All posts tagged: tech

Ex-DOGE Employees Are Raising 0 Million for an AI Security Company

Ex-DOGE Employees Are Raising $130 Million for an AI Security Company

Published by Sam Flores

When former DOGE employees Nate Cavanaugh and Justin Fox recently decided to start an AI company, they looked to their DOGE team for seed funding, a person with direct knowledge said. They approached Steve Davis, DOGE’s operational head and a longtime Musk deputy. “It was just natural to go to the leadership team at DOGE first,” the source said. This month, Cavanaugh and Fox—who went viral for DOGE case depositions in which they defended cutting jobs and struggled to define DEI—announced Special.co, a start-up that will initially aim to buy businesses that receive government funding, like Medicare, and make them more efficient with AI. Their investors are a who’s who of the Musk-verse, including Davis, Andreessen Horowitz, and Human Capital, the firm of DOGE headhunter Baris Akis. But other investors are wary. To bet on DOGE is to bet on a distinctly MAGA brand, one defense executive we spoke to said, and some investors are curious about just how ideologically entrenched these guys are—and whether they will be able to pivot if the Republicans lose …

The First Fully AI Movie to Screen at a Festival Has Nearly Glitch-Free Tribeca Debut

The First Fully AI Movie to Screen at a Festival Has Nearly Glitch-Free Tribeca Debut

Published by Sam Flores

If there are no cameras, actors, or sets, can Dreams of Violets, the first feature-length, live-action, completely AI-generated movie accepted to a major festival be considered a film? It’s a question Tribeca Film Festival cofounders Jane Rosenthal and Robert DeNiro asked roughly 150 ticketholders to ponder at the project’s festival premiere on Wednesday. Rosenthal lent her in-person support, reading an intro before the film where she acknowledged it had sparked “a bit of controversy.” But, as she reiterated in her own statement to Vanity Fair, Tribeca “has long championed artists who push the boundaries of storytelling and explore new creative frontiers.” Rosenthal also called the film “a powerful example of how emerging technologies like AI can be used not simply as tools of innovation, but as vehicles for deeply human storytelling.” The 75-minute drama, inspired by the protests that spread through Tehran in January, follows five Iranians who meet in an alley before their execution. They are witnessed from a window by Amir, a 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. The real-world tragedy left thousands of …

Record AirPods Price Drops and a Rare Switch 2 Sale: This Week’s Top Tech Deals

Record AirPods Price Drops and a Rare Switch 2 Sale: This Week’s Top Tech Deals

Published by skeptic

Multiple AirPods models hit record low prices this week, including the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2. We’re tracking these great discounts alongside an ultra rare discount on a new Switch 2 on Woot, plus a Summer sale at Sonos. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Nintendo Switch 2 What’s the deal? Take $15 off Switch 2 with code NEW15 Where can I get it? Woot Woot has a rare deal on a brand new Nintendo Switch 2 console with the code NEW15, which can be used at checkout for customers making their first purchase on Woot. With this code you can take $15 off the base Switch 2 system, which isn’t a lot, but given that these systems are rarely on sale (and are about to get a $50 price increase in September), this is a fairly notable sale. AirPods Pro 3 What’s the deal? Take …

SpaceX: Why Chinese investors are banned from the biggest IPO in history

SpaceX: Why Chinese investors are banned from the biggest IPO in history

Published by Sam Flores

The biggest initial public offering (IPO) in history will happen without China. Billionaire tycoon Elon Musk’s aerospace and AI conglomerate SpaceX has decided that Chinese and Hong Kong investors will not be able to buy shares in the soon-to-be publicly traded company, which makes its Wall Street debut on Friday. “Mutual funds, private equities, sovereign funds, family offices and high-net-worth individuals from the two jurisdictions will all be blocked from this highly anticipated IPO,” reported the China Daily, a major English-language newspaper owned by the Communist Party of China. In the name of national security First reported by Bloomberg last Friday, the ban on a whole country from buying shares quickly went into effect. Reuters reported that people based in Hong Kong or mainland China trying to sign up to buy shares through the official SpaceX site were treated to an “Error 1009” message. “As far as I can recall, this is one of the first times an entire nation has been so explicitly excluded from an initial public offering,” said Grégoire Kounowski, an investment adviser at …

Texas Tech warns Big 12 sanctions could spark massive liability fight

Texas Tech warns Big 12 sanctions could spark massive liability fight

Published by skeptic

The Big 12 is considering its next move after receiving a warning from the Texas Attorney General’s Office that any attempt to punish Texas Tech over quarterback Brendan Sorsby could lead to significant legal consequences. A June 11 letter sent to Commissioner Brett Yormark and board chairman Douglas A. Girod argues that sanctioning Texas Tech for complying with a court order would violate the law and expose the conference and its members to major financial risk. The Texas Attorney General sent a formal letter to the Big 12 today alerting the conference that Texas Tech would take action against any league sanction. https://t.co/7JwscVxaVk pic.twitter.com/m5Eoo4yZkd — Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 11, 2026 The dispute follows a June 8 temporary injunction in Sorsby v. NCAA. The ruling prevents the NCAA, under specified conditions, from stopping Sorsby from practicing, playing, or otherwise participating for Texas Tech during the 2026 football season. Judge Ken Curry granted the injunction after finding Sorsby had shown “a probable right to the relief he seeks” and that “the balance of equities is in …

