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32 published articles
France's AI startup program Pionniers de l'IA hits 51
From 23 to 51: France's AI startup funding doubles as health and industry lead
France's state-backed AI accelerator expands to 51 projects, with new winners in predictive medicine, industrial robotics, and cybersecurity announced at Vivatech.
2026-07-31
Streaming Wars
89 Emmy nominations across 15 shows. Apple's streaming bet is no longer a gamble.
Apple TV earned 89 Emmy nominations, topping drama and comedy categories. Widow's Bay and Pluribus drove the tally, and the platform now holds 3,734 lifetime award nominations. The breadth of the slate signals that Apple's all-original strategy is maturing.
2026-07-29
AI Policy
France's €2.5 billion AI push: 81 labs, 1,000 startups, and a third phase
France has poured €2.5 billion into AI since 2018, creating 81 labs and over 1,000 startups. A third phase launched in February 2025 targets infrastructure, talent, and trustworthy AI.
2026-07-29
Regulation
Apple let Brazil inside its walled garden. The gates cost extra.
Apple opens iOS in Brazil to alternative app stores and payments under a CADE agreement, adding new commission tiers and privacy warnings that signal the company isn't giving up its cut.
2026-07-29
Electric Vehicles / AI Infrastructure
Tesla's revenue is up. Its real bet is spending itself into the red.
Tesla's Q2 2026 earnings show a revenue rebound, but profit growth is anemic and free cash flow is negative. The company is pouring billions into AI, robotics, and manufacturing infrastructure, a bet that hinges on whether its car business can fund the transformation Musk keeps promising.
2026-07-28
Infrastructure & Funding
Together AI's $800 million bet on open inference math
Together AI raised $800 million at an $8.3 billion valuation, backed by Aramco Ventures, NVIDIA, and others. The company claims annual bookings topped $1.15 billion last quarter, fueled by customers like Decagon, Eleven Labs, and Cursor who report 6x to 20x cost reductions switching to open inference.
2026-07-27
Search economy
Google Zero is here. The web isn't ready.
The symbiotic relationship between Google and publishers is unraveling. With AI summaries keeping users on search results, publishers are blocking crawlers and exploring a future without Google traffic. The web is entering uncharted territory.
2026-07-27
Supply chain geopolitics
Apple's $30 billion Broadcom bet is a political hedge, not a chip order
Apple's new multiyear agreement with Broadcom, worth over $30 billion, funds a $1.5 billion expansion in Fort Collins, Colorado, for advanced RF components. The deal reflects onshoring as geopolitical hedge, not a technical breakthrough, and sets a precedent that few competitors can match.
2026-07-26
European AI
ElevenLabs brought its AI summit to Warsaw. The message is bigger than voice tech.
ElevenLabs hosted its third summit in Warsaw at the National Opera, drawing 2,500 attendees including Polish leaders and European founders. The event marked a homecoming for the AI voice startup's founders and signaled Poland's growing role in AI innovation.
2026-07-25
Space Launch
China's first deep-sea rocket launch just made land sites obsolete for satellite internet
Orienspace's first deep-sea Gravity-1 launch carried nine satellites and a payload experiment, signaling a shift to scaled commercial operations. Three more launches are planned in 2026, with Gravity-2, a reusable liquid rocket, targeting Q4 first flight.
2026-07-23
Solar Car Challenge turns 30
630 miles, zero gas, and a car that breaks in your own parking lot
The annual Solar Car Challenge hits its 30th anniversary with a 630-mile road race across Texas in July, as high school teams compete in solar-powered vehicles they designed and built themselves. Founder Lehman Marks says the real goal is building engineers, not better solar cars.
2026-07-23
Physical Media
CD sales are up 16%. Half the buyers don't own a player.
CD sales rose 16% year-over-year in the first half of 2026, with about half of younger buyers lacking a CD player. Luminate's data suggests the disc is now an affordable collectible, a tool for direct artist support, and a statement more than a playback format.
2026-07-19