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January 29, 2026, 7:30 PM
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| Financial Times: |
Apple acquires Q.ai, whose tech can analyze facial expressions and could enable non-verbal discussions with AI assistants; sources: the deal values Q.ai at ~$2B — iPhone-maker strikes deal for secretive group that creates technology that analyses facial expressions
More: Reuters, SiliconANGLE, MacRumors, PitchBook, Gizmodo, Macworld, Neowin, TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, Constellation Research, GV, Capital Brief, AppleInsider, PYMNTS.com, CTech, Bloomberg, Pocket-lint, The Information, Yahoo Finance, The Verge, Engadget, Stocktwits, The Mac Observer, iClarified, iPhone in Canada, Benzinga, and Philip Elmer‑DeWitt
X: @yuchenj_uw, @thulme, @scobleizer, @sadlyitsbradley, @signulll, @munster_gene, @stocksavvyshay, @abarliya, @nabeel, @mikeeisenberg, @aleph, @annabenezra, @tim, and @parkerortolani
LinkedIn: Yonatan Wexler, Tom Hulme, Haomiao Huang, PhD, and Avi Barliya. Bluesky: @arik.org. Mastodon: @ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org
Forums: Hacker News, r/apple, Slashdot, and MacRumors Forums
| Reuters: |
Source: SpaceX and xAI are in talks to merge ahead of a planned IPO this year; under the proposed deal, shares of xAI would be exchanged for shares in SpaceX — Elon Musk's SpaceX and xAI are in discussions to merge ahead of a blockbuster public offering planned for later this year.
More: The Information, DatacenterDynamics, Business Insider, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Engadget, Reuters, Fast Company, The Indian Express, Investor's Business Daily, CNBC, Barron's Online, The Verge, TechCrunch, Bitcoin Insider, Inc.com, San Francisco Business Times, Sherwood News, Futurism, Watcher Guru, Scientific American, and The Irish Times
X: @fredlambert, @chamath, @signulll, @ramplabs, @joroulette, @aaronburnett, @munster_gene, @mgsiegler, @justjake, @parikpatelcfa, @sciguyspace, @fredlambert, @thestalwart, @munster_gene, @beffjezos, @kgreifeld, @kwharrison13, @danprimack, @scobleizer, @fredlambert, @wholemars, @eastdakota, @kakashiii111, and @sethabramson
Bluesky: @niedermeyer.online, @stephenjudkins, @stevekovach, @tcarmody, @prietschka, @ampallanguk, @bmcdev, @dweeze, @ariehkovler.com, @acombites, @mktsutherland, @caseynewton, @stevenjcbuckley, and @petertl. Mastodon: @Barredo@mastodon.social
Forums: Hacker News, r/spacex, r/wallstreetbets, r/SpaceXLounge, and r/StockMarket
| Bloomberg: |
Sources: SpaceX is considering a potential merger with Tesla, an idea some investors are pushing, while separately exploring a tie-up between SpaceX and xAI — SpaceX is considering a potential merger with Tesla Inc., as well as an alternative combination with artificial intelligence firm xAI …
More: TechCrunch, Reuters, Benzinga, Electrek, The American Bazaar, Barron's Online, and Proactive
| Wall Street Journal: |
Sources: OpenAI is laying the groundwork for an IPO in Q4 2026, and its executives have privately expressed concerns about Anthropic beating OpenAI to an IPO — Rivals are competing to be the first major generative AI startup to tap the public markets — OpenAI is laying the groundwork … | Wall Street Journal: |
Sources: Amazon is in talks to invest up to $50B in OpenAI, which is seeking up to $100B in new capital, a round that could value it at as much as $830B — CEO Andy Jassy is leading the e-commerce giant's negotiations with the startup — Amazon.com is in talks to invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI …
More: Bloomberg Law, DatacenterDynamics, Bloomberg, TechCrunch, New York Post, CNBC, Blockonomi, Reuters, and Forbes
LinkedIn: Kate Clark. Bluesky: @eighthdayarts, @bacongawd.blacksky.app, @moreandagain.me, and @peark.es. Forums: r/wallstreetbets
| Sri Muppidi / The Information: |
More: New York Times, Reuters, Fortune, Axios, Financial Times, Benzinga, The Deep View, iPhone in Canada, PYMNTS.com, The American Bazaar, Bloomberg, Investing.com, and Wall Street Journal
Forums: r/AMD_Stock, r/StockMarket, and r/technology
| Kif Leswing / CNBC: |
Apple reports Q1 revenue up 16% YoY to $143.76B, vs. $138.48B est., net income up 16% to $42.1B, and China net sales up 38% to $25.53B — Apple reported fiscal first-quarter earnings on Thursday that surpassed expectations, with revenue soaring 16% on an annual basis.
