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February 19, 2026, 12:15 PM
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| Saritha Rai / Bloomberg: |
India's AI Summit: Modi orchestrated a photo op with tech and business leaders holding hands in a line, but Sam Altman and Dario Amodei refused to clasp hands — Once a rival, always a rival. — As Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the busiest day of India's AI Summit in New Delhi …
More: CNBC, Associated Press, Business Standard, TechCrunch, The Economic Times, Digit, Forbes, Business Today, Business Insider, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, BMI, and Livemint
X: @siddharthb_, @prathamgrv, @ns123abc, @pitdesi, @indianidle, @hopes_revenge, @autismcapital, @trendulkar, @ani, @sidhant, @himanshustwts, and @yuchenj_uw. Bluesky: @shona
| Cherylann Mollan / BBC: |
The Gates Foundation says Bill Gates will not deliver his keynote at India's AI Summit after “careful consideration”, amid controversy over his Epstein ties — Bill Gates will not deliver his keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, his philanthropic organisation …
More: The Register, Financial Times, CNBC, UPI, The Indian Express, Wall Street Journal, Business Standard, ZeroHedge News, ComputerWeekly.com, Times of India, NDTV, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Telegraph, CNN, Digit, Press Trust of India, and Storyboard18
Forums: r/goodnews, r/news, and r/Epstein
| New York Times: |
Inside India's AI Impact Summit: 300+ exhibitors, 500 sessions, 250K visitors, billions in investment, and entrepreneurs touting solutions to real-world issues — The event promised to be a global coming-out party for India's artificial intelligence aspirations.
More: Associated Press, Bloomberg, Bloomberg, The American Bazaar, Bloomberg, Reuters, Politico, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Bloomberg, Bloomberg, Reuters, Bloomberg, Bloomberg, and Bloomberg. X: @madhavchanchani
| Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch: |
| Reuters: |
Sources: the US State Department is building an online portal at freedom.gov that will let users in Europe and elsewhere see content banned by their governments — The U.S. State Department is developing an online portal that will enable people in Europe and elsewhere to see content banned …
More: Gizmodo, TechRadar, The European Conservative, Benzinga, and Reclaim The Net
X: @as400495, @jamestitcomb, @ordinarygamers, @elonmusk, @g_slattery, @developerharris, @alx, @nickadobos, and @florian4gamers
Bluesky: @petertl, @emptywheel, @benfenton, @marypcbuk, @tyleraking.com, @carnage4life, @parismarx.com, @bcmerchant, @kendrawrites.com, @abeardedpanda, @realjuicyjay.blacksky.app, @noupside, @alexanotherone, @caseynewton, @originalsp.in, @markjacob, @lottelydia, @davidcorn, @lepetitereboot, @brainnotonyet, @5-2blue, @ndrew, @explaintrade.com, @froomkin, @davidakaye, @tjmcintyre.com, @mbkplus, @waldo.net, @fritzbischoff, @paleofuture, and @lukesteuber.com
Mastodon: @evacide@hachyderm.io and @kevinrothrock@infosec …
Forums: r/privacy, r/politics, r/worldnews, r/eutech, r/europeanunion, and r/europe
| Abner Li / 9to5Google: |
Google rolls out Gemini 3.1 Pro, which it says is “a step forward in core reasoning”, for all users in the Gemini app; the .1 increment is a first for Google — In November, Google introduced Gemini 3 Pro in preview, with Gemini 3 Flash following a month later.
More: The Keyword, Thurrott, Crypto Briefing, and TestingCatalog
X: @jeffdean, @kat_kampf, @triswarkentin, @misilo_jakub, @jmsvid, @srkdan, @priyaaryav, @arcprize, @kimmonismus, @shresbm, @_mohansolo, @advaitonline, @noamshazeer, @demishassabis, @oriolvinyalsml, @google, @google, @scaling01, @artificialanlys, @officiallogank, @koraykv, @scaling01, @ai_for_success, @mweinbach, @harrisonfjobe, @geminiapp, @officiallogank, @geminiapp, @googledeepmind, @_philschmid, @sundarpichai, @joshwoodward, and @scaling01
LinkedIn: Carlos Udina Martin, Maor Shlomo, and Philipp Schmid
Forums: r/Bard and r/GeminiAI
| Jordyn Holman / New York Times: |
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff is on an apology tour to quell an outcry over privacy concerns after Ring's Super Bowl Search Party ad, calling it a “perfect storm” — Since the commercial aired, Jamie Siminoff has been trying to quell an outcry over privacy concerns with his doorbell cameras.
