Hoodline frequently covers fundraising news, but if you're an entrepreneur thinking about how to finance your new business, you probably have a lot of questions: What is pre-seed vs. seed? How does venture capital differ from venture debt? Who are these angels and when will they come from the heavens to bless my start-up with money?

Expensify Lounge, a lavish San Francisco co-work space, will close as the company affirms that the office is dead and focuses on remote work benefits.

Lumenous sues former Chinese partners for allegedly stealing trade secrets, assets, and employees, forming a new company on stolen IP.

WeWork files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, planning to abandon seven Bay Area leases as part of restructuring efforts to strengthen finances.

Tech firm Block to cut 1,000 jobs to keep employee count below 12,000 in alignment with business growth strategy.

Nextdoor plans to cut its workforce by roughly 200 employees as it faces ongoing profitability problems, despite userbase and revenue growth.

Google co-founder initiates Pathfinder 1, a sustainable experimental airship set to revolutionize aviation and aid humanitarian pursuits.

Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt resigns after a decade, amidst recent challenges and setbacks including operational pausing and staff layoffs.

Ameresco to construct a 50-MW battery energy storage system for Silicon Valley Power, boosting renewable electricity and reducing fossil fuel reliance.

Veev faces shutdown risk as funding falls through, impacting 255 workers.

Harvard and UC Berkeley launch a study on psychedelics cultural impact.

Topcon Positioning unveils global sustainability team led by VP Michael Gomes, championing eco-friendly tech.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency conducted a ground-based interceptor missile test, visible from the San Francisco Bay Area, launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

UC Berkeley engineering professors Ashok Gadgil and Boris Rubinsky were elected as 2023 fellows of the National Academy of Inventors for their contributions to technology and society.

Google agrees to a $700 million settlement over claims of monopolizing the Android app market, with automatic consumer refunds and changes to allow alternative app stores and billing systems.

The Mountain View Fire Department in California has introduced a new system, BEST, to efficiently combat electric vehicle battery fires, reducing water usage and on-scene time for firefighters.

Oakland firefighters quickly contained a debris fire near the 880/580 freeway interchange, with no threat to buildings.

A company, Q CTRL, is developing quantum sensing technology for early earthquake detection in the Bay Area, potentially offering earlier warnings than traditional methods.

The Port of Oakland has launched the advanced FITS, designed by Parsons Corporation to improve the efficiency and security of cargo movements, with a focus on real-time data, artificial intelligence, and ongoing system maintenance.

OpenAI is forming a "Collective Alignment" team to develop democratic processes for governing AI systems, addressing issues like bias and misinformation.

Elon Musk seeks to increase his stake in Tesla to 25% for more voting control, particularly to influence its AI and robotics ventures, while awaiting a trial verdict on his past compensation.

Bandwidth IG expands its fiber network in the San Francisco Bay Area, adding over 310 route miles to support data center growth, including a new marine cable for improved connectivity.

Waymo plans to expand its driverless taxi service to Los Angeles and parts of Santa Clara County despite San Francisco's legal challenge.

U.S. Senators critiqued social media CEOs for failing to protect children online, with heated exchanges and calls for legislative action during a Judiciary Committee hearing.

Okta, Inc. is laying off 7% of its workforce, about 400 employees, to cut costs and enhance profitability. The CEO cited high costs and the layoffs coincide with the tech industry's trend of job cuts. Okta's shares rose post-announcement.

Tesla, Inc. agrees to a $1.5 million settlement for claims of improper hazardous waste handling at its California facilities, according to San Francisco's District Attorney.

The Oversight Board allowed an edited Biden video on Facebook but urged Meta to revise its manipulated media policy, which it found incoherent and too focused on content creation rather than preventing harm.

A Waymo self-driving car hit a bicyclist in San Francisco, raising safety questions regarding autonomous vehicles.

Gilead Sciences is acquiring CymaBay Therapeutics for $4.3 billion, enhancing its liver disease portfolio with seladelpar, a drug for primary biliary cholangitis.

Super Micro Computer has purchased the former Fry's Electronics site in San Jose for $80 million in cash, potentially transforming it into a tech hub.

Cisco Systems Inc. is cutting 5% of its workforce, amounting to over 4,000 jobs, aiming to refocus on growth areas like cybersecurity amidst economic challenges.

Google's AI chatbot Gemini receives mixed reviews for its performance, showing both potential and limitations, and is integrated into various Google products.

Lambda secures $320 million in Series C funding led by USIT to expand its AI-focused GPU cloud services, with participation from B Capital, SK Telecom, T. Rowe Price Associates, and others.

Even previously skeptical tech and finance figures are returning to San Francisco, drawn by its booming AI industry. The city's tech industry roots prove deep as rival hubs Austin and Miami face steep declines.

Google suspends its AI system Gemini's ability to create images of people due to backlash over historically inaccurate and culturally insensitive depictions.

OpenGov's valuation hits $1.8 billion after Cox Enterprises acquires a majority stake, expanding the cloud software provider's reach across government agencies.

Sony Interactive Entertainment announced it will cut about 8% of its workforce, which is around 900 employees, to adapt to the changing gaming industry.

EA is reducing its workforce by 5%, affecting approximately 600 employees, as part of a strategic realignment to focus on core franchises and online communities amid industry changes.

Silicon Valley startups Figure AI and Electric Sheep have secured significant funding, aiming to introduce humanoid robots for household chores and sustainability tasks. Figure AI raised $675 million, valuing the company at $2.6 billion.

Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, claiming that the company deviated from its mission and accusing it of becoming a closed-source subsidiary of Microsoft.

The European Commission fined Apple over €1.8 billion for anti-competitive practices restricting app developers from informing users about cheaper streaming subscriptions outside the App Store.

OpenAI refutes Elon Musk's lawsuit, citing emails suggesting Musk supported their funding strategy, despite his claims it betrayed open-source ideals.

Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund invests $7.7 million in Glacier, a firm using AI and robotics to revolutionize recycling by sorting materials and collecting data to improve sustainability.

Google is restricting election-related queries on its Gemini chatbot to ensure high-quality information during election periods in the U.S. and India.

Adyen expands its presence in North America by securing a new 150,000-square-foot San Francisco office to support its growth and proximity to significant clients.

Reddit's IPO on the NYSE saw shares soar 38% above the set price, valuing the company at $8.87 billion, despite initial expectations of a $6.4 billion valuation at IPO.

The Justice Department has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, accusing it of monopolizing smartphone markets by hindering competitors and innovation.

Judge Breyer dismissed a lawsuit by X Corp against the CCDH, criticizing the company for trying to stifle free speech rather than addressing data scraping concerns.

Google settled a lawsuit by agreeing to delete billions of Chrome users' personal data files and make changes to Incognito mode, although users won't receive damages.

Sam Altman steps down from OpenAI's venture capital fund, which will now be led by Ian Hathaway. The fund, not directly invested in by OpenAI, is scrutinized for its governance.

Yahoo acquires AI news aggregator Artifact, developed by Instagram co-founders, to integrate its personalization technology into Yahoo's news network and enhance user experience.

SLAC completed the world's largest digital camera, a 3,200-megapixel device for Chile's Rubin Observatory, designed to advance cosmic knowledge and dark matter research.

A fleet of Waymo autonomous taxis took a wrong turn in San Francisco, blocking a Highway 101 ramp and causing traffic issues that were resolved by Waymo's roadside team within 30 minutes.

Freenome Inc. is reducing its workforce by 20%, impacting around 100 jobs, to align with strategic priorities amidst its development of early cancer detection tests.

Suzy Loftus, former San Francisco DA, now leads TikTok's safety efforts amidst increasing US scrutiny and potential ban threats, focusing on data security and election integrity.

Tech billionaire Jeff Lawson acquires satirical site The Onion and pitches a humorous donation campaign, while its previous owner G/O Media sells to Global Tetrahedron.

Meta launches a bonus program on Threads rewarding up to $5,000 for viral content, targeting original posts without third-party material, and requiring a minimum of 2,500 views.

The RSA Conference 2024 began in San Francisco, with cybersecurity professionals gathering to share insights and Linda Gray Martin emphasizing the community's role in innovation.

OpenAI has launched GPT-4o amidst AI global protests, enhancing AI interactions with features like voice conversation and real-time responses. OpenAI plans to eventually offer it for free.

Tesla shareholders sue Elon Musk over alleged conflicts of interest and misallocation of resources to a competing AI company, and for purportedly profiting from insider information.

Waymo secures California Public Utilities Commission approval to expand its driverless taxi service to San Mateo County, despite mixed opinions from the public and officials.

Alphabet is close to buying cybersecurity firm Wiz for around $23 billion, which could be its largest acquisition, amid increasing competition in cloud computing.

The SEC has charged ex-CEO of IRL, Abraham Shafi, with conducting a $170 million fraud, misleading investors on user numbers and using funds for personal expenses.

Vir Biotechnology is reducing its workforce by 25%, affecting 141 jobs, as it restructures and focuses on hepatitis research, despite reporting a $138 million loss but maintaining a $1.3 billion valuation.

Elon Musk has filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the AI firm has strayed from its original non-profit mission and is now prioritizing profit.

X, formerly Twitter, is closing its San Francisco HQ and will relocate staff to San Jose and Palo Alto, sharing space with x.AI, as announced by CEO Linda Yaccarino.

Waymo's autonomous ride-hailing service now covers more areas in San Francisco and Los Angeles, including Daly City and parts of Hollywood. The expansion comes amidst competition and ongoing regulatory scrutiny.

California partners with NVIDIA to integrate AI education into community colleges and universities, aiming to train 100,000 individuals across various sectors and addressing state challenges.

Waymo has begun testing its driverless cars on San Francisco freeways, potentially leading to a broader commercial rollout of autonomous vehicle services.

Tally, a San Francisco fintech startup aiming to help with credit card debt, has shut down after failing to secure necessary funding, despite previously raising $80 million in Series D.

Cisco Systems plans to lay off 7% of its workforce, amounting to approximately 5,900 employees, as part of a restructuring strategy focused on growth areas such as AI and cloud services.

MightyFly, a San Leandro startup, is developing large, hybrid-powered drones capable of flying up to 600 miles. They received FAA approval for testing an autonomous cargo drone.

Google improves its AI chatbot Gemini's people-generation feature with more safeguards, making it available to paying subscribers for feedback before a general release.

Terns Pharmaceuticals' stock rose 27% after reporting successful early-stage trial results for its oral obesity drug, TERN-601, which showed a weight loss of 4.9%.

Sonoma County has implemented a pioneering policy to regulate AI use by government staff, aiming to enhance productivity while preventing bias and protecting data privacy.

Dreamforce tech conference in San Francisco triggers traffic with street closures; Salesforce promotes Agentforce, aiming to show advanced AI integration in business and feature industry and celebrity speakers.

Napa County receives a $20,000 grant to combat the Digital Divide and promote digital equity, joining a collaborative effort to share strategies and progress towards inclusivity in technology access.

The former CEO of SKAEL Inc., Baba Nadimpalli, is charged by the SEC with committing a $30 million fraud by inflating company revenues and faking customer relationships.

The former CEO of SKAEL, Baba Nadimpalli, has been charged by a federal grand jury with securities and wire fraud, involving false financial claims to investors.

UCSF has started construction on the Bakar Research and Academic Building to advance biomedical research and academics, with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, aiming to open in 2028.

OpenAI secures $6.6 billion in funding, valuing the company at $157 billion, with contributions from Microsoft and Nvidia among others, aiming to advance AI research and expand its capabilities.

Enel X Way North America is closing its electric mobility division in the US and Canada, affecting JuiceBox chargers' smart capabilities and software support.

Elon Musk's xAI Corp hosted a recruitment event at OpenAI's former San Francisco location, coinciding with OpenAI's Dev Day, hinting at intense competition in the AI space.

Saildrone Inc. provided critical data to NOAA for hurricane forecasting during Hurricane Milton, deploying autonomous vessels to track the storm's conditions.

Google and Amazon are investing in small modular nuclear reactors to power AI data centers, with Google partnering with Kairos Power and Amazon working with X-energy.

