Category: Silicon Valley (Calif)

Welcome to the Office. Now Take Off Your Shoes.

Some start-ups, blurring the lines between home and office, are embracing a “no shoes” policy.
The New Billionaires of the A.I. Boom

Just like past tech booms, the latest frenzy has produced a group of billionaires — at least on paper — from smaller start-ups.
Silicon Valley’s Man in the White House Is Benefiting Himself and His Friends

David Sacks, the Trump administration’s A.I. and crypto czar, has helped formulate policies that aid his Silicon Valley friends and many of his own tech investments.
Trump’s $100,000 Visa Fee Puts Many Tech Start-Ups in a Bind

Silicon Valley start-ups said they were concerned they would be disproportionately hurt by the new visa fee for skilled foreign workers, given their limited resources.
‘Peak SF’ on a Friday Night Is a Robot Fight

The artificial intelligence boom, which has brought techies flocking back to the city, has fueled a resurgence of live — and sometimes futuristic — events.
OpenAI Employee Stock Sale Would Value ChatGPT Maker at $500 Billion

At $500 billion, OpenAI would become the world’s most valuable privately held company.
How Tech Firms Like Google and Meta Are Embracing the Military

In a major shift, Google, OpenAI, Meta and venture capitalists — many of whom had once forsworn involvement in war — have embraced the military industrial complex.
A.I. Researchers Are Negotiating $250 Million Pay Packages. Just Like NBA Stars.

A.I. technologists are approaching the job market as if they are Steph Curry or LeBron James, seeking advice from their entourages and playing hardball with the highest bidders.
Meta’s New Superintelligence Lab Is Discussing Major A.I. Strategy Changes

Members of the lab, including the new chief A.I. officer, Alexandr Wang, have talked about abandoning Meta’s most powerful open source A.I. model in favor of developing a closed one.
Google Hires Top A.I. Leaders From Windsurf, Which OpenAI Was Courting

In a $2.4 billion deal, Google recruited the chief executive and a co-founder of Windsurf, which OpenAI had been in talks to buy, as the battle to dominate artificial intelligence escalates.
A Prominent Investor Is Criticized Over Mamdani Comments

A partner at Sequoia, the venture capital giant drew criticism for calling the Democratic mayoral candidate for New York an “Islamist.”
How Trump Could Make Larry Ellison the Next Media Mogul

The co-founder of Oracle and friend of President Trump, who was a flamboyant fixture in the 1990s, has returned to the spotlight through — of all things — TikTok.