The Model Is Now a Line Item
Microsoft went from reported MAI tests in Copilot in 2025 to reported replacements in Excel and Outlook in 2026. Meanwhile, more than 90% of Claude Cowork use is outside coding, pushing model billing into everyday work.
Claude Cowork’s Desktop Was the Preview
In under three months, Anthropic removed Claude Cowork’s research-preview label, added six enterprise features, and took it to web and mobile beta—all while reporting that more than 90% of usage is unrelated to software development.
Microsoft's Xbox plans to cut ~3,200 jobs over the next year, including 1,600 on Monday, and divest up to five studios, including Ninja Theory, in a “reset”
Compulsion and Double Fine studios will become independent; Undead Labs and Ninja Theory will be sold.
Anthropic researchers detail J-space, a small collection of neural patterns in Claude that reveals internal thoughts that don't appear in the model's output
As you read this sentence, circuits in your brain are adjusting your posture, controlling your breathing, and transforming lines and curves on the screen into recognizable words.
Meta launches Muse Image in Meta AI, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and previews Muse Video, the first media generation models from its Superintelligence Labs
We're excited to launch Muse Image and preview Muse Video, the first media generation models developed by Meta Superintelligence Labs.
SCOTUS declines to block a Texas law requiring app stores and developers to verify the age of mobile device users, and for minors to obtain parental consent
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to block a Texas law requiring app stores and developers to verify the age of mobile device users …
Samsung estimates Q2 operating profit of ~$58.44B, up 19x from Q2 2025 and above ~$57.02B est., and revenue up 129% YoY to ~$111.7B; Samsung's stock drops 6%+
Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) on Tuesday forecast a 19-fold jump in second-quarter operating profit from a year earlier …
BonkDAO, which oversees the Bonk memecoin, says it “was the target of a malicious governance proposal” that resulted in the loss of $20M worth of Bonk tokens
Quick Take — BonkDAO was hit with a governance attack that appears to have drained approximately $20 million worth of BONK tokens …
Anthropic expands Claude Cowork to web and mobile in beta for Max plan subscribers, and says 90%+ of Cowork usage is unrelated to software development
ZDNET's key takeaways — Claude Cowork is becoming a cloud-based AI helper. — Desktop still offers the fullest Cowork experience.
Google announces a Pixel event on August 12 in NYC, where it is expected to launch Pixel 11 series of phones and Pixel Watch 5
Made by Google 2026 is officially taking place on Wednesday, August 12. This is a week earlier compared to last year, with Google once again opting for an earlier Pixel hardware unveil.
Sources: China met with Alibaba, ByteDance, Z.ai, and others to discuss potentially limiting foreign access to advanced AI models, penalties for AI theft, more
Chinese authorities have held meetings with top tech firms over the past month about potentially restricting overseas access …
Tencent releases Hy3, a 295B-parameter model that it says is competitive with GLM-5.1 and GLM-5.2, under the Apache 2.0 license, after a preview launch in April
For the past year, the awkward secret of the open-weight model boom has been that many of the strongest Chinese releases …
Meta rolls out Muse Image, the first image generation model from its Superintelligence Labs, in Meta AI; it will also power new tools in Instagram and WhatsApp
Today, Meta is rolling out Muse Image, the company's first image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs, now available in Meta AI.
xAI rebrands to SpaceXAI and unveils a new logo; Elon Musk said in May that xAI would be dissolved as a separate company and become the AI products from SpaceX
- xAI has officially been rebranded to SpaceXAI. — The change follows SpaceX's historic IPO and acquisition of xAI earlier this year.
OpenRouter: Chinese AI models have drawn 30%+ of token use by US companies each week since February 8, peaking at 46%, up from 11% over the previous 12 months
Chinese-built AI models are gaining traction among U.S. companies as they narrow the performance gap with leading American rivals …
A profile of Bernadette Meehan, a US diplomat who became Wikimedia Foundation's CEO in January, as Wikipedia faces threats from MAGA, AI, and foreign autocrats
Wikipedia is in peril. — In a world where trust in truth is crumbling, the grande dame of collective online fact-gathering is under threat on every front.LinkedIn:Cameran Ashraf, Ph.D..Forums:r/anim...