Meta has initiated another series of layoffs impacting various departments, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Reality Labs, with some employees opting for severance over alternative positions.

Sam Altman's Worldcoin rebrands to "World," showcasing a new iris-scanning device, the Orb, for proving personhood, with plans to expand its verified human user base.

Infinera may receive $93 million under the CHIPS Act to expand U.S. semiconductor production, potentially creating 1,700 jobs and strengthening supply chains.

Meta is testing new defenses against scams and account hacking, involving facial recognition technology to identify fake celebrity endorsements and aiding users in recovering compromised accounts.

Reddit reported its first profit, with shares surging as growth in advertising sales significantly contributed to the company's success.

The Biden-Harris Administration selects Sunnyvale, CA as the site for the new CHIPS for America Design and Collaboration Facility to boost semiconductor research and design.

Zoox starts testing its autonomous robotaxis in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood, initially for employees, with plans to expand and eventually offer rides to the public.

Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, co-founders of Andreessen Horowitz, celebrate political changes following Donald Trump's electoral victory. "Every Morning I Wake Up Happier," says Andreesen, expressing relief from tech regulations they deemed repressive under the Biden administration.

The LLNL and NNSA launched El Capitan, the world's most robust supercomputer, with a 1.742 exaFLOP performance, supporting the mission of maintaining the US nuclear arsenal.

John Walker, co-founder of AutoCAD, transformed the A&E industry by shifting from paper to digital design, revolutionizing drafting and design worldwide.

Google's new quantum chip, Willow, claims unprecedented computational power and potentially taps into multiversal resources. Its launch significantly boosted Alphabet's stock, marking a milestone in quantum technology and AI advancement.

Meta Platforms has asked the California Attorney General to intervene in OpenAI's restructuring from non-profit to for-profit, concerning their use of charity-acquired assets.

Databricks raises $10 billion at a $62 billion valuation in a Series J funding round led by Thrive Capital, preparing for growth and market dominance in the AI and data sector.

The TSA has launched drone surveillance over San Francisco International Airport to monitor potential unmanned aircraft system threats, using the new Skydio X10 drone.

Google will update U.S. map names in line with Trump's executive order, changing "Gulf of Mexico" to "Gulf of America" and Denali to "Mount McKinley."

Cruise is downsizing by nearly half its workforce after GM changed focus to Super Cruise and personal autonomous vehicle tech, affecting around 1,000 employees.

Sam Altman's startup World is close to leasing 70,000 sq ft in San Francisco's Mission Bay for its cryptocurrency project involving retina-scan digital identities.

Nokia has completed its acquisition of Infinera, aiming to become an optical networking leader and enhance its data center offerings for AI and cloud services. The merger is expected to create an "innovation powerhouse."

Apple is working on a live translation feature for AirPods to be released with iOS 19, competing with Google's Pixel Buds which had a similar feature since 2017.

CARGO Therapeutics is downsizing staff and pausing drug development after a failed Phase 2 study, with Anup Radhakrishnan appointed as interim CEO. The company's value has dropped significantly.

23andMe initiated a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and is undergoing a court-supervised sale. CEO Anne Wojcicki steps down to potentially bid for the company.

Revel launched its first EV fast-charging station in San Francisco, expanding its network with plans to add more chargers as local EV sales outpace national averages.

Niantic, creator of "Pokémon Go," is restructuring, resulting in 68 job cuts in San Francisco. The company is transitioning to a new focus on geospatial AI with its Niantic Spatial division.

Elon Musk's AI venture xAI has acquired the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, in an all-stock deal, aiming for strategic resource fusion.

SignalFire raised over $1 billion for early-stage AI startups, reaching $3 billion in assets under management, with a focus on being the first investor and leveraging their AI-driven platform, Beacon AI, to identify talent and trends.

Meta confirms closing three of its Fremont offices, with employees to be reassigned to other locations. The downsizing reflects broader industry and company restructuring trends.

Mark Zuckerberg testified in an FTC-led antitrust trial against Meta, which has been accused of monopolistic practices by buying companies such as Instagram and WhatsApp. Meta refutes the claims, citing competition from various platforms.

