🕶️ DeepSeek to Big Tech: u scared?

Seven bullets of updates

1. 🐀 Canaery partners with US Energy lab to develop neural implants for rats and dogs, decoding scents in real-time.

2. ⚖️ Major publishers sue AI firms over copyright, targeting unauthorized content scraping.

3.  🤖 Avride launches sidewalk delivery bots on Uber Eats in Jersey City, offering autonomous food deliveries in partnership with Uber.

4. 🌍 Google limits Black and Women’s History Month features, sparking criticism over reduced DEI initiatives.

5. 🚨 Lawmakers renew push to ban TikTok, targeting its availability on iOS and Google Play over security fears.

6. 📉 The tech industry faces ongoing layoffs, with 428,449 tech workers losing their jobs in 2022 and 2023 combined, and the downsizing shows no signs of slowing.

7. 🌈 OpenAI removes diversity pledge from its website, raising questions about its commitment to inclusion.

DeepSeek’s AI is Stirring Up Tech Giants

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is making waves, not just in research papers, but in the earnings calls of some of the biggest tech giants. Executives from Alphabet, Amazon, AMD, and Airbnb have all been name-dropping the company, raising questions about its potential to disrupt the AI landscape. With more cost-effective models that rival industry leaders, DeepSeek is proving that you don’t need billions in VC funding to shake up the market—just a really good algorithm.

For startups in the AI space, this is both inspiring and terrifying. On one hand, it shows that a small team can still outmaneuver the big players. On the other, when industry leaders start sweating over a new competitor, it’s usually not long before acquisitions, lawsuits, or copycats enter the chat. If DeepSeek keeps up this momentum, we might soon see a new AI superpower rising.

And who knows? Maybe OpenAI and Google will start sneaking its name into their earnings calls too—like an ex they just can’t stop talking about.

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These companies just raised money

1. 🤖 Apptronik raises $350M to build humanoid robots, partnering with Google to scale development.

2. 🤳 Uscreen lands $150M to help creators monetize, expanding its platform for influencer-owned apps.

3. 🚀 K2 Space raises $110M to disrupt satellites, aiming to make space tech cheaper.

4. 🏠 ICON raises $56M to scale 3D-printed homes, with backing from Norwest and Tiger Global.

5. 💬 Plain raises $15M to unify B2B customer service chats, streamlining support into a single platform.

6. 🖌️ Phase raises $13M and exits beta, launching its no-code design platform to take on Figma.

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LLC vs INC: a guide for startups

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Elon Musk vs. OpenAI: The Nonprofit Drama No One Saw Coming

Just when you thought the AI wars couldn’t get messier (did you watch our video already?), Elon Musk wants OpenAI to go back to its roots—and he’s putting billions on the table to make it happen. The billionaire, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but left in 2018, is now offering $97.4 billion to acquire OpenAI’s nonprofit arm. His goal? Undo its transformation into a for-profit entity and (probably) remind everyone he was there first.

For startups, this is more than just a billionaire soap opera. It’s a reminder of how quickly a mission-driven company can pivot when big money comes to play. OpenAI was originally built to ensure AI benefits all of humanity—now, it’s backed by Microsoft and pushing to dominate the market. Musk’s move raises a big question: Can an AI startup stay ethical and independent, or is the pull of profit too strong? 

Either way, watching Musk try to bring OpenAI back to its nonprofit days is like watching someone try to put toothpaste back in the tube—messy, chaotic, and unlikely to work.

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Startup Events and Deadlines

1. Today! | Defense Startups: New Paths to a Huge Customer | February 15 | California

2. Personal Branding 101 for Founders | Feb 18 | NYC

3. Conscious Connection for founders, leaders, & curious people | Feb 19 | Austin

4. Techstars Columbus | Deadline: April 1 | USA

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