VC Mike Ghaffary's Obsession: Creating Middle-Class Jobs with AI
VC Mike Ghaffary has left Canvas Ventures to join Burst Capital, a firm founded by former Yelp execs. Burst is focused on creating middle-class jobs using AI, addressing the concern of job displacement caused by automation.
Amazon Removes Diversity, Inclusion References from 10-K Report
Amazon has removed references to diversity and inclusion from its 2024 10-K report. This move follows a trend among tech companies, including Google, which also removed mention of diversity in its latest 10-K filing.
Google DeepMind's AI System Solves Geometry Problems
Google DeepMind's AI system has made significant progress in solving complex geometry problems, demonstrating its ability to learn and adapt to new tasks. The system was able to solve a wide range of geometry problems, including those that are typically considered challenging for humans.
France Invests €10 Billion in AI Ecosystem
Bpifrance, France's public investment bank, has announced that it will invest 10 billion euros in the country's artificial intelligence ecosystem. This investment commitment comes ahead of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, where heads of state and global tech leaders are gathering to discuss the future of AI.
DeepSeek Goes Viral
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI lab, has gone viral after announcing its breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence. The company's success has sparked both excitement and concerns among industry leaders and experts. Some have hailed DeepSeek as a game-changer, while others are worried about the potential implications of its rapid rise.
Self Inspection Raises $3 Million in Seed Funding to Accelerate Vehicle Inspection
Self Inspection, a startup based in San Diego, has raised $3 million in seed funding to accelerate its AI-powered vehicle inspection service. The company's technology streamlines operations for auto lenders, dealerships, and rental companies, setting a new benchmark for quality, reliability, and seamless digital experience.
Startups Weekly: Fund Raisings, Follow-On Investments, And More!
This week's Startups Weekly highlights three major funding announcements. Berry Street and Fay, two startups that match dietitians with patients, each raised a $50 million funding round. Riot! raised a $30 million Series B round to expand its focus on cybersecurity education and employee training.
Operatives Gain Access to Sensitive Government Data
Operatives working for Elon Musk have gained unprecedented access to a swath of sensitive government data. DOGE, an organization operating outside public scrutiny, has gained access to federal departments and datasets without proper authorization or cybersecurity controls.
Bluesky Adds 'Followers Only' Reply Option
Bluesky, a social networking app, is set to give its users more control over who can reply to their posts. The new 'followers only' setting will allow users to limit replies to their posts to just their followers.
Google Drops Pledge Not to Use AI for Weapons
Google has dropped its pledge not to use artificial intelligence (AI) for weapons or surveillance, citing the need for national security. The company removed the pledge from its AI principles web page and published a blog post on responsible AI development.
Elon Musk's Young Engineers Run Government Efficiency
Elon Musk has secretly hired at least six young engineers, the oldest being 24 years old, to help him run his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The secrecy and inexperience of the identified six have drawn ire from the Washington establishment. But mostly, it has spawned six new mysteries.
Reducing UK's Dangerous Dependencies
A coalition of organizations and individuals has signed an open letter urging the UK government to reduce its dangerous dependencies on tech giants. The letter highlights the need for citizens to have greater autonomy and choice over how they share information and interact with each other online.
Trump Pauses Funding for EV Charging Infrastructure Program
the trump administration has paused funding for the national electric vehicle infrastructure program (nevi), which had already awarded tesla $31 million. this move is widely viewed as illegal and part of a broader attempt by the trump administration to hack away at federally funded renewable energy projects.
Tesla's AI Supercomputer, Cortex, is a Giant Step Forward in Real-World AI
elon musk showcased 'the giant new ai training supercluster being built at tesla headquarters in austin to solve real-world ai.' the supercluster, referred to as cortex, is made up of roughly 100,000 h100/h200 nvidia gpus and has massive storage for video training of fsd & optimus. the deployment of cortex helped enable v13 of fsd (supervised), which boasts major improvements in safety and comfort thanks to a 4.2x increase in data, higher resolution video inputs among other enhancements.
