Author: GT

Self-driving truck startup Kodiak Robotics plans to go public via a merger with special purpose acquisition company Ares Acquisition Corporation II. The transaction values Kodiak, which has raised around $243 million to date, at about $2.5 billion pre-money. New and existing Kodiak institutional investors, like Soros Fund Management, ARK Investments, and Ares, have funded or committed over $110 million in financing to support the transaction, as well as about $551 million of cash held in trust. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2025. Going public via SPAC is an interesting move at a time when…

Even though crypto started over a decade ago, many investors who had never thought of buying it are now taking a closer look at the asset class. As the financial press mainly focuses on the most popular coins, it’s good to know that there are hundreds of alternative options in the cryptocurrency space. Many of these coins have advantages over names like Ethereum or Bitcoin, particularly concerning privacy. Find Out: 13 Cheap Cryptocurrencies With the Highest Potential Upside for You Read Next: 12 SUVs With the Most Reliable Engines Although the blockchain technology that coins like bitcoin use is meant…

AI dev platform Hugging Face has acquired Pollen Robotics, a robotics startup based in France, for an undisclosed amount. Wired reports that Hugging Face plans to sell Pollen’s humanoid robot, Reachy 2, and let developers download and suggest improvements to its code. Pollen Robotics, which aims to bring affordable humanoid robots to the home, was founded in 2016 by Matthieu Lapeyre and Pierre Rouanet. The company managed to raise €2.5 million (around $2.83 million) from investors, including Bpifrance, prior to its exit, according to Crunchbase. If you’ve followed the progress of robotics in the past 18 months, you’ve likely noticed…

According to the IRS, the average tax refund for the 2025 season is $3,271 as of March — a bigger windfall than many taxpayers will see all year. America’s 24/7 consumer culture offers no shortage of ways to blow it all for those who just can’t resist the temptation of shiny things. Learn More: 6 Reasons Your Tax Refund Will Be Higher in 2025 For You: 12 SUVs With the Most Reliable Engines However, many others will put their refunds to better use by using the money to pay down debt, build an emergency fund or invest — and that…

Meta announced on Monday that it’s going to train its AI models on public content, such as posts and comments on Facebook and Instagram, in the EU after previously pausing its plans to do so in response to regulatory pressure due to data privacy concerns. The company will start training its AI on users’ content in the EU this week, it said. Users’ interactions with Meta AI will also be used to train its models. The announcement comes after a limited version of Meta AI launched in the EU last month, well after its debut in the U.S. and other…

Chipolo, the maker of AirTag-like devices, on Monday introduced the latest version of its product. Now, instead of offering models that only work with either Apple or Google’s lost-item finding technology, the new Chipolo POP devices work with both companies’ finding networks out of the box. By combining these different functionalities into one device, Chipolo believes it will be easier for consumers to choose the right device for their needs. Plus, this would make Chipolo products better for gifting because buyers won’t need to know whether the recipient uses Android or an iPhone, the company said. Image Credits:Chipolo The Chipolo…

Ray Dalio is sounding the alarm — not just about a potential recession, but about a deeper, systemic breakdown of the global economic and political order in an interview with CNBC on Sunday. His concerns aren’t just about market volatility; they point to a broader structural fragility. Interestingly, bitcoin (BTC) has been showing resilience amidst the chaos. The digital asset has broken a three-month downtrend and is approaching $85,000, signaling it may be stepping into a role as a potential alternative safe haven. Mixed signals continue from the White House on tariffs, adding to the growing uncertainty weighing on global…

Jeff Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, successfully launched its New Shepard rocket at around 9:30 a.m. ET on Monday, as it seeks to challenge Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the space tourism industry.  What stands out most about this mission is that it featured the first all-female space crew since 1963, when Soviet astronaut Valentina Tereshkova completed her solo mission. This also marks the 31st trip of the rocket and its 11th mission with a crew on board. The crew for this launch included pop artist Katy Perry, “CBS Mornings” anchor Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez,…

Chinese officials have implicitly acknowledged responsibility for a series of sophisticated cyber intrusions targeting critical U.S. infrastructure. During a high-level meeting in Geneva with American officials, representatives from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs indirectly linked years of computer network breaches at U.S. ports, water utilities, airports, and other critical targets to increasing U.S. policy support for Taiwan. The campaign, dubbed “Volt Typhoon” by security researchers, has been described by U.S. officials as an attempt to establish a foothold in critical networks that could be leveraged during a potential future conflict. The admission came during a previously undisclosed half-day summit…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nvidia announced Monday that it will produce its artificial intelligence super computers in the United States for the first time.The tech giant said it has commissioned more than one million square feet of manufacturing space to build and test its specialized Blackwell chips in Arizona and AI supercomputers in Texas — part of an investment the company said will produce up to half a trillion dollars of AI infrastructure in the next four years.“The engines of the world’s AI infrastructure are being built in the United States for the first time,” Nvidia founder Jensen Huang said…