Bitcoin Slips Below $80,000 Amid AI Spending Fears

Key Takeaways

• <ul><li>Bitcoin fell below $80,000 amid AI spending fears, with Bitcoin ETFs losing $773 million over two days and the Nasdaq dropping 2.6%.</li></li>
• <ul><li>AI-linked tokens TAO and NEAR plunged up to 22% as Meta's heavy capital needs and NVIDIA's Jensen Huang raised concerns about limited investment capital.</li></li>
• <ul><li>SpaceX secured a $40 billion debt deal with Apollo Global Management for AI chip leasing, with AI revenue jumping to $7.56 billion from $813 million a year earlier.</li></li>
• <ul><li>Zoom will launch Centralised AI Management in December 2026, adding audit controls, deepfake detection, and Purview sensitivity label integration with Microsoft 365.</li></li>
• <ul><li>Brivo's new Reseller MCP lets partners use Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini to manage security systems via natural language prompts.</li></li>
• <ul><li>The XRP Ledger now supports banking and AI commerce, with AI-driven transactions reaching tens of millions across 160+ merchants and daily settlements exceeding 600,000.</li></li>
• <ul><li>Bill Gates endorsed Meta's AI agent Muse, praising its real-world utility while warning against removing safeguards from open models.</li></li>
• <ul><li>Anthropic's S-1 IPO prospectus omitted key financial figures, drawing scrutiny ahead of its planned public offering.</li></li>
• <ul><li>New IGG Benchmark found GPT-5.5 scored 79.4% on GUI tasks while the best open-source VLM reached only 31.6%, highlighting execution challenges for AI agents.</li></li>
• <ul><li>Tel Aviv will host P.AI Games in May 2027 with $1.35M in prizes and ten robot arenas testing everyday physical AI tasks.</li></li>

Bitcoin falls below $80,000 as AI stock worries spread

Bitcoin dropped below $80,000 on October 26, 2026, slipping as much as 1.4% to under $79,300. The decline matched a major tech stock selloff that hit the Nasdaq Composite by 2.6%. Investors grew worried about massive AI spending and debt concerns for companies like Meta Platforms, CoreWeave, and NVIDIA. Bitcoin ETF outflows totaled about $773 million over two days, adding pressure to the price.

AI coins TAO and NEAR plunge while Bitcoin holds steadier

Bittensor (TAO) and NEAR Protocol fell up to 22% over two weeks, while Bitcoin dropped only about 4%. TAO fell to around $251 and NEAR dropped to about $4.53, both hitting monthly lows on October 24, 2026. The selloff was triggered by fears over AI spending after Meta Platforms reported heavy capital needs and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang warned about limited investment capital. TAO and NEAR are more tightly linked to AI expectations, making them more vulnerable to AI market doubts.

Bitcoin dips below $80,000 amid AI trade concerns

Bitcoin fell below $80,000 on Monday as risk-off sentiment grew ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting. The asset dropped as much as 1.4% to under $79,300 before recovering slightly. Investors also pulled $772.4 million from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs over two days. Smaller cryptocurrencies like Ether, XRP, and Solana also declined as concerns about AI spending and tech earnings weighed on markets.

SpaceX lands $40 billion AI chip financing deal

SpaceX announced a deal worth roughly $40 billion in principal payments with an entity managed by Apollo Global Management. The agreement covers leasing data center hardware, including AI chips. The deal was reported on October 26, 2026, and was structured as a financing arrangement for data center equipment. The announcement came from Bengaluru and was edited by Shilpi Majumdar.

SpaceX secures $40B debt deal for AI chip purchases

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk confirmed the company secured debt financing through corporate bonds from Apollo Global Management. Musk stressed SpaceX is investment grade and not just a data center business, citing revenue from space launches and Starlink. SpaceX's AI business grew to $7.56 billion in revenue for the June to August quarter, up from $813 million the year before. Musk predicted over 200 neocloud providers may fold due to the finance squeeze, but said SpaceX would not pursue acquisitions.

Bill Gates praises Meta's AI agent Muse

Bill Gates said he is a fan of Meta's AI agent called Muse. He personally congratulated Alexandr Wang, Meta's chief AI officer, for building it. Gates believes Muse wins people over because it actually does real work. He also said Muse is powered by Meta's closed-source model and that removing safeguards from open models is irresponsible.

