Techmeme
October 8, 2025, 1:50 AM

Top News

Bloomberg:
Sources: xAI nears a deal to raise $20B in equity and debt, tied to the Nvidia GPUs that xAI plans to use in Colossus 2; Nvidia is investing as much as $2B  —  Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI is raising more financing than initially planned, tapping backers including Nvidia Corp …
The Keyword:
Google releases the Gemini 2.5 Computer Use model, built on Gemini 2.5 Pro's capabilities to power agents that can interact with UIs, in preview via the API  —  Available in preview via the API, our Computer Use model is a specialized model built on Gemini 2.5 Pro's capabilities to power agents that can interact with user interfaces.
Bloomberg:
Michel Devoret, a Google Quantum AI chief scientist, John Martinis, who left Google in 2020, and John Clarke win the Nobel in Physics for quantum computing work  —  Two physicists integral to efforts by Alphabet Inc.'s Google to build working quantum computers have been awarded the Nobel Prize …
Anthropic:
Anthropic releases Petri, an open-source tool using AI agents for safety testing, and says it observed multiple cases of models attempting to blow the whistle  —  Petri (Parallel Exploration Tool for Risky Interactions) is our new open-source tool that enables researchers to explore hypotheses about model behavior with ease.
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Qualcomm agrees to acquire the Italian open-source electronics platform Arduino for an undisclosed sum and says the Arduino brand will remain independent  —  Arduino is also launching a Qualcomm-equipped Uno Q that functions as a single-board computer and microcontroller.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Mastodon plans to add Bluesky-like starter packs to suggest accounts to follow for new users, but will allow accounts to opt out of being included in Packs  —  Mastodon, the decentralized, open social network with over 8 million accounts and nearly 700,000 monthly active users …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
AltStore, one of the first alternative app stores in the EU, raised a $6M Series A led by Pace Capital, aims to launch in Australia, Brazil, and Japan in 2025  —  The third-party app store known as AltStore, one of the first companies to offer an alternative app marketplace in the European Union …
Theo Wayt / The Information:
Sources: Tesla abandoned Elon Musk's goal to make thousands of Optimus robots in 2025 due to significant technical challenges, especially with the robots' hands  —  When Elon Musk takes the stage at Tesla's annual meeting next month, one of the centerpieces of his plan to impress shareholders …
Financial Times:
Sources: top Chinese VCs are close to raising up to $1.1B in total USD-denominated funds in 2025, marking a tentative return of global capital to Chinese tech  —  Venture capital funds close to raising $1.1bn this year in first signs of thaw for sector hit by geopolitical tensions
Kunal Manchanada / Entrackr:
Raise Financial Services, the parent company of Indian stock trading and investment app Dhan, raised $120M led by Hornbill Capital at a $1.2B valuation  —  Raise Financial Services, the parent company of stockbroking platform Dhan, has joined India's unicorn club after raising $120 million …
Nikkei Asia:
Chinese silicon wafer manufacturers like Eswin have rapidly gained market share by undercutting global leaders, such as Japan's Shin-Etsu Chemical, on price  —  TAIPEI — After more than a decade in the business, Hu, a representative of a distributor selling foreign-made silicon wafers in China …
Katelyn Chedraoui / CNET:
Meta updates Reels on Facebook to prioritize showing fresher and more-relevant content, and adds AI search suggestions and friend bubbles like on Instagram  —  Facebook's vice president of product, Jagjit Chawla, talks about how the platform treats AI-generated content and how you can see less of it.
Anthropic:
Anthropic plans to open its first Indian office in Bengaluru in early 2026; Dario Amodei is visiting India to meet government officials and potential partners  —  Today we're announcing that we're expanding our global operations to India, with plans to open an office in Bengaluru in early 2026.

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Transform ML Experimentation with Tangle  —  Save months of compute time with Tangle, built by Shopify.  Try this open-source platform to simplify ML workflows, ensure reproducibility, and seamlessly share with collaborators.
Zoho:
Top shortcuts to work your way through Zoho Cliq  —  The debate between mouse and keyboard users has been around for years.  Whether it's about efficiency, speed, or productivity, there's always this question …
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
AI Device Wars Heat Up, RIP Metaverse?, Netflix Acquires Warner Brothers
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
The Social Radars:
Blake Scholl, Founder & CEO of Boom Supersonic
Come be a fly on the wall as Y Combinator's Jessica Livingston and Carolynn Levy talk to some of the most successful founders in Silicon Valley about how they did it.
Subscribe to The Social Radars.
Grit:
The Pull to Build: Joubin Mirzadegan on Grit and Starting Roadrunner
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
Subscribe to Grit.
Lenny's Podcast:
The 100-person AI lab that became Anthropic and Google's secret weapon | Edwin Chen (Surge AI)
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
"Hollywood is Truly Freaked Out." Inside the Netflix/WBD Deal with Lucas Shaw
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 1:50 AM ET, October 8, 2025.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

The Information:
Caleb Mutua / Bloomberg:

Earlier Picks

Ben Thompson / Stratechery:
Belle Lin / Wall Street Journal:
Tyler Katzenberger / Politico:
Wired:
Wall Street Journal:
Jonathan Greig / The Record: