In the final hours of President Biden's term, an anonymous prediction market trader placed lucrative bets on who would be pardoned even as the odds were nearly zero.
Venture capital firm Chemistry Ventures, founded by former Bessemer, Index Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz partners, is raising $500 million for its second fund. The firm focuses on early-stage startups in developer tools, fintech, and infrastructure.
AI law startup Norm announced a $120 million Series C funding round led by Khosla Ventures, valuing the company at $1.2 billion. Norm Law uses AI agents supervised by human attorneys to offer legal services, charging based on outcomes.
Bidbus, a startup that connects car sellers with multiple dealers for competitive bidding, has raised $15 million in Series A funding. The platform aims to offer sellers higher prices than services like Carvana by leveraging dealer competition, with an average offer reportedly $2,000-$3,000 higher.
Microsoft's Xbox division is undergoing significant restructuring, including 1,600 layoffs this summer and more expected, while aiming to reach a billion people daily. This strategy, led by CEO Asha Sharma, focuses on major franchises like Minecraft and Candy Crush amid industry volatility and skepticism.
South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix is planning a US IPO of nearly 17.8 million shares, potentially raising $28 billion. The move comes amid a surge in demand for memory chips driven by the AI boom, with the company seeing significant revenue and stock price increases.
Toyota is investing $3.6 billion to move Tacoma midsize pickup truck production from Mexico to its San Antonio, Texas plant. This move is expected to create 2,000 U.S. jobs and significantly expand the facility's capacity.