Silicon Valley crosswalk buttons were hacked to emit AI-generated voice impersonations of tech leaders Zuckerberg and Musk, with local officials working to fix the issue.

Intel's new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, is revamping the company through workforce cuts and stricter in-office policies, promoting a lean culture to improve productivity and reduce expenses, with no specific target for headcount reduction yet announced.

Waymo's research indicates its self-driving cars greatly reduce injury risks for pedestrians and cyclists, with up to a 92% decrease in certain collisions.

A World Network store offering a service to verify human identity amidst AI concerns has opened in San Francisco's Union Square, alongside an upcoming Nintendo store, signaling a resurgence in the area's retail sector.

Vimaan Robotics has settled for $1.5 million over claims it falsely obtained federal funds, despite being ineligible due to venture capital majority ownership.

23andMe is facing large-scale layoffs and potential bankruptcy, with possible closure of its San Francisco office and uncertain future for employees, including executives and scientists, amid financial struggles and a prior cyberattack.

Zoox voluntarily recalls 270 self-driving cars after a collision incident in Las Vegas and updates all vehicles with new software to prevent prediction errors.

Elizabeth Holmes's partner, Billy Evans, has launched a biotech startup, Haemanthus, utilizing AI for medical testing, despite Holmes's jail-time for fraud and her involvement in advising the venture.

The Solve SF app, a popular tool for reporting city issues, faces shutdown due to the city discontinuing its Open 311 API support, causing concern among its users and creator, Patrick McCabe.

Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch introduces the da Vinci 5 robotic system for advanced, minimally invasive surgeries, enhancing patient care in East Contra Costa County.

Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen is donating $9.4 million to upgrade the San Francisco Police Department’s technology, drawing mixed reactions on privacy and oversight.

New ember-risk map and AI sensors are being used in the Bay Area to improve wildfire detection and prevention, utilizing satellite imagery and pattern recognition for early alerts.

Apple's WWDC 2025 highlights potential AI advancements with updates to Siri and a new iOS naming convention, amid expectations for the tech giant's AI development progress and integration for third-party developers.

Meta offered OpenAI employees large signing bonuses to join their AI team, which OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman discussed, but so far Meta's efforts have been unsuccessful.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory released its first images, revealing millions of celestial bodies and hinting at the potential of its upcoming 10-year survey.

A U.S. judge ruled that AI company Anthropic legally used copyrighted books to train its chatbot, Claude, despite questions about the source of the books. The case will go to trial to address damages for housing pirated books.

Meta successfully defended against a copyright infringement lawsuit, as a judge ruled authors didn't prove Meta's AI training undercut their book market.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff stated that AI performs up to 50% of the company's work, as Salesforce aims for efficiency through AI and cuts jobs in line with the broader tech industry trend.

Electroflow Technologies, a lithium extraction startup from Stanford, aims for an $8 million seed round for its cost-effective and efficient lithium extraction process, potentially revolutionizing supply chains.

Concentra Biosciences is set to acquire CAR T-cell therapy developer CARGO Therapeutics for $4.379 per share plus additional future gains, possibly due to CARGO's financial struggles and layoffs.

Nvidia surpassed a $4 trillion market cap, driven by its dominance in the AI sector, and CEO Jensen Huang's net worth increased to $140 billion. Despite challenges, the company's stock rebounded strongly.

Cognition acquires Windsurf, merging their AI development agent with Windsurf's IDE and team, indicating a strategic consolidation in the AI coding sector.

Figma is planning an IPO with a valuation up to $16.4 billion, selling 37 million shares to raise $1.03 billion. Despite tech IPO slowdowns, Figma's promising financial results and strategic corporate governance aim to reinvigorate investor interest.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, noted that conversations with ChatGPT do not have legal confidentiality like therapy sessions, highlighting privacy concerns amidst a related lawsuit.

Figma Inc. raises its IPO price to $30-$32, targeting a $1.2 billion raise, despite an earlier failed sale to Adobe and a challenging market environment.

