Can tech companies learn to love cheaper AI models?
If those same AI workloads can be handled by cheaper models without affecting quality, it would mean a massive shift in the economics of AI.
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Zest launches a restaurant discovery app powered by where people actually eat
Backed by Alexis Ohanian’s 776 and Kindred Ventures, Zest uses transaction data and AI to generate restaurant recommendations based on users’ real dining habits and the places they frequent.
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The AI layoff wave is becoming a powder keg
At the very moment that tens of thousands of workers are being shown the door, a small cohort of AI insiders is becoming wealthy on a scale that’s hard to comprehend.
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AI | Enterprise | Fintech | Startups | TC
Anthropic’s latest feud with the Trump admin may actually help it, sales data suggests
Anthropic’s popularity with business users is growing so well that the latest beef with the government might actually boost it, data from Ramp suggests.
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AI | Fundraising | Startups | TC
World model maker Odyssey nabs $1.45B valuation backed by Amazon and other big names
World models are the next big thing in AI beyond LLMs and, with this round, Odyssey has cemented itself as one of the startups to watch.
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Founders Fund’s outlier bet on humanely killed fish
Shinkei makes a refrigerator-sized robot called Poseidon to kill fish quickly and humanely.
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SpaceX inks compute deal with Reflection AI, an open source AI lab
Reflection AI will pay $150 million a month beginning July 1, 2026 through 2029 for immediate access to Nvidia’s latest GB300 AI chips and supporting hardware across SpaceX’s Colossus 2 data center near Memphis, Tennessee.
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AI chipmaker Groq confirms $650M raise, re-staffs after Nvidia’s $20B not-acqui-hire deal
What does an AI company do after one of those not-acqui-hire deals? Groq raised money, is leaning into its neocloud business, and is hiring new execs.
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Superhuman acquires AI detection startup GPTZero
Superhuman, which also has an AI detection tool as part of Grammarly, has snapped up GPTZero.
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How to invest when everything is moving too fast
TechCrunch’s StrictlyVC evening in Los Angeles late last week brought together two of the more straight-talking investors working in AI right now. They were as entertaining as they were illuminating.
