Month August 2026

DOJ’s A16z Probe Puts Venture Board Seats Under the Microscope

The a16z probe could reshape venture board seats, antitrust risk and how VC firms handle competing portfolio companies.

Starcloud raises $250 million for orbital data centers, boosting its valuation to $2.3 billion as launch shortages threaten space AI plans.

AI creator backlash is growing after YouTubers Matti Haapoja and Sam Kolder promoted Higgsfield’s video tools, sparking ad-labeling questions.

Greater Manchester’s refusal to adopt Palantir is intensifying the Palantir NHS debate as ministers weigh an early exit from the data contract.

AI data startup Micro1 hit a $500M gross run rate as demand for training data surges, signaling a bigger market for expert and synthetic data.

New Ramp data shows business AI spending still growing, with OpenAI gaining on Anthropic among U.S. companies.

OpenAI’s Apple Messages plugin lets ChatGPT draft and send texts, but the Apple Messages plugin raises fresh privacy questions.

Google is rolling out an AI chatbot feed tool in Discover, letting users describe what they want to see and shape recommendations.

A viral pee joke points to a real data center water crisis, as AI firms turn to recycled wastewater to cool servers.

Runlayer and Rippling dropped their lawsuits with no settlement, spotlighting the risks and speed of competition in the AI gateway market.