Amazon's Alexa Fund invests in Fable's AI service, Showrunner, which lets users create TV shows with simple commands, potentially reshaping entertainment consumption and production.

Mira Murati's six-month-old AI company just grabbed an entire Mission District building for its headquarters. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg's been desperately trying to poach her staff with offers that would make your head spin.

Lyten, an American startup, is acquiring the assets of bankrupt Swedish battery firm Northvolt, aiming to enhance operations and technology. The deal is aligned with Europe's push for energy independence.

Instagram introduces reposting of reels and posts, a new map feature allowing location sharing with friends, and a "Friends" tab in Reels for personalized content. Privacy concerns arise among users regarding the location-sharing aspect.

Trump has signaled willingness to allow sales of a less capable version of Nvidia's AI chips in China, with U.S. receiving 15% revenue share, sparking debate on trade and security.

LLNL scientists have developed a real-time tsunami warning system using the world's fastest supercomputer, El Capitan, to improve early warnings near coastal regions.

Elon Musk's companies X and xAI sue Apple and OpenAI, alleging anticompetitive behavior and monopoly maintenance in smartphone and AI chatbot markets.

The physicist behind the world's first successful fusion ignition experiment just partnered with the tech entrepreneur who built Twilio into a $4 billion empire. Their new Bay Area company aims to turn Lawrence Livermore's groundbreaking laser fusion into commercial power plants within a decade.

OpenAI aims to enhance ChatGPT with parental controls and better handling of crises, after a lawsuit following a teen's death.

The Bay Area Lyme Foundation launched Bay Area Lyme Ventures, the first investment fund focused on Lyme disease, supporting companies like Aces Diagnostics and LymeAlert developing diagnostic tools.

San José Mineta International Airport is set to introduce Waymo's autonomous vehicle service, starting with employee trials and planning to offer public rides later in the year.

Apple unveils iPhone 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with improved cameras, battery life, and higher prices due to trade pressures; Pro models feature the A19 chip and new cameras.

The AI giant's emphatic denial of exit talks doesn't quite settle the underlying question of what happens when California's toughest regulatory scrutiny meets $19 billion in venture funding. With Sam Altman's massive Bay Area real estate bets on one side and mounting legal pressure on the other, the company faces a high-stakes balancing act that could reshape both OpenAI's future and the state's AI dominance.

Microsoft and OpenAI are redefining their partnership, potentially transforming OpenAI into a for-profit company, leveraging Microsoft's multi-billion dollar investments, and expanding OpenAI's operational autonomy.

Chegg Inc. agrees to pay $7.5 million, settling FTC allegations over complicated subscription cancellation processes that violated consumer rights outlined in the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act.

Skydio showcased its advanced drone technology for first responders at Ascend 2025, revealing new models like the R10 for indoor use and the high-speed F10 for broader applications.

NVIDIA announced a $5 billion investment in Intel, forming a partnership to develop AI infrastructure and personal computing, leveraging NVIDIA's AI and Intel's CPU technologies.

San José's 26th traffic-related fatality involved a motorcycle and car collision, with the motorcyclist dying and the Pacifica driver hurt but stable. Witnesses are urged to contact SJPD.

A bright fireball seen in the sky from Reno to the Bay Area was a reentering Starlink satellite, not a meteorite, confirmed by the American Meteor Society.

UC Irvine researchers cracked a vulnerability in gaming mice that transforms desk vibrations into intelligible speech using AI. The sensors at the heart of the security flaw come from Sunnyvale, and the affected devices are made by Razer, Logitech, and Corsair—all companies with Bay Area operations.

John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret, and John M. Martinis win the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for demonstrating quantum effects in electrical circuits, potentially impacting quantum computing and technology.

Dr. Fred Ramsdell was unknowingly awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine while remote camping, for work on immune tolerance with Dr. Mary Brunkow and Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi. UC set a record with five Nobels in a week.

San José invites tech firms to create a Generative AI platform to enhance city services, prioritizing efficiency and security in alignment with its AI policies.

OpenAI paused the creation of content featuring Martin Luther King Jr. on its Sora 2 AI app due to disrespectful uses, following discussions with his estate, who sought control over his likeness' use.