Munich-based nuclear fusion startup Proxima Fusion raised €411M led by trading firm XTX and UK-based East X at a €2.4B valuation, with participation from Google
German startup Proxima Fusion has raised €411 million ($469 million) from a range of investors …
Court filing: Meta says four US states seek $1.4T over claims it designed Facebook and Instagram to addict youth and misled the public; its market cap is ~$1.5T
Meta Platforms (META.O) said in a court filing on Monday that four states were seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties over accusations …
Microsoft is laying off ~4,800 employees, or ~2.1% of its workforce; most are in sales or Xbox, where ~20% of jobs are set to be cut by the end of FY 2027
Most of the job losses are in Microsoft's Xbox and commercial sales organizations. … A year after cutting around 9,100 employees …
A profile of Rachel Whetstone, who has led comms for Google, Meta, Uber, Netflix, and now Sierra, as her husband Steve Hilton runs for governor of California
Steve Hilton, the conservative British political operator running for governor of California, launched his longshot campaign in April 2025 …
OpenAI, Anthropic, and other top AI labs are offering startups token credits, promotions, and one-time bonuses as they battle for lasting streams of B2B revenue
Pitched battle for business users comes as AI companies seek lasting streams of revenue — Hans Ibarra, a founder building …
WiseTech co-founder Richard White steps down as chair amid a police investigation over claims he exploited a woman's immigration status for sex; WTC jumps 5%+
Solos unveils the AirGo A6 camera-less smart glasses, cutting the weight to 19g from the AirGo A5's 36g to 40g, and V2 privacy accessories like a clip-on shield
The AirGo A6 are slimmer and lighter than last year's model while still offering hands-free access to an AI assistant.
Nintendo plans to stop selling the original Switch, Lite, and OLED in Europe from mid-February 2027 and update the Switch 2 to comply with new EU battery rules
Apple supplier Luxshare raised ~$3.1B in its Hong Kong IPO, selling 383.5M shares at ~$8 each, the top of its marketed range, and will start trading on Thursday
Apple Inc. supplier Luxshare Precision Industry Co. raised HK$24.3 billion ($3.1 billion) after pricing shares for its Hong Kong listing at the maximum amount it had set.
UK-based AI infrastructure startup Nscale secures a $900M line of credit to expand its data center buildout across Europe, the US, and Asia-Pacific
Nscale raised $2 billion earlier this year as investors continue to see promise in AI — Nscale Global Holdings said it had secured …
Coinbase secures UK FCA authorization to offer investment services, enabling it to expand into derivatives and equities trading, its largest UK expansion yet
Quick Take — Coinbase has secured a UK investment services license, allowing it to expand beyond crypto with derivatives and equities trading.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signs SB 315, a bill requiring annual third-party safety plan audits of leading AI companies; OpenAI and Anthropic backed the bill
Memo: SpaceXAI and Cursor plan to launch their first jointly developed AI model as soon as Wednesday, after pushing back the launch to improve model efficiency
SpaceXAI and Cursor plan to launch their first jointly developed AI model as soon as Wednesday, according to a memo sent to staff.
