TechCognita | Blogs

1. AI layoffs or ‘AI-washing’? Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/01/ai-layoffs-or-ai-washing/ Summary: How many of the companies with recent layoffs are just using AI as an excuse? 2. Why Tether’s CEO is everywhere right now Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/01/why-tethers-ceo-is-everywhere-right-now/ Summary: For years, Tether's CEO avoided the United States, watching from offshore as regulators circled and prosecutors investigated. Those days are over. 3. Bill Gates says accusations contained in Epstein files are ‘absolutely absurd’ Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/871879/bill-gates-epstein-files-absolutely-absurd Summary: Reports of Bill Gates' connections with Jeffrey Epstein grow more lurid with each dump of documents from the Department of Justice. The latest includes somewhat confusing emails that Epstein may have been drafting on behalf of someone named Boris, who worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The messages claim that Bill contracted...

1. Nvidia CEO denies he’s ‘unhappy’ with OpenAI Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/871818/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-unhappy-openai Summary: Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang denied reports that he was unhappy with OpenAI and said his company still planned to make a "huge" investment in the ChatGPT firm. NVIDIA announced in September that it would invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI, but recently, there have been suggestions that the deal might not happen. While Huang […] 2. Waymo reportedly raising a $16B funding round Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/31/waymo-reportedly-raising-a-16-billion-funding-round/ Summary: Waymo is reportedly finalizing a new funding round that will value the robotaxi company at $110 billion. 3. SpaceX seeks federal approval to launch 1 million solar-powered satellite data centers Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/31/spacex-seeks-federal-approval-to-launch-1-million-solar-powered-satellite-data-centers/ Summary: SpaceX's filing claims t...

1. Senate passes budget with two more weeks of Homeland Security funding Source: https://www.theverge.com/policy/870419/senate-passes-budget-with-two-more-weeks-of-homeland-security-funding Summary: The Senate voted on Friday evening to pass the federal budget, funding everything except for one entity: the Department of Homeland Security, which was given a two-week funding extension in order to negotiate new guardrails around Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). If no agreement is reached, DHS funding will lapse and the department will face […] 2. a16z partner Kofi Ampadu to leave firm after TxO program pause Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/30/a16z-partner-kofi-ampadu-to-leave-firm-after-txo-program-pause/ Summary: Ampadu's departure perhaps signals the end of the TxO chapter. The fund and program focused on supporting underserved founders by providing access to tech networks and investment capital through a donor-advised fund. 3. Jeffrey Epstein was permanently ba...

1. How Sequoia-backed Ethos reached the public market while rivals fell short Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/29/how-sequoia-backed-ethos-reached-the-public-market-while-rivals-fell-short/ Summary: The profitable life-insurance platform was one of the first major tech companies to test the 2026 public markets. 2. The iPhone just had its best quarter ever Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/29/the-iphone-just-had-its-best-quarter-ever/ Summary: Growth in regions like China and India are credited with pushing Apple's phone sales higher than ever. 3. Guys, I don’t think Tim Cook knows how to monetize AI Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/29/guys-i-dont-think-tim-cook-knows-how-to-monetize-ai/ Summary: One intrepid Morgan Stanley analyst dared to ask how Apple will make money on its AI investments. The answer will not shock you. 4. Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI in talks to merge, according to reports Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/29/elon-musk-spacex-tesla...

1. Meta burned $19 billion on VR last year, and 2026 won’t be any better Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/28/meta-burned-19-billion-on-vr-last-year-and-2026-wont-be-any-better/ Summary: The reported financial losses follow a series of layoffs at the VR unit. 2. Halide co-founder Sebastiaan de With is joining Apple’s design team Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/869926/apple-hires-sebastiaan-de-with-design-team-halide-lux Summary: Sebastiaan de With, known for his work on apps like Halide, Kino, and Orion as the co-founder of Lux, is joining Apple's design team, he announced today. "So excited to work with the very best team in the world on my favorite products," de With says in his post. de With is well-known for his […] 3. Mark Zuckerberg is all in on AI as the new social media Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/869882/mark-zuckerberg-meta-earnings-q4-2025 Summary: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse dreams seem to have been replaced by a new vision: ...

1. What you should know about the owners of US TikTok Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/what-you-should-know-about-the-owners-of-us-tiktok/ Summary: ​ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, recently established a separate American entity to run the app’s U.S. operations. This restructuring aims to separate U.S. TikTok from its Chinese parent, addressing concerns about data privacy and foreign control. The move came after years of pressure from lawmakers, who feared the Chinese government’s potential access to Americans’ data. […] 2. The crypto bill is falling apart in Congress Source: https://www.theverge.com/column/868941/clarity-act-congress-shutdown Summary: Hello and welcome to Regulator, the Verge newsletter about the technology politics happening in our nation's capital. I hope our snowstorm-affected readers are safe, warm, and haven't reenacted The Shining at home yet. Do you know what prevents that? Subscribing to The Verge. Last week, when I was trackin...