Listen Labs, an AI startup specializing in automated customer interviews, has secured $69 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from existing investors. The company gained significant attention earlier this year through a viral billboard hiring stunt in San Francisco, which helped attract both talent and investor interest. …

Cloud infrastructure startup Railway has raised $100 million in a Series B funding round led by Altimeter Capital, with participation from existing investors. The company aims to challenge established cloud providers like AWS by offering a platform specifically designed for building and deploying AI applications. Railway's approach focuses on simplifying the complex infrastructure required for …

A new artificial intelligence startup has reportedly solved four long-standing mathematical problems that had previously resisted resolution by human mathematicians. The company's AI system, designed specifically for formal theorem proving, generated proofs for these complex conjectures. This development highlights the growing capability of AI to assist in and potentially accelerate fundamental research in pure mathematics. …

A new scientific study projects that the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina will significantly impact the region's snowpack. The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, models the effects of both climate change and the extensive snowmaking required for the Games. It finds that the event will likely consume vast quantities of water and …

The article argues that the traditional concept of long-term loyalty between tech companies and their employees has largely disappeared in Silicon Valley. It describes a shift towards a transactional, project-based relationship where both sides prioritize immediate opportunity and skill development over enduring commitment. This new dynamic is driven by factors like rapid technological change, intense …

A significant number of public health workers, including epidemiologists and other medical professionals, are resigning from their government positions rather than accept assignments to the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The article reports that these workers, often detailed from agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are objecting on ethical …

New York is considering legislation that would impose a two-year moratorium on new cryptocurrency mining data centers that use proof-of-work authentication. The proposed bill aims to study the environmental impact of these energy-intensive facilities, particularly their carbon emissions and strain on the state's power grid. This move follows similar actions in other regions concerned about …

This article from MIT Technology Review covers two major technology trends. First, it examines the significant challenges in tracking the development and deployment of advanced artificial intelligence systems, highlighting the lack of transparency and standardized reporting from leading AI labs. Second, it explores the renewed interest and innovation in next-generation nuclear power technologies, including advanced …

This edition of The Download covers two distinct technological developments. First, it explores advances in reproductive medicine that are offering new hope to female cancer survivors who wish to become biological mothers. Techniques involving ovarian tissue freezing and transplantation are showing promising results. Second, the article examines efforts to clean up the environmental impact of …

A new study from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) demonstrates a significant advancement in robotic manipulation. Researchers have developed a system that allows a robot to perform complex, dexterous tasks, such as hanging mugs on a rack, by learning from a single human demonstration. The system, named 'Diffusion Policy,' uses a type …