Judith Murphy

Judith Murphy · May 24, 2026 · 4:04 AM

Rising U.S. debt is starting to test the AI funding boom

U.S. debt is becoming a direct funding issue for AI startups as elevated Treasury yields raise the cost of capital across venture, private credit and public markets. The companies with real revenue and disciplined financing plans will be better placed if rate relief keeps getting pushed out.

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Judith Murphy · May 24, 2026 · 1:00 AM

Brain implants are pushing artificial vision closer to practical use

Researchers in Chicago and Spain are advancing cortical vision implants that bypass damaged eyes and communicate directly with the visual cortex. The field is still early, but closed loop stimulation and wireless implant systems are turning artificial vision into a serious deep-tech opportunity.

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Judith Murphy · May 23, 2026 · 9:55 PM

Uber is testing how much delivery consolidation regulators will tolerate

Uber has approached Delivery Hero with an indicative EUR33-per-share takeover proposal, turning its recent stake-building into a broader consolidation test. The deal could expand Uber Eats across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, but antitrust scrutiny may decide whether it can happen.

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Judith Murphy · May 23, 2026 · 5:20 PM

Meituan pushes open avatar video deeper into startup territory

Meituan has released LongCat-Video-Avatar 1.5, an open avatar video model aimed at realistic audio-driven digital humans. The release raises a sharper question for AI video startups: whether talking-head generation is becoming a commodity, while value moves toward workflow, trust, and compliance.

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Judith Murphy · May 23, 2026 · 11:57 AM

Polymarket’s wallet breach tests its credibility as it pushes abroad

Polymarket says user funds were safe after a compromised internal private key led to $573,200 in transfers, with $164,000 frozen. The incident is contained, but it raises harder questions about security maturity as the prediction market platform pursues regulated international growth.

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Judith Murphy · May 23, 2026 · 7:21 AM

Sui makes stablecoin transfers free for users on its mainnet

Sui has launched gasless transfers for supported stablecoins on mainnet, removing the need for users to hold SUI tokens before sending digital dollars. The feature, backed by Fireblocks support, could make Sui more attractive to fintech builders working on payments, settlement, and consumer-facing crypto apps.

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Judith Murphy · May 23, 2026 · 5:04 AM

The S&P 500 rally is reopening the exit conversation

The S&P 500's eighth straight weekly gain is giving founders and venture investors a better public-market backdrop. The rally is strongest in technology and AI-adjacent names, but the real test is whether policy signals and earnings can keep the IPO window moving.

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Judith Murphy · May 23, 2026 · 2:22 AM

California puts AI job disruption on the startup agenda

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order directing state agencies to prepare for AI-driven workforce disruption. The order does not impose immediate penalties, but it puts startups on notice that automation, hiring and labor impact are becoming policy questions in California.

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Judith Murphy · May 22, 2026 · 11:42 PM

DeepSeek is making its 75 percent API discount permanent

DeepSeek has made its 75 percent V4-Pro API discount permanent after the promotion period, resetting the cost expectations for AI startups and developers. The move puts pricing pressure on OpenAI, Anthropic and Google while raising fresh questions about DeepSeek’s margin strategy as it pursues a major funding round.

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Judith Murphy · May 22, 2026 · 6:54 PM

Arafura Rare Earths plans 250 million share sale backed by Australia's richest person

AustraliajusttookitsbiggestswingyetatbreakingChina ′ srareearthsmonopoly.

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Judith Murphy · May 22, 2026 · 6:10 PM

Reuters alleges Iran routed billions through Binance to skirt sanctions

Reuters reports Iran routed billions through local and global crypto rails including Binance, intensifying scrutiny of exchanges and sanctions enforcement

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Judith Murphy · May 22, 2026 · 3:07 PM

Uniswap’s UNI token now trades natively on Solana

Uniswap’s UNI token is now live on Solana through Sunrise, using Wormhole’s Native Token Transfers framework. The launch gives Solana DeFi apps another major asset to route and trade, while testing whether canonical cross-chain listings can replace older wrapped-token habits.

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Judith Murphy · May 22, 2026 · 11:40 AM

Dating startups fight AI catfishing with real ID checks

Frustration with AI-enhanced fake profiles is pushing UK founders to build dating services that prioritize verification over scale. One startup rejects 50 applicants monthly. Another checks selfies against passports. The question is whether trust can become a competitive advantage.

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Judith Murphy · May 22, 2026 · 9:15 AM

DeepSeek seeks 50B valuation in first outside round

DeepSeek, the Chinese AI lab that shook Silicon Valley with its ultra-efficient models, is reversing its long-standing "no funding" policy. A potential 45 to $50 billion valuation and interest from state-backed funds signal that the era of the costless AI miracle is ending.

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Judith Murphy · May 22, 2026 · 6:26 AM

Zillow loses Chicago listings in data access war

A data access war just stripped Chicago homebuyers of thousands of listings on Zillow. The fight over private listing networks and platform control has escalated from courtroom arguments to a real-world cutoff, with tens of thousands of homes going dark on the nation's largest real estate search site.

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Judith Murphy · May 22, 2026 · 2:50 AM

Spotify brings AI remixes to 293M paid users

Spotify just turned the AI copyright debate into a revenue stream. The streaming giant partnered with Universal Music Group to launch a paid tool that lets Premium users generate covers and remixes from participating artists, with royalties flowing back to rights holders.

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