NerdNews

LinkedIn's Hiring Assistant is a task automation agent that uses natural language to search for candidates. It's built on top of a modular architecture with sub-agents and uses a combination of general-purpose and fine-tuned LLMs. The agent platform provides a prompt source of truth service, LLM inference service, and a skill registry to enable developers to build agents efficiently.

Meta acquired Manus, an AI agent startup, for over $2 billion. Manus will cut ties with China after the deal closes. The acquisition is part of Meta's push into AI, with plans to integrate Manus into its products while operating it as a separate service.

Several fusion startups have raised over $100M in funding, including Commonwealth Fusion Systems, TAE Technologies, Helion, Pacific Fusion, and others. These companies are working on developing commercially viable fusion power plants, which could potentially upend trillion-dollar markets. Advances in computer chips, AI, and high-temperature superconducting magnets have driven the growth of the fusion industry.

Nvidia has acquired Groq, an AI chip startup, for $20 billion. The deal is seen as a strategic move by Nvidia to enhance its AI capabilities and stay ahead in the competitive market. Groq's technology, including its language processing units (LPUs) and data flow architecture, is expected to complement Nvidia's existing offerings. The acquisition is also viewed as a way for Nvidia to eliminate a potential competitor and gain access to Groq's talent and intellectual property.

In 2025, the AI industry shifted from lofty promises to practical applications, with a focus on reliability and accountability. Despite significant investments, AI models struggled with basic reasoning tasks and reliable source citation. The industry faced legal reckoning over training data, and the psychological costs of anthropomorphized chatbots became apparent.

The electrical grid is facing increased demand and strain due to the growth of data centers and AI. Startups like Gridcare and Yottar are using software to optimize the grid and find spare capacity. Other companies, such as Nvidia and Google, are working on AI-powered solutions to improve efficiency and resiliency. These software solutions could help modernize the grid and make it more efficient, reducing the need for new infrastructure and lowering costs.

Most online platforms provide features to control what appears in your recommendations and 'for you' feeds. This article breaks down the algorithm tuning tools provided by popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and more, allowing you to see more or less of certain content.

Dan Shipper and Brandon Gell share four predictions for how AI will change software in 2026, including agent-native apps, designers building their own tools, a new kind of software engineer, and autonomous AI training.

Kubernetes 1.35, also known as Timbernetes, has been released with several key features including In-Place Pod Resize, AI-optimized scheduling, and Gang Scheduling. The release also includes enhancements to the API and improvements to the Horizontal Pod Autoscaler. Additionally, the Ingress NGINX controller will be sunset in March 2026, and users are encouraged to migrate to the Gateway API or alternative third-party ingress controllers.

Cloudflare's 2025 review reveals 19% growth in global internet traffic, Googlebot dominance, and increasing adoption of post-quantum encryption. AI platforms aggressively crawl content, with crawl-to-refer ratios increasing over 2024. Go-based clients account for 20% of automated API requests.

Shopify's Winter '26 Edition brings e-commerce automation and AI integration, including Smarter Sidekick, Agentic Storefronts, SimGym, and built-in A/B testing, to enhance merchant capabilities and customer experience.

OpenAI has rolled out an update to ChatGPT on mobile, allowing users to select the Thinking time toggle, also known as 'juice' of the model. This feature was previously only available on desktop and allows for 'Extended Thinking' which provides better answers for complex queries. The update is available for ChatGPT Plus users.

In 2025, AI features were integrated into various gadgets, including Google's Pixel phone, Pixel Watch, and Nest security cameras. However, the adoption of AI has been met with skepticism, and many consumers are unhappy with the 'slop' of AI-generated content. Despite this, companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta are continuing to invest in AI, with some predicting that AI will become even more prevalent in the future.

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, says that digital camera companies are on the wrong path by trying to make everyone look like a pro photographer. He claims that authenticity is becoming a scarce resource and that people want content that feels real, not perfect. Mosseri suggests that platforms like Instagram need to build creative tools, label AI-generated content, and verify authentic content to maintain trust.

Investors predict AI will significantly impact the labor market in 2026, with potential job automation and layoffs. A recent MIT study found 11.7% of jobs could already be automated using AI, and companies may shift resources from labor to AI budgets.

According to Dealroom's European Spinout Report 2025, 76 deep tech and life sciences companies from European universities have reached $1 billion valuations or $100 million in revenue. This milestone is a result of increased funding and support for university spinouts, with VC firms like PSV Hafnium and U2V emerging to back these companies.

Unkey, a developer platform, has rebuilt its API authentication service from the ground up, moving from serverless Cloudflare Workers to stateful Go servers due to performance struggles, resulting in a sixfold performance improvement and eliminating workarounds.

The US federal government's cybersecurity efforts are being hindered by staffing cuts and instability, including a prolonged shutdown, which could lead to vulnerabilities and disasters. Experts warn that inconsistent staffing and reduced hiring at key agencies like CISA could have disastrous consequences.

The FCC has repealed net neutrality rules, allowing ISPs to block or throttle internet traffic. States are stepping up to fill the regulatory gap, but the Trump administration is pushing back. The repeal could have significant implications for internet access and affordability, particularly in rural areas.

Hackers exploited Unleash Protocol's multisig governance system, stealing $3.9M in cryptocurrency. The attacker gained administrative control, performed an unauthorized contract upgrade, and withdrew assets. The stolen funds were transferred to Tornado Cash for laundering.