The business of tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg now say 'super intelligence' on earnings calls, following Trump's order. Expect the new label in pitches, but check what a tool does.
Read more: Musk and Zuckerberg start saying 'super intelligence' instead of AITravel startups raised $2.2 billion through September, less than all of 2025, even as many pitch AI. Big companies are buying the AI tools instead.
Read more: Travel startups are raising the least money in years, even with AIHark's free AI assistant now runs on Mac, and it can sign in to sites and buy things for you, so the permissions you set matter.
Read more: Hark's free AI helper for errands now runs on Mac computersRavical, a startup selling AI software to accounting and tax firms, raised $17 million. If you use an accountant, your firm may soon work this way.
Read more: Startup raises $17M to bring AI to accounting and tax firmsAmazon fell 7% and Intel 25% before the market opened Friday as investors worry that huge AI spending by tech giants may not pay off.
Read more: Amazon and Intel stocks drop sharply as AI spending worries growAmazon's cloud arm is on track for $184 billion in yearly revenue, and its CEO says AI demand could push it toward $1 trillion within ten years.
Read more: Amazon's cloud arm is growing so fast it could soon outshadow its shopTom's Guide writer used Ask Maps, an AI tool in Google Maps, to turn a vague Halloween question into a list of events with map pins and links.
Read more: Google Maps' AI helper found this writer a Halloween plan in minutesNvidia-backed Nscale is heading for a $35bn stock listing, and it depends on a West Virginia data centre project facing delays, local pushback and money risks.
Read more: Nscale's $35bn stock listing hangs on one giant West Virginia projectSpotify is planning an AI remix add-on costing up to $5 a month, aimed for early next year, the Financial Times reports. It could mean a new bill for subscribers.
Read more: Spotify plans a paid AI remix feature for early next yearVerisk, a data firm behind much of the insurance industry, is letting insurers ask its risk data questions inside Amazon Quick, Microsoft Copilot and Claude.
Read more: Insurance Data Firm Verisk Plugs Into Amazon, Microsoft and Claude AIOpsio's new Hiveforce service gives companies a team of AI workers that pause for a person's approval, with data kept in the EU.
Read more: Opsio launches Hiveforce, an AI team that waits for your approvalServiceNow and OpenAI announced a partnership to add AI to workplace software. Businesses that use ServiceNow should expect new features and ask about data.
Read more: ServiceNow and OpenAI team up to bring AI into everyday work softwareTesla's new Houston robotaxi zone is far bigger than Waymo's, but riders report long waits, odd detours and spots on the map where no ride is offered.
Read more: Tesla's new Houston robotaxi area is huge, but riders report long detoursMastercard earned $4.6 billion in the third quarter, up 18%, and its fraud and data tools are now a main source of growth. That affects how your card is protected.
Read more: Mastercard profit jumps 18% as data services drive growthCasap, a startup that uses AI to handle card disputes, raised $56 million. Honest customers could get refunds sooner while false claims get caught more often.
Read more: AI startup Casap raises $56 million to fight "friendly fraud" at banksMark Cuban says many towns are signing weak data center contracts. If one is proposed near you, the fine print can decide your noise, water and power costs.
Read more: Mark Cuban says towns are signing bad data center dealsA card company executive says wrongly blocked purchases can cost banks far more than fraud, and he wants a passkey built into the card to fix both problems.
Read more: Banks lose more to wrongly declined cards than to fraud, exec saysMollie now lets business owners create payment links and manage subscriptions by typing to Claude or ChatGPT, with human approval before money moves.
Read more: Mollie lets you run payments by chatting with Claude or ChatGPTServal, a startup that uses AI to handle workplace IT requests, tripled its value to $3 billion in under a year. Here is what it does and why it matters.
Read more: Serval, a startup that automates company IT help, hits $3 billion valueCircana, a firm that tracks what shoppers buy, has hired AI company Ode to speed up how it makes market reports for clients.
Read more: Market research firm Circana hires Ode to bring AI into its workA US cyber agency says attackers are pairing a Linux flaw with two PHP flaws to take full control of web servers. Unpatched sites are at risk.
Read more: Hackers are chaining two flaws to take over Linux web serversEcommpay has launched an AI chatbot for small businesses that take card and online payments without a finance team. Details are still thin.
Read more: Payments company Ecommpay launches AI chatbot for small businessesGap Inc. is using an AI tool called Bridgette to handle hiring chores as it expects about 200,000 seasonal job applications. Here is what that means if you apply.
Read more: Gap now uses an AI helper to screen holiday job applicantsServiceNow stock had its worst day on record after small misses and slow AI payoff. Business software buyers may soon hear more AI pitches.
Read more: ServiceNow stock has its worst day ever after weak results
