The targets of the latest mega-hack from from China's digital spies included President Trump, Vice President Vance and, most likely, you.
Why it matters: It doesn't matter what China-linked technologycompanies the U.S. and allies ban. Beijing's hackers are still finding fresh ways into global networks — and now they're expanding to ordinary citizens' data.
Teaching students AI literacy from an early age is key to American success, first lady Melania Trump said at a White House event on Thursday with cabinet secretaries and tech CEOs.
Why it matters: The White House sees AI in K-12 education as a key part of ensuring American competitiveness in the field.
Kirill Bigai, CEO and co-founder of Preply, shares how the company's human-led, AI-enabled approach is putting Preply at the forefront of the rapidly evolving world of online language learning.
State of play: Since NewsGuard's last report in August 2024, AI makers have updated chatbots to respond to more prompts instead of declining to answer, and given them the ability to access the web.
Welcome to the year of the Bro IPO: Men make up an overwhelming majority of executives at companies recently looking to go public, a new analysis finds.
Why it matters: It's thelatest sign that the decade-plus push for gender diversity inside corporate America, already facing a backlash, has all but collapsed amid the anti-diversity policies of the White House.
With kids back in school, neuroscientists, scholars and psychologists are encouraging parents to get curious about how their children — particularly K-12 — are using AI.
Why it matters: There's essentially "an experiment underway" with young kids, because a huge percentage of them are using genAI tools at school and at home, says Kris Perry, executive director of children and screens at the Institute of Digital Media and Child Development.
Google must pay $425 million for breaching users' privacy by collecting data from millions of users who'd switched off a tracking feature in their account, per a Wednesday federal jury verdict.
What we're watching: The tech giant will appeal the ruling, a Google spokesperson said in a statement shared with outlets including Axios.
Billionaire Julia Koch and her family have agreed to buy a minority stake in the NFL's New York Giants at a valuation of around $10 billion, Bloomberg first reported and Axios confirmed with a source close to the situation.
Why it matters: This would be the highest valuation ever fetched in an NFL team sale, easily topping the $6 billion that Josh Harris paid for control of the Washington Commanders in 2023.
The official White House "company" page on LinkedIn received a brand refresh this week, replacing the traditional White House logo with a photo of President Trump.
Why it matters: It's another example of the Trump administration's social media trolling tactics, and it has resulted in his image showing up on former President Obama's LinkedIn page.
Newsmax on Wednesday filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against cable news rival Fox, alleging the network used unfair practices to illegally stifle competition among conservative cable networks.
Why it matters: The lawsuit alleges Fox News has used its viewership dominance to coerce pay-TV providers to sign exclusionary contracts that prevent cable networks like Newsmax from getting adequate distribution.
Scott Kupor was the first employee at Andreessen Horowitz, hired back when it was just a couple tech vets hoping to raise a few hundred million dollars and never take board seats.
He'd spend the next 16 years as managing partner, even taking portfolio board seats of his own, and serving as chair of the National Venture Capital Association.
Kupor now is in a very different role, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which is something akin to the federal government's HR department.
Defense startup Vector has raised $61 million since its founding a little more than one year ago, its chief executive, Andy Yakulis, first told Axios.
Why it matters: The 150-person company, based in Salt Lake City, bills itself as a provider of modern warfare as a service, a deadly riff on the more widely known "as a service" model.
Laser-turret maker Aurelius Systemsplans to hire more people, build out its production lines and continue participating in U.S. military tests on the heels of a $10 million seed round.
Why it matters: The company is gaining traction as drone-counter-drone discussions, as well as talks about the sustainability of overhead defenses, reach a fever pitch.
The U.S. Air Force's F-47 will be be airborne "faster than normal," as maker Boeing is "positioned to go quickly," the head of its clandestine Phantom Works division said.
Why it matters: Everyone is watching this futuristic fighter project and what the final product means for Western airpower.
Millions of you, including my two boys, just started a new school year swamped by toxic politics, a tough job market, and tectonic AI shifts on campus and off.
It's easy to understand why stress, uncertainty and sadness are soaring.
Why it matters: I want to offer you a very different way to see the world awaiting you — one with a lot less impending doom. It's based on a belief I grow more certain of with each passing month:
Sierra, which builds custom AI agents for enterprise customer service, is nearing a deal for a $350 million financing round that values the two-year-old startup at $10 billion, a source tells Axios.
Why it matters: AI agents have been hot all year but the industry hasn't yet settled on a clear path for building and deploying them. Sierra is betting on a specialized approach optimized for support and customer service needs.
A federal appeals court reinstated Rebecca Slaughter, the Biden-appointed Federal Trade Commission commissioner whom President Trump fired, in a 2-1 decision on Tuesday.
The latest: The White House has indicated it will appeal the ruling in the Supreme Court.
