🚀 Former GitHub CEO raises $60M to rebuild software development

Thomas Dohmke (ex-GitHub CEO) launched Entire with the largest seed round ever for developer tools. The platform captures AI agent context during coding, storing reasoning and decisions alongside commits — essentially "version-controlled reasoning" for the age of AI-generated code.

This could be the next major shift in how developers work with AI agents, similar to how GitHub transformed human collaboration.

https://itwire.com/business-it-news/open-source/former-github-ceo-launches-entire-to-rebuild-software-development-for-the-agentic-era.html

🧠 OpenClaw Creator Joins OpenAI

Peter Steinberger, creator of the popular OpenClaw automation framework, has officially joined OpenAI. The move comes as OpenClaw has gained significant traction among developers for AI agent workflows.

Key points:
• Steinberger transitions to OpenAI team
• OpenClaw will continue as open source project
• Community development to be maintained

This acquisition shows OpenAI's focus on expanding automation and agent capabilities.

#AI #OpenAI #OpenClaw #TechNews

https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/15/openclaw-creator-peter-steinberger-joins-openai/

🏛️ Pentagon Considers Dropping Anthropic Over AI Safety Restrictions

The Pentagon is reportedly considering ending its partnership with Anthropic after the AI company refused to remove safety restrictions for military use.

The tension between AI safety and defense contracts is heating up — when the people building it draw the line, what happens next?

🔗 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/a-very-angry-pentagon-to-anthropic-dont-lecture-us-you-can-go-and-/articleshow/128383504.cms

Anthropic's Claude Cowork Is Scaring Software Stocks

A fund beating 99% of peers is selling software stocks. The reason? AI tools like Claude Cowork are making traditional SaaS look obsolete. The AI disruption of software is no longer theoretical.

🔗 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-16/fund-beating-99-of-peers-sees-few-software-firms-surviving-ai

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is now Anthropic's default model

Faster, cheaper, better at coding and "computer use." The competitive rhythm in frontier AI keeps accelerating — default models now determine developer mindshare.

https://techstartups.com/2026/02/17/anthropic-launches-claude-sonnet-4-6-near-opus-intelligence-at-lower-cost-now-default-for-pro-and-team-users/

Unity says its AI will soon generate full casual games from text prompts

Unity CEO reveals a new AI beta launching at GDC in March, type what you want in natural language, get a playable casual game. No coding required. Built native to the Unity platform using frontier models from OpenAI and Meta.

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/programming/unity-says-its-ai-tech-will-soon-be-able-to-prompt-full-casual-games-into-existence-

OpenAI accuses DeepSeek of "distilling" its models to train rival AI

OpenAI sent a formal memo to Congress alleging DeepSeek systematically extracted ChatGPT outputs through proxies to train its R1 model. First time OpenAI has explicitly asked lawmakers to intervene, calling it "free-riding on American innovation."

https://www.technewshub.co.uk/post/openai-raises-concerns-over-deepseek-s-ai-training-practices-alleges-ip-theft

Nvidia nears $30 billion investment in OpenAI

Nvidia is close to finalizing a $30 billion stake in OpenAI as part of a funding round valuing the AI startup at $730 billion. This is separate from the $100 billion infrastructure deal announced last September, which has reportedly been "on ice." One of the largest single AI investments ever.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/19/nvidia-is-in-talks-to-invest-up-to-30-billion-in-openai-source-says.html

NASA's Perseverance completes first AI-planned drive on Mars

The rover navigated Mars using routes planned entirely by generative AI instead of human operators. Powered by Anthropic's Claude models, the system analyzed orbital images, identified hazards, and charted safe paths. Perseverance drove 456 meters across two test runs in December.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260131084555.htm

17 US AI startups have raised $100M+ each in less than two months

Anthropic ($30B), ElevenLabs ($500M), Runway ($315M), Temporal ($300M), Baseten ($300M), Fundamental ($255M), and more. U.S. AI startups raised $76B in mega-rounds in 2025. The 2026 pace is already on track to match it.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/17/here-are-the-17-us-based-ai-companies-that-have-raised-100m-or-more-in-2026/

DeepSeek trained its latest model on banned Nvidia Blackwell chips

Reuters exclusive: A senior Trump admin official confirms DeepSeek used Nvidia's most advanced Blackwell GPUs, likely clustered in Inner Mongolia, to train its next model releasing next week. U.S. export controls ban Blackwell shipments to China. DeepSeek is expected to strip technical indicators revealing American chip use.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-deepseek-trained-ai-model-nvidias-best-chip-despite-us-ban-official-says-2026-02-24/

