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February 2, 2026, 6:20 PM
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| Bloomberg: |
SpaceX acquires xAI; sources say the combined company is expected to price shares at ~$527 each in a potential IPO and would have a valuation of $1.25T — Elon Musk's SpaceX has acquired xAI, in a deal that encompasses the billionaire's increasingly costly ambitions to dominate artificial intelligence and space exploration.
More: The Verge, TechCrunch, New York Times, Financial Times, The Information, Wall Street Journal, Engadget, CoinDesk, CNN, Ars Technica, CNBC, Silicon Valley Business …, NBC News, Electrek, Crypto Briefing, SpaceNews, Yahoo Finance, Sherwood News, NewsMax.com, and New York Post
X: @xai, @nikitabier, @tanayj, @toly, @mitsuhiko, @mgsiegler, @jtlonsdale, @netcapgirl, @parikpatelcfa, @somewheresy, @pinboard, @emostaque, @dylan522p, @rough__sea, @contrariancurse, @loganbartlett, @rihardjarc, @x, @luke_metro, @johnhering, and @spacex. Bluesky: @sethabramson. Forums: r/wallstreetbets
| David Gewirtz / ZDNET: |
OpenAI launches a Codex app for macOS, designed to serve as a command center for managing AI agents, and says Codex usage has nearly doubled since mid-December — ZDNET's key takeaways — OpenAI launches a Mac-only Codex app as an agent command center.
More: OpenAI, Simon Willison's Weblog, Thurrott, Benzinga, Reuters, CNBC, VentureBeat, Michael Tsai, Ars Technica, The Mac Observer, Rohan's Bytes, Neowin, Engadget, 9to5Mac, iClarified, TechCrunch, Implicator.ai, The Decoder, Blockonomi, The Deep View, Every, iPhone in Canada, and MacStories
X: @sama, @openai, @mitchellh, @sama, @sama, @gergelyorosz, @gdb, @polynoamial, @karrisaarinen, @reach_vb, @altryne, @parkerortolani, @aidan_mclau, @ajambrosino, @aarondfrancis, @openai, @mckaywrigley, @karrisaarinen, @thsottiaux, @openai, and @openaidevs
Forums: Hacker News, r/codex, and r/codex
| Bill Toulas / BleepingComputer: |
Notepad++ and security researchers say Chinese state-sponsored threat actors were likely behind the hijacking of its update traffic from June to December 2025 — Chinese state-sponsored threat actors were likely behind the hijacking of Notepad++ update traffic last year that lasted for almost half a year …
More: Notepad++, Rapid7, The Verge, TechCrunch, HotHardware, XDA Developers, Reuters, The Register, CyberInsider, Help Net Security, Windows Central, PCMag, Livemint, Hackread, eSecurity Planet, and The Record
X: @lcamtuf, @johnhultquist, @uk_daniel_card, @gi7w0rm, @officialwhyte22, @c2iris, @apkramar, @pikuma, @uk_daniel_card, @blackroomsec, @cyb3rops, @uk_daniel_card, @cyb3rops, @vxunderground, and @cyb3rops
LinkedIn: Ivan Feigl and Christiaan Beek
Forums: Hacker News, r/homelab, r/pcmasterrace, r/sysadmin, and r/theprimeagen
| Brian Barrett / Wired: |
Newly-released emails between tech industry notables and Jeffrey Epstein kick off a renewed flurry of acrimonious social posts and lurid news coverage — The Department of Justice has released more than 3 million documents and photos related to Jeffrey Epstein.