Source: Kraken is pursuing a full banking license in Europe, with a focus on Lithuania as the jurisdiction to secure it
Kraken, the cryptocurrency exchange planning to go public in the U.S., is pursuing a full banking license in Europe, with a focus on Lithuania as the jurisdiction to secure it …
Netflix signs deals with Penske Media, Condé Nast, Hearst, People, and other publishers to carry a range of programming from 2 to 20+ minutes, starting August 3
Netflix is further expanding the mix of content available on its platform through licensing partnerships with a range of top publishers …
Survey: Chinese companies plan to allocate 46% of their AI accelerator budget to domestic products in the next 12 months, up from 30% today, a shift from Nvidia
Chinese companies are ditching Nvidia Corp.'s advanced accelerators in favor of domestic silicon, underscoring how tensions …
Keyfactor, which manages billions of machine identities for more than 2,500 client organizations, raised $1B+ led by Summit Partners
The investment will accelerate Keyfactor's machine identity, PKI, and cryptographic security platform as enterprises prepare for AI-driven and post-quantum threats.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls for autonomous “killer robots” to be “banned by international law”, a central issue in the US DOD-Anthropic clash
António Guterres labels lethal autonomous weapons ‘morally repugnant,’ resurfacing issue …
Counterpoint: China smartphone sales fell 13% YoY during the 618 shopping festival as brands raised prices to offset memory costs; Honor fell 33% and Xiaomi 24%
Smartphone sales in China fell 13% year-on-year during the month-long 618 shopping festival, as brands raised prices …
European banking watchdogs ECB and ESRB warn that frontier AI models pose “systemic risks to the financial system”, and give lenders four months to prepare
IT weaknesses could be exploited by frontier models in a ‘matter of minutes or hours’, say ECB and ESRB
OpenAI Chief Futurist Joshua Achiam is leaving the company later this month after nearly nine years
Joshua Achiam spent nearly nine years at OpenAI researching AI safety and made a memorable appearance in the Musk v. Altman trial. — OpenAI's chief futurist Joshua Achiam notified colleagues …
EDX Markets, an institutional cryptocurrency trading platform, raised a $76M Series C led by SBI Holdings
EDX Markets, an institutional cryptocurrency trading platform, said it raised $76 million in a Series C funding round led by SBI Holdings. — The company plans to use the funds …
Study: 50 test accounts created in Australia across nine platforms were never asked to verify their age, despite the Australian law mandating a ban on under-16s
Australia's online platforms are stumbling at the very first step in implementing age checks for users, rendering a world …Forums:r/technologyForums:r/technology:Australia's teen social media ban fail...
Anthropic signs a 20-year, ~$19B lease to use a TeraWulf data center in Kentucky, set to have a ~400MW capacity and to start delivering power in H2 2027
Google launches “platform properties” in the Google Search Console, letting creators and website owners see which search terms lead to their social platforms
A new feature will let creators and publishers see what search terms take people to their social platforms.
Sources: CISA's Attack Surface Evaluation team is using Mythos to audit government code repositories and has already uncovered a large number of vulnerabilities
Sources: the US weighs housing the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve at the Commerce Department amid concerns over the Treasury Department's legal ability to manage it
Sources: DeepSeek is at an early stage of developing its own AI chip designed for inference, in a push that could reduce its reliance on Nvidia and Huawei chips
Chinese startup DeepSeek is developing its own AI chip, according to three people familiar with the matter, a push that could reduce …
Filing: Strategy sold 3,588 bitcoin for ~$216M between June 29 and July 5 to replenish its USD reserve; its holdings have an $11.4B paper loss at current prices
US autonomous military vehicle startup Forterra says it has deployed 100+ Lancer UGVs, based on Polaris ATVs, in Ukraine since 2025, completing 1,100+ missions
Forterra, a US builder of autonomous vehicles, revealed today that more than 100 of its self-driving ATVs have been deployed …
Paris-based UMA, founded by ex-Tesla Optimus scientist Rémi Cadene and ex-Google DeepMind researcher Pierre Sermanet, demos its Northstar AI humanoid robot
A former Tesla Inc. scientist who worked on Elon Musk's Optimus robot unveiled plans to produce a lightweight humanoid robot …
Sources: Vista Equity and Quinti made a takeover bid for Criteo that values the French ad tech company at a 50%+ premium to its stock price in recent weeks
Sources: Amazon is looking to raise at least $25B from a US dollar bond sale to fund its AI infrastructure investments; the size could increase based on demand
Amazon.com Inc. is looking to raise at least $25 billion from a US dollar bond sale, its latest funding push as the company ramps …
Broadcom agrees to expand its Apple partnership through 2031 to develop and supply custom chips; in 2023, the companies announced a multibillion-dollar 5G deal
Norm, which runs an AI law firm that provides AI-powered legal services to clients alongside human lawyers, raised $120M led by Khosla at a $1.2B valuation
Norm Ai has raised $120 million from investors in a new funding round to help automate legal services and rethink how the industry bills for its work.
