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February 27, 2026, 9:35 AM
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| CNBC: |
OpenAI raised $110B at a $730B pre-money valuation, up from $500B in a secondary financing in Oct.; Amazon invested $50B, Nvidia and SoftBank invested $30B each — OpenAI has closed a $110 billion funding round, a financing that's more than double the size of its last raise a year ago, which was a record for a private tech company.| Anthropic: |
Dario Amodei says Anthropic cannot “in good conscience” accede to DOD's request to remove safeguards and will work to ensure a smooth transition if offboarded — I believe deeply in the existential importance of using AI to defend the United States and other democracies, and to defeat our autocratic adversaries.
More: The Verge, Video - David Imel, CNBC, PCMag, Associated Press, RedState, CNN, France 24, TechRadar, CIO.com, Defense One, NOTUS, Kotaku, diginomica, Wonkette, NPR, Straight Arrow News, The Power Law, Washington Post, The Hill, PC Gamer, Politico, The Guardian, New York Times, The Information, Engadget, The Register, San Francisco Chronicle, Techstrong.ai, Tech Times, Business Today, and Bloomberg
X: @hlntnr, @hlntnr, @fchollet, @jason, @jaketapper, @zhoujaron, @nxthompson, @bryantmcgill, @kimmonismus, @cryptopunk7213, @miles_brundage, @chriscoons, @jemelehill, @glukianoff, @garymarcus, @adamscochran, @deanwball, @liminal_warmth, @scobleizer, @timoreilly, @notthreadguy, @kelseytuoc, @jkeatn, @netcapgirl, @mickeyxfriedman, @josephpolitano, @beffjezos, @hadas_gold, @uswremichael, @thezvi, @zcohencnn, @deanwball, @dee_bosa, @chris_j_paxton, @mcfaul, @miles_brundage, @beffjezos, @aakashgupta, and @devahaz
LinkedIn: Tero Heinonen, Geoff Livingston, and Dennis Kennetz
Bluesky: @adelpreore, @kenbazinet, @jjvincent, @shashj, @susanmcp, @brento, @clarenafo, @carnage4life, @tedunderwood.com, @bcmerchant, @erininthemorning.com, @lessig, @davelee.me, @raders, @mergesort.me, @leahmcelrath, @evansutton, and @normeisen
Forums: Hacker News, r/economy, r/BeyondThePromptAI, r/Destiny, r/technology, r/ClaudeAI, r/BetterOffline, r/singularity, and r/Anthropic
| Axios: |
Anthropic says new DOD “contract language” made “virtually no progress” on preventing Claude's use for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons — Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Thursday said there has been “virtually no progress” on negotiations with the Pentagon.
More: Financial Times, Financial Times, Platformer, The Next Web, CNBC, notdivided.org, CNN, Slate, Tech Funding News, and Marcus on AI
X: @uswremichael, @anthropicai, @trentonbricken, @andrewcurran_, @zeffmax, @deanwball, @hamandcheese, @thestalwart, @ericnewcomer, @giansegato, @clementdelangue, @scobleizer, @erikschluntz, @camrmackenzie, @zswitten, @trustlessstate, @ratorthodox, @thezvi, @uswremichael, @jengriffinfnc, @jason, @amy_siskind, @jason, @krystalball, @adamscochran, @hannahdcox, @ch402, @senmarkey, @tszzl, @kyliebytes, @pjaicomo, and @nxthompson
LinkedIn: Dave Schroeder and Antti Antikainen
Bluesky: @rieckhoff, @mina-hanse, @caseynewton, @bcmerchant, @alexkirshner.com, @knowtheory.net, @jamesrball.com, @erininthemorning.com, and @laurenmeidasa. Mastodon: @newsguyusa@flipboard.social
Forums: r/ClaudeAI, r/technology, r/slatestarcodex, r/accelerate, r/singularity, r/ClaudeAI, and r/politics
| Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News: |
The Pentagon says it has offered compromises to Anthropic, including putting in writing that laws already bar the military from mass surveillance of Americans — Add CBS News on Google — As the U.S. military's partnership with artificial intelligence giant Anthropic teeters on the edge of collapse …
More: Bloomberg Law, Bloomberg, Reuters, New York Times, Blockonomi, The Japan Times, The Hill, Notebookcheck, The Decoder, and Newsweek
| Washington Post: |
Sources detail how the standoff between the Pentagon and Anthropic escalated after discussions about using Claude during hypothetical nuclear missile attacks — Start-up Anthropic and the U.S. military are careening toward a clash over government use of artificial intelligence — and whether it should be allowed to kill.