More: 404 Media, 404 Media, The Verge, Wall Street Journal, The Verge, Forbes, Bloomberg, New York Times, Business Insider, Ars Technica, New York Post, The Washington Free Beacon, CBS News, Cointelegraph, New York Times, Time, Decrypt, New York Magazine, ZeroHedge News, People, Gizmodo, and Cryptonews
X: @adam3us, @elonmusk, @sachalouise, @jason, @kanekoathegreat, @palmerluckey, @matthewstoller, @dschlopesisback, @evan_ss6, @anthon7yandrews, @__amoxicillin_, @mttgrmm, @boringbiz_, @bryce, @tomwarren, @fredlambert, @autismcapital, @samson143vr, @sf_mills, @jasonbassler1, @morganbarrettx, @scobleizer, @miyaspokeofthis, @maddenifico, @burkehenryt, @kanekoathegreat, @reidhoffman, @brendaneich, @chrisjbakke, @afpost, @bob_burrough, @prem_thakker, @peterjukes, @elonmusk, @palmerluckey, @h_adventurer, @devahaz, @_jeremyflores, @jezcorden, @dschlopesisback, @nicucrypto, @elonmusk, @alojoh, @scottgshore, @actingliketommy, @amittaylor, @romy_holland, @medus4_cdc, @coryswan, @s_lutz95, @gregbagwell, @l0lal33tz, @amritwt, @vladtheinflator, @benmullin, @odddiligence, @zacbowden, @generic_void, @gilduran76, @meidastouch, @prem_thakker, @mattyglesias, @litcapital, @rmac18, @swannmarcus89, @jdcocchiarella, and @reidhoffman
Bluesky: @timdickinson, @nycsouthpaw, @rmac, @nytpitchbot, @milesklee, @rmac, @timdickinson, @nytpitchbot, and @esqueer.net
Threads: @stevenfoxbury, @barrettpall, @vivllainous, @guru_merc, @localdeathwatchbeetle, @attorneyryan, @brooksrocco, @jongeardev, and @yilingtheytriarch
Forums: r/MarchAgainstNazis, r/Political_Revolution, r/politics, r/musked, r/Fauxmoi, r/millenials, r/Fauxmoi, r/4chan, r/politics, and r/centrist
| Raphael Satter / Reuters: |
Wiz says Moltbook had a major flaw that exposed private messages, emails, and credentials; Wiz co-founder Ami Luttwak called the flaw a byproduct of vibe coding — A buzzy new social network where artificial intelligence-powered bots appear to swap code and gossip about their human owners …
More: wiz.io, New York Times, The Guardian, Marcus on AI, Censys, CNBC, Business Insider, Business Insider, Reason, BBC, Benzinga, The Register, Neowin, The Economist, Fortune, and Implicator.ai
X: @karpathy, @galnagli, @galnagli, @mattprd, @jsrailton, @jsrailton, @valhalla_dev, and @jsrailton. LinkedIn: Geoff Livingston
Forums: r/cybersecurity and Slashdot
| Luke James / Tom's Hardware: |
More: BleepingComputer, CNBC, Security Affairs, Koi, and CyberInsider
| Edward Ludlow / Bloomberg: |
Waymo raised $16B led by Sequoia, DST Global, and Dragoneer at a $126B valuation and plans a rapid expansion across the US and into the UK this year — Waymo, Alphabet Inc.'s autonomous driving unit, raised $16 billion at a $126 billion valuation, a funding round that reflects its rapid ascent as a robotaxi pioneer.
More: Bloomberg Law, Waymo, The Verge, TechCrunch, Forbes, CNBC, Reuters, Pulse 2.0, and Kleiner Perkins
X: @signulll, @kleinerperkins, @sundarpichai, @techtekedra, and @waymo. LinkedIn: Steve Fieler. Forums: Hacker News
| Washington Post: |
Inside Elon Musk's bet to hook X users that turned Grok into a porn generator; sources say xAI's AI safety team was just two or three people for most of 2025 — Under pressure to boost its popularity, Elon Musk's xAI loosened its guardrails and relaxed controls on sexual content, setting off internal concern.
More: The Verge. Bluesky: @noupside, @drewharwell.com, @justinhendrix, @metacurity.com, @mistyksnow, and @karlbode.com
| Robert Hart / The Verge: |
After X updated Grok to ban sexual deepfakes of women, tests show Grok still undresses men on Grok's app, Grok's website, and X, rarely rejecting user requests — Elon Musk insists xAI's chatbot doesn't break the law, but it's still churning out nearly naked, sexualized images of men.
More: TechCrunch, Engadget, Metro.co.uk, and Mashable
| Reuters: |
Sources: OpenAI is unsatisfied with some of Nvidia's AI chips used for inference and has sought alternatives since last year, including from Cerebras and Groq — OpenAI is unsatisfied with some of Nvidia's latest artificial intelligence chips, and it has sought alternatives since last year … | Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer: |
Mozilla says Firefox users will be able to disable all AI features in its desktop browser, starting with Firefox 148, rolling out on February 24 — In response to user feedback on AI integration, Mozilla announced today that the next Firefox release will let users disable AI features entirely or manage them individually.| Samantha Subin / CNBC: |
Palantir reports Q4 revenue up 70% YoY to $1.41B, vs. $1.33B est., and forecasts FY 2026 and Q1 revenue above estimates; PLTR jumps 6%+ after hours — Palantir topped Wall Street's fourth-quarter estimates as more businesses and the U.S. government race to buy its artificial intelligence tools.| Gerrit De Vynck / Washington Post: |
SEC complaint: a whistleblower alleges Google broke its ethics rules in 2024 to help an Israeli military contractor use AI to analyze drone surveillance video — A whistleblower complaint filed with the SEC claims that Google breached its own ethics rules to help an Israeli contractor apply AI to drone surveillance video.