XRP Ledger expands into banking and AI commerce

The XRP Ledger is now being used by banks and AI systems for more than just trading. Financial institutions use it for cross-currency transfers and automated payments. AI-driven transactions have reached tens of millions across over 160 registered merchants. Daily settlement counts have exceeded 600,000 during periods of high machine-to-machine volume. The network supports atomic cross-currency transactions and integrates with the x402 protocol for automated payments.

Zoom adds AI guardrails to secure meetings

Zoom is rolling out new AI guardrails to keep meetings and enterprise data safe. Centralised AI Management will launch in December 2026 with audit controls for user-created agents. Custom AI guardrails will follow in January 2027 to filter sensitive data from automated outputs. Deepfake risk detection tools are also expected in December 2026 to flag altered audio and video in real time. A sensitivity label integration with Purview will keep data classifications consistent across Zoom and Microsoft 365.

Brivo lets partners use their own AI tools

Brivo launched the Brivo Reseller MCP so partners can manage security systems with their own AI assistants. Resellers can use tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini with natural language prompts. This helps automate account management and eliminate repetitive tasks. For example, a reseller can ask for sales analysis across accounts, doors, and panels for the last 12 months. The MCP is designed to increase operational efficiency for global Brivo resellers.

Anthropic IPO prospectus leaves out key numbers

Anthropic's S-1 IPO prospectus is hundreds of pages long but leaves out several important financial details. The filing has drawn attention because key figures are missing from the document. The omissions raise questions about what information investors may not be seeing. The report was filed ahead of the company's planned public offering.

New IGG Benchmark Tests AI GUI Skills Under Visibility Limits

Researchers introduced Interactive GUI Grounding (IGG), a benchmark with 601 tasks across 16 GUI environments. It measures whether an AI agent can make a hidden or off-screen target visible before clicking it. Humans scored 94.6% accuracy, while GPT-5.5 reached 79.4% and the best open-source VLM reached only 31.6%. The study found that executing interactions, not just recognizing targets, is the main challenge for current models.

AI Changes Car Shopping and Forces Dealers to Rethink Marketing

AI is changing how consumers research and buy cars, and dealerships must adapt their marketing strategies. A study found 70% of car buyers use online resources, but only 10% of dealerships have a strong online presence. Dealers are urged to use AI tools like chatbots, social media, and data analytics to reach customers and build trust. Embracing digital marketing can help dealerships stay competitive in a changing market.

Tel Aviv Plans P.AI Games Robot Competition With $1.35M Prizes

Tel Aviv will host P.AI Games in May 2027 with ten live robot arenas and $1.35M in prize money. The event is organized by the Israeli National AI Directorate and expects 10,000 spectators. Robots will perform everyday tasks like packing a dishwasher, carrying water without spilling, and bowling, with scoring timed to the millisecond. The competition aims to create a credible, auditable scoreboard for physical AI that buyers and investors can trust.

Sources

• Bitcoin Analysis: BTC Is Falling on Doubts About AI Spending. Is It Trading Like a Tech Stock Now?
• Bittensor (TAO) and NEAR Fell Up to 22% in Two Weeks While Bitcoin Fell 4%. Is the AI Coin Trade Over?
• Bitcoin dips below $80 000 as AI-related market selloff deepens
• SpaceX enters $40 billion deal with Apollo for AI chip financing
• SpaceX secures $40B debt-financing deal to buy AI chips
• Bill Gates is a ‘fan’ of Meta's AI agent Muse; says: I talked to Alexandr Wang about it, congratulated him, and even though...
• XRP Ledger Gains Traction with Banks and Autonomous AI Systems Beyond Spot Trading
• How AI Guardrails are Keeping Zoom Meetings Secure
• Brivo Empowers Partners to Manage Security Business with Their Own AI Tools
• Why Anthropic’s IPO Prospectus Is Missing So Many Key Figures
• IGG: A Benchmark for Interactive GUI Grounding under Visibility Constraints
• AI is changing how consumers shop for cars. Dealer marketing has to change with it.
• Tel Aviv wants a real scoreboard for robots