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OpenAI pursues NATO contract amid employee backlash over Pentagon defense deal

OpenAI is exploring a contract to deploy AI technology on NATO's unclassified networks, just days after striking a controversial Pentagon deal. CEO Sam Altman addressed agitated employees during an all-hands meeting, calling the Pentagon agreement a decision with "extremely difficult brand consequences." ChatGPT app uninstalls surged 295% following the announcement.

5 Sources

Alibaba's Qwen AI tech lead Junyang Lin steps down after major model release draws Musk praise

Junyang Lin, the technical architect behind Alibaba's Qwen AI platform, announced his departure just one day after the company unveiled its Qwen 3.5 small models. The unexpected resignation has sent shockwaves through the developer community, with at least two other team members also leaving. Lin's exit comes as Qwen reached 203 million monthly active users and drew praise from Elon Musk for its "impressive intelligence density."

7 Sources

Meta signs $50 million annual AI content licensing deal with News Corp for model training

Meta has struck a three-year AI content licensing deal with News Corp worth up to $50 million annually, granting access to Wall Street Journal and other publications for AI model training. The agreement reflects Big Tech's aggressive push to secure licensed content for generative AI systems, as News Corp CEO Robert Thomson pursues what he calls a "woo and sue" strategy with AI companies.

7 Sources

Yesterday

Pinterest secures $1 billion investment from Elliott, doubling down on AI turnaround strategy

Elliott Investment Management has taken a $1 billion stake in Pinterest, marking a renewed commitment to the platform's AI transformation. The activist investor first backed Pinterest in 2022 and now signals strong confidence in its visual search innovations and turnaround strategy, even as the company navigates layoffs affecting 15% of its workforce and mounting competition from AI chatbots.

2 Sources

SoftBank Credit Outlook Downgraded After Doubling Down on OpenAI with $30 Billion Investment

S&P Global has lowered SoftBank's credit outlook from stable to negative following the Japanese investment firm's decision to pour an additional $30 billion into OpenAI. The ratings agency identifies OpenAI as one of SoftBank's investments with the weakest credit quality, raising concerns about portfolio liquidity and the company's loan-to-value ratio as AI bets intensify.

2 Sources

Amazon acquires George Washington University campus for $427 million to fuel AI expansion

Amazon Data Services purchased George Washington University's Virginia Science and Technology campus for $427 million to build data center infrastructure. The acquisition in Ashburn, Virginia, supports Amazon's $35 billion investment plan through 2040 as tech companies commit at least $630 billion this year to meet surging artificial intelligence demands.

2 Sources

Intuit fights SaaSpocalypse with 40-year data moat while partnering with OpenAI and Anthropic

Intuit has lost over 40% of its market capitalization as investors fear AI agents could replace traditional SaaS tools like QuickBooks and TurboTax. CEO Sasan Goodarzi pushes back, arguing that 40 years of proprietary small business data and partnerships with OpenAI and Anthropic give the company a durable competitive advantage in regulated finance markets.

2 Sources

MyFitnessPal Acquires Cal AI, the Teen-Built AI Nutrition App That Hit $30M in Annual Revenue

MyFitnessPal has acquired Cal AI, the AI-powered calorie counting app built by two high school students that scaled to over 15 million downloads and $30 million in annual revenue in under two years. The deal, which closed in December after nearly a year of negotiations, keeps Cal AI operating independently while integrating it with MyFitnessPal's massive nutrition database spanning 20 million foods.

2 Sources

Cursor surpasses $2 billion in annualized revenue as corporate demand for AI coding tools surges

The AI coding assistant Cursor has reached $2 billion in annualized revenue, doubling its revenue run rate in just three months. Corporate customers now account for 60% of revenue as the startup shifts focus from individual developers to enterprise clients. The milestone comes amid growing competition from Anthropic's Claude Code and questions about whether AI labs will eventually cannibalize their customers.

5 Sources

Amazon commits $21B to Spain for data centers and AI infrastructure in Europe's largest cloud bet

Amazon announced a $21 billion investment in Spain to expand its data center capacity and AI infrastructure, primarily in the Aragón region. This brings the company's total commitment to nearly €33.7 billion, making it one of Europe's largest cloud infrastructure investments. The expansion will create approximately 29,900 jobs and includes new server manufacturing facilities.

2 Sources

02 Mar 2026

AI forces skills reset across workforce as job security shifts from degrees to adaptability

AI is transforming hiring and work as nearly 65% of organizations adopt AI in recruitment processes. Workers face a skills reset where human judgment, adaptability, and AI literacy matter more than traditional credentials. Venture capitalist Bill Gurley warns that professionals in safe jobs who lack passion are most at risk from AI-driven job displacement.

5 Sources

MiniMax revenue growth hits 159% as China AI pioneer expands global footprint after Hong Kong IPO

Chinese artificial intelligence startup MiniMax reported a 159% surge in revenue to $79 million in its first earnings since raising $614 million in its Hong Kong IPO. The company, valued at $30 billion, is positioning itself as a global AI platform with multimodal capabilities, though it faces mounting losses and increasing scrutiny as it expands internationally.

4 Sources

J. Safra Sarasin's Saxo Bank acquisition signals tech investment shift in AI wealth management era

J. Safra Sarasin completed a 1.1 billion euro purchase of a 70% stake in Saxo Bank, prioritizing technology architecture over traditional client base expansion. The deal reflects wealth managers' strategic pivot toward frontier technology investments as AI tools threaten to reshape financial advice delivery and force banks to rethink their acquisition strategies.

2 Sources

01 Mar 2026

China's humanoid robot industry outpaces U.S. with 12,000+ units shipped as supply chain battle heats up

China shipped over 12,000 humanoid robots in 2025, led by Agibot and Unitree, while the U.S. scrambles to build domestic supply chains. Chinese companies leverage superior hardware supply chains from the EV sector and the world's strongest manufacturing base to iterate faster and cheaper than Western competitors. Meanwhile, OpenAI is actively seeking U.S.-based suppliers as the humanoid arms race intensifies.

2 Sources

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