More: Wall Street Journal. X: @leloveluck, @john_hudson, @dropsitenews, @assalrad, and @william_fitz
Bluesky: @mommamia, @dfriedman, @jefftrnka, and @justinhendrix
| Bloomberg: |
Oracle is selling $25B of bonds to help finance its AI buildout, in what is set to be the biggest high-grade US offering since Meta's $30B bond sale last year — Oracle Corp. is selling $25 billion of investment-grade bonds on Monday to help finance infrastructure that powers artificial intelligence projects … | Sabrina Ortiz / The Deep View: |
Snowflake and OpenAI sign a multiyear, $200M deal to integrate OpenAI's models into Snowflake Cortex AI and the Snowflake Intelligence agent for enterprises — S — nowflake has established itself as a top data cloud provider. Now, it's partnering with OpenAI to bring AI-powered data insights to users.| Priya Krishna / New York Times: |
How food delivery is reshaping US mealtimes, as some users spend thousands; NRA data shows nearly 75% of 2024 restaurant orders were not eaten in a restaurant — Almost three of every four restaurant orders in the U.S. weren't eaten in a restaurant, according to recent data.
More: Marketing Dive. X: @scholars_stage, @lpolgreen, @ernietedeschi, @trumwill, @cowboy_postbop, @adam_tooze, @joepostingg, @mjpost, @imnotowned, @wmatagm, @rcobooth, @chris_arnade, @robertfreundlaw, @bigmeaninternet, @eric_erins, @birdyword, @estherzelda0514, @trumav, @mattyglesias, @jaybsauceda, @scottlincicome, @armanddoma, @lindsayballant, @wilson__valdez, @armanddoma, @daniela__127, and @ryanaclarke. LinkedIn: Yash Babar
Bluesky: @kathbarbadoro, @rebeccasolnit, and @niedermeyer.online
| @oracle: |
Oracle says the Nvidia-OpenAI deal has “zero impact” on its financial relationship with OpenAI and it is “highly confident in OpenAI's ability to raise funds” — The NVIDIA-OpenAI deal has zero impact on our financial relationship with OpenAI. We remain highly confident in OpenAI's ability to raise funds and meet its commitments.
More: Bloomberg, Quartz, Mercury News, Financial Times, Radio Free Mobile, Shacknews, and Dow Jones Newswires
X: @buccocapital, @tszzl, @swrrvv, @semianalysis_, @firstadopter, @edels0n, @alexkolicich, @edzitron, and @alexeheath. Threads: @carnage4life
| Christine Mui / Politico: |
Meta gives $65M to two super PACs to elect California state candidates, regardless of party, whom it views as supportive of the AI and tech industry — Federal lobbying budgets for Big Tech hit record highs this year. But with federal AI regulation stalled in Washington …
More: NewsMax.com. X: @zephyrteachout, @darrigomelanie, @chrismurphyct, @girlsreallyrule, and @bubblebathgirl
| Melissa Heikkilä / Financial Times: |
AI conferences have rushed to restrict the use of LLMs for writing and reviewing research papers in recent months after being flooded with AI-generated slop — Conferences restrict use of LLMs after surge of low-quality AI-generated papers and reviews — Artificial intelligence researchers … | Leo Schwartz / Fortune: |
Fieldguide, which uses AI agents to automate accounting and auditing tasks, raised a $75M Series C led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives at a $700M valuation — Fieldguide founder Jin ChangCOURTESY OF FIELDGUIDE — Like many of his fellow accountants, Jin Chang tried to quit the industry several times … | Alex Konrad / Upstarts Media: |
Day AI, which is developing an AI-powered CRM service that can automate data entry, meeting prep, note-taking, and more, raised a $20M Series A led by Sequoia — Day AI enters general availability to take on CEO Christopher O'Donnell's former employer, HubSpot — and even Salesforce.
More: Day.ai. X: @saranormous, @gradypb, @alexrkonrad, @hodges, @gradypb, and @markitecht. LinkedIn: Mike Gamson
| @xai: |
xAI rolls out Grok Imagine 1.0, which it says can generate 720p 10-second videos with better audio, and says Imagine generated 1.245B videos in the past 30 days — Introducing Grok Imagine 1.0, our biggest leap yet. 1.0 unlocks 10-second videos, 720p resolution, and dramatically better audio. Imagine has generated 1.245 billion videos in the last 30 days alone. Try it now: https://grok.com/imagine [video]
More: CNET and Livemint
X: @rafsoh, @ninzo121, @premiumbusiness, @x, @xai, @andrewcurran_, @xai, and @elonmusk
| Natasha Mascarenhas / Bloomberg: |
Shield, which acquires IT businesses and uses AI to make them efficient, raised $100M from Thrive Holdings and says it crossed $100M in annual revenue in 2025 — It's Thrive Holdings' latest investment in bringing new tech to the services industry. — Thrive Holdings, an offshoot …
More: Shield
| Alex Riehl / BetaKit: |
OpenText is selling its analytics business Vertica to Rocket Software for $150M to reduce its outstanding debt, its second business unit sale within five months — OpenText has inked its second business unit sale within five months, this time selling off its analytics business Vertica …
More: Canadian Press and Open Text Corporation
| Josh Taylor / The Guardian: |
Snap blocked 415K+ Australian accounts as of January to comply with the under-16 social media ban and warns its implementation has “real technical limitations” — Social media platform says there are still ‘real technical limitations to accurate and dependable age verification’Sponsor Posts
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