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February 18, 2026, 7:35 AM
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WeSmirchTop News
| Saritha Rai / Bloomberg: |
At India's AI Summit, Sundar Pichai announces the America-India Connect Initiative to build new fiber optic lines between India, the US, and other countries — Alphabet Inc. unveiled several new initiatives to support its expansion in India, including new fiber-optic routes that will connect … | Abu Sultan / Reuters: |
Microsoft says it is on pace to invest $50B by 2030 to help expand AI across the “Global South”, after unveiling $17.5B in AI investments in India in 2025 — Microsoft (MSFT.O) on Wednesday said it is on pace to invest $50 billion by the end of the decade to help expand AI to countries across the ‘Global South’.
More: DatacenterDynamics, CNN, Digit, Hindustan Times, Fortune India, Economic news, and Tech in Asia. Forums: r/technology
| Dylan Butts / CNBC: |
| Shruti Rajagopalan / Get Down and Shruti: |
More: Project Syndicate and Marginal Revolution
X: @mafernando, @apurvasanghi, @pramodbiligiri, @mattooshashank, @pranaykotas, @srajagopalan, and @seemasirohi
LinkedIn: Vasu Eda, Shruti Rajagopalan, and Viren Mahurkar
| Anthropic: |
Anthropic launches Claude Sonnet 4.6 with improvements in coding, computer use, instruction following, and more; it features a 1M token context window in beta — Claude Sonnet 4.6 is our most capable Sonnet model yet. It's a full upgrade of the model's skills across coding, computer use …
More: Business Standard, Silicon Republic, The Decoder, XDA Developers, 9to5Mac, TechCrunch, Cyber Security News, Help Net Security, Digit, Neowin, VentureBeat, iClarified, The Indian Express, Latent.Space, crypto.news, The Register, The Economic Times, Moneycontrol, The Deep View, Runtime, InfoWorld, Simon Willison's Weblog, Mashable, MacRumors, Android Headlines, Axios, The Verge, Forbes, TechRepublic, Claude, Claude, Tom's Guide, CNET, CNBC, ZDNET, The New Stack, SiliconANGLE, ITPro, and About Amazon
X: @clairevo, @zck, @levie, @andonlabs, @artificialanlys, @scaling01, @claudeai, @sleepinyourhat, @therundownai, @felixrieseberg, @claudeai, @kimmonismus, @alexalbert__, @alexalbert__, @scaling01, @scaling01, @scaling01, @artificialanlys, @alexalbert__, @dejavucoder, @aakashgupta, @jack_raines, @boringbiz_, @abcampbell, @daniellefong, @bcherny, @chatgpt21, @isidoremiller, @github, @blondesnmoney, @trungtphan, @alexfinn, @awscloud, @benbajarin, @davidondrej1, @mweinbach, @birdyword, @llmjunky, @inductionheads, @daniel_mac8, @chongdashu, @artificialanlys, @zapier, @juanpa, @lexnlin, @felixrieseberg, @gregkamradt, @scaling01, @alexpalcuie, @jkeatn, @cnbc, @wadefoster, @box, @chatgpt21, @thezachmueller, @arcprize, @kimmonismus, @andonlabs, @aibattle_, @openrouter, @adocomplete, @scaling01, @danshipper, @willccbb, @iruletheworldmo, @danshipper, @sean_t_strong, @claudeai, @andrewcurran_, @claudeai, @claudeai, and @lentils80
LinkedIn: Thomas Li, Artificial Analysis, Cal Rueb, and Claude
Bluesky: @timkellogg.me, @mergesort.me, and @pekka
Forums: Hacker News, r/MyBoyfriendIsAI, r/singularity, r/ClaudeAI, Slashdot, and MacRumors Forums
| Financial Times: |
Meta commits to buy millions of Nvidia Blackwell and Rubin GPUs in a multiyear deal; a source says Meta's in-house AI chip strategy suffers technical challenges — Social media group will purchase millions of chips even as it tries to develop its own AI hardware
More: Silicon Republic, Nvidia Newsroom, Engadget, The Verge, Axios, Meta Newsroom, Mobile World Live, Capacity, CNBC, The Register, Evertiq, BERNAMA, Barron's Online, SiliconANGLE, Benzinga, Digit, Radio Free Mobile, DigiTimes, The Information, Sherwood News, Livemint, Investor's Business Daily, Yahoo Finance, and Reuters
X: @amitisinvesting, @patrickmoorhead, @theaustinlyons, @firstadopter, @kakashiii111, @ianandrewsdc, @davealtavilla, @nvidianetworkng, @jimcramer, @nvidianewsroom, @mattrosoff, and @benitoz. LinkedIn: David Altavilla. Bluesky: @marypcbuk
Forums: r/stocks, r/wallstreetbets, and r/NVDA_Stock
| Cristina Criddle / Financial Times: |
Perplexity says it has no plans to further pursue ads, which it introduced in 2024, after phasing them out in late 2025 over fears they would erode user trust — Leading start-ups have recently embraced sponsors as they search for revenue — AI start-up Perplexity has abandoned advertising …
More: MacRumors, Business Insider, The Verge, and Benzinga
| Abner Li / 9to5Google: |
