Airbnb said on Tuesday that it is launching its “Reserve Now, Pay Later” feature — which lets users secure bookings without immediate payment — globally. This allows users to cancel their bookings if there is a change of plans without losing money upfront.The company launched the feature in the U.S. last year for domestic travel. Airbnb said that properties with a “flexible” or “moderate” cancellation policy are eligible for the upfront reservation. With this option, users get charged closer to their check- ...

Core Insights - Infosys has partnered with Anthropic to develop enterprise-grade AI agents, aiming to reshape the global IT services industry through automation driven by large language models [1][2] Group 1: Partnership Details - The partnership will integrate Anthropic's Claude models into Infosys' Topaz AI platform to create "agentic" systems capable of autonomously managing complex enterprise workflows across various sectors, including banking, telecoms, and manufacturing [2] - Infosys will utilize Anthropic's Claude Code for writing, testing, and debugging code, and is already deploying this tool internally to enhance expertise for client projects [4] Group 2: Industry Context - The collaboration comes amid concerns that AI tools from major labs like Anthropic and OpenAI could disrupt India's $280 billion IT services industry, which is heavily reliant on labor-intensive outsourcing models [3] - Following the launch of Anthropic's enterprise AI tools, shares of Indian IT companies experienced a significant decline, highlighting the market's sensitivity to AI advancements [3] Group 3: Financial Impact - AI-related services contributed ₹25 billion (approximately $275 million), or 5.5% of Infosys' total revenue of ₹454.8 billion (around $5 billion) in the December quarter [5] - In comparison, Tata Consultancy Services reported that its AI services generate about $1.8 billion annually, accounting for around 6% of its revenue [5] Group 4: Strategic Importance - For Anthropic, this partnership provides access to regulated enterprise sectors where deploying AI at scale necessitates industry expertise and governance capabilities, with Infosys' experience in financial services, telecoms, and manufacturing being crucial [6] - Anthropic has also opened its first office in India, which has become its second-largest market, accounting for about 6% of global Claude usage, primarily in programming [9][10]

Neysa, an Indian AI infrastructure startup, has secured backing from U.S. private equity firm Blackstone as it scales domestic compute capacity amid India’s push to build homegrown AI capabilities.Blackstone and co-investors, including Teachers’ Venture Growth, TVS Capital, 360 ONE Asset, and Nexus Venture Partners, have agreed to invest up to $600 million of primary equity in Neysa, giving Blackstone a majority stake, Blackstone and Neysa told TechCrunch. The Mumbai-headquartered startup also plans to rais ...

Core Insights - Airbnb is planning to integrate AI features powered by large language models to enhance user experience in searching for listings, trip planning, and property management for hosts [1][2] - The company aims to create an AI-native experience that personalizes interactions and improves operational efficiency [2] AI Features and Development - Airbnb is currently testing a new feature that allows users to search and inquire about properties using natural language queries [2] - The existing AI-powered customer service bot handles one-third of customer issues without human intervention, with plans to expand its capabilities to voice support and multiple languages [7][8] - The company is experimenting with making AI search more conversational and is considering the introduction of sponsored listings in the future [3][4] Leadership and Strategy - Airbnb's new CTO, Ahmad Al-Dahle, will leverage AI expertise to utilize identity and review data for enhancing app functionality [6] - The company has set a goal for 100% of its engineers to use AI tools, currently at 80% [8] Financial Performance - Airbnb reported fourth-quarter revenue of $2.78 billion, reflecting a 12% increase year-over-year [9]

Core Insights - Airbnb's custom-built AI agent is currently managing approximately one-third of its customer support issues in North America, with plans for a global rollout, aiming for over 30% of total customer support tickets to be handled by AI within a year [1][2] AI Implementation and Strategy - The CEO, Brian Chesky, emphasized that the AI implementation will significantly reduce costs and improve service quality, suggesting that AI could outperform human agents in resolving certain issues [2] - Airbnb has hired CTO Ahmed Al-Dahle from Meta to enhance its AI capabilities, with plans to create an AI-native experience that personalizes trip planning for guests and assists hosts in managing their businesses [3][4] - Chesky highlighted that Airbnb's unique database, including 200 million verified identities and 500 million proprietary reviews, differentiates its AI from other chatbots, which cannot replicate this data [5] Financial Performance and Projections - The company reported $2.78 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter, exceeding estimates, and forecasts revenue growth in the "low double digits" for the current year, with expected revenue between $2.59 billion and $2.63 billion for the next quarter [6] - Airbnb processes over $100 billion in payments through its platform, reinforcing its established position in the market [7] AI's Role in Business Growth - Chesky noted that AI chatbots can drive top-of-funnel traffic that converts at a higher rate than traditional search engines like Google, indicating a potential benefit for Airbnb from the shift to AI [8] - The company is already utilizing AI for search functionalities, currently in a testing phase for a small percentage of traffic, with plans to make search more conversational and integrate sponsored listings [9] - Approximately 80% of Airbnb's engineers are currently using AI tools, with a goal to increase this to 100% soon [10]

The Securities and Exchange Commission closed its investigation into bankrupt electric vehicle startup Fisker last September, roughly one year after the probe was opened.TechCrunch learned the investigation was closed when the financial regulator responded to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in January. The SEC’s FOIA department said it had identified “approximately 21.7 gigabytes of electronically maintained records” related to the investigation. The agency doesn’t typically make records availab ...

