Open-weight AI companies are the Valley’s hottest acquisition targets
There's a lot of capital pouring into the business of giving models away.
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Sources: TechCrunch, The Verge
China’s robots race ahead
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on falling robots and the US-China AI race, follow Robert Hart. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it…
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How Sweden built one of Europe’s hottest startup ecosystems
Sophia Bendz, general partner at Cherry Ventures, stopped by Equity to break down the latest in the Swedish tech ecosystem.
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The iPhone Fold could make concerts even worse
You know the person blocking your view of the concert because their phone is swaying in the air, recording the entire thing? Get ready for the unfolded version of it. This week on The Vergecast, we dive right into the big week of Apple news. First, it's the refreshed Mac Mini…
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Save hundreds on a TCL mini-LED TV with quantum dots and high refresh rate
Amazon and Best Buy have the TCL QM7L mini-LED TV on sale for as low as $797.99 for the 55-inch model, a $200 discount from the usual price. We spotted scaling discounts on larger sizes as well, although Amazon already listed low stock on the 65-inch version. While OLED…
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Trump’s EPA wants to let data centers hide their air pollution
Just as new data centers face growing backlash from neighboring communities, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is about to make it harder for people to weigh in on any pollution those centers create. The EPA plans to toss out a federal rule requiring public notice and…
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DLSS 5 leaked and modders are putting Nvidia’s AI effects on everything
Modders are trying out an unofficial version of Nvidia's DLSS 5 on Skyrim, Cyberpunk 2077, GTA V, and a bunch of other games after code for the AI upscaling tech appeared in an early-access build of NBA 2K27. Members of the RenoDX modding channel on Discord reportedly found a…
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More Americans oppose police license plate cameras than support them: survey
The backlash against license plate readers comes amid a wave of police abuses of surveillance cameras.
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Friend-focused photo-sharing app Retro snags $21M
Retro, a friend-focused photo-sharing app built by former Instagram employees, has raised more than $21 million in Series A funding.
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The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is at its best when there’s friction
What do you want from a flip phone when it's closed? A simple interface, perhaps notifications and a widget or two, for handling the basics? Or a fully fledged Android experience shrunk down for the Flip form factor? For years, Samsung has insisted on the former, even as some…
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Apple TV is raising its subscription prices again
Now, Apple TV subscriptions will cost $14.99 per month, up from its previous price of $12.99 per month.
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Apple TV now costs $14.99 a month after its fourth price hike in four years
Apple raised the price of its streaming service for new and current subscribers on Friday, bumping it up from $12.99 per month to $14.99, Deadline and Variety are reporting. An annual subscription now costs $119, up from $99. Apple also increased the cost of its individual Apple…
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a16z creates a $1.1B ‘Machine Age’ fund to ‘accelerate the physical buildout of AI’
The firm, known for its focus on software, is going to start throwing more money at the hardware behind AI.
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Anthropic gets its first court win over the Pentagon’s supply-chain risk label
A federal judge ruled the Trump administration illegally labeled Anthropic a supply-chain risk, handing the AI company a victory as its second Pentagon lawsuit continues in Washington.
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Meta executive leaves for OpenAI as the social media giant faces growing scrutiny in India
Sandhya Devanathan will oversee some OpenAI operations across Southeast Asia and Australia in her new role.
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As electric two-wheelers gain a foothold, Belgian startup Any bets on cargo space
Launched by Belgian startup Any, LUV1 is a modular electric motorcycle with 120 liters of cargo space that can be used to carry bags, work equipment, or even pets.
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Anthropic was illegally blacklisted by the Trump administration, court rules
On Thursday, a judge ruled that the Pentagon's blacklisting of Anthropic earlier this year was unconstitutional, delivering the AI lab a win in a monthslong rollercoaster of a battle with the Trump administration. The lawsuit, filed in March in a California district court,…
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AI, athletes, and Keith Rabois: StrictlyVC is back in New York on September 10
A boutique StrictlyVC evening returns to New York's West Village on September 10 with Keith Rabois, Craig Shapiro, Jason Levien, Tristan Walker, Brynn Putnam, and Deven Parekh — covering AI, sports investing, community-building, venture economics, and politics, with cocktails,…
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