Tangos, which uses AI to conduct financial crime investigations at scale, raised a $20M seed led by Red Dot
Tangos AI Inc., a startup that uses artificial intelligence to conduct financial crime investigations at unprecedented scale, said today it has closed on $20 million in seed funding.
Sources: Microsoft, looking to reduce AI costs, is starting to replace models from OpenAI and Anthropic with its MAI models in products like Excel and Outlook
Microsoft Corp., looking to reduce AI costs, is starting to replace OpenAI and Anthropic with its own models in software products like Excel and Outlook.
Source: Xbox Game Pass currently has ~30M subscriptions; a years-old internal doc shows Microsoft had projected Game Pass subscriptions would reach ~77M in 2026
The videogame unit's revenue has fallen and its Netflix-like subscription service is far below expectations
Syntiant, which develops low-power AI processors, files for a US IPO, reporting a $20.9M net loss on $64.5M in revenue for the three months ended March 31
Anthropic plans to lease a 16-story building in Lower Manhattan and double its NYC workforce to 1,000 people this year, as AI companies expand in the city
Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company, plans to lease a 16-story building in Hudson Square and to double its work force in New York City to 1,000 people this year.
Reddit says its AI-powered content moderation systems caught 25K “spammy posts and comments” per day in Q1, reducing users' exposure to such content by 20% YoY
Source: Thrive Capital spinoff Thrive Holdings seeks to raise around $2B from SoftBank, Altimeter, D1 Capital Partners, and others, after previously raising $1B
Super.com, which offers a savings app for lower-income consumers, raised a $65M Series D led by TPG at a $1.2B valuation and says it is profitable
In 2022, Hussein Fazal flew 200 of his employees to Las Vegas to cash a $200 check at a payday loan shop. He then asked them to buy a week …
Kuo: Apple suppliers plan to ship <1M foldable iPhones in Q3 2026, which may push the start of device preorders and sales to Q4, with weeks of delivery delays
Tencent sold ~$1.5B of stock in short-video app operator Kuaishou, through a selldown of part of its stake, in the biggest block trade in Hong Kong in 2026
Xbox appoints Helen Chiang as its first COO; Chiang was previously the Corporate Vice President of the Minecraft Franchise and the Studio Head of Minecraft
Xbox has confirmed that Helen Chiang has been promoted to the role of new chief operating officer in the wake of structural changes at Microsoft.
Source: Mercor hit a $2B+ gross revenue run rate in June, double the three-year-old startup's pace in April, and is profitable on a free cash flow basis
Anthropic extends Claude Fable 5 access to all paid plans through July 12; access to the model was set to shift to token-based usage on July 7
Anthropic announced today that it is expanding Claude Cowork capabilities from the desktop app to the web and mobile.
AI agent training platform Bespoke Labs raised $40M across a seed led by 8VC and a Series A led by Wing, saying the funding gives it almost two years of runway
Alibaba's Qwen models, introduced in 2023, have made it an AI powerhouse, but the company has yet to turn their global popularity into a profitable business
The Chinese company's models have won over developers worldwide, but they are open source — so they can be used and modified freely.
As part of Meta's Muse Image rollout, Instagram users with public accounts need to opt out to block AI generations of their content by other users
Unless You Opt Out