Investors are intensely focused on AI, with Yann LeCun confirming his new 'world model' startup seeking a $5B+ valuation and **OpenAI reportedly trying to raise $100B at an $830B valuation, while Cursor continues its acquisition spree with the Graphite deal for AI code review and Meta is developing a new image and video model for a 2026 release**; meanwhile, OpenAI adds new teen safety rules to ChatGPT as AI coding agents show explosive results rebuilding Minesweeper, Known uses voice AI to help you go on more in-person dates, and LG TVs' unremovable Copilot shortcut points to AI's pervasive presence.
Key business stories include **Elon Musk’s $56B Tesla pay package being restored by the Delaware Supreme Court and Instacart agreeing to refund subscribers $60 million in an FTC settlement, alongside Google lobbying a lawsuit at search result scraping firm SerpApi and ByteDance confirming TikTok will be controlled by US owners after agreeing to a deal. The sector also sees Krafton hiking its India bet with a new $670M fund, discussion on building venture-backable companies in heavily regulated spaces, and concerns over why hardware startups like Roombas and e-bikes are going bankrupt, with former Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario resigning from Rivian’s board**.
Rocket Lab wins another defense-related space contract worth $816 million, while Russia prepares for its next space station and commits to a quick fix for the Soyuz launch pad as Ariane 6 aims high. Innovation continues with **two space startups proving you don’t need to break the bank to rendezvous in space, and the government shows interest in flying disc satellites** that offer unmatched power-to-weight ratios.
In gaming, Netflix acquires avatar maker Ready Player Me to expand its gaming titles, while Riot Games is making an anti-cheat change that could impact older PCs and Switch 2 production backs off Game Key Cards for lower-cost cartridge options. Meanwhile, Netflix is betting on podcasts to become the new daytime talk show and **Strava puts its popular “Year in Sport” recap behind an $80 paywall**.
Hundreds of Cisco customers are vulnerable to a new Chinese hacking campaign exploiting a zero-day vulnerability, and a review highlights hacks, thefts, and disruption as the worst data breaches of 2025 across various sectors.
Chevrolet introduces the Equinox EV, positioned as a high-comfort, convenient electric vehicle that is "not too big, not too expensive" with a sub-$35,000 starting price.