Techmeme

FYI: We're now omitting links in @Techmeme tweets. Why? 1. Links limit reach (see embedded study) 2. The cost for posting links using X's API increased today by 1900%. Links may return later, but we're still exploring how we might accomplish that.

Why there is a 60%+ chance of AI systems autonomously building their own successors by the end of 2028, and a look at the consequences of fully automated AI R&D (@jackclarksf / Import AI) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Sources: Apple prepares a "Create a Pass" feature for iOS 27, which lets users take a QR code and generate a custom pass around it for concerts and other venues (@markgurman / Bloomberg) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Intel taps Alex Katouzian, an ex-Qualcomm EVP, to lead Client Computing & Physical AI group, and names Pushkar Ranade as CTO, after serving on an interim basis (@dylanonchips / CRN) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Ex-iRobot CEO Colin Angle launches Familiar Machines & Magic and unveils Familiar, a dog-like, "emotionally intelligent" robot that reacts to owner's feelings (@mims / Wall Street Journal) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Nearly 20 US state-run health insurance exchanges include ad trackers that send user data like race and citizenship info to companies like Meta, TikTok, Google (Bloomberg) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Sources: more than two dozen prediction-market ETFs have been pushed back as the SEC seeks more information; they were originally expected to launch this week (Suzanne McGee / Reuters) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Filing: Blackstone's data center acquisition vehicle seeks to raise as much as $1.75B in its IPO, and will target newly built data centers valued at $250M-$1.5B (@subrat_patnaik / Bloomberg) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Cisco agrees to acquire Astrix Security, which helps companies monitor and control the permissions granted to AI agents, a source says for approximately $400M (@meirorbach / CTech) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Investment and tech firm Long Lake says it will buy corporate travel operator Amex GBT for $6.3B, citing AI's ability to modernize the business travel sector (Reuters) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Inside Palantir Foundation's Atlantic and Pacific Forum at Yale for invited students: State Dept. and Palantir staff share a vision of mixing AI and state power (@alexbronzini / New York Magazine) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Panthalassa, which aims to power floating data centers using energy generated by ocean waves, raised $140M led by Peter Thiel, source says at a $1B valuation (@tim / Financial Times) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

How "emotion AI", the use of facial and sentiment analysis tools to track workers' moods, is seeping into white-collar jobs amid concerns over privacy and bias (@elcush / The Atlantic) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

SAP to acquire Dremio, an open data lakehouse provider, and Prior Labs, which it pledges to invest €1B in over four years, hoping to create a frontier AI lab (@ldignan / Constellation Research) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Katie Haun raises $1B for two funds split between early and later-stage investments, looking at startups blending financial services, AI, and alternative assets (@nmasc_ / Bloomberg) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Bret Taylor's Sierra, which sells AI customer service agents, raised a $950M Series E led by Tiger and GV at a $15.8B post-money valuation, up from $10B in 2025 (@kr00ney / CNBC) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Trump's World Liberty Financial countersues Tron founder Justin Sun, alleging defamation, contract violations, and more (@bdanweiss / Fortune) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

The jury-less bench trial phase of Meta's child safety case in NM begins today to determine if Meta's actions were a public nuisance and warrant product changes (@jonathanvanian / CNBC) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

eBay's stock jumps 6%+ to ~$111, below GameStop's $125/share acquisition offer, in a sign investors see hurdles to completing a deal; GameStop's stock drops ~4% (Bloomberg) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Filing: Elon Musk texted Greg Brockman about settling days before trial; after being denied, he said Brockman and Altman "will be the most hated men in America" (@ashleycapoot / CNBC) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)

Source: OpenAI has raised over $4B at a $10B pre-money valuation for The Deployment Company, a new joint venture to help businesses adopt OpenAI tools (@sfiegerman / Bloomberg) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)