More: 404 Media, 9to5Mac, Mashable, PCWorld, AppleInsider, Newser, The Independent, and WinBuzzer
Bluesky: @hypervisible.blacksky.app, @athenaforall, and @mrfahrenheit
Mastodon: @josephcox@infosec.exchange and @Ashedryden@xoxo.zone
| Financial Times: |
Sources: Accenture told executives that promotions would require “regular adoption” of AI and it is starting to track some senior staff's weekly AI tool logins — Consulting firms use ‘carrot and stick’ with some senior staff less willing to use technology than junior colleagues
More: Moneycontrol, CNBC, The Guardian, TechRadar, Implicator.ai, Bloomberg, and The Decoder
| Bloomberg: |
Sources: OpenAI is close to finalizing the first phase of its record $100B+ round; its overall valuation, including the eventual funding, could exceed $850B — OpenAI is close to finalizing the first phase of a new funding round that is likely to bring in more than $100 billion … | Gayoung Lee / Gizmodo: |
Microsoft's Project Silica team details its laser-modified glass storage tech, saying tests suggest that it can preserve large amounts of data for 10,000+ years — “This will change the way we think about keeping data and archival preservation.” — Our knowledge of the past comes from stone tablets and old parchment.
More: Microsoft Research, Nature, HotHardware, Ars Technica, Windows Central, Network World, Microsoft Research, PC Gamer, Blocks and Files, DatacenterDynamics, New Scientist, PCWorld, Hackster, Help Net Security, Digital Trends, ITPro, The Register, GovTech, LiveScience, Science, The Guardian, and The Independent
X: @msftresearch, @rohanpaul_ai, @wretchardthecat, and @satyanadella. Mastodon: @hkrn@mstdn.social. Forums: r/technology
| Spencer Soper / Bloomberg: |
Amazon dethrones Walmart as the world's largest company by revenue, reporting $717B in 2025 sales, compared to Walmart's $713.2B for the 12 months to January 31 — Amazon.com Inc. has officially dethroned Walmart Inc. as the biggest global company by revenue, a milestone attesting … | Kalley Huang / New York Times: |
West Virginia's AG sues Apple for allegedly violating consumer protection law by not implementing tools like PhotoDNA to detect CSAM stored and shared on iCloud — The state's attorney general said in a lawsuit filed on Thursday that the company declined to use tools that recognize the material stored on iCloud.
More: Reuters, Office of the WV …, The Verge, Engadget, CNN, CNBC, 9to5Mac, Politico, AppleInsider, and Bloomberg Law
| CNBC: |
Social media addiction trial: Mark Zuckerberg says increasing engagement on Instagram is not a company goal and that Meta removes underage users it identifies — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg pushed back against the notion that the social media company made increasing time spent on Instagram a company goal.
More: AppleInsider, 9to5Mac, TechCrunch, The Guardian, Business Insider, The Verge, SFGATE, Fast Company, Quartz, New York Times, NBC News, Wired, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, BBC, Benzinga, Tech Times, Anadolu Ajansı …, CNN, Moneycontrol, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Times of India, BERNAMA, BMI, NPR, The Korea Herald, Information Age, Deadline, The Information, Tech Oversight Project, Courthouse News Service, Business Insider, The Boston Globe, NewsNation, Newser, Associated Press, CBS News, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, Overturned, Gizmodo, YouTube, LAW.com, CNN, Breitbart, CBS News, ABC, Fox News, Axios, New York Post, The National, New York Post, The Wrap, Sydney Morning Herald, Deseret News, and Bloomberg
X: @kyle_a_morse, @tech_oversight, @tech_oversight, @thewarmonitor, @philthatremains, @amy_siskind, @barnes_law, @matthewstoller, @sachalouise, and @senblumenthal. LinkedIn: Kelly Stonelake
Bluesky: @ianmoody, @karlbode.com, @alexlaughs, @theresistanceco, and @davelee.me
Forums: r/apple, r/politics, r/politics, r/NPR, r/technology, and r/LegalNews
| Katie Roof / The Information: |
ZaiNar, a developer of a GPS alternative that uses Wi-Fi and 5G to provide location data, raised $10M at a $1B valuation, bringing its total funding to $100M — Over the last two years, investors and researchers have flocked to startups helping bring AI into the physical world … | Mary Ann Azevedo / Crunchbase News: |
Austin-based Ownwell, which uses AI to help homeowners appeal property taxes, raised a $30M Series B, bringing its total funding to $54M, and $20M in debt — Ownwell, an AI-powered startup that appeals property taxes on behalf of homeowners, has secured $50 million in financing …
More: FinSMEs
| Zoë Bernard / Wired: |
Inside the “gay tech mafia” that mixes social and professional lives, as investors, entrepreneurs, and executives detail gay influence in Silicon Valley — Gay men have long been rumored to run Silicon Valley. WIRED investigates. — No one can say exactly when, or if, gay men started running Silicon Valley.