More: TechCrunch, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, Appleosophy, PYMNTS.com, AppleInsider, New York Times, 9to5Mac, Fox Business, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Bloomberg, The Mac Observer, Benzinga, Quartz, ZeroHedge News, Bloomberg, The Apple Post, and Tom's Guide
X: @thetranscript_, @thetranscript_, @firstadopter, @neilcybart, @thetranscript_, @thetranscript_, @munster_gene, @munster_gene, @zerohedge, @mweinbach, @markgurman, @munster_gene, @rolfewinkler, @fjeronimo, @tomwarren, @fjeronimo, @neilcybart, @mweinbach, @munster_gene, @rolfewinkler, @teroterotero, @benbajarin, @neilcybart, and @susanlitv. LinkedIn: Emil Protalinski. Bluesky: @lorak
Forums: r/wallstreetbets and MacRumors Forums
| Apple: |
Apple Q1: iPhone up 23% YoY to $85.27B, vs. $78.65B est., Mac down 7% to $8.39B, iPad up 6% to $8.6B, and Wearables, Home, and Accessories down 2% to $11.49B — All-time records for total company revenue and EPS — iPhone and Services revenue reach new all-time highs
More: MacRumors, Reuters, 9to5Mac, SiliconANGLE, Engadget, The Information, Inc, Thurrott, Macworld, The Verge, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, The Apple Post, iPhone in Canada, The Mac Observer, Six Colors, Media Play News, MacTech.com, TheDesk.net, Proactive, and Sherwood News
X: @munster_gene and @markgurman
| Todd Spangler / Variety: |
More: The Wrap, Deadline, The Mac Observer, The Apple Post, Watcher Guru, IG, and Benzinga. X: @waltlightshed
| Jay Peters / The Verge: |
Google launches Project Genie, which lets users create interactive worlds using Genie 3, Nano Banana Pro, and Gemini, for Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US — It's what I had the most fun using Google's Project Genie for, at least right now. … This week, a new generative AI tool …
More: The Keyword, CNET, Android Police, 9to5Google, The Register, Engadget, Ars Technica, Digit, The Deep View, Forbes, Android Authority, Mashable, GoNintendo, and TechCrunch
X: @tipatat, @jparkerholder, @timsweeneyepic, @googledeepmind, @googledeepmind, @demishassabis, @andrewcurran_, @emollick, @itspaulai, @raiahadsell, @mreflow, @theomediaai, @mark_k, @diegocabezas01, @kimmonismus, @joshwoodward, @legit_api, @elonmusk, @scobleizer, and @venturetwins
Bluesky: @parismarx.com, @bottleofstars, @prietschka, and @pekka. Mastodon: @mttaggart@infosec.exchange
| Ashley Capoot / CNBC: |
OpenAI plans to retire several models from ChatGPT on February 13, including GPT‑4o, GPT‑4.1, and o4-mini, saying only 0.1% of users still choose GPT-4o — OpenAI announced it will retire several models from its ChatGPT chatbot next month, including its GPT‑4o model that is beloved by some users.| Sean O'Kane / TechCrunch: |
Waymo says a robotaxi struck a child at 6 mph near an elementary school in Santa Monica on January 23, resulting in minor injuries; the NHTSA opens a probe — A Waymo robotaxi struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica on January 23, according to the company.
