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Elon Musk's SpaceX is preparing its Starship spacecraft for its first orbit around Earth, according to a report from NewsNation. The fully reusable rocket system, designed for missions to the Moon and Mars, has undergone earlier test flights, and reaching orbit would mark a major milestone in its development programme.

Elon Musk says SpaceX's AI effort, dubbed SpaceXAI, could reach GPT-6-level capability within three months and take the 'pole position' in artificial intelligence within six, backed by plans for a massive expansion of GPU computing power. The comments land amid fierce competition among AI labs and Musk's own xAI venture, drawing skepticism and attention in equal measure.

A young entrepreneur has built a defense technology startup now valued at $3.7 billion, with backing from prominent venture firm Sequoia. Fortune reports the story of how the Gen Z founder scaled the company, highlighting the growing wave of young founders entering the defense tech sector and investor appetite for startups serving national security markets.

Autonomous driving software firm Momenta and Stellantis' Chinese joint venture with Dongfeng have agreed to co-develop intelligent driving technology. The partnership will focus on bringing advanced driver assistance systems to vehicles sold in China, one of the world's largest but most competitive auto markets. The move underscores how global automakers are pairing with local tech suppliers to stay relevant against fast-moving Chinese competitors.

Four environmental organizations filed a petition Thursday asking the Federal Communications Commission to reverse its approval of a startup's plan to beam on-demand sunlight from space to Earth. The groups argue the agency ignored the project's potential impacts on wildlife and astronomy when it cleared the venture, and are pressing regulators to reconsider the decision.

SpaceX has reported $7.8 billion in revenue alongside a quarterly loss of $541 million. The figures, disclosed through reporting on the privately held company's finances, offer a rare glimpse into the economics of Elon Musk's space venture, which continues heavy spending on Starship development, Starlink expansion and launch operations while remaining one of the world's most valuable private companies.

The venture capital secondary market has grown beyond expectations, with deal volume reaching about $152 billion this year, according to estimates from Jefferies and Evercore. Analysts at William Blair and Preqin project further growth, forecasting volumes of up to $250 billion in their 2026 reports, pointing to a rapidly expanding segment as investors seek liquidity from existing startup stakes.

Foxconn and Alter have formed a new joint venture, Beijing Futekang, to build a mass production platform for humanoid robots. The move ties Foxconn's large-scale manufacturing capability to the fast-growing humanoid robotics sector, positioning the partners to industrialise robot assembly much as Foxconn did for consumer electronics. Industry watchers see it as a signal that humanoid robots are moving from prototypes toward volume production in China.

Elon Musk, speaking in his capacity as SpaceX chief, said Anthropic is the 'clear AI leader' and pledged not to interfere with or sabotage its compute deal, despite the rivalry between his xAI venture and the Anthropic-backed camp. The comments are drawing attention given Musk's own massive AI ambitions and his history of feuding with competitors over data centers, chips and talent in the intensifying race for computing power.

Tech investors including Michael Horowitz and Marc Andreessen are funding a new academy designed as an alternative to traditional college, according to the Wall Street Journal. The initiative reflects growing skepticism in Silicon Valley about the value of a four-year degree, with backers arguing that hands-on technical training can prepare young people for careers without the cost and time of university. The project is drawing attention as part of a broader debate over higher education's worth.

VIS, the Taiwanese chipmaker, says the joint venture fab it runs with Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors has entered the initial production stage. The milestone marks the start of output at the plant, which is expected to supply chips for automotive and industrial uses. Further details on capacity, yield ramp-up and timing for full-scale production were not given in the initial announcement.

Efforts to pass the Clarity Act, a bill to set clear US rules for crypto markets, have stalled amid political tensions tied to the Trump family's growing crypto ventures. Critics say the family's financial interests in digital assets have complicated negotiations, giving Democrats reason to resist and Republicans reason to defend, leaving the legislation in limbo on Capitol Hill.

South Korea's government under President Lee is restructuring its small and medium enterprise support programmes, directing more funding toward technology and startup ventures while cutting back on traditional loans and employment subsidies. The policy shift signals an effort to prioritise innovation-driven growth over broad-based business aid, sparking debate over whether conventional small businesses will be left behind.

Bob Chapek, the former Disney chief executive, is advising startups and says he is open to launching or joining a private equity fund, according to Bloomberg. The move marks a new chapter for Chapek after his high-profile exit from Disney in 2022, and signals continued interest from former media executives in early-stage ventures and investment vehicles.

Yahoo Finance UK asks whether the enthusiasm around SpaceX is distracting investors from the core reasons they bought into Tesla, namely its electric vehicle business, margins and growth outlook. The piece reflects a debate over whether attention has shifted to Elon Musk's other ventures at the expense of Tesla's fundamentals.

A supermarket has opened an on-site pub as a way to work around restrictions on selling alcohol, and the venture has grown busy enough that it now employs bouncers to manage crowds. The unusual arrangement highlights how retailers are finding creative legal routes to sell liquor where rules limit supermarket alcohol sales. The story has drawn attention for its odd mix of grocery retail and nightlife.

Ark Invest's Cathie Wood is moving her $1.3 billion venture fund, whose holdings include SpaceX and OpenAI, onchain, giving investors tokenized exposure to private companies that are otherwise hard to access. The move is being covered across mainstream financial outlets and crypto media, drawing attention to the growing overlap between traditional asset management and blockchain-based tokenization of private market stakes.

Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has launched Cosign, a curated professional network aimed at the startup community. The platform is designed to connect founders, investors and operators within a vetted environment. Details about its features and membership criteria have not yet been fully disclosed, but the move signals a16z's interest in building community infrastructure around venture investing.

The Institute for Justice, a US public interest law firm, has announced the launch of a new Education Entrepreneurship Project, timed to the back-to-school season. The initiative is aimed at supporting people who want to start their own educational ventures, such as schools, tutoring services or other learning businesses. Details about the project's programs and activities remain limited in the initial announcement.

Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang has published a statement titled 'Why I'm Building Muse', outlining his reasoning behind a new project called Muse. The announcement is circulating among tech and AI observers, with commenters sharing the essay and debating what the venture signals about Wang's direction following his high-profile move into Meta's AI efforts.

A startup founder has shut down his artificial intelligence company even though it was showing early signs of success. In an interview with Tech in Asia, he explained the reasoning behind the decision, offering a rare candid account of why a promising AI venture was deliberately wound down rather than scaled.

A new biotech startup based at Stanford is being operated by thousands of AI agents, according to NBC Bay Area. The company uses artificial intelligence systems to carry out its operations rather than relying on a traditional human workforce, an unusual structure for an early-stage biotech venture.

Women's flag football is growing quickly, fueling speculation about whether the NFL will launch a professional league for the sport. The question centers on whether the league will invest in making women's flag football a professional venture as participation and visibility expand, including its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

FAW-Volkswagen, the German-Chinese joint venture, has introduced the Jetta M6, a new fully electric sedan. The model extends the Jetta brand, long known for affordable combustion cars in China, into the battery-electric segment. Details on specifications, pricing and launch markets are limited so far, and the announcement is drawing attention from observers tracking how established joint ventures respond to China's fast-moving EV competition.

NFL running back Saquon Barkley is investing up to $500,000 in individual startups, focusing on artificial intelligence and Bitcoin as he builds wealth for life after football. The move highlights a growing trend of professional athletes putting earnings into technology ventures rather than traditional investments, drawing attention to how sports stars prepare financially for retirement.