SpaceX’s IPO Live: What Elon Musk’s Public Offering Means for Tech, the Market and You

SpaceX’s IPO Live: What Elon Musk’s Public Offering Means for Tech, the Market and You

Published by skeptic

IPOs can be volatile, especially for retail investors. SpaceX is no exception.  Sundry Photography/Adobe Stock I just did a quick Google search for SpaceX IPO. How many hundreds of articles are we actually expected to read about this?  Given the buzz around Friday’s big IPO, there are a few misconceptions worth addressing upfront. While many people view SpaceX as a massive, dominant space enterprise, it’s more complicated than that.  “In reality, it’s a very successful but fairly small satellite launch company, bolted onto a stagnant money-losing social media company and a money-incinerating AI company, and then sprinkled with a lot of hype about humankind going interplanetary,” said Robin Wigglesworth, editor of the Financial Times’ finance blog, Alphaville.  In other words, perhaps it’s more akin to a vertically integrated space and communications company with ambitious, high-risk side bets. Sure, at its center, SpaceX is a launch company that designs rockets (like Falcon 9 and Starship) and sells access to space. But around that, it has those related businesses — most notably Starlink, its satellite internet network, …

Cameras, Sensors, and 3D Body Scans: All the Tech Helping Eliminate Blown Calls

Cameras, Sensors, and 3D Body Scans: All the Tech Helping Eliminate Blown Calls

Published by skeptic

At the 2026 World Cup, the refs on the field and the officials on the sidelines will be able to use an abundance of tech to help call penalties, spot offside violations, and make other consequential decisions. The video assistant referee system, known as VAR, and the semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) have been used in soccer for years. But the setup at this summer’s World Cup represents some of the most advanced uses of adjudication tech to date—not just in soccer, but across all high-level sports. During each match, the pitch will be awash in sensors, cameras, and new computer vision software. One especially notable advancement this year is the use of digital twins. Every player in the World Cup has had their body scanned by a computer. The digital twin of any athlete—which precisely matches their height, limb length, and shoe size—can be dropped into a virtual simulation of the game to determine their exact position relative to the ball, boundary lines, and other players. Officials can use all of this data to help …

Tech moguls claim China funds U.S. data center opposition : NPR

Tech moguls claim China funds U.S. data center opposition : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Protesters hold signs in front the of the Utah State Capitol building to oppose the construction of the Stratos data center in Box Elder County on May 23, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Tech millionaires claim China is behind a wave of local opposition to U.S. data centers, while providing little direct evidence. Natalie Behring/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Natalie Behring/Getty Images North America Speaking at an event titled “Harnessing American Power” last month, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum expressed dismay at what he saw as a new wave of local opposition to data centers in America. What’s more, he claimed, not everything was as it seemed. “It’s not organic and local, some of this is foreign-sourced dark money,” he told the crowd. He isn’t alone in his suspicions. Over on the podcast All-In, which is hosted by a group of tech multimillionaires who call each other “besties,” there was also talk of foreign influence, specifically from China. “It is starting to feel or seem like there might be a CCP-funded campaign,” …

TCUs Buddie urges patience as Texas Tech ruling on Brendan Sorsby sparks debate among Big 12

TCUs Buddie urges patience as Texas Tech ruling on Brendan Sorsby sparks debate among Big 12

Published by skeptic

The court decision that will allow Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby to play despite NCAA gambling-related sanctions continues to draw strong reactions across college sports. While several administrators have sharply criticized the outcome, TCU athletic director Mike Buddie is urging colleagues to avoid rushing toward major decisions. #TCU Athletic Director Mike Buddie responds to the newest Texas Tech court ruling in a new episode of Frogs Today Saturday at 10am @TCUFootball @TCUBasketball @tcuwbb @TCUWomensGolf @TCUvolleyball @TCU_Baseball #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/TsZmavTz17 — Frogs Today (@frogstoday) June 9, 2026 During an interview, Buddie said the industry should give itself time before responding to a ruling that has raised questions about NCAA enforcement power, competitive fairness, and the growing influence of the courts. “History has taught me, Jay, that for about 72 hours after crazy things happen, you probably just need to take a deep breath and think on things,” Buddie said. “Not respond emotionally.” Big 12 reaction on Texas Tech Brendan Sorsby ruling Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen delivered one of the strongest responses, telling Sports Business Journal that …

Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., and Other Rocket Barons Set to Profit From the SpaceX IPO

Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., and Other Rocket Barons Set to Profit From the SpaceX IPO

Published by Sam Flores

At least 10 Trump administration officials have reported stakes in SpaceX or xAI worth as much as $44 million combined, according to Bloomberg. Steve Witkoff, the special envoy leading peace negotiations in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran, indirectly holds between $1 million and $5 million in SpaceX. Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business Administration, holds xAI shares through a fund under Valor Equity Partners—the firm run by SpaceX board member and DOGE alumnus Antonio Gracias. Betsy DeVos, the former education secretary, purchased shares in SpaceX through an investor who was mentioned earlier this year in a ProPublica piece about Chinese investment in SpaceX. Anthony Scaramucci, who served as President Trump’s White House communications director for all of 11 days in 2017, took to X to announce, “I own SpaceX. I participated in a private round. I was also an investor in xAI”—before adding that the “cult of personality around Elon Musk gives his companies an excessive premium that is off the charts.” The SpaceX Insiders Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO, told Time in March, “I …