Startups & Business

The two teenagers, Owen Flowers and Thalha Jubair, were sentenced to five years and six months after pleading guilty to compromising London’s metropolitan transit system as members of the Scattered Spider group. UK police say their arrest has dealt a significant blow to the notorious hacking collective, disrupting its operations and sending a strong warning to other cyber‑criminals.

Uber’s $14.8 billion all‑stock acquisition of Delivery Hero would almost double its worldwide presence, giving the company a foothold across Europe, the Middle East and emerging markets. The merged entity would rank among the largest food‑delivery platforms outside China, challenging rivals such as DoorDash, Grubhub and Meituan.

Google Vids now lets you star in your own AI videos, letting users generate clips featuring a personalized digital avatar of themselves. Powered by Gemini Omni, the tool creates and edits full‑length videos from simple text prompts or a reference photo, lowering the barrier to professional‑looking video content.

Ode with Anthropic is planting tiny squads of AI engineers inside enterprise teams, promising the output of a full‑scale consulting firm without the bureaucratic overhead. Backed by Anthropic, Blackstone and other heavyweight investors, the venture aims to prove that a handful of specialists can handle everything from data pipelines to generative‑AI model customization as if they were an in‑house unit.

Whatnot has bought AI‑startup Shaped to embed real‑time recommendation and search capabilities into its live‑shopping streams. The acquisition will let the platform instantly surface personalized product suggestions as broadcasts unfold, boosting relevance for buyers and conversion rates for sellers.

Apple is barring home‑service providers such as plumbers, electricians, locksmiths and roofers from advertising on its forthcoming Apple Maps ad platform. The policy, outlined in a recently released document, also mentions “several other sensitive categories” that will be excluded, marking a more curated approach compared with competitors. Advertisers in these sectors will need to look for alternative channels to reach local customers.

New York State has become the first U.S. jurisdiction to impose a temporary moratorium on approvals for large data‑center projects, citing concerns over rising electricity costs, water usage, and local oversight. Governor Kathy Hochul emphasized that the AI‑driven construction boom must not jeopardize essential public utilities, prompting regulators to pause all new permits until a comprehensive impact assessment is completed.

Enterprises are now gravitating toward open‑source AI models, driven by the promise of lower costs, easier accessibility, and retained ownership of the technology. This shift could upend the economics of AI adoption, making large‑scale deployments affordable for a broader range of businesses while giving them direct control over updates, data handling, and customization.

Meta’s Adam Mosseri warns that AI token usage will soon be treated like any other operating expense, with individual engineers expected to work within fixed token allowances. This shift aims to bring cost predictability and fiscal discipline to AI‑driven development, especially for fast‑growing startups.

Anthropic’s latest ad daringly spotlights the very fears people have about AI, positioning the company as the “ethical foil” in a market saturated with unchecked optimism. By turning criticism into a marketing hook, the startup not only reinforces its brand narrative but also nudges competitors and regulators to reckon with responsible‑AI messaging.

Apple has finally opened its AI‑powered Siri to all iPhone users by releasing the iOS 27 public beta on July 14, 2026. The update lets anyone test the revamped voice assistant without a developer‑only build, paving the way for broader feedback before the official fall launch.

OpenAI is reportedly developing its first hardware product—a screen‑free speaker equipped with self‑moving mechanical parts that aim to act as a tangible AI companion. This device would extend ChatGPT beyond the cloud, delivering both auditory responses and kinetic feedback for a more immersive, screenless interaction.