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Daily Tech News Roundup - 2026-01-17

1. The best deals on MacBooks right now
Source: https://www.theverge.com/22399419/apple-macbook-air-pro-mac-mini-imac-deals
Summary: Apple currently sells MacBooks equipped with its own M-series processors in a wide range of sizes and price points, all of which run the company’s newest operating system, macOS 26. Purchasing a new MacBook can be complicated if you’re trying to figure out what specs you need, but finding a deal on a relatively speedy […]

2. AI cloud startup Runpod hits $120M in ARR — and it started with a Reddit post
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/16/ai-cloud-startup-runpod-hits-120m-in-arr-and-it-started-with-a-reddit-post/
Summary: Their startup journey is a wild example of how if you build it well and the timing is lucky, they will definitely come.

3. California AG sends Musk’s xAI a cease-and-desist order over sexual deepfakes
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/16/california-ag-sends-musks-xai-a-cease-and-desist-order-over-sexual-deepfakes/
Summary: The flood of AI-generated sexual imagery has spurred concern from state and congressional officials alike.

4. Google is appealing a judge’s search monopoly ruling
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/863710/google-search-antitrust-monopoly-appeal
Summary: Google is appealing a federal court's decision ruling it an illegal online search monopolist. The company filed a notice to appeal on Friday, requesting a pause on the court-ordered remedies meant to restore competition to the online search market. "As we have long said, the Court's August 2024 ruling ignored the reality that people use […]

5. Snowflake, Databricks challenger ClickHouse hits $15B valuation
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/16/snowflake-databricks-challenger-clickhouse-hits-15b-valuation/
Summary: The $400 million round was led by Dragoneer.

6. TikTok quietly launches a microdrama app called ‘PineDrama’
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/16/tiktok-quietly-launches-a-micro-drama-app-called-pinedrama/
Summary: Think TikTok, but every single video you come across is a short episode of a fictional story.

7. Trump and Mid-Atlantic governors want tech companies to pay for new power plants
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/863620/data-centers-ai-power-auction-trump
Summary: The Trump administration and a bipartisan group of governors are pressuring the PJM Interconnection, the biggest electricity market in the US, to hold a power auction meant to spur a massive buildout of new power plants. Together, they're "urging" PJM to hold an "emergency" auction for companies to procure electricity over 15-year contracts. The unusually […]

8. EPA rules that xAI’s natural gas generators were illegally used
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/16/epa-rules-that-xais-natural-gas-generators-were-illegally-used/
Summary: Elon Musk's AI company had installed and operated 35 natural gas turbines without permits, something the EPA now says was illegal.

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