More: Associated Press, Times of India, Raw Story, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, Proactive, BBC, and The Indian Express
Bluesky: @tcarmody and @justinhendrix
| Financial Times: |
Sources: DOD was in talks with leading AI companies about building AI tools to automate reconnaissance of China's power grids, utilities, and sensitive networks — US holding talks with AI groups to identify vulnerabilities in Chinese networks and feed US war planning| Brendan Bordelon / Politico: |
More: CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Straight Arrow News, and Marcus on AI
Bluesky: @rweingarten and @pauljdavies
| Annie Palmer / CNBC: |
Block says it is laying off 4,000+ of its 10,000+ employees, saying AI tools have changed “what it means to build and run a company”; XYZ jumps 23%+ after hours — Block said Thursday it's laying off more than 4,000 employees, or about half of its head count.
More: Decrypt, Forbes, Reuters, Music Ally, The Decoder, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Axios, Associated Press, 9News, and CryptoNinjas
X: @jack, @jack, @marcelolima, @qwqiao, @torabyou, @nathalberstadt, @packym, @dcurtis, @balajis, @shaunmmaguire, @markpinc, @scobleizer, @nic_carter, @shiri_shh, @cryptohayes, @balajis, @trungtphan, @brianrumao, @beffjezos, @ericjackson, @timcast, @gregisenberg, @alexfinn, @ojassharma276, @balajis, @jordihays, @balajis, @toly, @netcapgirl, @melissa, @chooserich, @pinboard, @briannorgard, @blknoiz06, @film_girl, @dittycheria, @davidmarcus, @marcelolima, @danprimack, @finnmurphy12, @delrey, @frankieislost, @jseyff, @michellerempel, @ccatalini, @marcelolima, @birdyword, @vinny_daniel0, @growing_daniel, @godsburnt, @growing_daniel, @jason, @austen, @matthewstoller, @jason, @dee_bosa, @dgt10011, @marcelolima, @thestoicemperor, @cernovich, @emollick, @notthreadguy, @clarashih, and @can
LinkedIn: Jerry Davis and Tom Gimbel
Bluesky: @sravs, @codepo8, @anildash.com, @prietschka, @caseynewton, and @kmanns.blacksky.app
Threads: @carnage4life, @benedictevans, and @tomgara
| Reuters: |
Block reports Q4 revenue up 4% YoY to $6.25B, gross profit up 24% to $2.87B, driven by a 33% surge in Cash App, and forecasts Q1 gross profit up 22% to $2.8B — Block (XYZ.N) on Thursday said it will cut over 4,000 jobs, nearly half its workforce, as part of an overhaul …
More: Block, Computerworld, Times of India, Associated Press, Moneycontrol, Fast Company, Investing.com, The Register, BBC, CoinGape, TechCrunch, Business Insider, The San Francisco Standard, Telegraph, CryptoSlate, The Indian Express, Cryptonews, Mirror, Mashable, Fortune India, crypto.news, Benzinga, Silicon Republic, Blockonomi, and Business Standard
| CNBC: |
Netflix walks away from a deal to buy WBD's studio and streaming assets after WBD deemed Paramount's $31/share bid to be superior; NFLX jumps 8%+ after hours — Netflix is walking away from a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's studio and streaming assets after the WBD board on Thursday deemed …
More: Netflix Investor Relations, New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery, Deadline, Associated Press, TechCrunch, Times of India, PCMag, New York Times, Livemint, Fast Company, Media Matters for America, Sports Business Journal, TV Insider, Reuters, Washington Post, TODAY.com, Paramount, GamesIndustry.biz, Spyglass, Marketing Week, TheDesk.net, Fincrypt, Nairametrics, BERNAMA, The Sun Malaysia, The Mac Observer, Bounding Into Comics, The Wrap, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, New York Times, Bloomberg, and CNN