More: Waymo, SFGATE, The Hill, Gizmodo, Los Angeles Times, KHOU-TV, UPI, San Francisco Chronicle, Press Telegram, PCMag, Washington Times, Neowin, CBT News, The Autopian, Forbes, and Axios
Forums: Hacker News, r/SantaMonica, r/fuckcars, r/technology, r/BetterOffline, and Slashdot
| Reuters: |
Sources: the Pentagon is clashing with Anthropic over safeguards limiting the use of its tech to target weapons autonomously and conduct domestic surveillance — The Pentagon and artificial-intelligence developer Anthropic are at odds over potentially eliminating safeguards that might allow …
More: Wall Street Journal and Wall Street Journal
| Financial Times: |
Tesla plans to scrap its premium S and X models and convert its California factory into an Optimus manufacturing hub, as Elon Musk refocuses on robotics and AI — Elon Musk's electric-car maker invests $2bn in the billionaire's xAI — Tesla plans to scrap two models and invest $2bn in Elon Musk's xAI …
More: Electrek, Ars Technica, The Register, Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, CNBC, BBC, TheStreet, Manufacturing Dive, The Hans India, Benzinga, Yahoo Finance, Daily Caller News Foundation, Business Insider, New York Times, Implicator.ai, and Bloomberg
X: @tesla, @dwallacewells, @jeffskoll, @wr4nygov, @elonmusk, @elonmusk, @elonmusk, @hamids, @elonmusk, @jasondebolt, @sawyermerritt, @tesla_optimus, @urgo, @bitcodyy, @snazzylabs, @mattlinn01, @sircalebhammer, @itskyleconner, @garyblack00, @mikekantorski, @marionawfal, @zacksjerryrig, @mkbhd, @sawyermerritt, @tashaark, @sawyermerritt, @niccruzpatane, @briandstone, and @sawyermerritt. LinkedIn: Martin Bruncko
Bluesky: @norbizness, @karlbode.com, @robertscotthorton, @pickardje, and @mzjacobson. Mastodon: @jbz@indieweb.social
Forums: r/RTLpod, r/RealTesla, r/cars, r/electricvehicles, r/teslainvestorsclub, r/teslamotors, and r/wallstreetbets
| Connor Jones / The Register: |
Security researchers warn Moltbot, previously Clawdbot, requires a specialist skillset to use safely, as data exposure risks persist even when set up correctly — The massively hyped agentic personal assistant has security experts wondering why anyone would install it
More: VentureBeat, Cloudflare, The Stack, Axios, Tech Brew, Pivot to AI, Gizmodo, Inc.com, ZDNET, BleepingComputer, Wired, and Digital Trends
X: @theonejvo, @steipete, @theonejvo, @llmjunky, @cloudflare, @aakashgupta, @yuchenj_uw, @antoine_moyroud, @osmo999, @mattyryze, @morganlinton, @osmo999, @osmo999, @mattjay, @irl_danb, @theonejvo, @thedevilops, and @theonejvo
Bluesky: @prietschka and @campuscodi.risky.biz
Mastodon: @ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org and @Viss@mastodon.social
| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
Sources: Microsoft is focusing on fixing the core issues of Windows 11 over the coming months after persistent bugs, ads, and bloatware eroded user trust — Engineers are now focusing on performance, reliability, and the overall Windows experience. … Windows is in a weird spot.
More: Ars Technica, Neowin, BGR, Tom's Guide, Pureinfotech, and Business Standard
Mastodon: @erkhyan@yiff.life. Forums: r/technology, r/Windows11, r/actutech, r/pcmasterrace, Slashdot, and Slashdot
| Counterpoint Research: |
Apple's iPhone 16 was the world's best-selling smartphone in 2025, followed by the 16 Pro Max and 16 Pro; Apple took 7 of the top 10 spots and Samsung took 3 — - Apple and Samsung continued to capture the Top 10 spots. … - In terms of comparisons with predecessor models …
More: 9to5Mac, SammyGuru, Wccftech, iClarified, and Android Authority
Forums: Hacker News, r/apple, Slashdot, and MacRumors Forums
| Dominic Preston / The Verge: |
Nothing CEO Carl Pei says the company's flagship Phone 4 won't launch in 2026: “We're not just going to churn out a new flagship every year for the sake of it” — CEO Carl Pei says there's no new flaghip on the way, but teased improvements for the 4A series instead.
More: Nothing on YouTube, CNET, Android Central, 9to5Google, Notebookcheck, PCMag, Tech Advisor, and Digital Trends
| Sam Reynolds / CoinDesk: |
The US SEC clarifies its tokenized stock rules, saying they are subject to securities and derivatives rules and issuer approval is required for true ownership — The agency says issuer approval is required for true tokenized ownership, warning that many stock tokens sold to retail investors provide only indirect or synthetic exposure.
More: US Securities …, Inside Bitcoins, The Coin Republic, CryptoPotato, Coinpedia Fintech News, BeInCrypto, CoinGape, Cointelegraph, Cryptonews, and The Block. LinkedIn: Rani Doyle
| Koh Ewe / BBC: |
Chinese media: China executed 11 members of the Ming mafia family that ran online scam centres in Myanmar; five Bai family members are also sentenced to death — China has executed 11 members of a notorious mafia family that ran scam centres in Myanmar along its north-eastern border, state media report.
