The business of tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
SEC Chair Paul Atkins wants to ease the rules that keep startups private, which could make going public a more realistic path for smaller companies.
Read more: The SEC wants to make it easier for startups to go publicCrunchbase says startups in 17 Republican-run states raised $8.6 billion this year, under 2% of U.S. venture funding, as AI giants soak up most of the money.
Read more: Startups in Republican-run states got under 2% of 2026 fundingOpen AI models are being adopted for lower costs and more control, and a Hugging Face policy chief says the open question is who makes money from them.
Read more: Free AI models are going mainstream, and the money question is openUber's delivery arm grew faster in the third quarter while ride-hailing slowed, and one analyst says the ride slowdown is not a big worry.
Read more: Uber's food and package delivery speeds up as ride growth coolsNothing says its first AI device ships in December with no new screen. Details are scarce, and earlier screen-free AI gadgets have struggled to win people over.
Read more: Nothing says its first AI gadget, with no screen, ships in DecemberCanva is cutting or moving 1,271 workers, about 22% of its staff, in the first major layoffs in its 13-year history. Here is what that could mean for users.
Read more: Canva cuts 1,271 jobs, about 22% of its staff, in its first big layoffsInstinct's founder says nearly 40% of users link a credit card within three weeks. Here is what these AI assistants ask for and what to check first.
Read more: Nearly 40% of users give an AI assistant their credit card in 3 weeksYellow Card now owns GoMoney, a Brazilian firm, so clients can pay in reais and settle in stablecoins. Full central bank approval is still pending.
Read more: Yellow Card buys a Brazilian firm to move stablecoin payments thereOpenAI is buying Pierre Computer Company, whose tools already power its Codex coding assistant, in a push to help AI agents and developers share code.
Read more: OpenAI buys the startup behind the tools its coding assistant usesMeta has bought Conductor, a startup whose tool lets developers run several AI coding helpers at once. It hints at cheaper, faster software work.
Read more: Meta buys Conductor, a tool for running many AI coding helpers at onceA Hugging Face policy chief talks about the costs, risks and trade-offs of building a business on free AI models, as Chinese open models gain ground.
Read more: What to know before building a business on free AI modelsCVS Health plans to split its drugstores from Aetna insurance and Caremark in 2028, which could reshape how you get care and coverage over time.
Read more: CVS plans to split its drugstores from its insurance businessA startup founded by a former DOGE staffer says it got into Anthropic's AI agents through outside vendor tools. Here is why that matters if your business uses agents.
Read more: Startup says it broke into Anthropic's AI agents via vendor toolsRevolut says it is now worth $115 billion after new funding, while a U.K. regulator reportedly looks at how fast the money app is rolling out new products.
Read more: Revolut, the money app, is now valued at $115 billionDoorDash is rolling out an AI tool that suggests when and where Dashers should work, but the suggestions come with no promise of orders or pay.
Read more: DoorDash Dashers Can Now Ask an AI When and Where to WorkBerlin firm Pliant raised $80 million to let outside AI tools run business payments, which raises a fair question about who is responsible when software moves money.
Read more: Berlin payments firm Pliant raises $80 million to let AI pay billsBinance says the largest theft on record began with a fake software installer and a fake job test. The same tricks can hit any work computer.
Read more: Biggest theft ever began with a fake software installer on a MacTitan OS, a smart TV software maker, raised $46 million and now runs on 30 million users' screens. Its business is ads and free channels on your TV.
Read more: Titan OS, a smart TV software maker, raises $46 million as ads fuel growthTwelve South's $80 AirFly View plugs into a seatback jack so Bluetooth headphones work on older planes, but cheaper models do much the same job.
Read more: A $80 gadget lets any headphones work with plane seatback screensAi2 is building NeuralGCM+, a free, open climate model funded by Google.org, aimed at faster long-range forecasts of rain and water supply through mid-century.
Read more: Ai2 and Google fund a faster, open climate model for the coming decadesRiverside Payments agreed to pay $600,000 over claims it promised card-fee savings that did not show up and hid costs in a long contract.
Read more: Payments firm pays $600,000 over claims it hid fees from small shopsUber says outside AI agents arranged just four rides last quarter, a sign that asking a bot to book your trip is still rare.
Read more: Uber says AI helpers booked just 4 rides last quarterAfter big Democratic wins, one analyst expects Congress to pass strict AI rules in early 2027, and local data center limits are already spreading.
Read more: Big Democratic wins make tough AI laws far more likely next yearJoveo has launched an AI assistant for the person asking the questions in a job interview. It is live now, so job seekers and hiring teams may meet it soon.
Read more: Hiring software now gives interviewers their own AI during live calls
