With private company defaults running at upwards of 9.2% — the highest rate in years — VC firm Lux Capital recently advised companies relying on AI to get their compute capacity commitments confirmed in writing. With financial instability rippling through the AI supply chain, Lux warned, a handshake agreement isn’t…
Microsoft hires the team of Sequoia-backed AI collaboration platform, Cove
The team behind Cove, a Sequoia-backed startup that was working on an AI-powered collaboration board, has joined Microsoft, according to an email sent to customers informing them that Cove’s service is shutting down. Cove was founded in late 2023 by Stephen Chau, Andy Szybalski, and Mike Chu, all of whom…
Two Palantir veterans just came out of stealth with $30 million and a Sequoia stamp of approval
Edra, a New York-based startup that says it helps companies automate workflows by turning their existing operational data into a living knowledge base, just picked up a meaningful vote of confidence: a $30 million Series A led by Sequoia, with participation from 8VC and A*, the venture firm founded by…
Sequen snags $16M to bring TikTok-style personalization tech to any consumer company
At Etsy, Zoë Weil helped to drive a billion-dollar increase in gross merchandise volume within a single year by improving the online marketplace’s AI ranking systems. With her new startup, Sequen, she aims to bring her and her co-founders’ years of AI research and product development to other businesses in…
This startup wants to make enterprise software look more like a prompt
Every new technology creates a new environment in which we work, but it’s not clear how AI will do that. One possibility is that the interface disappears entirely. That’s the vision of Josh Sirota, who founded the startup Eragon back in August and has just raised $12 million at a…
The leaderboard “you can’t game,” funded by the companies it ranks
Artificial intelligence models are multiplying fast, and competition is stiff. With so many players crowding the space, which one will be the best — and who decides that? Arena, formerly LM Arena, has emerged as the de facto public leaderboard for frontier LLMs, influencing funding, launches, and PR cycles. In just seven months, the startup…
Apps to distract you from the endless cycle of doomscrolling
You open your phone to check the time or a quick message. The next thing you know, an hour has passed and you’ve scrolled through endless celebrity drama, cat videos, awful news stories, influencer rants, and whatever else the algorithm decided to throw at you. Even though you probably don’t…
The Gemini-powered features in Google Workspace that are worth using
Google has been steadily integrating Gemini across Google Workspace, embedding AI into Docs, Gmail, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Meet. With so many updates rolling out, the real question isn’t what Gemini can do; it’s what’s actually useful in day-to-day work. The best Gemini features are arguably the more practical tools…
Meta is having trouble with rogue AI agents
An AI agent went rogue at Meta, exposing sensitive company and user data to employees who did not have permission to access it. Per an incident report, which was viewed and reported on by The Information, a Meta employee posted on an internal forum asking for help with a technical…
Your HDMI cable might not be good enough for your Apple TV
High-speed HDMI cables are just as important as your streaming devices. The good news is that most of your devices come bundled with an HDMI cable, and as long as you use the bundled cable, there’s nothing to worry about. However, that all goes out the window if you don’t…