Google schedules I/O 2026 for May 19 to 20 in Mountain View, teasing the “latest AI breakthroughs and updates” in Gemini, Android, and more — Following the puzzle this morning, Google has announced that I/O 2026 is taking place May 19-20. — I/O 2026 will feature … | Krystal Hur / Wall Street Journal: |
A Las Vegas federal appeals court rejects Kalshi's emergency bid for an administrative stay against Nevada's efforts to block the platform, a major setback — A federal appeals court rejected Kalshi's bid, setting the stage for Nevada's civil-enforcement proceedings| Nathan Bomey / Axios: |
More: Benzinga, cftc.gov, Politico, Wall Street Journal, Cointelegraph, crypto.news, Bitcoin Insider, The Block, and DL News
X: @chairmanselig, @govcox, @berniemoreno, @brian_armstrong, @senwarren, @joepompliano, @chairmanselig, @govchristie, @mattyglesias, @knibbs, @dannunezcohen, @danprimack, @katienotopoulos, @jbsdc, @metzgov, @tyler, @predictaction, @tysonbrody, @dhtoomey, @chairmanselig, @coffeebreak_yt, @coffeebreak_yt, @nancyscola, @hshaban, @joonlee, @demandprogress, @hshaban, @alexh_johnson, @knibbs, @kylascan, @chairmanselig, @adamscochran, @faryarshirzad, @mattzeitlin, @dedsec, @shanegoldmacher, @zackrosenblatt_, @moreperfectus, @jerlevine, @iampaulgrewal, @steveruddock, @benhorney, @jesswelman, @chairmanselig, @chairmanselig, @knibbs, @declanharty, and @rvangrack. Bluesky: @knibbs
| George Hammond / Financial Times: |
Sources: Ineffable Intelligence, founded by Google DeepMind's ex-Principal Scientist David Silver, is raising a $1B seed led by Sequoia at a $4B valuation — Sequoia Capital leading funding deal for David Silver's start-up Ineffable Intelligence at $4bn valuation| Eleanor Olcott / Financial Times: |
A look at China's push to become a world leader in brain-computer interfaces, as Shanghai-based startup NeuroXess moves to human trials with Beijing's backing — Looser regulation and new investment are helping groups such as NeuroXess accelerate trials of ‘brain-computer interfaces’| Rachel Swan / San Francisco Chronicle: |
Tesla agrees to stop using the term “autopilot” to market its electric vehicles in California to avoid a 30-day suspension by the state's DMV — Tesla has stopped using the term “autopilot” to market its electric vehicles in California in order to avoid a 30-day suspension by the Department of Motor Vehicles.
More: Engadget, California DMV, EV, Benzinga, TechCrunch, Austin American-Statesman, Gizmodo, Reuters, and Bloomberg
| Natalie Lung / Bloomberg: |
Uber plans to spend $100M+ to build fast-charging, autonomous vehicle charging stations in the US, starting in the San Francisco Bay Area, LA, and Dallas — Uber Technologies Inc. is planning to spend more than $100 million to build fast-charging, autonomous-vehicle charging stations in the US …
More: Axios, New York Times, Reuters, and Motley Fool
| Sidhartha Shukla / Bloomberg: |
SEC filing: Peter Thiel and Founders Fund have fully exited ETHZilla, down from a 7.5% stake in August 2025; ether is down 60% from its August 2025 peak — Billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel and his Founders Fund have fully exited ETHZilla Corp., according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
More: DL News, The Block, Cryptonews, CryptoPotato, CoinDesk, CoinGape, The Crypto Times, BeInCrypto, Cointelegraph, and Crypto Briefing
| Alex Heath / Sources: |
Sources: while Meta offered OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger more money than OpenAI, he ultimately aligned more closely with OpenAI's overall vibe and vision — Less than a week before he ultimately joined OpenAI, OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger talked about the two job offers …
More: Wall Street Journal and Business Insider
| Joe Miller / Financial Times: |
How US citizens, clergy, and elected officials in conservative communities like Missouri are leading a grassroots rebellion against the Trump-backed AI boom — Republicans fear backlash against White House agenda could undermine support in this year's midterm elections| Alexandre Rajbhandari / Bloomberg: |
Filings: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway cut its Amazon stake by 75%+ to ~2.3M shares in Q4 2025; Berkshire bought 5.1M NYT shares, worth ~$352M in December — Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. slashed its stake in Amazon.com Inc. by more than 75% in the fourth quarter … | Melissa Heikkilä / Financial Times: |
