Headliner: “$800M? From Meta? Nah.” — FuriosaAI Bets on Itself & Turns Down Meta & Other News

For those that are new around here, this is an extension of my weekly newsletter where I highlight new and innovative AI products that are worth exploring.

Hey hey!

Happy Wednesday!

Here’s your news in newsletter!

Riding off the high of yesterday’s catchup recap, Today’s News issue covers the news from the past week, so it’ll be short and sweet.

In this Issue:

• Your Weekly Industry News Recap

• The Raise Recap

Headliner: “$800M? From Meta? Nah.” — FuriosaAI Bets on Itself & Turns Down Meta

Korean AI chipmaker FuriosaAI turned down an $800M acquisition offer from Meta, signaling major confidence in its own roadmap. 💥🇰🇷 Rather than selling out, the startup is betting on continued independence and growth in the booming AI hardware space. With Meta pushing hard into custom chips, this rejection shows just how valuable next-gen AI silicon has become. Could Furiosa be the next NVIDIA in the making? 🧠💸

Your Weekly Industry News Recap

• PIPA’s Digital Extruder AI Suite – PIPA launched an AI + simulation platform to help food makers go from formulation to production—faster and healthier. 🍔🧠 Read More: 🔗 Link

• AI Blind Spots in Startups – Startups are still ignoring crucial risks and blind spots in AI development. Time to fix that. 🚨📉 Read More: 🔗 Link

• Oracle just dropped AI Agent Studio, a no-code platform to help businesses build, deploy, and manage AI-powered agents at scale. 🧠⚙️ It’s like giving every team a customizable digital sidekick—minus the coding headache. Read more: Link

• Tencent Drops T1 Reasoning Model – China’s Tencent is stepping up in the AI race with its new T1 model for better logic & reasoning. 🧠 Read More: Link

• CSK is teaming up with 3CLogic and ServiceNow to upgrade its IT service desk with voice-enabled AI workflows. 🎧🤖 Expect smoother support, fewer bottlenecks, and a lot less “please hold.” Read more: Link

• Will AI Job Loss Be Sudden or Slow? – Experts debate if AI job loss will be gradual or an overnight shock. 📉⏳ Read more 🔗 Link

• Midjourney’s Creative Writing Boost – New research shows how to make LLMs write with more flair and creativity. ✍️🎨🔗 Read More: Link

• Otter.ai’s $1B Growth Story – Otter built a $1B AI SaaS company with no sales team—just strong product-led growth. 🦦📈Read More: Link

• China Pushes Open-Source DeepSeek AI – DeepSeek is open source now, fueling China’s AI acceleration. 🧠💥 🔗 Link

• OpenAI Blamed for Loneliness? – A new report links ChatGPT use to increased loneliness and social isolation. 😔🤖Read More: Link

• Google vs. ChatGPT: The AI Search War – Google is overhauling its search to compete with ChatGPT for the web’s future. 🔍⚔️ 🔗 Link

• Google is launching open-source AI models specifically for drug discovery, aiming to make pharma R&D faster and more accessible. 💊🧠 It's a bold move that could democratize biotech innovation across the globe. Read more: Link

The Raise Recap 📈💰 

• Canopus & UNSW Score $433K for AI Security – Aussie AI security startup bags funding to bring cloud security AI to market. 🔐💰 Read More 🔗 Link

• Google just scooped up Wiz for $23B, marking its largest-ever cloud security acquisition—and yes, AI is a big part of the deal. 🔐🤖 This move shows how serious Google is about securing AI infrastructure as enterprise adoption surges. Read more: Link

• Buynomics just raised $30M to scale its AI-powered virtual shopper simulation platform, helping brands test pricing and product strategies. 🛒📊 It’s like a wind tunnel for retail decisions—but with data-driven avatars instead of jets. Read more: Link

• Firsthand secured $26M in Series A funding to grow its AI-based brand agent platform, which helps companies understand and engage customers better. 💬🤖 Think of it as your brand’s always-on, data-smart spokesperson. Read more: Link

• Apptronik just raised a massive $40.3M to scale its humanoid robot platform, pushing us closer to real-life robot coworkers. 🤖🏗️ The future of labor might just come with a bipedal frame and a charging port. Read more: Link

• In the crowded AI landscape, VCs say the winners are those who focus on real customer value, not just flashy tech. 💼📈 This guide breaks down how to stand out, grow smart, and actually raise funding in today’s AI gold rush. Read more: Link

• Inspiren raised $35M in Series A to expand its AI-powered patient monitoring platform that tracks health in real time across hospitals. 🏥📊 It's like a smart assistant for nurses—watching, learning, and helping 24/7. Read more: Link

Stay well, and see you next week!

-✌🏽 Sam