AI Giants & Tech Markets

$965BAnthropic valuation

$65BAnthropic funding round

+39%Dell stock surge

Anthropic's $65 billion funding round just made it the world's most valuable AI startup, signaling a relentless capital race at the industry's top.

Anthropic secured a massive $65 billion Series H funding round, pushing its post-money valuation to $965 billion and making it the world's most valuable AI startup, surpassing OpenAI ahead of its anticipated IPO. TechCrunch The Guardian

Dell Technologies shares surged by as much as 39% after the company reported first-quarter earnings that blew past Wall Street expectations, driven by a 757% increase in AI-server revenue. MarketWatch CNBC

Samsung Electronics shares jumped up to 6% after the company began shipping samples of its next-generation HBM4E AI memory chips to global customers, reinforcing its position in the high-demand AI hardware market. CNBC

Okta saw its shares rise after beating first-quarter earnings expectations, with the company identifying a significant emerging market for AI-agent identity management. MarketWatch

Nvidia is investing billions into photonics, an emerging technology considered a more efficient alternative to current electrical data transfer, which could be crucial for the continued growth of the AI industry. CNBC

Trump Administration & Economy

+3%US inflation rate

$250Proposed Trump bill denomination

Inflation is soaring at its fastest pace in three years, putting the Trump administration's economic promises under intense scrutiny ahead of the midterms.

US inflation rose at its fastest pace in three years in April, driven by higher energy prices amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, which is eroding household income and fueling public frustration with President Trump's economic policies. The Guardian

The Treasury Department is preparing to introduce a new $250 bill featuring President Trump's likeness, a move backed by Treasury Secretary Bessent that would require new legislation to allow a living person on currency. New York Times

The U.S. Court of International Trade ordered the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commissioner to appear at a June 9 hearing to testify about the Trump administration's tariff refunds process. The Hill

President Trump's administration is reportedly in talks to fund several drone firms, including one in which Donald Trump Jr. holds a shareholder stake, causing drone stocks to surge. CNBC

The Trump administration has threatened sanctions and military action against Oman, a longtime ally, following reports of talks between Iran and Oman about jointly charging a toll for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. CNBC

Global Markets & Oil Prices

-1.3%Brent crude drop

-17%Brent crude monthly decline

Hopes for a US-Iran ceasefire are driving oil prices down, but global stock markets continue their record-setting rally, buoyed by tech sector strength.

Oil prices fell as markets reacted to hopes for a potential US-Iran ceasefire deal, with Brent crude futures dropping 1.3% and heading for one of its largest monthly declines ever, nearing a 17% fall since early May. Reuters The Guardian

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at new record highs, extending a tech-driven rally that has positioned both indexes for healthy gains in May. CNBC AP News

Gap and American Eagle stocks both experienced double-digit percentage slides after earnings reports, with executives from both retailers stating that economic conditions were not to blame for the declines. MarketWatch

Costco reported accelerating sales and higher revenues in its third quarter, leading analysts to lift their targets for the warehouse retailer. Investor's Business Daily

AI Ethics & Governance

$1.2MAlleged insider trading profit

91%Public prioritizing fairness over economic gain in AI

A Google engineer's alleged insider trading on Polymarket highlights the urgent need for stronger ethical guardrails in the AI era, as the Pope's call for human-centric AI gains traction.

A Google software engineer was charged with fraud by US authorities for allegedly using insider information to win over $1.2 million in bets on the prediction market platform Polymarket. Al Jazeera English Ars Technica

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) asked a judge to dismiss a Biden-era settlement with Gemini, the cryptocurrency exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins, citing "inappropriate tactics" used to secure the agreement. The Hill New York Times

A letter in The Guardian highlighted rising public concern about AI, with 91% of respondents believing fairness should be prioritized over economic gain, echoing Pope Leo XIV's call for human dignity in AI development. The Guardian

An image of Thai police in sparkly dresses with a handcuffed suspect, widely circulated and published by major news outlets, was revealed to be an AI-generated fake created by a station administrator to project a "friendlier image." The Guardian

Political Developments

Mexico's proposed amendment to annul election results over foreign interference could destabilize its democratic process, while Pakistan finds itself in a new diplomatic sweet spot.

Mexico is backing a controversial amendment that would allow election results to be annulled over foreign interference, a measure critics warn could undermine the electoral process and create new avenues for contesting outcomes. Al Jazeera

Pakistan is experiencing a diplomatic resurgence, finding itself courted by both the Trump administration and China, with analysts attributing this shift to perceived missteps by Indian Prime Minister Modi's efforts to isolate Pakistan. Al Jazeera

Texas State Democratic Representative James Talarico discussed his campaign to flip a Senate seat, setting the stage for a contentious contest against Attorney General Ken Paxton in November. NPR

Enterprise Tech & Innovation

$10BIBM quantum investment

$600LinkerBot robotic hand cost

IBM's $10 billion quantum investment signals a new frontier in computing, while a Chinese startup aims to revolutionize robotics with affordable dexterous hands.

IBM pledged a $10 billion investment in quantum computing, signaling a major push into the advanced technology. Investor's Business Daily

A Chinese startup, LinkerBot, is aiming to become the standard for humanoid robots and automated factories by producing dexterous robotic hands for as little as $600. Wired

Glean, an enterprise AI search startup, tripled its annual revenue to cross $300 million, with its AI budget-cutting capabilities becoming a major selling point even as tech giants enter the category. TechCrunch

H1 secured $40 million in funding from CVS, demonstrating that SaaS startups can still attract significant investment, particularly those with unique data assets that AI cannot easily replicate. TechCrunch

LG Electronics shares surged 24% after the company unveiled automotive innovations developed using Google technology. CNBC

Quick Shots

🚀 Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket exploded on the launchpad before its inaugural flight, marking a significant setback for Jeff Bezos's space company. Bloomberg.com
🚨 The FBI issued an urgent warning about a new Kali365 phishing scheme that can hijack Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and OneDrive accounts without requiring a password. inc.com
💍 Oura launched its Ring 5, touted as the world's smallest smart ring, which is 40% smaller and includes new features like blood pressure change detection and an AI health coach. The Guardian
📱 Nintendo surprised the mobile gaming world by launching Pictonico, a bizarre and playful smartphone app that channels the spirit of WarioWare. The Verge
💸 Wix CEO Avishai Abrahami announced a 20% workforce reduction, making it another tech company citing AI as a factor in layoffs. CNBC

Friday, May 29, 2026