Q&A with Synthesia founder and CEO Victor Riparbelli on growing the London-based enterprise AI video platform, hitting a $4B valuation, AI regulation, and more — The founder of the $4bn UK start-up talks about his mission to reinvent content creation and how Europe can compete in the global AI race| Gene Maddaus / Variety: |
WBD joins Disney and Paramount in claiming infringement on ByteDance's AI video tool Seedance and demands ByteDance cease training AI on Warner Bros. characters — The studio's legal counsel fired off a letter on Tuesday to John Rogovin, the general counsel of ByteDance who happens … | Krisztian Sandor / CoinDesk: |
Stripe's stablecoin firm Bridge wins conditional approval from the US OCC to form a national trust bank, which would allow it to issue and manage stablecoins — What to know: … Bridge, a stablecoin infrastructure firm owned by Stripe, said Tuesday it has received conditional approval …
More: Bridge, Benzinga, crypto.news, PYMNTS.com, and The Crypto Times
X: @stablecoin, @conmanfitz, @gregreveret, @storaker, @amamujee, @sternhenri, @defyneric, @kidponga, @zcabrams, and @segall_max. LinkedIn: Zach Abrams
| Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: |
Sources: Apple ramps up work on AI wearables with cameras and Siri, including smart glasses, AirPods, and a pendant that can be worn as a necklace or pinned — Apple Inc. is accelerating development of three new wearable devices as part of a shift toward artificial intelligence-powered hardware …
More: Fortune, Business Standard, Tom's Guide, AppleInsider, WinBuzzer, The Verge, Business Insider, iThinkDifferent, Moneycontrol, GSMArena.com, TechCrunch, Tech in Asia, Digit, Barchart.com, Mobile World Live, Gizchina, CNET, BGR, Thurrott, and PYMNTS.com
X: @brandonbutch, @lyalindotcom, @nbtjacklyn, @heysaik, @leftcurvemaxing, @preshdkumar, @cinedatabase, @stevemoraco, @aaronp613, @grousark, @benitoz, @vadimyuryev, @tyler_did_it, @cryptopunk7213, @andrea_fanelli, @jason, @marcportermagee, @sawyermerritt, and @markgurman. Bluesky: @wavesblog. Mastodon: @zackwhittaker@mastodon.social
Forums: r/MVIS, r/apple, Slashdot, and MacRumors Forums
| Bloomberg: |
Battery Ventures raised $3.25B for its XV fund, roughly matching its 2022 raise, to back software and industrial tech firms amid AI disruption concerns — Global investment firm Battery Ventures has raised $3.25 billion to fund new tech deals, including investments in software companies …
More: VCWire and Tech in Asia
| The Economic Times: |
Bengaluru-based Stable Money, whose app lets users invest in fixed deposits and corporate bonds, raised $25M at a $175M valuation, taking total funding to $65M — The startup plans to grow its overall business five times by the end of this year, enter new cities through physical expansion …
More: Entrackr, Moneycontrol, Livemint, Reuters, and Inc42
| Ben Schoon / 9to5Google: |
YouTube fully restores its services after resolving a brief outage on February 17 starting at around 7:45pm ET due to a recommendations system issue — If you're trying to access YouTube right now and running into problems, you're not alone, as a widespread outage appears to be affecting YouTube and, to a lesser extent, YouTube TV.
More: Jakarta Globe, Neowin, PhoneArena, Cord Cutters News, Engadget, TechRadar, Digit, CNET, Economic news, PCMag, Tom's Guide, SmartCompany, Mashable, and Livemint
| Cheeky Pint: |
Q&A with Ramp CEO Eric Glyman on scaling the expense management company to over $1B revenue, the “SaaS apocalypse”, using AI agents to review expenses, and more — Eric Glyman is the cofounder and CEO of Ramp, the finance automation platform that now powers over 2% of all corporate spend in the US.| The Information: |
Benchmark hires Jack Altman, the founder of Alt Capital and Lattice, as its fifth general partner; three Alt Capital team members will join him at Benchmark — Benchmark on Tuesday said it had hired Jack Altman, the founder of early-stage firm Alt Capital and HR software company Lattice, as its fifth general partner.
More: TechCrunch. X: @jaltma, @benchmark, @wesleyytian, @eladgil, @chrisfralic, @spatialjlo, @grosen, @dropalltables, @brettberson, @sajithw, @corinnemriley, @corinnemriley, @bryce, @pitdesi, @harjtaggar, @maxaltman, @dylan_reider, @sama, @arnavsahu341, @everettrandle, @saammotamedi, @atkurland, @chrisfhoward, @max, @seanwdoolan, @everettrandle, @ericnewcomer, @mark_goldberg_, and @jaltma
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