

Anthropic executives have discussed an initial public offering of the AI firm’s shares as soon as the fourth quarter this year, according to people familiar with the matter. Bankers vying to take Anthropic public expect the company to raise more than $60 billion in the initial public offering, said some of the people. That could be the... Anthropic executives have discussed an initial public offering of the AI firm’s shares as soon as...

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella via Getty

Microsoft Freezes Hiring in Major Cloud and Sales Groups

By Kevin McLaughlin and Aaron Holmes · Mar 26, 2026 10:36am PDT

Microsoft executives in recent weeks told managers at major divisions, including its Azure cloud and North American sales groups, to suspend new hiring, according to three current employees with direct knowledge of the decision. It’s not uncommon for Microsoft to slow hiring or even lay off staff toward the end of its fiscal year, which ends in... Microsoft executives in recent weeks told managers at major divisions, including its Azure cloud...

Getty Images

Blackstone Nears Deal to Buy Data Center Firm Rowan

By Anissa Gardizy, Valida Pau and Miles Kruppa · Mar 25, 2026 2:26pm PDT

Blackstone is close to a deal to buy Rowan Digital Infrastructure, a major U.S. data center developer that builds campuses for large cloud providers, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal. The terms of the deal couldn’t be learned, but the company would likely be valued at more than $10 billion, including its debt, people... Blackstone is close to a deal to buy Rowan Digital Infrastructure, a major U.S. data center...

Photo via Getty Images

Meta Platforms to Lay Off Hundreds

By Jyoti Mann · Mar 25, 2026 6:36am PDT

Photo via Getty Images

Meta Platforms to Lay Off Hundreds

By Jyoti Mann · Mar 25, 2026 6:36am PDT

Meta Platforms will lay off a few hundred people across the company on Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the matter, part of a broader effort to overhaul the company for work in the AI age. The cuts will affect staffers in Reality Labs — the division behind its hardware platforms and wearables — as well as across its... Meta Platforms will lay off a few hundred people across the company on Wednesday, according to...