The Convergence
Anthropic was founded to be the opposite of OpenAI. In Q1 2026, for the first time, the knowledge graph can't tell them apart. Both companies arrived at the same profile — 23% competitor, 21% financial — from opposite starting points. The market shaped them into the same thing.
Sony plans to raise PlayStation 5 prices globally, starting April 2; PS5 and PS5 Digital will rise by $100 to $650 and $600; PS5 Pro will rise by $150 to $900
The PS5 Pro will be a $900 console as of April 2nd. … Sony is raising the price of its PlayStation 5 consoles globally starting April 2nd.
Iran-linked hacker group Handala Hack Team claims the breach of FBI Director Kash Patel's personal email and publishes some documents online
Iran-linked hackers have publicly claimed the breach of FBI Director Kash Patel's personal inbox, publishing photographs of the director and his purported resume to the internet.
Anthropic says it's testing an AI model that's a “step change” in performance after a draft blog in an unsecured data store revealed the Claude Mythos model
AI company Anthropic is developing and has begun testing with early access customers a new AI model more capable …
US memory chip stocks lost ~$100B in market value this week, led by Micron's 15% drop, after Google Research detailed its TurboQuant compression algorithm
New research suggests AI data centres will need much less memory than investors had bargained for — US memory chip stocks …
Sources: Meta plans to debut two Ray-Ban smart glasses models next week intended for prescription wearers, to be sold mainly via prescription eyewear channels
Meta Platforms Inc. plans to debut two new Ray-Ban smart glasses models next week intended for prescription wearers.
Anthropic adjusts Claude session limits and says users will use up their limits faster during peak hours, amid compute strain due to Claude's new popularity
Follow Brent D. Griffiths … - Anthropic adjusted Claude usage caps during peak hours. — The changes show that the AI company is experiencing some compute strain.
Tech stocks suffer their worst week in almost a year, driven by the Iran war and Meta's legal defeats; Meta fell 11%, Alphabet fell ~9%, and Microsoft fell ~7%
A bad week for stocks was particularly rough for tech investors, as the Nasdaq suffered its worst weekly drop since April 2025.
Court docs: Zuckerberg texted Musk approvingly about his work with DOGE in February 2025, offering to “take down content doxxing or threatening” DOGE staffers
The two have a complicated history, but were apparently on friendlier terms at the start of the Trump Administration.
Meta agrees to fund Entergy Louisiana's new energy infrastructure for its Louisiana data center, including seven natural gas power plants
OpenAI launches Codex plugins to standardize repeatable AI workflows, with 20+ initial integrations such as Figma, Notion, Gmail, and Slack
ZDNET's key takeaways — Codex plugins aim to standardize repeatable AI workflows. — Marketplace plans signal a broader ecosystem and sharing strategy.
The Trump administration launches the White House app, promising news “straight from the source, no filter”, with news, live, social, and gallery sections
The Trump administration announced the launch of the White House app on Friday, promising news “straight from the source, no filter.”
Microsoft will lease Crusoe's 900 MW data center in Abilene, Texas, after Oracle and OpenAI reportedly withdrew, with the first building expected by mid-2027
Microsoft Corp. will occupy a data center project previously earmarked for Oracle Corp. and OpenAI, scooping up 900 megawatts …
Filing: Kalshi has secured a license allowing it to offer margin trading to users, which would make the platform more appealing to institutional investors
Kalshi Inc. has secured a license allowing it to offer margin trading to users, a feature that would make the prediction market platform …
SoftBank says it has secured a $40B bridge loan maturing in 2027 from JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and other banks, to fund further investment in OpenAI
SoftBank Group (9984.T) said on Friday it has secured a $40 billion loan through a bridge facility to fund further investments …
Source: Elon Musk is discussing allocating as much as 30% of SpaceX's IPO to individual investors, at least three times the usual retail slice
Elon Musk is discussing allocating as much as 30% of SpaceX's initial public offering to individual investors — at least three times the usual retail slice …
Google expands Search Live, its AI conversational search feature previously limited to the US and India, to all languages and regions where AI Mode is available
Aisha Malik /TechCrunch:
Toronto-based quantum computing company Xanadu's stock closed up 15% in its trading debut on Nasdaq; it also began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange
Sources: Physical Intelligence, which is developing AI models for robotics, is discussing a new funding round of about $1B that would value it at $11B+
Sources: Google nears a deal to help finance Nexus Data Centers' Texas campus that is leased to Anthropic, as Google deepens its partnership with the company
Texas site for Nexus Data Centers aims to avoid grid connection delays with direct gas supplies
China's broadening Manus review raises doubts about the “Singapore-washing” model; sources: Meta moved 100+ Manus employees to Singapore in early March
Tech circles from Silicon Valley to Shenzhen buzzed when Meta acquired Manus, a Singaporean AI startup with Chinese roots, for $2 billion late last year.
