Deckmatch research of ~5,000 YC-backed startups finds YC commonly accepts startups that are building similar or nearly identical products to previous YC grads (Julie Bort/TechCrunch)

Shares of Japan's Fujikura, which specializes in fiber optic cables for data centers, are up 400%+ in 2024 due to the AI boom, leading the Nikkei 225 index (Aya Wagatsuma/Bloomberg)

Aya Wagatsuma / Bloomberg: Shares of Japan's Fujikura, which specializes in fiber optic cables for data centers, are up 400%+ in 2024 due to the AI boom, leading the Nikkei 225 index  —  - Fujikura has benefited from surging demand for data centers  —  The global boom in AI has turned an obscure 139-year-old Japanese company into a stock-market star.

Published: 2024-11-24 23:30:02

Investigation: how hack-for-hire Appin tried silencing 15+ outlets since 2022 over articles, newsletters, and podcasts covering Appin's "ethical hacking" (Reporters Without Borders)

Reporters Without Borders: Investigation: how hack-for-hire Appin tried silencing 15+ outlets since 2022 over articles, newsletters, and podcasts covering Appin's “ethical hacking”  —  Whether based in the US, Switzerland, France or India, any media outlet investigating the “ethical hacking” of Appin …

Published: 2024-11-24 22:00:31

A profile of Chris Maurice, the CEO of US stablecoin startup Yellow Card, which operates in 20 African countries and has traded $3B+ worth of crypto in 2024 (David Pan/Bloomberg)

David Pan / Bloomberg: A profile of Chris Maurice, the CEO of US stablecoin startup Yellow Card, which operates in 20 African countries and has traded $3B+ worth of crypto in 2024  —  Cryptocurrencies that track the dollar are becoming a popular workaround for companies stymied by currency shortages on the continent.

Published: 2024-11-24 20:20:02

Q&A with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on what happens to the CHIPS program under the Trump administration, the future of AI safety, and more (Steven Overly/Politico)

Steven Overly / Politico: Q&A with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on what happens to the CHIPS program under the Trump administration, the future of AI safety, and more  —  With a massive legacy program hanging in the balance, the Commerce secretary wants to get billions in microchip money out the door in the next two months.

Published: 2024-11-24 18:30:02

Sources: Cantor Fitzgerald plans a $2B+ program to lend USD to clients who put up BTC as collateral and is talking with Tether about supporting the program (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg: Sources: Cantor Fitzgerald plans a $2B+ program to lend USD to clients who put up BTC as collateral and is talking with Tether about supporting the program  —  - Lutnick set to be next commerce secretary under Trump  —  Howard Lutnick is moving to strengthen his alliance with one of the most important …

Published: 2024-11-24 17:10:02

An overview of macro tech trends for 2025, focusing on generative AI, LLMs, scaling challenges with training ever bigger AI models, the capex surge, and more (Benedict Evans)

Benedict Evans: An overview of macro tech trends for 2025, focusing on generative AI, LLMs, scaling challenges with training ever bigger AI models, the capex surge, and more  —  Presentations Every year, I produce a big presentation exploring macro and strategic trends in the tech industry.  For 2025, ‘AI eats the world’.

Published: 2024-11-24 16:50:00

How Tim Cook developed a personal relationship with Donald Trump, in part by zeroing in on areas of mutual interest between Apple and Trump's agenda (Wall Street Journal)

Wall Street Journal: How Tim Cook developed a personal relationship with Donald Trump, in part by zeroing in on areas of mutual interest between Apple and Trump's agenda  —  The election is leading to a return of personal lobbying by CEOs, hoping to develop ties with the new administration; Cook's one-topic meals

Published: 2024-11-24 16:10:06

Sources: in the past year, Cantor Fitzgerald agreed to invest as much as $600M in Tether for about a 5% stake; Cantor holds most of Tether's $134B in assets (Wall Street Journal)

Wall Street Journal: Sources: in the past year, Cantor Fitzgerald agreed to invest as much as $600M in Tether for about a 5% stake; Cantor holds most of Tether's $134B in assets  —  Before becoming Trump's commerce secretary pick, Lutnick deepened Cantor's ties with a stablecoin firm under investigation

Published: 2024-11-24 15:35:02

Thoughts on Apple TV's history and future; sources: Apple postponed a larger-than-usual number of iOS 19 features to spring 2026, when iOS 19.4 is set to debut (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: Thoughts on Apple TV's history and future; sources: Apple postponed a larger-than-usual number of iOS 19 features to spring 2026, when iOS 19.4 is set to debut  —  Apple doesn't need its own TV set.  But it should make a low-cost TV streaming stick to bring its content, apps and smart home features to more households.

Published: 2024-11-24 15:10:00

Profiles of Teresa Ribera, Henna Virkkunen, and Ekaterina Zaharieva, the three incoming EU commissioners in charge of key tech policy areas into 2029 (Natasha Lomas/TechCrunch)

Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch: Profiles of Teresa Ribera, Henna Virkkunen, and Ekaterina Zaharieva, the three incoming EU commissioners in charge of key tech policy areas into 2029  —  The European Union looks to have clinched political agreement on the team of 26 commissioners who will be implementing President Ursula …

Published: 2024-11-24 13:15:03

How researchers used AI and drones to find 303 previously uncharted Nazca Lines in Peru in six months, almost doubling the number that had been mapped by 2020 (Franz Lidz/New York Times)

Franz Lidz / New York Times: How researchers used AI and drones to find 303 previously uncharted Nazca Lines in Peru in six months, almost doubling the number that had been mapped by 2020  —  With drones and A.I., researchers managed to double the number of mysterious geoglyphs in a matter of months.

Published: 2024-11-24 11:10:06

Gamers who prefer playing together are fueling demand for esports hotels across China; research firm Niko Partners says China has more than 21,000 such hotels (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg: Gamers who prefer playing together are fueling demand for esports hotels across China; research firm Niko Partners says China has more than 21,000 such hotels  —  With bunkbeds, 24/7 tech support and state-of-the-art consoles, China's 21,000 esports hotels cater to gamers who prefer to play together.

Published: 2024-11-24 09:05:03

Q&A with Eric Schmidt about the DOJ's proposal for Google to sell Chrome, a new book about AI he co-authored with Craig Mundie and Henry Kissinger, and more (Michel Martin/NPR)

Michel Martin / NPR: Q&A with Eric Schmidt about the DOJ's proposal for Google to sell Chrome, a new book about AI he co-authored with Craig Mundie and Henry Kissinger, and more  —  The Department of Justice is pushing for Google to spin off its Chrome browser.  In August, a landmark ruling found Google …

Published: 2024-11-24 07:01:21

Utilities, regulators, and researchers in six countries say the power demand surge caused by AI and data centers is being met in the near-term by fossil fuels (Reuters)

Reuters: Utilities, regulators, and researchers in six countries say the power demand surge caused by AI and data centers is being met in the near-term by fossil fuels  —  A spike in electricity demand from the world's big data providers is raising a worrying possibility for the world's climate: a near-term surge in fossil-fuel use.

Published: 2024-11-24 06:40:05