Core Insights - The Indian government has partnered with Alibaba.com to support startups and small businesses in reaching international markets through an export-focused program [1][2] - This collaboration comes after years of strained relations between India and China, highlighting a selective engagement approach by New Delhi [3][6] Group 1: Partnership Details - The Startup India initiative aims to identify and support Indian startups that can facilitate onboarding and scaling of Indian exporters on Alibaba's global B2B platform [2] - The program provides commissions and technical support to assist small manufacturers and traders in accessing overseas markets [2] - Alibaba.com connects over 50 million active buyers across more than 200 countries, emphasizing its commitment to empowering micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India [5] Group 2: Economic Context - Micro, small, and medium enterprises account for nearly 50% of India's exports and approximately 31% of its GDP, underscoring the importance of expanding digital market access for these firms [4] - The partnership reflects India's strategy to maintain restrictions in strategic sectors while allowing economic engagement that offers clear benefits [6] Group 3: Regulatory Environment - Regulatory clarity is deemed essential for ensuring that startups feel confident in participating in initiatives like the one with Alibaba.com [6] - The Indian government distinguishes between export-focused platforms and consumer-facing Chinese apps, indicating a nuanced approach to economic relations with China [6] Group 4: Broader Implications - The collaboration follows Alibaba's recent initiatives to enhance export-focused services in India, including the launch of the Trade Assurance program aimed at managing risks in cross-border transactions [8] - There are signs of improved engagement between India and China in multilateral technology forums, although restrictions on Chinese consumer technology platforms remain unchanged [9][10]

Core Insights - Roku reported a strong fourth-quarter performance for 2025, with a net income of $80.5 million, a significant recovery from a loss of $35.5 million in the same period last year [4] - The company achieved total revenue of $1.4 billion for Q4 2025, reflecting a 16% year-over-year increase [4] - Roku is optimistic about future growth, projecting total net revenue of $5.5 billion and gross profit of $2.4 billion [4] Streaming Strategy - Roku is launching new streaming bundles in 2026 to attract viewers amid rising subscription prices, aiming to appeal to cost-conscious consumers [2] - The addition of HBO Max has positively impacted Roku's premium subscriptions, encouraging the company to partner with more top-tier streaming services [2] - Roku's ad-free subscription service, Howdy, launched last year, is set to expand beyond the Roku platform, with plans for widespread distribution [3] User Engagement - Roku users streamed 145.6 billion hours of video in 2025, marking a 15% increase from 2024 [3] - The company is approaching the milestone of 100 million streaming households, although it has decided to report this figure less frequently [3] Financial Performance - The company successfully reached adjusted EBITDA breakeven in 2024, a year ahead of schedule, and aims to sustain double-digit platform revenue growth while increasing profitability [5]

Group 1 - Meta plans to introduce facial recognition technology, known as "Name Tag," to its smart glasses, allowing users to identify individuals and access information via its AI assistant [1] - The company has been considering the release of this feature since early last year, weighing the associated safety and privacy risks [1] - An internal memo indicated that the initial plan was to launch Name Tag at a conference for the visually impaired before a broader public release, which ultimately did not occur [1] Group 2 - Meta views the current political climate in the United States as an opportune moment to launch the facial recognition feature, anticipating that civil society groups critical of the company will be preoccupied with other issues [2] - The company had previously contemplated integrating facial recognition into its Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2021 but abandoned the idea due to technical and ethical challenges [3] - The revival of these plans coincides with a perceived alignment between the Trump administration and big tech, as well as the unexpected success of Meta's smart glasses [3]

Core Insights - Pinterest's CEO Bill Ready highlighted the platform's search volume, claiming it surpasses that of ChatGPT, with 80 billion searches per month compared to ChatGPT's 75 billion [1][2] - The company reported a revenue of $1.32 billion for Q4, slightly below the expected $1.33 billion, and earnings per share of 67 cents, missing the projected 69 cents [3] - Pinterest's first-quarter 2026 sales forecast is between $951 million to $971 million, which is below the expected $980 million [3] Financial Performance - Pinterest's Q4 revenue fell short of expectations, attributed to larger advertisers reducing spending, particularly in Europe, and a new furniture tariff affecting the home category [4] - Despite a 12% year-over-year increase in monthly active users to 619 million, exceeding Wall Street's forecast of 613 million, the company still missed earnings expectations [4] Market Position and Challenges - Pinterest is positioned as one of the largest search destinations globally, with over half of its searches being commercial in nature, compared to approximately 2% for ChatGPT [2] - The platform faces challenges in converting high user engagement into advertising revenue, as users typically visit Pinterest for planning rather than immediate purchasing [7] Strategic Initiatives - To adapt to the shift towards AI-powered shopping, Pinterest is focusing on enhancing its visual search, discovery, and personalization features to guide users to relevant products [8] - The company has partnered with Amazon to streamline the checkout process, indicating readiness to adapt to future AI-driven purchasing behaviors [9]