The Information

Art by Mike Sullivan

Anthropic’s Mythos Spooked DeepSeek, Prompting Its $7.4 Billion Fundraising

By Jing Yang, Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Jun 26, 2026 6:00am PDT · 8 comments

Up until two months ago, DeepSeek, the three-year-old Chinese AI lab, was an anomaly in the increasingly costly global AI battle. It had relied entirely on CEO Liang Wenfeng’s personal wealth and never raised outside money. That changed in the middle of this month, when DeepSeek completed a $7.4 billion fundraising that valued the startup at... Up until two months ago, DeepSeek, the three-year-old Chinese AI lab, was an anomaly in the...

Sam Altman, left, CEO of OpenAI and Howard Lutnick, U.S. Commerce Secretary. Photos via Getty Images; art by Mike Sullivan

Trump Administration Asks OpenAI to Stagger Release of New Model Over Security Concerns

By Leo Schwartz, Stephanie Palazzolo and Amir Efrati · Jun 25, 2026 1:16pm PDT · 2 comments

For AI companies on the verge of releasing cutting edge new AI models, there’s a new normal in the wake of the Trump administration’s tense showdown with Anthropic in recent weeks. On Wednesday, for example, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman informed staff during a Q&A session that the company would release its latest model, GPT 5.6, in a limited... For AI companies on the verge of releasing cutting edge new AI models, there’s a new normal in...

Photo by Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images

Google Strikes Tough Negotiating Stance With Publishers on AI Licensing

By Ann Gehan · Jun 25, 2026 1:02pm PDT · 2 comments

Google is tightening the screws on news publishers. In recent months, the tech giant has been pitching publishers on a pilot program to test new AI features in Google News. The program, announced in December with initial partners such as The Washington Post and The Guardian, offers publishers promotion in “AI-powered article overviews” in Google... Google is tightening the screws on news publishers. In recent months, the tech giant has been...

Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, on stage at Google I/O. Photo by David Paul Morris / Getty Images

Google Revamps New AI Coding Strike Team Amid Struggle to Catch Up With Anthropic

By Erin Woo · Jun 25, 2026 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, on stage at Google I/O. Photo by David Paul Morris / Getty Images

Google Revamps New AI Coding Strike Team Amid Struggle to Catch Up With Anthropic

By Erin Woo · Jun 25, 2026 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Google is reorganizing its recently launched strike team working on AI coding tools to try to catch up with Anthropic in the most lucrative AI applications, according to people familiar with the changes. The goal is for the months-old strike team to change the approach to training Google’s AI models to improve their abilities in both coding... Google is reorganizing its recently launched strike team working on AI coding tools to try to...

SambaNova CEO Rodrigo Liang via Getty

Intel-Backed AI Chip Firm SambaNova to Quintuple Valuation to $10 Billion

By Phoebe Liu and Valida Pau · Jun 24, 2026 12:44pm PDT

AI server chips that effectively compete with Nvidia’s have never been more in-demand as AI developers and cloud providers seek lower-cost alternatives to the market leader. In the latest example, nine-year-old chip startup SambaNova is set to raise between $800 million and $1 billion, its executive chairman, Lip-Bu Tan, said at an event on... AI server chips that effectively compete with Nvidia’s have never been more in-demand as AI...

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

The 300-Plus Bans and Moratoriums Threatening the U.S. Data Center Boom

By Shane Burke · Jun 24, 2026 9:59am PDT · 4 comments

Since the start of the year, cities, towns, counties and states across America have slammed the brakes on allowing new data centers in their backyards. By exhaustively combing through a combination of legal documents and local news reports, The Information has identified more than 300 temporary and permanent bans on data center development that... Since the start of the year, cities, towns, counties and states across America have slammed the...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

XAI Bets on Grok’s Racy Side

By Grace Kay and Theo Wayt · Jun 24, 2026 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

SpaceX’s xAI is doubling down on video- and image-generating tools, people familiar with the project said. That’s seizing on an opening left by OpenAI and Anthropic, which offer fewer visual capabilities. XAI launched an upgraded video model last week, highlighting how it’s pushing ahead with its own visual efforts even as it brings in outside... SpaceX’s xAI is doubling down on video- and image-generating tools, people familiar with the...