X: @chrislhayes, @yashar, @nhegde, @pkafka, @jbillinson, @kasey__moore, @danprimack, @trungtphan, @tsoh_investing, @amitisinvesting, @superwuster, @ggreenwald, @danpfeiffer, @davidpoland, @zck, @katiemiller, @jason, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @sherman4949, @mgsiegler, @cgasparino, @mgsiegler, @senwarren, @bedoyausa, @adamjohnsonchi, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @sarafischer, @lucas_shaw, @film_girl, @eriqgardner, @hunteryharris, @lizrhoffman, @brianstelter, @danturrentine, @sarafischer, @great_katzby, @leehepner, @cgasparino, @signulll, @alexsjacquez, @cgasparino, @tomsteyer, @profpaulnary, @sarafischer, @jbflint, @sarafischer, @howardlindzon, @brianstelter, and @lauraloomer
LinkedIn: Walter Delph and Lillian Rizzo
Bluesky: @marmel, @wittywebhandle, @tailschannel.com, @katieporterca, @djlink, @spencergreen, @breakify, @stevemullis.net, @davepell, @edeggans, @chicagopublicsquare.com, @harrymccracken.com, @urocklive1, @chrislhayes, and @mgsiegler.com
Threads: @firerock31, @karaswisher, @karaswisher, @karaswisher, @kathmschmidt, @paulasanexplorer, @scottporch, @simondowens, @johndellaporta, @firerock31, @film_girl, and @vidalmarsh
Mastodon: @joeo10@mastodon.sdf.org and @film_girl@mastodon.social
Forums: Hacker News, r/weeklyplanetpodcast, r/Monsterverse, r/KotakuInAction, r/HBOMAX, r/trektalk, r/ThePittTVShow, r/gameofthrones, r/Warner_Bros, r/DCU_, r/netflix, r/Star_Trek_, r/technology, r/HeatedRivalryTVShow, r/OmnibusCollectors, r/cartoons, r/TurnerClassicMovies, r/RedLetterMedia, r/amcstock, r/vfx, r/HarryPotteronHBO, r/stupidpol, r/FilmIndustryLA, r/business, r/Journalism, r/ABoringDystopia, r/thedavidpakmanshow, r/TrueAnon, r/thebulwark, r/law, r/oscarrace, r/SnyderCut, r/DC_Cinematic, r/popculturechat, r/DCULeaks, r/boxoffice, r/movies, r/television, r/wallstreetbets, and r/entertainment
| Dan Goodin / Ars Technica: |
Security researchers detail AirSnitch, a series of attacks that bypass Wi-Fi client isolation, enabling machine-in-the-middle attacks in modern Wi-Fi networks — That guest network you set up for your neighbors may not be as secure as you think. — It's hard to overstate the role that Wi-Fi plays in virtually every facet of life.
More: NDSS Symposium, CyberInsider, Tom's Hardware, Ace of Spades HQ, and UC Riverside
Mastodon: @FSonder@mastodon.ie, @munin@infosec.exchange, @dangoodin@infosec.exchange, and @vanhoefm@infosec.exchange
Forums: Hacker News, r/technews, r/pwnhub, r/firewalla, Lobsters, and Ars OpenForum
| The Information: |
Source: Meta has signed a multiyear deal to rent Google's TPUs to develop new models and has also been in talks to buy TPUs for its data centers as soon as 2027 — Meta Platforms has signed a deal to rent Google's AI chips, known as tensor processing units, to develop new AI models, according to a person involved in the talks.| Bill Toulas / BleepingComputer: |
French e-commerce marketplace ManoMano notifies its customers of a data breach affecting 38M; the company said the incident involved a third party subcontractor — DIY store chain ManoMano is notifying customers of a data breach that was caused by hackers compromising a third-party service provider.
