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February 9, 2026, 3:05 PM
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OpenAI:
OpenAI says it has started testing ads in ChatGPT in the US for logged-in adult users on the Free and Go tiers and that the ads do not change ChatGPT answers  —  Ads that support free access and don't change ChatGPT answers.  —  Today, we're beginning to test ads in ChatGPT in the U.S …
Stevie Bonifield / The Verge:
Discord says it will roll out age verification globally from March to access some content; all accounts will have a “teen-appropriate experience by default”  —  Beginning in March, all accounts will have a “teen-appropriate experience by default.”
CNBC:
Slack message: Sam Altman tells staff that ChatGPT is “back to exceeding 10% monthly growth”, and OpenAI plans to release “an updated Chat model” this week  —  As OpenAI faces intensifying pressure from rival Anthropic's improved coding tools, CEO Sam Altman …
Bloomberg:
The European Commission sends a statement of objections to Meta over WhatsApp blocking rival AI chatbots, warning it will take measures to avoid “serious” harm  —  Meta Platforms Inc. was given a European Union warning over policies that block the use of rival Artificial Intelligence assistants …
Jordan Novet / CNBC:
Databricks raised $5B in equity financing and $2B in debt at a $134B valuation and says its annualized revenue crossed $5.4B for the January quarter, up 65% YoY  —  Databricks said Monday it has raised $5 billion in funding and $2 billion in new debt capacity at a $134 billion valuation.
Financial Times:
Sources: Alphabet plans to sell a rare 100-year sterling bond, as Big Tech companies borrow more to fund their capex growth; IBM sold a 100-year bond in 1996  —  Deal comes as Google parent steps up AI borrowing rush with $15bn sale of dollar bonds  —  Alphabet has lined up banks to sell …
Juro Osawa / The Information:
ByteDance debuts Seedance 2.0, a new version of its AI video generation model that can produce multi-shot scenes, available to select Jimeng and Jianying users  —  ByteDance's new AI video generation model Seedance 2.0, unveiled over the weekend, is generating a lot of buzz on social media, with some calling it a game changer.
Brayden Lindrea / Cointelegraph:
Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek launches ai.com in beta during the Super Bowl and opens username registration to let users get a private, personalized AI agent  —  Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek's goal with ai.com is to build “a decentralized network of autonomous, self-improving AI agents …
Ashley Capoot / CNBC:
Workday announces CEO Carl Eschenbach is stepping down and will be replaced by the company's co-founder, Aneel Bhusri, effective immediately; WDAY drops 6%+  —  Workday on Monday announced that CEO Carl Eschenbach is stepping down from his role and will be replaced by the company's co-founder, Aneel Bhusri, effective immediately.
Bloomberg:
Uber agrees to acquire Getir's delivery operations from Mubadala for $335M in cash and says it will take a 15% stake in the remaining portfolio for $100M  —  Uber Technologies Inc. has agreed to buy Turkish company Getir's delivery operations from its controlling shareholder Mubadala Investment Co …
Valida Pau / The Information:
Beast Industries, the entertainment conglomerate founded by MrBeast and last valued at $5.2B, acquires Step Mobile, a teen-focused banking app  —  Beast Industries, the entertainment conglomerate founded by Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, has agreed to buy Step Mobile, a teen-focused banking app, the companies plan to announce Monday.
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
A look at the 2026 Super Bowl ads from Anthropic, Meta, Amazon, Google, and others, as AI continued to take center stage in ad creation and AI product promotion  —  Following last year's trend of showcasing AI in multimillion-dollar ad spots, the 2026 Super Bowl advertisements took …
More: 404 Media, The Verge, YouTube, Tech Brew, The Block, Washington Post, Slate, YouTube, Business Wire, Coinbase on YouTube, New York Times, Business Insider, Apple, New York Times, modernity, Jon Loomer Digital, Sports Business Journal, The Verge, The Drum, Fast Company, Inc.com, Business Insider, The Hollywood Reporter, Interesting Engineering, The Verge, The Verge, The Verge, Wired, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Variety, IGN, and Polygon.com
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Amanda Chu / Politico:
How Oura won over DC by growing its lobbying spend to $1M+ per year, as RFK Jr. touts wearables for health and the US DOD makes the rings an employee benefit  —  It's paying off.  The Defense Department, Oura's largest customer, now provides rings to certain soldiers and civil servants as an employee benefit.
Abner Li / 9to5Google:
YouTube launches a Premium paywall for song lyrics on YouTube Music, after testing it in recent months; users get five free lyrics before they have to subscribe  —  After testing in recent months, YouTube Music looks to be widely rolling out a Premium paywall for lyrics.
Dominic Chopping / Wall Street Journal:
Advent, FedEx, A&R, and PPF agree to acquire Polish automated parcel delivery company InPost for €7.8B; InPost has 61K+ automated parcel lockers across Europe  —  The consortium says there is a clear path to significantly grow InPost's network and extend its reach across Europe

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This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 3:05 PM ET, February 9, 2026.

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From Mediagazer

New York Times:
In an email to staff, Nick Bilton promises editorial independence for 60 Minutes and praises veteran staff members Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim

Austin Karp / Sports Business Journal:
Telemundo says it will not cut away to commercials during World Cup hydration breaks, but there will be “some commercial aspects” that won't interrupt viewers

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Thomas Pauken II, a US journalist who worked for Chinese state-run media, has pleaded guilty to working as an unregistered agent for China in the US

More News

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Q&A with YouTube VP of Subscription Products Christian Oestlien on YouTube TV's future, the NFL and Oscars deals, its friendly rivalry with Netflix, and more

Earlier Picks

Lauren Feiner / The Verge:
As Section 230 turns 30, a look at how upcoming court cases involving Meta, Alphabet, and others in the US could reshape the bounds of Section 230's protections
Will Douglas Heaven / MIT Technology Review:
Moltbook was peak AI theater; as the hype dies down, Moltbook looks less like a window onto the future and more like a mirror held up to society's AI obsessions
Alexandra Alter / New York Times:
How AI is impacting the romance novel industry, with authors not disclosing their use of AI and using pen names more, bogging down the publishing ecosystem
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