Tootfinder

London-based Tem, which uses AI to optimize energy transactions for businesses, raised a $75M Series B led by Lightspeed, a source says at a $300M valuation (Tim De Chant/TechCrunch)
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/09/tem-raises-75m-to-remake-electric…

Exclusive: Tem raises $75M to remake electricity markets using AI | TechCrunch
Tem has built a transaction engine that relies on AI to cut costs. Lightspeed led the round to help the startup expand to the U.S. and Australia.

Donnerstag: EU-Ermittlungen gegen Temu, Preismanipulation von Instacart per KI
Subventionsvorwürfe an Temu Preiserhöhungen durch Instacart-KI Nvidias Tracking gegen KI-Chip-Schmuggel Update für Notepad gegen Malware #heiseshow

"In 1999, I interviewed Prince for TIME and he told me to leave my tape recorder off because he didn’t trust what future technology might do with unauthorized recordings of his voice.
At the time, I thought Prince was being paranoid ... I realize now that Prince wasn’t paranoid, he was prescient."
https://

It's Time to Rage Against the AI Music Machine
If AI music takes over "humans will begin to echo the machines, and there will be a downward spiral into slop."

More Immigrants Than Ever Are Challenging Detention
An analysis of habeas cases since 2009 shows that
immigrants have filed more challenges to their detention in the first 13 months of Trump’s second term
than in the last three administrations combined
— and the number keeps rising.
The Trump administration’s push for mass deportations has resulted in more than 18,000 challenges in federal court
from immigrants claiming their detention is illegal,
mor…

Immigrants Who Say Their Detention Is Illegal Have Filed More Than 18,000 Cases. It’s a Historic High.
Immigrants claiming their detention is illegal have filed more than 18,000 challenges in federal court. This total is more than were filed under the last three administrations combined — including Trump’s first term.

Source: OpenAI disbanded its mission alignment team and transferred its staffers; Joshua Achiam, who led the team, will take on a new title of "chief futurist" (Casey Newton/Platformer)
https://www.platformer.news/openai-mission-alignment-team-joshua-achiam…

Exclusive: OpenAI disbanded its mission alignment team
Joshua Achiam will become the company's chief futurist

Europäische Temu-Büros durchsucht
Temus europäische Niederlassung ist durchsucht worden. Anlass ist der Verdacht verbotener ausländischer Subventionen.
https://www.heise.de/news/Europaeische-Tem

Taiwan's data shows the US became its top export destination in 2025 over China, including Hong Kong, the first time since 1999, partly driven by AI tech demand (Hideaki Ryugen/Nikkei Asia)
https://asia.nikkei.com/economy/trade/taiwan-…

Taiwan exports to US overtake those to China on AI tech demand
Wider goods trade surplus in 2025 stokes worries over Trump tariff pressure

Time names "the Architects of AI" as its 2025 Person of the Year and takes a look at AI's effect on the economy, geopolitics, and how we interact with the world (Time)
https://time.com/7339685/person-of-the-year-2025-ai-architects/

The Architects of AI Are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year
The Architects of AI drove the economy, shaped geopolitics, and changed the way we interact with the world.

Sources: Lip-Bu Tan's dual roles as Intel CEO and tech investor cause consternation in the industry and at Intel; four ex-Intel execs say it caused them to exit (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/technology/lip-bu-tan-intel-ceo-investor.h…

Does the Job of C.E.O. or Private Investor Come First? Intel’s Chief Is Juggling That Question.
Lip-Bu Tan, who was appointed chief executive of Intel in March, is also a longtime venture capitalist. His dual roles have caused some consternation.

Five members of xAI's 12-person founding team have now left the company, with four of the departures coming in just the last year (Russell Brandom/TechCrunch)
https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/10/nearly-half-of-xais-founding-team-has-now-left-th…

Nearly half of xAI's founding team has now left the company | TechCrunch
Whatever the cause of the departures, the cumulative impact is alarming. There is a lot of work left to do at xAI, and an IPO will bring more scrutiny than the lab has ever faced before.