Payments giant Stripe has highlighted an ongoing AI boom, revealing that artificial intelligence startups are scaling at an unprecedented pace—outpacing traditional SaaS companies. In its annual letter, Stripe shared data indicating that the top 100 AI companies reached $5 million in annualized revenue in just 24 months in 2024. In contrast, SaaS companies took 37 months to hit the same milestone in 2018. Stripe’s CEO and co-founders, Patrick and John Collison, emphasized that AI-powered startups are redefining industries. They cited examples such as Cursor, which surpassed $100 million in revenue, Lovable reaching $17 million ARR in just three months, and…
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Millie, a California-based maternity clinic founded by Anu Sharma, has successfully raised $12 million in a Series A funding round. The investment comes from notable female-led firms, including RH Capital, TMV, and Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures. Sharma was inspired to establish Millie following her own pregnancy experience in 2019. After facing complications that were overlooked by medical professionals, she sought to create the kind of maternity care clinic she wished had been available to her. Launched in 2022, Millie provides comprehensive maternity and gynecology care, including postpartum coaching, mental health support, and nutritional counseling. The clinic operates with a…
Former North Carolina congressman Patrick McHenry has secured a new role as a senior advisor at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). McHenry, who announced his appointment on X, shared that he will be advocating for startups—what a16z refers to as “little tech”—in policymaking circles. The firm has not yet provided additional details on his specific responsibilities. McHenry retired in January after a 20-year tenure in Congress, where he served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. He gained prominence for his outspoken stance against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), particularly under the leadership of Chairman Gary Gensler.…
Over the weekend, Elon Musk polled his X (formerly Twitter) followers on whether federal employees should be required to submit a weekly report of their accomplishments. With over 70% voting ‘yes,’ Musk followed through, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent out emails requesting all federal employees to submit their task lists by Monday, 11:59 PM ET. Musk even warned that failure to respond “will be taken as a resignation.” This move, however, has triggered massive online resistance, with social media users on Reddit, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky flooding the OPM’s email with spam—including the entire script of…
Anthropic, the AI company behind the chatbot Claude, is finalizing a massive $3.5 billion funding round, pushing its valuation to $61.5 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. Initially aiming for $2 billion, the company increased its target as investors showed strong interest. Top investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, General Catalyst, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, are in discussions to back the funding round. If completed, this would bring Anthropic’s total capital raised to approximately $18 billion. This funding comes right after the launch of Claude 3.7 Sonnet, an advanced AI model designed to handle complex tasks efficiently.…
The tech industry has been abuzz with discussions following HP’s recent acquisition of Humane, the AI wearable startup that once garnered immense investor enthusiasm. With a deal valued at $116 million—less than half of the $240 million the company raised in venture capital—this acquisition marks the end of Humane’s ambitious AI Pin project and raises critical questions about the viability of AI-powered wearables in today’s market. Humane’s AI Pin: A Short-Lived Vision Humane’s AI Pin, a $499 wearable device designed to function as a personal AI assistant, was initially positioned as a revolutionary product aimed at redefining human-device interaction. However,…
Apple has been methodically expanding the world of its critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series, Severance, through a variety of online materials, e-books, podcasts, and other supplemental content. This multimedia strategy not only deepens engagement but also enhances storytelling by offering audiences additional clues about the enigmatic employer at the heart of the show, Lumon Industries, and its mysterious operations. A Multifaceted Approach to Storytelling Building upon the success of Severance, Apple has leveraged its ecosystem to distribute exclusive content that adds further depth to the show’s narrative. These efforts mirror past marketing strategies employed for other complex, lore-heavy series such…
Meta made headlines last month for announcing plans to cut 5% of its employees, controversially deeming them “low performers.” However, the company is simultaneously expanding its presence in India’s tech hub, Bengaluru (formerly known as Bangalore), according to multiple Meta employees on LinkedIn. Meta’s Career Page currently lists 41 open positions in Bengaluru, most of which were posted in the last month. The openings are primarily for software and machine learning engineers, along with roles focused on designing chips for Meta’s data centers. One of Meta’s job ads, posted three weeks ago on LinkedIn, is seeking an “experienced Engineering Director…
Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang has dismissed concerns that DeepSeek’s latest AI model, R1, threatens the chipmaker’s business. Speaking with Alex Bouzari, CEO of DataDirect Networks, in a pre-recorded interview released on Thursday, Huang called DeepSeek’s reasoning model “incredibly exciting.” “I think the market responded to R1 as if AI is finished,” Huang said. “It’s exactly the opposite. It’s expanding and accelerating AI adoption.” Despite R1’s efficiency in pre-training AI models, Huang emphasized that post-training remains a resource-intensive process. “Reasoning is a fairly compute-intensive part of AI,” he added The AI community was shaken when DeepSeek open-sourced R1 last month, causing…
Just days after China’s AI startup DeepSeek launched its latest reasoning model, DeepSeek R1, the company’s iOS app has surged to the top of Apple’s App Store, pushing OpenAI’s ChatGPT to second place. What Makes DeepSeek AI So Popular? DeepSeek AI claims that its R1 model outperforms competitors in key AI benchmarks. Early testing suggests it holds its own, excelling in coding assistance, chess strategies, and problem-solving. However, its biggest advantages are open-source accessibility and affordability. Unlike OpenAI, which charges for premium access, DeepSeek AI is free on web and mobile platforms, with cheaper API pricing than OpenAI’s most advanced…
Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, X/Twitter)Musk made headlines for all the wrong reasons—his feud with Mark Zuckerberg, attacks on Sam Altman and Bill Gates, and vocal support for Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign. His controversial leadership at X/Twitter and growing influence in U.S. politics raised concerns. Sam Altman (OpenAI)After being ousted and reinstated as OpenAI’s CEO, Altman faced criticism for turning the company into a for-profit entity. Allegations of ethical lapses and the tragic suicide of a former employee further damaged his reputation. Sundar Pichai (Alphabet/Google)Google’s AI missteps with Bard and Gemini, coupled with mass layoffs and his massive paycheck, put Pichai…
Apple’s highly anticipated iPhone SE 4 is expected to launch as early as next week, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. This upcoming model is rumored to bring significant upgrades, including Apple Intelligence support, a modern iPhone 14-like design, and improved hardware, making it the most advanced SE model to date. No Special Event, Direct Launch Expected Unlike Apple’s usual high-profile launch events, the iPhone SE 4 may be introduced via a press release. Reports suggest that the device will go on sale later this month, giving customers quick access to Apple’s latest affordable iPhone. iPhone SE 4: Expected Features and…
The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 remains one of the top electric SUVs, offering improved battery capacity, more tech features, and even an off-road-ready XRT trim. However, while Hyundai has adopted Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) port, real-world testing reveals a frustrating flaw when using Tesla Superchargers. The Tesla Supercharger Challenge During a charging test in Palm Springs, the Ioniq 5’s rear passenger-side charging port didn’t align well with Tesla’s Superchargers, leaving the charging cable unable to reach. This issue could force drivers to occupy two parking spots or rely on CCS-equipped stations instead. While Tesla’s upcoming V4 chargers with…
The legal tech sector is witnessing a surge in AI-driven advancements, and London-based Luminance is the latest startup making waves. The company, which specializes in AI-powered legal document analysis, has secured $75 million in a Series C funding round led by Point72 Private Investments. This investment marks one of the largest capital raises for a legal AI company in Europe, bringing Luminance’s total funding to $165 million. AI-Powered Legal Solutions Luminance has positioned itself as a “legal-grade AI” capable of accurately analyzing and negotiating contracts. Unlike many competitors relying on generic large language models (LLMs), Luminance employs a proprietary Legal…
Lee Enterprises, one of the largest newspaper publishers in the United States, is grappling with the fallout of a cyberattack that has severely disrupted its operations for nearly three weeks. The company confirmed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing that the attack involved unauthorized access to its network, encryption of critical applications, and data exfiltration—hallmarks of a ransomware incident. Widespread Disruptions The cyberattack has affected multiple aspects of Lee’s business, including print distribution, online services, billing, collections, and vendor payments. Several of its 72 publications across the country have experienced printing delays, with some missing entire editions.…