Daily Tech News Roundup - 2026-01-19
Source: Dev.to
Sequoia to invest in Anthropic, breaking VC taboo on backing rivals (FT)
Sequoia Capital is reportedly joining a blockbuster funding round for Anthropic, the AI startup behind Claude, according to the Financial Times. This move is notable because venture‑capital firms have traditionally avoided backing competing companies in the same sector, preferring to place their bets on a single winner.
You need to listen to the cosmic horror‑comedy podcast Welcome to Night Vale
It’s relatively rare for a podcast to last 14 years, especially a fiction one. Welcome to Night Vale appears to be the longest continually running fiction podcast, outlasting most peers (some argue We’re Alive holds the record, but it has taken significant breaks between seasons).
TechCrunch Mobility: “Physical AI” enters the hype machine
A new column in TechCrunch Mobility explores how “Physical AI” is being positioned within the transportation sector’s current hype cycle.
Threads edges out X in daily mobile users, new data shows
Threads’ daily mobile usage has quietly surpassed X, aided by Meta’s cross‑promotion, creator tools, and rapid feature rollouts, even as X contends with fresh controversies.
Microsoft’s first Windows 11 update of 2026 stopped some computers from shutting down
Microsoft released its first security update of 2026 for Windows 11 on January 13. Four days later an emergency out‑of‑band update was issued to fix serious bugs introduced by the original patch, which prevented some systems from shutting down or hibernating properly.
How YC‑backed Bucket Robotics survived its first CES
After showcasing at CES, the startup is now focusing on building the business, fundraising, and securing commercial deals.
Moxie Marlinspike has a privacy‑conscious alternative to ChatGPT
Confer is designed to look and feel like ChatGPT or Claude, but it ensures that conversations cannot be used for training or advertising purposes.
Here are the 10 deals worth grabbing from Best Buy’s winter sales event
Best Buy’s Winter Sale offers discounts on a range of products—from OLED TVs to fitness trackers—making it a good time to pick up deals for New Year’s resolutions.