Pat Gelsinger, General Partner at Playground Global. Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

U.S.-Backed Chipmaking Startup Chaired by Former Intel CEO Is Raising $350 Million

By Phoebe Liu and Jemima McEvoy · Jun 23, 2026 4:32pm PDT · 1 comment

Pat Gelsinger, General Partner at Playground Global. Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

U.S.-Backed Chipmaking Startup Chaired by Former Intel CEO Is Raising $350 Million

By Phoebe Liu and Jemima McEvoy · Jun 23, 2026 4:32pm PDT · 1 comment

XLight, a startup developing advanced lasers for semiconductor manufacturing, is in talks to raise $350 million in funding from a pair of investment firms just weeks after receiving substantial investment from the U.S. Department of Commerce, according to the company’s verbal and written pitch to prospective investors. The company wants to... XLight, a startup developing advanced lasers for semiconductor manufacturing, is in talks to...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Ex-DOGE Employees Raise $225 million for Venture Fund Banner VC

By Leo Schwartz · Jun 22, 2026 10:50am PDT

Two former members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have raised $225 million for their debut venture fund, Banner VC, according to a person close to the fund and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Banner separately raised nearly $75 million to co-lead a recent round in the orbital infrastructure startup... Two former members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have raised $225 million...

Chis Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Lime Plans to Name Uber as an Anchor Investor in IPO

By Cory Weinberg · Jun 21, 2026 4:44pm PDT · 6 comments

The initial public offering for Lime, an electric scooter and bike rental company that was once a stalwart of the late 2010s startup scene, is getting financial support from an old friend: Uber. The ride-hailing giant is expected to invest a “meaningful” amount in the deal and be named as an anchor investor on the cover of an updated IPO... The initial public offering for Lime, an electric scooter and bike rental company that was once a...

Tarek Mansour, co-founder of Kalshi. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/ Getty Images

Kalshi Passes $2 Billion in Annualized Revenue, Holds Informal IPO Talks

By Yueqi Yang · Jun 18, 2026 2:30pm PDT

Prediction market Kalshi is generating more than $2 billion in annualized revenue, up about three times from November, as traders betting on NBA and World Cup games drove a surge in trading volume, according to people familiar with the company’s financials. Kalshi’s fast growth has led its top executives to hold informal conversations with... Prediction market Kalshi is generating more than $2 billion in annualized revenue, up about three...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Amazon Gives Big Brands More Control Over Product Listings

By Ann Gehan · Jun 18, 2026 8:00am PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan

Amazon Gives Big Brands More Control Over Product Listings

By Ann Gehan · Jun 18, 2026 8:00am PDT

Amazon’s status as the home of independent merchants is eroding. The e-commerce giant has lately overhauled its shopping site to give big brands more control over how their products are displayed and sold. The company recently told them it would give them priority over independent merchants in deciding how their products are described on its... Amazon’s status as the home of independent merchants is eroding. The e-commerce giant has lately...

Yichao "Peak" Ji, co-founder and Chief Scientist at Manus AI. Photo via YouTube

Manus’ Revenue Soars as Original Investors Move to Reverse Meta Deal

By Jing Yang, Juro Osawa and Qianer Liu · Jun 18, 2026 6:00am PDT

The early Chinese backers of AI firm Manus are planning to buy the firm back from Meta Platforms at the $2 billion price Meta paid, in response to a Chinese government order that the deal be reversed, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. While the government’s order has sparked alarm among Chinese startup founders,... The early Chinese backers of AI firm Manus are planning to buy the firm back from Meta Platforms...

Photo via Castelion

Missile Startup Founded by SpaceX Alumni Targets $12 Billion Valuation

By Leo Schwartz and Julia Hornstein · Jun 17, 2026 2:52pm PDT

Castelion, a nearly four-year-old startup that makes hypersonic missiles, is aiming to raise a new funding round at a valuation of $12 billion or more, including the money raised, according to two people with knowledge of the fundraising efforts. The company’s target would be at least four times the valuation of its last funding round in... Castelion, a nearly four-year-old startup that makes hypersonic missiles, is aiming to raise a...

Images by Getty Images.

