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January 16, 2026, 10:00 PM
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Top News

Financial Times:
OpenAI plans to test ads below ChatGPT replies for users of free and Go tiers in the US; source: OpenAI expects to make “low billions” from ads in 2026  —  $500bn start-up seeks ways to fund expansion and fend off competition from rivals Google and Anthropic
Elissa Welle / The Verge:
OpenAI expands its ChatGPT Go tier to the US and the rest of the world, after launching it in India and some other countries; it will cost $8/month in the US  —  'ChatGPT Go' is available worldwide for $8 per month. … OpenAI is expanding a low-cost subscription tier called ChatGPT Go to the US and the rest of the world.
Maxwell Zeff / Wired:
OpenAI will match ads to conversation topics using some personalization data, but says it will not sell user data or expose user conversations to advertisers  —  OpenAI says ads will not influence ChatGPT's responses, and that it won't sell user data to advertisers.
Julianna Bragg / Axios:
California's AG sends a cease-and-desist letter to xAI, demanding the company halt the generation and distribution of non-consensual intimate images and CSAM  —  California's attorney general on Friday sent a cease and desist letter to xAI, demanding the company immediately halt the creation …
Dara Kerr / The Guardian:
The US EPA rules that xAI acted illegally by using dozens of methane gas turbines to power its Colossus 1 and Colossus 2 data centers in the Memphis area  —  Win for Memphis activists who say ‘Colossus’ facilities add extra pollution to already overburdened communities
Ian Carlos Campbell / Engadget:
Anthropic makes Claude Cowork available to $20/month Pro subscribers, after launching it for Max users, and says Pro users may hit their usage limits sooner  —  Pro subscribers can have Claude can handle simple tasks on their computer.  —  Claude Cowork, Anthropic's AI assistant for taking care …
Lauren Feiner / The Verge:
Google says it's appealing the US v. Google ruling that found it has an illegal search monopoly and asks a court to pause some of the remedies during the appeal  —  In the meantime, it's asking a court to pause remedies meant to restore competition.
Alex Heath / Sources:
Unsealed docs from Elon Musk's OpenAI lawsuit, set for a jury trial on April 27: Sutskever's concerns about treating open-source AI as a “side show”, and more  —  This is an excerpt of Sources by Alex Heath, a newsletter about AI and the tech industry, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week.
Bloomberg:
Some top California Democrats join Governor Gavin Newsom in opposing a ballot initiative led by a healthcare union seeking a one-time 5% tax on $1B+ in assets  —  A proposed tax on California's wealthiest residents is drawing opposition from a growing group of top state Democrats …
Bloomberg:
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson says the agency is examining Big Tech's acqui-hires to make sure “they are not an attempt to get around” its merger review process  —  The US Federal Trade Commission is taking a closer look at moves by major tech companies to hire away the employees …
Reuters:
Grid operator PJM plans to require large data centers to either bring their own power generation or curtail electricity use to prevent a large-scale outage  —  Grid operator PJM Interconnection on Friday unveiled a plan to manage surging power demand from data centers that Big Tech needs …

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About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 10:00 PM ET, January 16, 2026.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

From Mediagazer

Rebuild Local News:
The 2026 Local Journalist Index shows a persistent shortage of local journalists; states with fewer local journalists face higher municipal borrowing costs

Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Netflix says it is “not interested” and has no plans to pursue Lionsgate; Lionsgate shares closed up 13.85% on Tuesday before falling ~4% after hours

Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Analysts: UK social media ban is likely to cause £1.3B in digital ad cuts in 2027, with streaming services poised to benefit as advertisers seek to reach teens

More News

Dina Bass / Bloomberg:
ClickHouse, a Snowflake challenger that offers an OLAP database management system, raised $400M led by Dragoneer at a $15B valuation, up from $6.35B in May 2025
Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
Q&A with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos about the $83B WBD bid, Trump's involvement in the deal, maintaining a 45-day theatrical window for WBD releases, and more

Earlier Picks

Davis Giangiulio / CNBC:
Cloudflare acquires AI data marketplace Human Native for an undisclosed sum to help it develop a system where AI developers pay creators for training content
Supantha Mukherjee / Reuters:
TikTok says it will roll out new age detection tech, which analyzes profile information to predict whether a user is under 13, across Europe in the coming weeks
New York Times:
Australia's eSafety Commissioner reports social media platforms “removed access” to ~4.7M accounts under its ban for under-16s, which took effect in December
André Beganski / Decrypt:
X revises its developer API policies to “no longer allow apps that reward users for posting on X (aka 'infofi')”, amid a backlash about increasing AI slop on X
Financial Times:
Anthropic researchers say rich countries' higher AI adoption risks deepening economic disparities and widening living standard gaps, assuming productivity gains
Emma Roth / The Verge:
The Wikimedia Foundation says Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Perplexity, and Mistral joined Wikimedia Enterprise to get “tuned” API access; Google is already a member
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