Klarna CEO Balances AI and Humans, Eyes Future Growth

Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski shared that AI helped cut staff from 5,500 to 3,000, boosting revenue per employee. Yet, he says human customer service remains a premium feature. He uses ChatGPT personally and supports AI-savvy businesspeople. Klarna ditched tools like Salesforce to simplify data use for AI—and hinted an IPO might not be far off.

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Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai Downplays AI Layoff Fears, Stresses Growth

Alphabet’s CEO Sundar Pichai says AI won’t cut jobs—it’ll help employees work smarter. He’s optimistic about hiring more engineers next year as AI speeds up development. While past layoffs happened, Pichai points to growth in YouTube, Waymo, and quantum computing. He’s hopeful about AI’s progress, but admits we can’t be sure AGI will ever truly arrive.

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Google Delays “Ask Photos” AI Feature Rollout by Two Weeks

Google is postponing the wider release of its Gemini-powered “Ask Photos” tool due to performance issues. Product manager Jamie Aspinall cited problems with latency, quality, and user experience. The feature, which enables natural language searches within Google Photos, was first announced at Google I/O. A revised version is expected to launch in about two weeks.

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WazirX Restructuring Blocked by Singapore Court Amid Post-Hack Recovery

WazirX’s restructuring plan was rejected by Singapore’s High Court following its $234.9M crypto heist. The firm intends to relocate its cryptocurrency operations to Zensui Corporation, based in Panama. Despite not registering Zettai with India’s FIU, its subsidiary Zanmai is compliant. WazirX will appeal the court’s decision while assuring users that NLPA assets remain secure.

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ThreatSpike Raises $14M to Scale Its Unified Cybersecurity Platform

UK cybersecurity company ThreatSpike secures $14M in Series A funding from Expedition Growth Capital, following 14 years of self-funded operations. Known for its all-in-one security solution tailored for mid-sized companies, ThreatSpike blends AI-powered threat detection, response, and real-time testing. The funds will fuel global growth, product innovation, and expansion of its engineering and security teams.

Read more on: Securityweek

Mistral Unveils AI Coding Assistant to Rival Copilot

French AI startup Mistral has launched Mistral Code, an AI-powered coding assistant built on the open-source Continue project. Supporting 80+ languages, it offers cloud or on-prem deployment, enterprise controls, and integration with JetBrains and VS Code. Backed by €1.1B funding, it powers clients like Capgemini and SNCF, and promises ongoing open-source contributions.

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Windsurf reports Anthropic is restricting direct access to Claude AI models

Anthropic has reduced Windsurf’s access to its Claude 3.5 and 3.7 models, prompting CEO Varun Mohan to express disappointment over the short notice. Windsurf, reportedly being acquired by OpenAI, now relies on third-party providers and user-supplied API keys. This limits access to Claude 4, frustrating users and complicating competition in the fast-growing vibe coding space.

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Snowflake Acquires Crunchy Data to Launch Enterprise-Grade Postgres

Snowflake is acquiring Crunchy Data—an open-source Postgres specialist—in a deal estimated at $250M. The move enables Snowflake to roll out Snowflake Postgres, bolstering its AI Data Cloud with enterprise-grade PostgreSQL capabilities. As demand for AI-ready data infrastructure rises, Snowflake joins tech giants racing to enhance database offerings tailored for AI-driven enterprise applications.

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Console Raises $6.2M to Automate IT Help Desk with AI

Ex-Rippling product lead Andrei Serban launched Console to automate routine IT help desk tasks using AI. With quick Slack integration and support from Scale AI, Calendly, and Thrive Capital, Console resolves over 50% of requests autonomously. The startup aims to expand into HR, finance, and legal, becoming employees’ go-to solution for workplace support.

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Salesforce Acquires Moonhub, an AI-Powered Hiring Solutions Startup

Salesforce is integrating members of Moonhub’s team, an AI-driven startup specializing in talent acquisition, following Moonhub’s closure announcement. Though not a full acquisition, the move aligns with Salesforce’s growing AI strategy. Moonhub, backed by investors like Khosla Ventures and Salesforce, built tools for automated hiring. The team will now help enhance Salesforce’s AI-driven HR solutions.

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