Alphabet Class A

• Waymo announces $16 billion funding round - The Alphabet-owned company said it is now valued at $126 billion.
• Nvidia shares are down 2% after a report that its OpenAI investment stalled. Here's what's happening - Nvidia's Jensen Huang criticized OpenAI's business strategy as the chip giant plans to invest up to $100 billion into the AI startup, per reports.
• India courts Big Tech with long‑term tax breaks as it doubles down on AI ambitions - India woos global cloud service companies with tax holiday for 20 years.
• Fireblocks CEO says North Korea-linked job recruitment scam targeted LinkedIn profiles - CEO Michael Shaulov said hackers, especially those with ties to North Korea, have been evolving at "lightspeed" because of AI.
• Apple sales surge 16% on ‘staggering’ iPhone demand - Apple reported fiscal first-quarter earnings on Thursday that surpassed expectations, with revenue soaring 16% on an annual basis.  
• Tesla tops estimates for quarter, but wraps up first annual revenue drop on record - Tesla's earnings report comes weeks after Elon Musk's automaker reported another decline in vehicle deliveries.
• Meta shares rise on stronger-than-expected revenue forecast - Meta reported fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday and provided stronger-than-expected sales guidance.
• Autonomous trucking startup Waabi raises $750 million to expand into robotaxis - Khosla Ventures, G2 Venture Partners, Uber, Nvidia and Volvo are all investing in Toronto-based, driverless tech startup Waabi.
• Big Tech’s AI data center push is spawning a new heat economy - AI’s energy problem may also be its solution, as cities are increasingly exploring opportunities to repurpose excess heat from data centers.
• Chinese tech giant Tencent plots Middle East cloud expansion as spending in the region booms - Tencent's expansion will likely put it into more direct competition with U.S. giants including Amazon, Microsoft and Google.