January 15, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

OpenAI invests in Sam Altman's brain computer interface startup Merge Labs: Merge Labs is a "research lab" dedicated to "bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximize human ability." OpenAI wrote the largest check in Merge Labs' $250 million seed round at an $850 million valuation. Read More

The US imposes 25% tariff on Nvidia's H200 AI chips headed to China: The Trump administration formalized its 25% cut of H200 chip sales in China with a tariff that applies to certain semiconductors. Read More

AI video startup, Higgsfield, founded by ex-Snap exec, lands $1.3B valuation: Higgsfield says it's on a $200 million annual revenue run rate. So it opened its previous Series A round back up and sold another $80 million in shares. Read More

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Afternoon Must-Reads

Indian SpaceX rival EtherealX hits 5x valuation as it readies engine tests: EtherealX is ramping engine tests and building a 150-acre rocket campus in India as it targets a 2027 launch mission. Read More

Wikimedia Foundation announces new AI partnerships with Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Perplexity, and others: The AI partnerships allow companies to access the org's content, like Wikipedia, at scale. Read More

Taiwan to invest $250B in US semiconductor manufacturing: The U.S. struck a trade deal with Taiwan as the country looks to help boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Read More

Parloa triples its valuation in 8 months to $3B with $350M raise: The massive round was led by existing investor General Catalyst, with participation from other returning backers. Read More

Spotify raises its subscription prices in the US again: Spotify raised prices for its subscription plan in the U.S. for the third time in three years, as it hiked the monthly plan from $11.99 per month to $12.99 per month. Read More

You missed these chats from Disrupt:

Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens.

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Last but Not Least

US senators demand answers from X, Meta, Alphabet, and others on sexualized deepfakes: In a letter to the leaders of X, Meta, Alphabet, Snap, Reddit, and TikTok, several U.S. senators are demanding the companies provide proof that they have "robust protections and policies" in place, and how they plan to curb the rise of sexualized deepfakes on their platforms. Read More