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January 16, 2026, 9:25 PM
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Top News

Financial Times:
OpenAI plans to test ads below ChatGPT replies for users of free and Go tiers in the US; source: OpenAI expects to make “low billions” from ads in 2026  —  $500bn start-up seeks ways to fund expansion and fend off competition from rivals Google and Anthropic
Elissa Welle / The Verge:
OpenAI expands its ChatGPT Go tier to the US and the rest of the world, after launching it in India and some other countries; it will cost $8/month in the US  —  'ChatGPT Go' is available worldwide for $8 per month. … OpenAI is expanding a low-cost subscription tier called ChatGPT Go to the US and the rest of the world.
Maxwell Zeff / Wired:
OpenAI will match ads to conversation topics using some personalization data, but says it will not sell user data or expose user conversations to advertisers  —  OpenAI says ads will not influence ChatGPT's responses, and that it won't sell user data to advertisers.
Bloomberg:
Trump and Northeastern state governors ask grid operator PJM to hold an auction for tech companies to fund new power plants, amid the AI boom  —  President Donald Trump and the governors of several US Northeastern states agreed to push for an emergency wholesale electricity auction …
Alex Heath / Sources:
Unsealed docs from Elon Musk's OpenAI lawsuit, set for a jury trial on April 27: Sutskever's concerns about treating open-source AI as a “side show”, and more  —  This is an excerpt of Sources by Alex Heath, a newsletter about AI and the tech industry, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week.
Dara Kerr / The Guardian:
The US EPA rules that xAI acted illegally by using dozens of methane gas turbines to power its Colossus 1 and Colossus 2 data centers in the Memphis area  —  Win for Memphis activists who say ‘Colossus’ facilities add extra pollution to already overburdened communities
Ian Carlos Campbell / Engadget:
Anthropic makes Claude Cowork available to $20/month Pro subscribers, after launching it for Max users, and says Pro users may hit their usage limits sooner  —  Pro subscribers can have Claude can handle simple tasks on their computer.  —  Claude Cowork, Anthropic's AI assistant for taking care …
Julianna Bragg / Axios:
California's AG sends a cease-and-desist letter to xAI, demanding the company halt the generation and distribution of non-consensual intimate images and CSAM  —  California's attorney general on Friday sent a cease and desist letter to xAI, demanding the company immediately halt the creation …
Lauren Feiner / The Verge:
Google says it's appealing the US v. Google ruling that found it has an illegal search monopoly and asks a court to pause some of the remedies during the appeal  —  In the meantime, it's asking a court to pause remedies meant to restore competition.
Bloomberg:
Some top California Democrats join Governor Gavin Newsom in opposing a ballot initiative led by a healthcare union seeking a one-time 5% tax on $1B+ in assets  —  A proposed tax on California's wealthiest residents is drawing opposition from a growing group of top state Democrats …
Financial Times:
Sources: suppliers of parts for Nvidia's H200 chips have paused production after Chinese customs officials blocked shipments of the AI processors  —  Parts makers concerned about whether Beijing will allow imports of AI processors  —  Suppliers of parts for Nvidia's H200 chips …
Bloomberg:
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson says the agency is examining Big Tech's acqui-hires to make sure “they are not an attempt to get around” its merger review process  —  The US Federal Trade Commission is taking a closer look at moves by major tech companies to hire away the employees …

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About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 9:25 PM ET, January 16, 2026.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

From Mediagazer

Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Bedford Media plans to relaunch Life magazine in November as a print quarterly, following its closure in 2000, and will expand into short-form video and more

Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
Vox launches its first app, consolidating text, audio, and video content; vertical videos and podcasts are free but only subscribers can read text stories

Andrew Hutchinson / Social Media Today:
YouTube is testing an option that would enable creators to cash out their Partner Program earnings at $20, rather than the longstanding $100 minimum

More News

Dina Bass / Bloomberg:
ClickHouse, a Snowflake challenger that offers an OLAP database management system, raised $400M led by Dragoneer at a $15B valuation, up from $6.35B in May 2025
Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
Q&A with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos about the $83B WBD bid, Trump's involvement in the deal, maintaining a 45-day theatrical window for WBD releases, and more

Earlier Picks

Davis Giangiulio / CNBC:
Cloudflare acquires AI data marketplace Human Native for an undisclosed sum to help it develop a system where AI developers pay creators for training content
Supantha Mukherjee / Reuters:
TikTok says it will roll out new age detection tech, which analyzes profile information to predict whether a user is under 13, across Europe in the coming weeks
New York Times:
Australia's eSafety Commissioner reports social media platforms “removed access” to ~4.7M accounts under its ban for under-16s, which took effect in December
André Beganski / Decrypt:
X revises its developer API policies to “no longer allow apps that reward users for posting on X (aka 'infofi')”, amid a backlash about increasing AI slop on X
Financial Times:
Anthropic researchers say rich countries' higher AI adoption risks deepening economic disparities and widening living standard gaps, assuming productivity gains
Emma Roth / The Verge:
The Wikimedia Foundation says Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Perplexity, and Mistral joined Wikimedia Enterprise to get “tuned” API access; Google is already a member
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