Sources: Aetherflux, founded by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt to develop orbital data centers, aims to raise $250M to $300M in a Series B at a $2B valuation
Unity plans to shut down its ironSource advertising network on April 30 and has begun the process of divesting Supersonic, its casual game publishing arm
The moves leave little of the Israeli ad-tech firm within Unity, marking a quiet unwind of one of the sector's most high-profile mergers.
Sources: Alibaba and ByteDance plan to order Huawei's new 950PR AI chip after tests show better CUDA compatibility; Huawei targets ~750K 950PR shipments in 2026
Customer testing of Huawei's new AI chip, designed to challenge Nvidia (NVDA.O) in the China market, has gone …
Sources: Moonshot AI may scrap its Cayman structure for a China or Hong Kong entity to prepare for a Hong Kong IPO and plans to raise funding at ~$18B valuation
Markets will be watching to see if the company can replicate the success of recent listings by other Chinese AI companies
Meta's Oversight Board says Community Notes aren't a proper substitute for fact checking, and warns expanding them beyond the US could pose human rights risks
On Thursday, Meta's Oversight Board, a quasi-independent body that reviews the social media giant's moderation practices …
Q&A with New Mexico AG Raúl Torrez about the New Mexico and LA social media trials, Big Tech's “Big Tobacco” moment, what it means for Congress, and more
Presented by With help from Aaron Mak — New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez spent his early days …
Tazapay, which builds cross-border payment infrastructure for fintech and web3 firms, says it closed a Series B extension, bringing its total Series B to $36M
Tazapay said Circle led a Series B extension that brought total funding to $36 million as the company expands cross-border payment rails.
Steno, which offers an AI-powered case transcript analysis tool for legal professionals, raised a $49M Series C led by Savano Capital Partners
Steno Agency Inc., a leader in tech-enabled court reporting and litigation support services, today announced it has raised $49 million …
Source: Thrive Holdings has landed $1B in commitments for a new fundraising deal and is considering raising at least another $1B after strong investor interest
Thrive Holdings, an offshoot of Joshua Kushner's venture capital firm Thrive Capital, is in discussions to raise at least $2 billion …LinkedIn:Rebecca TorrenceLinkedIn:Rebecca Torrence:SCOOP: Josh Kus...
Miami-based telehealth company eMed raised a $200M Series A at a $2B+ valuation to advance its agentic AI platform and more; Tom Brady participated in the round
Telehealth firm eMed said on Thursday it has raised $200 million in its latest funding round, valuing the Miami, Florida-based company at more than $2 billion.
Xona, which aims to build a commercial alternative to GPS by launching a low-Earth orbit satellite constellation, raised a $170M Series C
Meta plans to increase its investment in a data center in El Paso, Texas, to more than $10B, a significant rise from the initial $1.5B commitment
A US judge grants Anthropic's request for a preliminary injunction in its suit against the Trump administration over the DOD's decision to blacklist the company
A federal judge in San Francisco granted Anthropic's request for a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit against the Trump administration.
Sources: Anthropic executives have discussed an IPO as soon as Q4, and bankers vying to take the company public expect it to raise more than $60B
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.
OpenAI has surpassed $100M in annualized revenue from ChatGPT ads, has expanded to 600+ advertisers, and plans to launch self-serve advertiser access in April
OpenAI has surpassed $100 million in annualized revenue from its ChatGPT ads business, six weeks after the pilot was announced, according to a spokesperson.
Senior Trump officials say SMIC has been sending chipmaking tools to Iran for about a year; the US has sanctioned the company over alleged Chinese military ties
SMIC, China's largest chipmaker, has sent chipmaking tools to Iran's military, two senior Trump administration officials said on Thursday …
In an interview, David Sacks says he has relinquished his role as AI and crypto czar after using up his time as a special government employee
White House adviser David Sacks said Congress could pass bipartisan artificial intelligence legislation within months, a move …
Sources: Apple granted out-of-cycle bonuses worth several hundred thousand dollars to iPhone hardware designers, as OpenAI and others poach its engineers
Apple Inc. awarded rare bonuses to iPhone hardware designers this week, aiming to stem a wave of departures to AI startups like OpenAI that are building their own devices.
NY-based Blossom Health, which makes an “AI copilot” to augment psychiatrists' clinical decisions and automate office tasks, raised $20M in seed and Series A
Blossom Health has raised $20 million in seed and Series A funding to bring an AI “copilot” for psychiatry to patients nationwide, Fortune has exclusively learned.
