Meta says its business AI now facilitates 10 million conversations a week
Meta said over 8 billion advertisers have used at least one of its GenAI tools
Startups
Instagram cracks down on content aggregators
The update targets content aggregators that don't post original content and instead simply re-upload others' posts.
SoftBank is creating a robotics company that builds data centers — and already eyeing a $100B IPO
You need infrastructure to build AI a and robots, but apparently you also need AI and robots to build infrastructure.
Amazon, Meta join fight to end Google Pay, PhonePe dominance in India
PhonePe and Google Pay command 80% of India's UPI instant payments network. Rivals are set to meet with regulators to lobby for restrictions.
Amazon’s cloud business is surging — and so is its capital spending
The e-commerce giant is making more money than expected from AWS but it's also spending a lot, and will continue to do so in the near term, its chief executive said.
Sources: Anthropic could raise a new $50B round at a valuation of $900B
The maker of Claude has received multiple pre-emptive offers at valuations in the $850 billion to $900 billion range, according to sources familiar with the matter.
On the stand, Elon Musk can’t escape his own tweets
Elon Musk took the stand for the second day for his attempt to legally dismantle OpenAI.
Meta is still burning money on AR/VR
Meta is losing billions on Reality Labs each quarter, and its AI expenditures are only going to increase its spending.
Satya Nadella says he’s ready to ‘exploit’ the new OpenAI deal
Microsoft gets to offer OpenAI's tech to its cloud customers and doesn't have to pay for it. "We fully plan to exploit it," Nadella said.
Microsoft says it has over 20M paid Copilot users, and they really are using it
Despite the lingering perception that no one really uses Copilot, Microsoft said on Wednesday that the number of users and engagement is growing.
Google Cloud surpasses $20B but says growth was capacity-constrained
Google Cloud topped $20B in quarterly revenue for the first time, fueled by surging demand for AI. But capacity constraints mean it could have grown even faster.
Google gains 25M subscriptions in Q1, driven by YouTube and Google One
Google added 25M paid subscriptions in Q1, reaching 350M total, as YouTube and Google One grow.
Fusion power startup Zap Energy pulls a partial pivot, adding nuclear fission to the mix
Surprise! Fusion startup Zap Energy says it will be developing fission reactors alongside its fusion devices.
Parallel Web Systems hits $2B valuation five months after its last big raise
The AI agent-tool startup founded by former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has raised $100 million, led by Sequoia, months after raising a previous $100 million.
Google Photos uses AI to make the iconic closet from ‘Clueless’ a reality
Google recreates Cher's closet from "Clueless" with AI.
More Gemini features are coming to Google TV
Google TV just got more Gemini features, including the ability to transform photos and videos with tools Nano Banana and Veo.
Bill Gurley, Jack Altman back startup Pursuit, which helps companies sell to government
On Wednesday, Pursuit announced a $22 million seed round led by Mike Rosengarten, the co-founder of OpenGov with out big-name VCs participating.
Roku’s $3 streaming service, Howdy, reaches 1M subs, per recent report
Roku’s $2.99 streaming service Howdy has topped 1M subscribers, showing demand for cheaper, low-commitment alternatives to pricier streamers.
Uber is in the hotel business now, thanks in part to AI
Uber announced several new features on Wednesday during its annual event, which push far beyond the company's original ride-hailing purpose and deeper into its users' lives.
Apple loses bid to pause App Store fee changes as case heads to Supreme Court
Apple lost its bid to pause court-ordered App Store payment changes, keeping external purchase links in place as its case with Epic heads toward the Supreme Court.