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February 9, 2026, 4:55 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 …
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.
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 …
Bloomberg:
Sources: Alphabet is set to raise $20B from a US dollar bond sale, more than the $15B initially expected, as it seeks to finance $185B in 2026 capex  —  Alphabet Inc. is borrowing far and wide to finance the unprecedented spending plan behind its artificial intelligence ambitions.
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 …
Harvard Business Review:
An eight-month study at a US tech company finds AI tools didn't reduce work but intensified it, as employees worked faster and took on a broader range of tasks  —  Right now, many companies are worried about how to get more employees to use AI.  After all, the promise of AI reducing the burden of some work …
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.
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.
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 …
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.
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 …
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, YouTube, The Verge, Business Insider, YouTube, The Hill, Tech Brew, The Block, Slate, Washington Post, New York Times, New York Magazine, Coinbase on YouTube, New York Times, Apple, The Verge, Sports Business Journal, modernity, Fast Company, Inc.com, Business Insider, The Drum, Jon Loomer Digital, The Hollywood Reporter, Interesting Engineering, The Verge, The Verge, The Verge, Wired, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Variety, IGN, and Polygon.com
X: @coinbase, @brian_armstrong, @orenmeetsworld, @emiliemc, @scaling01, @shinboson, @evan_ss6, @drometa, @icyvert, @chilearmy123, @electionsjoe, @deanwball, @jordanmaison, @hilalayddn, @the25thnigga, @signulll, @phil_lewis_, @shwinnabego, @neerajka, @jmaynard_21, @hammerswingames, @ednewtonrex, @electionsjoe, @openai, @_zeets, @hasanthehun, @_zeets, @hubpointless, @bindureddy, @themg3d, @kenzietuff, @desusnice, @collectdust, @kylebrussell, @ccpool_daniel, @bendreyfuss, @andrewsolender, @pissvortex, @almostjingo, @the_acumen, @812filmreviews, @tyleroakley, @rmac18, @rob1ham, @pewilliams_, @introspecktive, @gabydvj, @chasedownleads, @litcapital, @orenmeetsworld, @litcapital, @wayansjr, @alexonchain, @coinbase, @maxbranzburg, @rwitoff, @jbillinson, @igorbobic, @kingbealestreet, @light_2610, @johncoogan, @jordihays, @framesofnick, @lukeisamazing, @bnj, @albertcamslut, @kath_krueger, @sama, @hugeasmammoth_, @gabydvj, @elonmusk, @jappleby, @tylercwhitmore, @jbillinson, @netcapgirl, @maxwelltani, @problemsthots, and @aaronp613.  Truth Social: @realDonaldTrump …
Forums: r/formula1, r/PokeInvesting, and r/nintendo
See also Mediagazer
Lucinda Shen / Axios:
Sources: Stripe is in talks to launch a tender offer that could value the company at $140B+, up from $107B last fall, when it bought back shares from investors  —  Stripe is in talks to launch a tender offer that could value the payments company at more than $140 billion, Axios Pro has learned from multiple sources.
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.
Rhiannon Hoyle / Wall Street Journal:
Neara, which builds digital twins of critical infrastructure to help prepare for disasters, raised a AU$90M Series D, a source says at a AU$1.1B valuation  —  Australian startup's customers include Southern California Edison and CenterPoint Energy  —  Neara, an Australian startup …
Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:
Autodesk sues Google for allegedly infringing its Flow trademark as the name of Google's AI filmmaking tool  —  Google (GOOGL.O) has been sued by Autodesk (ADSK.O) for allegedly infringing its “Flow” trademark to market competing AI-enabled software used to make movies, TV shows and video games.
More: Bloomberg Law.  Bluesky: @quinnypig.com.  Forums: Slashdot

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This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 4:55 PM ET, February 9, 2026.

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From Mediagazer

Laya Neelakandan / CNBC:
Trump endorses Nexstar's $6.2B acquisition of Tegna, saying “We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks”

Max Tani / Semafor:
Source: WaPo planned a marketing campaign with a new slogan, We The People, but dropped it after MS Now launched a $20M brand campaign with the same slogan

Jordy Fee-Platt / The Athletic:
Turning Point USA's All-American Halftime Show during the Super Bowl peaked at 6.1M concurrent YouTube viewers; the show wasn't on X due to licensing issues

More News

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
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
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