Italy-based Subbyx, which builds infrastructure that lets businesses offer access-based subscriptions, raised a €30M Series A
Wikipedia bans using AI for writing or rewriting articles on its English-language site, citing AI-written articles' tendency to violate “core content policies”
Apple discontinues the Mac Pro and says it has no plans to offer future Mac Pro hardware
It's the end of an era: Apple has confirmed to 9to5Mac that the Mac Pro is being discontinued. It is being removed from Apple's website as of Thursday afternoon. The “buy” page on Apple's website …
Google releases new tools for its Gemini AI assistant that let users upload chat history and context from other AI apps, making it easier to switch from them
Google released new tools for its Gemini artificial intelligence assistant that will let users upload chat history and context from other AI apps …
X limits X Pro access to subscribers of the $40/month Premium+ plan without notifying users in advance; it was previously available in the $8/month Premium plan
Social network X is now limiting X Pro access to customers who subscribe to the X Premium+ plan, which is priced at $40 per month (or $33/month when paid annually).
Netflix raises US prices following a January 2025 hike; standard with ads rises $1 to $8.99/month; standard with no ads and premium rise $2 to $19.99 and $26.99
Netflix, for the second time in a little over a year, is raising prices for its three plans in the U.S. The new pricing …
Fannie Mae will accept crypto-backed mortgages for the first time; Coinbase launches a mortgage product allowing buyers to pledge bitcoin or USDC as collateral
New offering from Better Home & Finance and Coinbase allows home buyers to pledge bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies when making a down payment
Cohere launches Transcribe, its first voice model; the 2B-parameter, open-source speech recognition model handles tasks like notetaking and speech analysis
Sources: Apple plans to open up Siri to run any AI service via App Store apps in iOS 27, dropping ChatGPT as an exclusive partner in Apple Intelligence and Siri
Apple Inc. plans to open Siri to outside artificial intelligence assistants, a major move aimed at bolstering the iPhone as an AI platform.
Meta stock fell 8% on Thursday after juries in two US trials found the company failed to adequately warn or protect young users
Meta Platforms (META.O) shares dropped 7% on Thursday after two verdicts holding it liable for harm to young users sparked fears the social media giant …
The China Computer Federation calls for a boycott of AI conference NeurIPS after organizers barred submissions from US-sanctioned companies like Huawei
ByteDance launches its Dreamina Seedance 2.0 audio and video model in its CapCut editing platform, supporting clips up to 15 seconds across six aspect ratios
Apple expands its American Manufacturing Program, adding Bosch, Cirrus Logic, TDK, and Qnity Electronics to make components in the US for products sold globally
Mistral launches Voxtral TTS, an open-source enterprise text-to-speech model that supports nine languages, including Hindi and Arabic, based on Ministral 3B
The US FCC opens a comment period for a proposal to help return outsourced call center jobs to the US; critics say the plan could drive companies to automation
Cents, which makes operating and payments software for laundromats, raised a $110M Series C, following a $40M Series B in 2024
A US federal judge dismisses X's antitrust lawsuit that accused the World Federation of Advertisers and a group of major companies of illegally boycotting X
A U.S. judge on Thursday dismissed X Corp's antitrust lawsuit that accused the World Federation of Advertisers and a group …
Google launches Gemini 3.1 Flash Live, an audio model with improved tonal understanding and lower latency for real-time dialogue, watermarked with SynthID
Our latest voice model has improved precision and lower latency to make voice interactions more fluid, natural and precise.
The European Parliament votes to ban nudify apps and delay EU AI Act deadlines, including pushing compliance for high-risk AI systems back to December 2027
Interviews with 37 Anduril sources detail safety concerns and project challenges at Anduril's manufacturing operations; Anduril calls the claims “inaccurate”
WhatsApp rolls out features and updates: an AI tool that suggests replies based on a user's conversations, the ability to touch up photos with Meta AI, and more
The European Commission opens a DSA investigation into Snap for failing to protect kids on Snapchat, including whether it does enough to assess its users' ages
Microsoft says it will use GitHub Copilot interaction data, like inputs, outputs, and code snippets, to train its AI models from April 24, unless users opt out
Defense tech startup Shield AI raised $2B at a $12.7B valuation, up from $5.3B after raising $240M in March 2025; half of its business is autonomous software
Sources: OpenAI has shelved its erotic chatbot “indefinitely” as it refocuses on its core products after technical issues and concerns from staff and investors
Sources: SpaceX's IPO plans include investor visits to its sites, unusual lockup periods, and preferential treatment for investors in Musk's other companies
From the investor meetings to how shares are doled out, the billionaire is navigating his own path
Sources: X let go of 20+ staffers in nontechnical roles ahead of a SpaceX IPO; X staff have been told to focus on growing revenue since xAI brought on a CRO
Wall Street Journal:
The FBI confirms Iran-linked Handala breached Kash Patel's personal email but says the data accessed was “historical in nature” and involves no government info
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai Zack Whittaker — A hacking group backed by the Iranian government dubbed “Handala” …