• Tesla invested $2B in Elon Musk’s xAI

    January 28, 2026

    Three weeks ago, Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, revealed it raised $20 billion in a Series E funding round. Now, we know Tesla is among its investors. Tesla disclosed in a letter to shareholders on Wednesday that it invested $2 billion in xAI, the startup behind the Grok chatbot that also owns Musk’s social media company X. Other previously disclosed investors in xAI include Valor Equity Partners, Fidelity, Qatar Investment Authority as well as Nvidia and Cisco as “strategic investors.” This is a truly circular deal and one that Tesla shareholders voted against last year. In November, shareholders were asked…

  • Volvo keen on a larger SUV to take on the BMW X7

    January 28, 2026

    The Volvo XC90 and EX90 are the brand’s flagship models, but the Swedish marque is keen on stepping up a size to take on the Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7. During a briefing last week in Stockholm, CEO Håkan Samuelsson told the media demand for three-row SUVs continues to grow in the US and China. In a subsequent chat with Automotive News, he went further, stating, “Bigger SUVs, that is something we’re looking into.” Mr Samuelsson cautioned such a vehicle has yet to be green lit. Volvo XC90 If such a car were to be given the go-ahead, it’s likely…

  • February’s PS Plus Monthly Games include Undisputed and Subnautica: Below Zero

    January 28, 2026

    We’ve somehow almost reached the end of January already, which means it’s time for Sony to divulge the list of PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for February. They are Undisputed, Subnautica: Below Zero, Ultros and Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. If you have a PS Plus subscription on any tier, you can claim these starting on February 3. After claiming them, these games will stay in your library as long as your PS Plus plan remains active. Undisputed (PS5) is a 2024 boxing game with dozens of licensed fighters across several weight classes. They include legendary figures like Muhammad Ali and…

  • WhatsApp will now charge AI chatbots to operate in Italy

    January 28, 2026

    Meta announced Wednesday that it will charge developers for running chatbots on WhatsApp in regions where regulators are forcing the company to allow them. The move comes after the company’s ban on third-party chatbots on WhatsApp took effect on January 15.  For now, Meta will charge developers in Italy, where the country’s competition watchdog asked the company to suspend its policy last December. The company said that the new pricing for non-template responses will begin on February 16. Meta plans to charge $0.0691/ €0.0572 / £0.0498 per message to developers for AI responses. This could result in steep bills for developers…

  • Native Instruments enters into insolvency proceedings, leaving its future uncertain

    January 28, 2026

    Music hardware and software manufacturer Native Instruments has entered into preliminary insolvency proceedings, . This is the company behind iconic software like Massive, Traktor and Kontakt and hardware like Maschine+. Native Instruments also owns the brands iZotope, Brainworx and Plugin Alliance. We don’t have many specifics as to what this entails and what the future of the company will look like. We do know that an administrator has been appointed to handle restructuring and, potentially, to sell off existing assets. Native Instruments employs hundreds of people and their fates also remain uncertain. A private equity firm called Francisco Partners owns…

  • Jennifer Garner’s Once Upon a Farm resumes IPO plans

    January 28, 2026

    Organic food company Once Upon a Farm, known for its baby food and kids snacks, is resuming its IPO plans, per an SEC filing and Reuters. The company had initially planned to hold its IPO last year, though it paused it amid the government shutdown. But it filed an updated S-1 on Tuesday which offered a price range of $17- $19 a share, indicating that the process has resumed, perhaps signalling that the overall IPO market is starting to thaw. The company is expected to make its debut on February 6, according to IPO Scoop. Once Upon A Farm was…

  • Razer made a web app version of Synapse

    January 28, 2026

    Gaming peripheral company Razer has the beta release of Synapse Web, a browser-based version of its desktop software. The web app is intended for quick adjustments when away from home, such as LANs or tournaments, where downloading the full desktop version may not be possible or practical. At launch, Synapse Web will only support the Razer Huntsman V3 Pro keyboards, though Razer says more devices will be added down the line. Using any Chromium-based browser, users can make quick changes to key settings, apply Chroma RGB quick effects and manage on-board profiles. These profiles can then be viewed, edited and…

  • Elon Musk reportedly wants a June SpaceX IPO to align with his birthday, the planets

    January 28, 2026

    Elon Musk is eyeing sometime in June for SpaceX’s blockbuster IPO, according to the Financial Times. The billionaire reportedly wants the offering to coincide with both his birthday (June 28th) and the rare alignment of Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter (which is happening in early June). Regardless of when it happens, though, SpaceX’s IPO will likely be one of the largest in history: It’s looking to raise at least $50 billion at a $1.5 trillion valuation, per the FT (which also noted that those figures are likely to change). The company wants more funding as it builds its Starship rocket, aiming…

  • What’s included and what it means for creators

    January 28, 2026

    Services have been a huge part of Apple’s business for the past several years — to the tune of tens of billions of dollars in revenue last year alone. Now, with the new Apple Creator Studio bundle, the company is leaning harder into the professional creative software space. Apple Creator Studio packages a bunch of the company’s pro apps into a single subscription service that you can pay monthly or yearly for. It’s officially available starting January 28, and includes a one-month free trial. The key shift is that some of these apps are now subscription-only on iPad, even as…

  • Disrupt 2026: +1 passes are almost gone and only 3 days remain

    January 28, 2026

    The plus-one passes at 50% off are almost sold out. Now the clock is really ticking. In just 3 days, the best deal at the lowest ticket prices for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 disappear. With demand already surging and early inventory moving fast, this is the final window to lock in record-low pricing and secure a plus-one for half the price while limited passes remain. If Disrupt has been on your must-attend list, now is the time to save up to $680 on your pass and bring a plus-one at 50% off. This pricing ends January 30, 11:59 p.m. PT, or the moment the remaining plus-one passes sell out. No extensions. No exceptions. Register…