tech

Jack Raines8/2/24

Google completes the Big Tech acqui-hire hat trick

We have previously discussed Microsoft and Amazon acqui-hiring AI startups Inflection and Adept, and today, we have reached a Big Tech x AI acqui-hire hat trick.

The Information reported that Google is hiring the co-founders and many researchers from AI chatbot startup Character.AI. Google has also agreed to pay the startup a licensing fee for its models and buy out investors' shares at 2.5x the price of Character.AI's 2023 Series A.

Why is acqui-hiring becoming a trend? With the AI arms race heating up, every big tech company wants to get its hands on talent. However, much of this talent is tied up in high-flying startups, and the bigger companies may not be interested in the startups themselves, just the talent behind them. Compared to fully acquiring the startup, the acqui-hire model seems to be a (relatively) cheap way for companies to get their hands on top talent.

Google Hires Character.AI Cofounders and Licenses Its Models

Google Hires Character.AI Cofounders and Licenses Its Models

Why is acqui-hiring becoming a trend? With the AI arms race heating up, every big tech company wants to get its hands on talent. However, much of this talent is tied up in high-flying startups, and the bigger companies may not be interested in the startups themselves, just the talent behind them. Compared to fully acquiring the startup, the acqui-hire model seems to be a (relatively) cheap way for companies to get their hands on top talent.

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Bloomberg: Apple’s foldable iPhone is on track for September after all

Scratch that... Actually, Apple’s foldable iPhone may be on track to debut later this year after all.

Hours after a report from Nikkei Asia said Apple was encountering engineering problems with the novel design that could lead to a delayed launch, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that sources within Apple say the premium foldable iPhone is still on track to launch in September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Max.

Shares of Apple had plunged more than 5% on word of a possible delay, but pared losses on Gurman’s story.

According to the report, the foldable iPhone will cost more than $2,000 and will be a key part of the company’s plan to revamp the iPhone lineup.

Apple’s Foldable iPhone Remains on Track for September Debut

Apple’s Foldable iPhone Remains on Track for September Debut

Shares of Apple had plunged more than 5% on word of a possible delay, but pared losses on Gurman’s story.

According to the report, the foldable iPhone will cost more than $2,000 and will be a key part of the company’s plan to revamp the iPhone lineup.

tech

Bezos poaches xAI cofounder from OpenAI for his Project Prometheus startup

The competition among AI startups for poaching top talent has a new contender.

The Financial Times reports that xAI cofounder Kyle Kosic has been poached from OpenAI by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for his new AI industrial manufacturing startup, Project Prometheus.

Kosic was one of the original 11 cofounders of xAI and worked on the Colossus data center. Kosic left xAI in 2024 to return to OpenAI. Elon Musk is the last xAI cofounder still working for the company.

According to the report, Kosic will work on AI infrastructure in his new role at Project Prometheus, which has reportedly hired hundreds of staff in San Francisco, London, and Zurich.

Jeff Bezos’s new lab hires xAI co-founder from OpenAI

Jeff Bezos’s new lab hires xAI co-founder from OpenAI

Kosic was one of the original 11 cofounders of xAI and worked on the Colossus data center. Kosic left xAI in 2024 to return to OpenAI. Elon Musk is the last xAI cofounder still working for the company.

According to the report, Kosic will work on AI infrastructure in his new role at Project Prometheus, which has reportedly hired hundreds of staff in San Francisco, London, and Zurich.

tech

Report: Apple’s foldable iPhone may be delayed by engineering troubles

One of Apple’s key product launches for 2026 might be facing delays.

The company’s planned foldable iPhone has run into engineering problems during testing, and mass production could be delayed as a result, according to a report from Nikkei Asia.

The complexity of the novel design is reportedly taking longer than expected to perfect, and could push back the product’s launch by months.

Per the report, Apple planned to initially produce 7 million to 8 million of the foldable iPhones, which it intends to position as a premium entry in the new iPhone lineup.

This would be the second Apple foldable product that has faced delays due to engineering problems, as Bloomberg reported that a $3,000 foldable iPad would be delayed until 2029 or later.

Apple shares were down sharply in early trading.

Foldable iPhone hits engineering snags, shipment delays possible: sources

Foldable iPhone hits engineering snags, shipment delays possible: sources

The complexity of the novel design is reportedly taking longer than expected to perfect, and could push back the product’s launch by months.

Per the report, Apple planned to initially produce 7 million to 8 million of the foldable iPhones, which it intends to position as a premium entry in the new iPhone lineup.

This would be the second Apple foldable product that has faced delays due to engineering problems, as Bloomberg reported that a $3,000 foldable iPad would be delayed until 2029 or later.

Apple shares were down sharply in early trading.

tech

Jon Keegan4/6/26

Report: Some of Meta’s new AI models will eventually be open-source

Axios reports that Meta is close to releasing its first new AI models after setting up its “superintelligence” team led by former Scale.AI CEO Alexandr Wang, and some of the models will eventually be released with an open-source license.

Per the report, Meta sees an opportunity to focus on consumers, rather than the lucrative enterprise market that both OpenAI and Anthropic have been focusing on.

Meta had previously embraced open-source AI with its Llama models, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg writing a manifesto declaring open-source AI as “the path forward.” Axios says that Meta will be pursuing more of a hybrid strategy of proprietary and open-source models going forward.

The New York Times previously reported that Meta was delaying the launch of its new AI model because of performance issues.

Scoop: Meta will still open-source AI models — just not all of them

Scoop: Meta will still open-source AI models — just not all of them

Meta had previously embraced open-source AI with its Llama models, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg writing a manifesto declaring open-source AI as “the path forward.” Axios says that Meta will be pursuing more of a hybrid strategy of proprietary and open-source models going forward.

The New York Times previously reported that Meta was delaying the launch of its new AI model because of performance issues.

1328213286 CSA-Printstock

OpenAI’s plan for an AGI world: AI for all and a 4-day workweek

The company’s policy paper calls for a new social contract that includes AI at the center of everything, which could lower costs and create cures for diseases, but also warned it may upend the public safety net.

Jon Keegan4/6/26

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