Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge has halted efforts by the Trump administration to collect data that proves higher education institutions aren’t considering race in admissions. The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Boston on Friday granting the preliminary injunction follows a lawsuit filed earlier this month by a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general. It will only apply to public universities in plaintiffs The federal judge said the federal government likely has the authority to collect the data, but the demand was rolled out to universities in a “rushed and chaotic” manner. “The…

Ross Nordeen didn’t announce he was leaving xAI. He didn’t need to. Loading audio narration… The 36-year-old engineer was abruptly cut off from the company systems last week and disappeared from a sprawling group chat with CEO Elon Musk and hundreds of other engineers. Later, he posted a photo of a hiking trail with the caption: “Touching some grass.”Nordeen, one of the billionaire’s closest deputies, was the final non-Musk cofounder to depart the startup, and the eighth to exit in under three months. It’s an unusually rapid unraveling of a founding team at a critical point in the company’s history.As…

If you’ve ever wondered how Polymarket and Kalshi are different, you’re probably not alone. Loading audio narration… The two prediction market giants are often spoken about in the same breath, and they largely serve the same purpose: allowing people to trade on the probability of real-world events.They’ve also both exploded in popularity in recent years, partnered with major institutions such as sports leagues, award shows, and media organizations, and engaged in attention-grabbing stunts to build their brands.But there are some crucial differences between Kalshi and Polymarket that you should be aware of. Here’s what to know.Kalshi is fully regulated by the federal government.…

Meta has paused its work with Mercor and is investigating after a recent data breach at the AI training startup, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Business Insider. Loading audio narration… Mercor, which was valued at $10 billion in a funding round in October, works with major tech companies like Meta to train AI models with the help of thousands of human contractors and experts. Wired first reported on Friday that Meta had paused all its work with the company.Meta declined to provide a comment.Mercor confirmed to Business Insider on Friday that the company had experienced a security…

OpenAI is reshuffling its leadership team. Loading audio narration… On Friday, OpenAI confirmed to Business Insider that the company’s longtime chief operating officer, Brad Lightcap, is moving into a new role focused on special projects.According to an internal memo first posted by Bloomberg and separately confirmed by OpenAI, Lightcap will report directly to CEO Sam Altman and help expand OpenAI’s enterprise software sales through partnerships with private equity firms. Denise Dresser, the company’s recently named chief revenue officer, will be taking on some of Lightcap’s responsibilities as COO.OpenAI also confirmed that two senior executives are stepping back for health reasons.…

Glen Anderson has been brokering trades in private company shares since 2010, back when the number of institutional investors focused on the late-stage private market could be counted on two hands. Today, he says, there are thousands. As president of the investment bank Rainmaker Securities, which focuses solely on private securities markets and facilitates transactions in roughly 1,000 stocks, Anderson has a front-row seat to one of the most nail-bitingly large moments in the history of the secondary market. And right now, he suggests, the narrative has three main characters: Anthropic, OpenAI, and SpaceX. The upshot: the storyline is more…

WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Donald Trump signed an executive order against transgender athletes last year, he took a moment to thank Tina Descovich, co-founder and CEO of Moms for Liberty.Descovich was back at the White House a few months later, seated alongside CEOs of Google and IBM to weigh in on artificial intelligence and education policy.Last month, when first lady Melania Trump hosted a global technology summit in Washington, Descovich was there, too.Her presence at the White House underscores the meteoric rise of a group that made its name in local politics, fighting to win school board seats and…

A handful of OpenAI executives are transitioning into new roles, according to a report from Bloomberg. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed the personnel changes to TechCrunch. CEO of AGI development Fidji Simo announced in a memo that Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s COO, has a new job leading “special projects,” which will involve “complex deals and investments across the company.” He will report directly to CEO Sam Altman. Denise Dresser, the former Slack CEO who recently joined OpenAI as chief revenue officer, will take over some of Lightcap’s COO duties in the interim. NEW: OpenAI’s Fidji Simo announced exec changes to staff today:…

Anthropic has filed documents to create a new political action committee — a sign that, like its peers, the AI lab is committing significant resources toward influencing policy and regulation. AnthroPAC plans to make contributions to both parties during the midterms, including to current D.C. lawmakers and rising political candidates. The PAC will be funded by voluntary employee contributions capped at $5,000, Bloomberg reports. A statement of organization filed with the Federal Election Commission includes a signature by Allison Rossi, Anthropic’s treasurer. TechCrunch reached out to Anthropic for more information. AI companies, which are comrades and competitors in a new…

Who doesn’t love a good round of FOMO? From dot-com to Web 2.0, virtual reality to blockchain, the tech industry has had its share of being too afraid to miss out on a trend. The AI bubble is the big daddy of them all. Its first offspring — the rush to lock down power for data centers — is now begetting a mad dash to secure natural gas supplies and equipment. If FOMOs could have babies, then the AI bubble is already having grandkids. Microsoft said on Tuesday that it’s working with Chevron and Engine No. 1 to build a natural…