AI Business
Funding, acquisitions, market moves and business models.
Samsung Reports Massive Profit Surge for Q2 2026, Yet Shares Slump
Samsung Electronics has reported a dramatic 19-fold increase in Q2 2026 operating profits, driven by the ongoing AI-fueled memory boom. However, despite the strong earnings guidance, the company's share price fell sharply amid investor concerns about memory demand and long-term sustainability.
Microsoft Xbox’s Revenue Slide and Game Pass Underperformance Spark Spin-Off Talks
Microsoft’s Xbox gaming division faces a structural crisis: $500 million in annual revenue losses, Game Pass subscriber attrition after a 50% price hike, hardware cost explosions, and studio closures — prompting serious discussion about spinning off the 25-year-old business.
Nasdaq Drops 2% as Oil’s War Premium Vanishes—And Algorithms Pulled the Trigger
The Nasdaq Composite tumbled on June 23, 2026, not because of earnings or rates, but because a geopolitical risk premium in oil evaporated—and AI-driven trading systems overreacted.
How an Ex-Apple Team Built a $1B Smart Glasses Company Without a Single Camera
The ex-Apple smart glasses startup Even Realities raised $150M at a $1B valuation, betting on camera-free display-first glasses with proprietary optics and a companion ring controller.
Big Money Broke Game Dev — And Players Are Paying the Price
How venture capital pressures and corporate consolidations stripped flexibility from game development, replacing creative risk-taking with rigid profit models that hurt both studios and players.
Market Pulse: Navigating AI Opportunities, Oracle’s Challenges, and Wendy’s Growth
A look at key market developments, focusing on the AI landscape, struggles facing Oracle Corporation, and recent business moves by Wendy's.
Kutcher’s Quiet Bet: Why the Next AI Revolution Won’t Be in the Model, But in the Grid
Ashton Kutcher is leaving Sound Ventures — the firm he co-founded 11 years ago with Guy Oseary — to start a new venture capital firm focused on early-stage AI infrastructure, energy, and deep tech startups, co-founded with former Andreessen Horowitz and NFX partner Morgan Beller.
Mistral AI Isn’t Europe’s OpenAI—It’s Something Stranger
How a French startup built a $23B AI empire not by copying Silicon Valley, but by betting on sovereignty, debt, and a quiet revolution in enterprise AI.
Australia's Startup Battlefield: What the TechCrunch-Stripe Partnership Actually Means for Founders
TechCrunch and Stripe are bringing Startup Battlefield to Sydney on August 19, selecting eight early-stage companies for a live pitch competition. Here's what founders need to know about eligibility, the prize structure, and why this format matters more than the credits on offer.
Subs, Not Sentience: How Jersey Mike's IPO Reveals the AI Hype's Absurd Extent
An analysis of how even a non-tech sandwich franchise feels compelled to sprinkle AI mentions in its SEC filing—not because it uses AI heavily, but because investors demand the buzzword—even as tech firms twist themselves into knots to qualify for AI valuations.
The Quiet Empire: How Bending Spoons Built a $25B Portfolio by Killing the Startup Lottery
How a Milan-based tech conglomerate turned failed startups into a $25B empire by eliminating luck, embracing AI, and ruthlessly optimizing legacy software — serving over 500 million users with fewer than 700 core engineers.
SpaceX Valuation Soars to $2.9 Trillion Briefly Passes Amazon
SpaceX briefly surpassed Amazon to become the fifth-most valuable company in the world, and came perilously close to eclipsing Microsoft.