More: Bloomberg, Mirror, OCCRP, Beyond Search, Protos, Associated Press, Metro.co.uk, Decrypt, and New York Post
| Jordan Novet / CNBC: |
Microsoft shares fell ~10% on Thursday following an earnings report that disappointed some investors, the stock's sharpest daily decline since March 2020 — Microsoft shares slid about 10% on Thursday following an earnings report that disappointed some investors, prompting the stock's sharpest daily decline since March 2020.
More: MarketWatch, Quartz, Semafor, and Benzinga
| Jake Bleiberg / Bloomberg: |
Sources: special agents with the US Commerce Department investigated claims by ex-Meta contractors that Meta staff had “unfettered” access to WhatsApp messages — US law enforcement has been investigating allegations by former Meta Platforms Inc. contractors that Meta personnel … | Isaiah Poritz / Bloomberg Law: |
A San Francisco jury finds former Google engineer Linwei Ding guilty of stealing trade secrets related to AI chip technology to build a startup in China — A former Google engineer was convicted Thursday of economic espionage and trade secrets theft for taking hundreds of the company's confidential documents …
More: Reuters, CBS News, and New York Times
| Aisha Malik / TechCrunch: |
Google expands Gemini's hands-free conversational capabilities to walking and cycling modes in Google Maps, available on iOS and rolling out on Android — Google announced on Thursday that Google Maps users can now access Gemini hands-free while walking and cycling.
More: The Keyword, 9to5Google, MakeUseOf, T3, Neowin, Android Police, Android Headlines, Android Authority, and CNET
| Murray Stassen / Music Business Worldwide: |
A coalition of music publishers, including UMG, filed a second lawsuit against Anthropic, seeking $3B over allegations of copyright infringement of 20k+ songs — A coalition of music publishers has filed a second copyright infringement lawsuit against AI company Anthropic, and it's a big one.| Bloomberg: |
Perplexity signs a deal with Microsoft; sources say the $750M, three-year commitment will let Perplexity deploy AI models through Microsoft's Foundry service — AI startup Perplexity signed a $750 million deal with Microsoft Corp. to use its Azure cloud service, spreading its business beyond longtime cloud partner Amazon.com Inc.
More: Reuters
| Bloomberg: |
Amazon reported hundreds of thousands of pieces of potential CSAM in AI training data to NCMEC in 2025; child safety officials say Amazon didn't give the source — The tech giant reported hundreds of thousands of cases of suspected child sexual abuse material, but won't say where it came from
More: Engadget and WinBuzzer
LinkedIn: Kurt Wagner. Mastodon: @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social. Forums: r/sadposting, r/artificial, and r/technology
| Ben Wilson / Windows Central: |
Nvidia launches a native GeForce NOW app for Linux, starting with Debian-based Ubuntu, after releasing a Steam Deck app in 2025; in a hands-on, it works well — GeForce NOW cloud gaming expands to desktops and other Ubuntu devices, with Bazzite tested and the Steam Deck thriving.
More: NVIDIA, Phoronix, Thurrott, Android Headlines, XDA Developers, Linuxiac, VideoCardz.com, Neowin, and KitGuru. Forums: r/pcgaming
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
Appfigures: Sora's app downloads dropped 32% month-over-month in December and 45% in January to 1.2M; consumer spending on the app fell 32% MoM as of January — After rapidly hitting the top of the App Store in October, OpenAI's video-generation app Sora is now struggling.| Kevin McLaughlin / The Information: |
OpenAI has hired 7+ employees from AI coding startup Cline, including Nik Pash, who left Cline after posting “imagine the smell” on X regarding an xAI hackathon — OpenAI has recently hired more than a half dozen employees from Cline, a startup that develops an open-source … | New York Times: |
Amazon's $35M marketing campaign for Melania is ~10x the budget for similar documentaries like CNN's RBG; some suggest Amazon is currying favor with Trump — The tech giant is spending $35 million to promote its film about the first lady, far more than is typical for documentaries.
More: Wired, Straight Arrow News, The Boston Globe, Gold Derby, Al Jazeera, HuffPost, OPB, New York Times, Dexerto, and New York Post
X: @travisakers, @repjackkimble, @bruce_arthur, @jayblackisfunny, @bmeiselas, @oldfriend99, @tomsteyer, @ronfilipkowski, @covie_93, @nategilbert, @bmeiselas, @sundaedivine, @glen_mcgregor, @hearinladotcom, and @jeff__benjamin. Bluesky: @bmeiselas
Forums: r/USNEWS, r/StrangeAndFunny, r/entertainment, and r/boxoffice
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