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is passing close to Earth, offering a unique viewing opportunity in California near Scorpius or Libra after sunset, best seen with binoculars.

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Atlas, a new AI-integrated browser designed to enhance user experience by performing tasks like summarizing content and filling forms.

Sonoma County introduces LOU, an AI travel concierge by Sonoma County Tourism and Mindtrip, to provide personalized itineraries for visitors based on their interests.

Cameo has sued OpenAI for trademark infringement, claiming their app Sora's "Cameo" feature causes customer confusion and brand dilution, while OpenAI intends to defend their use of the term.

A young entrepreneur who cut her teeth in San Francisco's biotech scene is now leading one of medicine's most controversial ventures from Manhattan's Upper East Side. Seven years after a Chinese scientist went to prison for creating the first gene-edited babies, Cathy Tie believes she can prove the technology is ready—if society will let her.

We tried to check our own website this morning and got an error message, joining millions of users locked out when the company protecting a fifth of the internet went dark. Whether you can read this right now depends on where you're sitting—a fitting introduction to the fragile infrastructure holding the digital world together.

Two SJSU students joined Y Combinator with Stratus, an AI co‑pilot that transcribes airport radio and flags potential hazards. They paused classes to focus on Demo Day.

Gov. Newsom unveiled Quantum California at UC Berkeley, pairing new law and $4 million to turn quantum research into jobs and companies across the state.

Twenty-five percent of UC San Diego's remedial math students couldn't solve "7 + 2 = _ + 6" on a placement test. Most had taken calculus in high school and earned A's, revealing a collapse in academic standards that has university faculty sounding the alarm.

Anthropic says it disrupted an AI‑orchestrated espionage campaign that used Claude Code to probe about 30 organizations. The company traced the activity to a China‑linked actor and says only a small number of intrusions succeeded.

A Fort Worth judge kept Elon Musk’s antitrust case alive against Apple and OpenAI, allowing discovery to proceed while the court weighs the merits.

Stanford Medicine researchers linked lupus to the Epstein-Barr virus, indicating a potential breakthrough in understanding and treating the autoimmune disease.

That massive white blimp drifting past Alcatraz yesterday wasn't advertising anything—it's Google co-founder Sergey Brin's latest attempt to revolutionize disaster relief with a 400-foot electric airship. Hoodline staff caught the behemoth tracing a deliberate path from the Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge, part of expanded test flights that have Silicon Valley asking whether this floating giant might actually deliver on its humanitarian promises.

Berkeley startup Magnetic Tides says its kilohertz brain‑stimulation method boosted cortical excitability in early testing, won FDA Breakthrough status and is enrolling patients in trials. Early safety signals are encouraging but larger clinical studies are next.

VA Palo Alto completed the Veterans Health Administration’s first catheter‑based tricuspid valve replacement using the FDA‑cleared EVOQUE device. The patient is recovering and the move could broaden options for high‑risk Veterans.

A PCORI‑funded, randomized study led by UCLA and UC Davis will test whether AI assistance helps radiologists read screening mammograms more accurately. The trial pairs clinical outcomes with patient surveys.

Berkeley Math Circle alum Hannah Cairo, 18, constructed a counterexample that upends a four‑decade‑old conjecture in harmonic analysis.

MIT’s new Iceberg Index finds AI can already perform work equal to about 11.7% of U.S. wage value — roughly $1.2 trillion — and the exposure is spread beyond tech hubs.

A small asteroid with a non-zero percent chance of hitting the Moon in 2032 has scientists from the Bay Area to Houston and New York scrambling to refine its orbit. As teams weigh everything from reconnaissance missions to nuclear disruption, the question is whether the odds will shrink before time runs out.

Gene‑edited donor islet cells were implanted into a patient and produced insulin without immunosuppression, researchers report. The result is promising but still early.

A Las Vegas receptionist firm admits it placed provocative billboards and a fake parenting app in San Francisco to spark a debate about AI and human work.

Kaiser agreed to a preliminary $46 million settlement after tracking pixels on its sites and apps may have shared member data with tech vendors. The deal affects millions and faces a court fairness hearing.

A Stanford lab just cracked the problem that's been keeping quantum computers locked in energy-guzzling deep freezers. The room-temperature device could slash the enormous cooling costs that have made quantum computing impractical for all but the biggest tech players.

A Ninth Circuit panel in San Francisco upheld a TRO blocking OpenAI and Jony Ive from using 'io' to market hardware similar to startup iyO's voice‑only computer.

Brussels has opened an antitrust probe into Google’s use of publishers’ articles and YouTube uploads for AI, investigating compensation and access rules for creators.

Intel signed a nonbinding term sheet to acquire Palo Alto’s SambaNova, a move that could accelerate Intel’s AI push and reshape the Bay Area chip scene. The agreement is preliminary and will face due diligence and regulatory review.

UC Berkeley's Schmidt Center released Kigali Sim, a tool aiding UN policymakers to enforce environmental regulations and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through data-driven simulations.

The Ninth Circuit largely upheld a contempt finding against Apple but rejected an absolute ban on off‑App Store commissions, sending the fee dispute back to the district court.

Tri‑Valley high schoolers are building drones, AI and satellite maps that have already drawn police, funder and NASA attention. Their work shows how local STEM investment can move prototypes into pilots.

Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng called Tesla's FSD v14.2 'near‑Level 4' after Bay Area test drives. He publicly challenged Xpeng to match that benchmark in China by August 30, 2026.

Alef Aeronautics is producing the Model A Ultralight, a flying car set for delivery in the Bay Area, with initial units priced at $300,000 and expectations of mass production reducing costs.

DoorDash introduces Zesty, a new AI-driven social app for discovering and sharing local dining experiences, currently being tested in San Francisco and New York.

At an xAI all‑hands in San Francisco, Elon Musk told staff the next two to three years are make-or-break as he pushes massive compute and funding plans.

BioMarin will buy Amicus for roughly $4.8 billion, folding two marketed rare‑disease drugs into its portfolio as the companies eye a Q2 2026 close. The agreement is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.

Aaron Greenspan says a San Francisco judge’s Nov. 13 order included AI‑generated citation errors. His motion asks the court to correct the record and revive parts of his Musk suit.

Sonoma couple Linda Shore and David Barker have spent years teaching hands-on science in Tibetan monasteries and building traveling exhibits that translate Western science into monastic classrooms.

Tech giants warn employees on visas about international travel risks due to long delays in visa stamping appointments, as American embassies prioritize security vetting.

Alphabet agreed to buy Intersect Power for $4.75 billion to secure clean energy and speed new data center buildouts, while some Texas and California assets remain independent.

A power outage in San Francisco caused Waymo's autonomous vehicles to stall, leading to traffic disruptions and triggering an investigation into Waymo's and PG&E's emergency protocols.

Waymo's autonomous vehicles were stuck during a San Francisco blackout, causing traffic issues. The company is updating its software for better response to power failures and has trained responders for such incidents.

A provocative billboard campaign and a brazen website called Replacement.AI have landed on San Francisco streets — and people are asking whether it’s art, a stunt, or a warning.

A Deep Origin‑led consortium won up to $31.7M from ARPA‑H; La Jolla’s Sanford Burnham Prebys will help build AI and tissue models to predict toxicity and speed drug development.

OpenAI is seeking a Head of Preparedness to tackle AI risks, a role requiring technical expertise and immediate immersion into complex safety challenges.

CDFW announces plans to conduct helicopter captures for wildlife research in northern California, focusing on tracking through GPS collars for species like deer, elk, and gray wolves.

One of Elon Musk's attorneys signs discovery briefs by day and runs Clown Cardio classes in LA by night. His dual life has crept into the Musk v. Altman discovery fight.

San Francisco Business Times found the Bay Area’s largest year‑end stock sale was about $4 billion in biotech, as local drug developers leaned on secondary offerings to raise cash. Terns was among the biggest raises in December.

Tesla's sales fell by 9% in 2025 to 1.64 million vehicles, losing its spot as the world's largest EV seller to BYD's 2.26 million. Factors include loss of a $7,500 tax credit, Musk's politics, and strong competition.