One Substack post just crashed the stock market

A 33-year-old researcher at Citrini published a speculative AI doomsday scenario on Substack. By Monday, the S&P dropped over 1%. Uber, Amex, Mastercard, and DoorDash lost 4-6%. The scenario: AI agents gut SaaS, eliminate middlemen, crash employment to 10% by 2028. "A feedback loop with no brake."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/feb/24/feedback-loop-no-brake-how-ai-doomsday-report-rattled-markets

The trap Anthropic built for itself

Trump admin blacklisted Anthropic from the Pentagon after Dario Amodei refused to allow Claude for mass surveillance and autonomous kill-chain drones. Anthropic stands to lose $200M+. Trump ordered all federal agencies to stop using their tech. Meanwhile, OpenAI signed a Pentagon deal accepting terms Anthropic refused. Anthropic is challenging it in court.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/28/the-trap-anthropic-built-for-itself/

OpenAI Admits Pentagon Deal Was "Definitely Rushed"

Sam Altman acknowledged the defense partnership was hastily put together after Anthropic's negotiations with the Pentagon fell through. OpenAI published safeguards banning use in autonomous weapons, mass surveillance, and social credit systems. Critics argue the agreement's reference to Executive Order 12333 still leaves a domestic surveillance backdoor open.

Meanwhile, the backlash pushed Anthropic's Claude past ChatGPT in App Store rankings.

🔗 https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/01/openai-shares-more-details-about-its-agreement-with-the-pentagon/

Nvidia Pours $4 Billion Into Photonics as AI Hits a Data Transfer Wall

Nvidia is investing $2B each in Lumentum and Coherent to develop silicon photonics for next-gen AI data centers. The move signals that the bottleneck in AI scaling is shifting from raw compute to how fast data moves between chips. Both deals include multi-billion dollar purchase commitments for advanced laser and optical networking tech.

🔗 https://www.reuters.com/technology/nvidia-invest-2-billion-photonic-product-maker-lumentum-2026-03-02/

GPT-5.3 Instant Aims to Make ChatGPT Less Preachy and More Useful

OpenAI updated ChatGPT's most-used model to cut unnecessary refusals, reduce the "cringe" tone, and deliver more direct answers. Hallucination rates dropped 26.8% with web search and 19.7% without. Web results are better contextualized instead of dumping link lists. The "Stop. Take a breath." era is over.

Available now for all users and via API as gpt-5.3-chat-latest.

🔗 https://openai.com/index/gpt-5-3-instant/

Jensen Huang Says Nvidia Is Done Investing in OpenAI and Anthropic

Huang said the recent stakes in both companies are likely Nvidia's last, citing their upcoming IPOs. But the backdrop tells a bigger story: the original $100B OpenAI pledge shrank to $30B, Anthropic's CEO compared chip sales to "selling nuclear weapons," and the two AI labs are now on opposite sides of the Pentagon debate.

Nvidia holds stakes in two companies pulling in very different directions.

🔗 https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/04/jensen-huang-says-nvidia-is-pulling-back-from-openai-and-anthropic-but-his-explanation-raises-more-questions-than-it-answers/

Google Hands Sundar Pichai a $692 Million Pay Package Tied to Waymo and Wing

Alphabet gave its CEO a three-year deal worth up to $692M, most of it performance-based with stock incentives linked to Waymo and Wing. Meanwhile, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are buying up Miami mansions to dodge California's proposed Billionaire Tax. Pichai stays in Los Altos.

🔗 https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/07/google-just-gave-sundar-pichai-a-692m-pay-package/

Netflix Acquires Ben Affleck's AI Filmmaking Startup InterPositive

Netflix bought InterPositive, a 16-person AI startup Affleck founded in 2022. It's not another text-to-video tool. The system builds AI models from a production's own footage and lets filmmakers use them for color grading, relighting, and VFX in post. Netflix will offer it to creative partners but won't sell it commercially.

Hollywood is moving from "should we use AI?" to acquiring the tooling outright.

🔗 https://variety.com/2026/film/news/netflix-acquires-ben-affleck-ai-filmmaking-startup-interpositive-1236679498/

Yann LeCun Leaves Meta, Raises $1 Billion for World Models Startup AMI Labs

Turing Prize winner Yann LeCun cofounded AMI Labs after leaving Meta, and the startup just closed a $1.03 billion round at a $3.5 billion valuation. The company is betting that AI needs to understand reality, not just language. They plan to open-source much of their code and publish research as they go.

https://www.aiandtech.news/article/yann-lecun-ami-labs-1b-world-models-2026