Waymo reportedly raising a $16B funding round
Waymo is reportedly finalizing a new funding round that will value the robotaxi company at $110 billion.
Tech
SpaceX seeks federal approval to launch 1 million solar-powered satellite data centers
SpaceX’s filing claims these satellites will be “a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization — one that can harness the Sun’s full power.”
“No more Minnesota nice, Minneapolis will strike”
It was too cold to take off my mittens and check Google Maps so I put my faith in the trickle of bundled-up people ahead of me. All of them were carrying signs and wearing whistles around their necks on top of layers and layers of winter clothing. At first there were dozens of us […]
SpaceX wants to put 1 million solar-powered data centers into orbit
SpaceX filed a request with the FCC on Friday seeking approval to put a constellation of 1 million data center satellites into orbit. While the FCC is unlikely to approve a network that expansive, SpaceX’s strategy has been to request approval for unrealistically large numbers of satellites as a starting point for negotiations. The filing […]
Nvidia CEO pushes back against report that his company’s $100B OpenAI investment has stalled
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said that a recent report of friction between his company and OpenAI was “nonsense.”
HomeBoost’s app will show you where to save on your utility bills
The startup is partnering with utilities to help homeowners determine the best upgrades to cut their energy use.
The AirPods 4 and Google’s 4K streamer are just two of this week’s best deals
Happy Saturday, folks! After a few weeks of middling deals, we’re starting see things pick up. Some of our favorite deals of the holiday season have returned in some fashion, making now a great time to pick up deal stalwarts like the AirPods 4 with ANC or Google’s TV Streamer (4K). We also stumbled upon […]
Cassette Boy forces you to see its world in a whole new way
It’s no secret that Cassette Boy is inspired by the classics. It’s a top-down adventure game in the vein of a retro Legend of Zelda, while your home base is a small town like in an older Pokémon game, complete with a mom who is constantly wishing you well. The game’s blocky 3D graphics evoke […]
A nice upgrade for Apple’s simplest gadget
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 114, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, send Arc Raiders tips, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about wind turbines and phishing scams and oboes, keeping organized […]
ChatGPT isn’t the only chatbot pulling answers from Elon Musk’s Grokipedia
ChatGPT is using Grokipedia as a source, and it’s not the only AI tool to do so. Citations to Elon Musk’s AI-generated encyclopedia are starting to appear in answers from Google’s AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Gemini, too. Data suggests that’s on the rise, heightening concerns about accuracy and misinformation as Musk seeks to reshape […]