X: @builtbyvibes, @jorcru, @finnmurphy12, @uwukko, @terronk, @thdxr, @gjmcgowan, @growing_daniel, @rkktweets, @dodgeblake, @homonotqueer, @kazanjy, @edels0n, @credenzaclear2, @iamjasonlevin, @peer_rich, @daithaigilbert, @jovvvian, @petertwinklage, and @mr_considerate
Bluesky: @trueref, @timmarchman, @rami.spaceaustralia.com, and @jthom.tech
Forums: r/bayarea and r/neoliberal
| Ashley Carman / Bloomberg: |
Apple Podcasts' fresh leap into video podcasts accelerates the podcast industry's shift from an audio-centric medium to a decidedly video-focused one — Apple Podcasts' fresh leap into video podcasts refocuses the audio medium on visuals — Welcome back to Soundbite.| Bloomberg: |
Atlassian's founders lost ~$7.2B in wealth in 2026, behind AppLovin's three founders, amid a SaaS rout; TEAM is down 45%+ YTD, the Nasdaq 100's worst performer — Michael Cannon-Brookes became a billionaire in his 30s and one of Australia's richest tech executives with the initial public offering … | Michael Lynton / Wall Street Journal: |
Book extract: ex-Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton recounts his role in sparking North Korea's 2014 hack, one of the worst cyberattacks in corporate history — In an exclusive book excerpt, the former CEO of Sony Entertainment opens up about his role in unleashing one of the worst cyberattacks in corporate history.| Ece Yildirim / Gizmodo: |
Study: X's feed algorithm favors conservative content, and switching to For You for seven weeks shifted users' views toward more conservative political opinions — The algorithm also doesn't like posts by traditional news media, the researchers found. — In case you had any doubt …
More: Nature, Ben Werdmuller, and The Debrief
Bluesky: @purchase-w-purpose and @joyouspanther
Mastodon: @brembs@mastodon.social, @johnnyryan@eupolicy.social, @leavex@mastodon.social, @metin@graphics.social, and @Doug_Bostrom@scicomm.xyz
Forums: Hacker News, r/technology, r/technology, and r/NoShitSherlock
| Natalie Lung / Bloomberg: |
New York pulls a proposal that would have allowed for robotaxi services outside NYC, a setback for Waymo, which wants to hit 1M paid weekly US rides by 2026 end — New York Governor Kathy Hochul has pulled a proposal that would have allowed for commercial robotaxi services outside New York City …
More: Reuters, The Verge, TechCrunch, PCMag, Business Insider, Gothamist, New York Times, electrive.com, CBT News, Wall Street Journal, and Tech Funding News. Forums: r/SelfDrivingCars
| Laith Al-Khalaf / Financial Times: |
Klarna reports Q4 revenue up 38% YoY to $1.08B and a $26M net loss, down from a $40M net profit in Q4 2024; KLAR is down 66%+ since its September 2025 NYSE IPO — Swedish fintech's share price has plummeted by two-thirds since September IPO — Klarna shares collapsed by a quarter on Thursday …
More: Bloomberg, Reuters, Benzinga, City A.M., Barron's Online, and Business Wire
| Ryan Lawler / Axios: |
Amsterdam-based Stacks, which builds AI software to automate accounting workflows, raised a $23M Series A led by Lightspeed, after a €10M seed in 2025 — Stacks, which builds AI software to automate accounting workflows, raised $23 million in Series A funding, CEO Albert Malikov tells Axios exclusively.
More: Tech.eu, UKTN, and EU-Startups
| Tim Fernholz / TechCrunch: |
FreeForm, which is building an AI native 3D printing system that uses 18 lasers to fuse metal powders into precision components, raised a $67M Series B — Tech investors haven't given up on the dream of making physical products with the same speed and ease as coding software.| Ryan Vlastelica / Bloomberg: |
Apple's 40-day correlation to the Nasdaq 100 Index fell to 0.21 last week, the lowest since 2006, making it an appealing alternative to the AI-fueled volatility — It's been nearly 20 years since Apple Inc. was this untethered from its tech peers, giving investors an appealing alternative … | Alexandra S. Levine / Bloomberg: |
ByteDance is currently hiring for nearly 100 US-based roles within its Seed AI team across San Jose, LA, and Seattle to develop LLMs, drug discovery, and more — Chinese tech giant ByteDance Ltd. is hiring in the US for nearly 100 open roles within its artificial intelligence division … | Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter: |
Mobile gaming company Scopely buys a majority stake in Istanbul-based studio Loom, maker of puzzle game Pixel Flow!; a source says the deal values Loom at $1B+ — “It's been a privilege to have a front row seat to the team's rapid growth and success and see them become the latest Turkish startup … Sponsor Posts
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