More: TechRadar and Security Affairs
| Tripp Mickle / New York Times: |
Letter: 100+ Google DeepMind and other AI employees urge Jeff Dean to block US military deals that use Gemini for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons — More than 100 Google A.I. employees sent a letter to Jeff Dean, a chief scientist, opposing Gemini's use for U.S. surveillance and some autonomous weapons.| Elizabeth Howcroft / Reuters: |
Tether says it has frozen $4.2B of its crypto token over links to “illicit activity”, including $3.5B since 2023 and $61M linked to pig-butchering scams — El Salvador-based stablecoin issuer Tether said it has frozen about $4.2 billion of its crypto tokens over links to …
More: The Crypto Times
| John Yoon / New York Times: |
South Korea approves Google's request to export detailed geographic data overseas, reversing a longstanding policy that made Google Maps largely nonfunctional — South Korea approved Google's request to export detailed map data, reversing a longstanding restriction that made the tool largely nonfunctional.
More: TechCrunch, Reuters, Financial Times, Engadget, The Sun Malaysia, Bloomberg, ABC News, UPI, and Tech in Asia. LinkedIn: Avrom
| Bloomberg: |
The Japanese government plans to invest ~$1.6B in Rapidus over the next two fiscal years to help it mass-produce 2nm logic chips and potentially challenge TSMC — Japan's Rapidus Corp. secured investment totaling ¥267.6 billion ($1.7 billion) from the government and dozens … | Financial Times: |
Sources: Jeff Bezos' Project Prometheus is raising tens of billions to buy companies hit by AI; it was valued at ~$30B in November 2025 when it raised $6.2B — Project Prometheus in new talks with Abu Dhabi and JPMorgan over vehicle to buy up businesses disrupted by the technology| Marina Temkin / TechCrunch: |
Plaid allowed employees to sell some of their shares at an $8B valuation, up 31% from the $6.1B valuation in April 2025 and 40% below its $13.4B peak in 2021 — Plaid, a company that connects financial applications to users' bank accounts, enabling payments and data verification …
More: FinTech Global, PYMNTS.com, and Bloomberg
| Bloomberg: |
Equinix and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board agree to acquire atNorth Holding, a pan-Nordic data center operator, valuing atNorth at $4B including debt — Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Equinix Inc. have agreed to acquire atNorth Holding AB, a pan-Nordic data center operator owned by Partners Group Holding AG.
More: Benzinga, Capacity, Data Center Knowledge, DatacenterDynamics, and atNorth
| Tamsin McMahon / Bloomberg: |
xAI co-founder Toby Pohlen is leaving the company, the seventh of 12 xAI co-founders to depart; Elon Musk put Pohlen in charge of Macrohard earlier this month — xAI co-founder Toby Pohlen said he is leaving Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup, the latest founding executive to depart …
More: Silicon Republic. X: @tobyphln, @johnhering, @graceihle, @jaimealns, @ibab, @fraser_cook, @elonmusk, and @belce_dogru. Mastodon: @carnage4life@mas.to
| Luke Barr / ABC News: |
CISA's interim director Madhu Gottumukkala is reassigned as DHS' director of strategic implementation; executive assistant director Nick Andersen will take over — The nominee to serve as CISA director has not yet received a hearing. — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) …
More: Metacurity, Politico, and Nextgov/FCW
| Mickey Djuric / Politico: |
OpenAI says it will overhaul safety protocols and establish direct contact with Canadian police, after not alerting authorities about the Tumbler Ridge suspect — Following meetings with the governments of Canada and British Columbia this week, OpenAI says it is committed “to help prevent tragedies like this in the future.”
More: Engadget, Associated Press, CBC News, Reuters, Global News, Tech in Asia, and Bloomberg
| Kelly Cloonan / Wall Street Journal: |
Intuit reports Q2 revenue up 17% YoY to $4.65B, vs. $4.53B est., and forecasts Q3 revenue growth of ~10% and EPS below expectations; INTU drops 5%+ after hours — The company's profit guidance for its third quarter - which overlaps with peak tax season - came in short of Wall Street's expectations
More: Fortune and Intuit Inc.
| Matteo Wong / The Atlantic: |
Q&A with Terence Tao on AI-generated Erdős solutions, “cheap wins”, hybrid human AI contributions, push-of-a-button workflows, new ways of doing math, and more — Terence Tao, the legendary mathematician, explains the promise of generative AI.
X: @nxthompson. LinkedIn: Matthew McCabe, Fernando Perez-Cruz, and Professor Asha Rao
Bluesky: @matteowong and @mikecaulfield
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