OpenAI Burned $3.7 Billion in First Three Months of 2026

By Erin Woo · Jun 16, 2026 4:26pm PDT · 7 comments

OpenAI burned through $3.7 billion in the first quarter, more than half its $5.7 billion in revenue, according to documents the company shared with shareholders. Both cash burn and revenue tripled from the same period the previous year, signaling how even with strong AI demand, making money from AI continues to be challenging. The company ended... OpenAI burned through $3.7 billion in the first quarter, more than half its $5.7 billion in...

From left, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei and Howard Lutnick. Photos via Getty Images; art by Mike Sullivan

Anthropic Ban Stirs Concerns at OpenAI and Beyond of Crackdown on Foreign AI Talent

By Leo Schwartz, Stephanie Palazzolo and Erin Woo · Jun 16, 2026 2:07pm PDT · 1 comment

From left, Sam Altman, Dario Amodei and Howard Lutnick. Photos via Getty Images; art by Mike Sullivan

Anthropic Ban Stirs Concerns at OpenAI and Beyond of Crackdown on Foreign AI Talent

By Leo Schwartz, Stephanie Palazzolo and Erin Woo · Jun 16, 2026 2:07pm PDT · 1 comment

The U.S. government’s latest battle with Anthropic has revived long-simmering concerns throughout the AI industry that the White House has placed a bullseye on their reliance on foreign AI talent. The Trump administration appears to have targeted only Anthropic so far, warning the company on Friday in a letter from Commerce Secretary Howard... The U.S. government’s latest battle with Anthropic has revived long-simmering concerns throughout...

Shayne Coplan, CEO of Polymarket. Photo by Michael Nagle/ Getty Images.

Polymarket, Kalshi Take Steps to Block Fraud Rings

By Michael Roddan · Jun 16, 2026 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Polymarket and Kalshi are racing to turn more major events into opportunities to place bets, including everything from daily temperature highs during a New York City heat wave to the latest contestant to be eliminated from “Love Island,” the reality TV hit. That’s helped the young markets become high-profile sentiment gauges and generate... Polymarket and Kalshi are racing to turn more major events into opportunities to place bets,...

Photo by Samuel Boivin/Getty Images.

DeepSeek Closes Record $7 Billion-Plus Funding with Unusual Deal Structure

By Jing Yang, Qianer Liu and Juro Osawa · Jun 15, 2026 9:55pm PDT · 3 comments

Chinese AI lab DeepSeek has closed its first funding round that raised more than 50 billion yuan ($7.4 billion) under an unusual deal structure, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. The funding round, which values the large-language model developer at more than $50 billion, requires investors to put their capital... Chinese AI lab DeepSeek has closed its first funding round that raised more than 50 billion yuan...

Jim Keller, CEO of Tenstorrent. Photographer by Zak Bennett/ Getty Images

Qualcomm in Talks to Buy Tenstorrent to Expand AI Chip Capabilities

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Valida Pau · Jun 15, 2026 1:39pm PDT · 1 comment

Qualcomm has been in talks to buy Tenstorrent, a startup that designs chips for AI, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal. The two companies have discussed a price between at least $8 billion and $10 billion, the person said, which would be a significant premium to Tenstorrent’s last valuation. It’s not clear if the price would... Qualcomm has been in talks to buy Tenstorrent, a startup that designs chips for AI, according to...

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, left, and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Photos via Getty; AP

Amazon’s Jassy Raised Concerns About Anthropic Model Before Trump Crackdown

By Leo Schwartz, Stephanie Palazzolo, Catherine Perloff and Cory Weinberg · Jun 13, 2026 9:11am PDT · 7 comments

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, left, and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Photos via Getty; AP

Amazon’s Jassy Raised Concerns About Anthropic Model Before Trump Crackdown

By Leo Schwartz, Stephanie Palazzolo, Catherine Perloff and Cory Weinberg · Jun 13, 2026 9:11am PDT · 7 comments

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy was among the tech leaders who raised concerns to senior Trump administration officials this week about security risks in Anthropic’s most advanced models, according to two people familiar with the conversations. The calls between the head of Amazon—one of Anthropic’s biggest investors and vendors—and the... Amazon CEO Andy Jassy was among the tech leaders who raised concerns to senior Trump...