Wabi, an AI agent startup founded by Eugenia Kuyda, reached a $1.25 billion valuation after raising $55 million in a seed round led by IVP. The company builds a group chat interface with an embedded AI assistant that helps users plan trips, manage schedules, and create simple apps. Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, the Amazon Alexa Fund, and IVP. The assistant integrates with services like Plaid and Gmail, and Wabi plans to launch a Windows app.
Nvidia is under a U.S. Department of Justice antitrust probe over its planned $12.9 billion acquisition of Hugging Face. The DOJ is examining whether the deal would concentrate too much power over open source AI tools. Separately, Nvidia expanded its ChipAgents collaboration to apply agentic AI to chip design. The probe has not affected broader AI factory demand.
Hardware and infrastructure companies reported strong results tied to AI demand. Delta Electronics said AI and data-center-related revenue now makes up nearly half of total sales, though the company recorded NT$3.9 billion in inventory losses from delays in AI data-center buildouts. Samsung expects AI and HPC revenue to exceed 50 percent of total foundry sales next year, with its 2-nanometer order pipeline more than doubling year over year.
Vertiv and Amphenol beat Wall Street earnings expectations on strong AI-related demand. Vertiv posted adjusted EPS of $2.21 versus a $1.82 consensus, with revenue up 61 percent to $4.31 billion. Amphenol delivered adjusted EPS of $0.80 against a $0.73 estimate, with revenue reaching $10.23 billion. AssemblyAI also launched AssemblyAI-TTS-1, a text-to-speech API priced at $15 per 1 million characters, designed for voice agents on live phone calls.
On the consumer side, Sandler Partners introduced Scout AI, a virtual sales engineer that helps channel partners answer routine vendor questions. Independent agents often cannot afford human sales engineers costing over $250,000 a year, so Scout aims to free up human time for customer-facing work. Meanwhile, job seekers are encountering ghost jobs and AI-powered scams, where real-looking postings from real companies have no active openings. Experts warn applicants never to send money to a potential employer.
Key Takeaways
- Wabi reached a $1.25 billion valuation after raising $55 million led by IVP
- Amazon Alexa Fund is among investors backing Wabi's group AI assistant
- Nvidia faces DOJ antitrust probe over $12.9 billion Hugging Face acquisition
- Delta Electronics AI-related revenue now nears 50 percent of total sales
- Samsung expects AI and HPC to exceed 50 percent of foundry sales next year
- Vertiv beat EPS consensus with revenue up 61% to $4.31 billion
- Amphenol beat EPS consensus with revenue of $10.23 billion
- AssemblyAI launched a text-to-speech API for voice agents at $15 per 1 million characters
- Sandler Partners launched Scout AI, a virtual sales engineer for channel partners
- Experts warn job seekers about ghost jobs and AI-powered scams
Wabi AI mini app builder valued at $1.25B after funding round
Wabi, an AI agent that builds mini apps, reached a $1.25 billion valuation after its latest funding round. The company was founded by Eugenia Kuyda, who previously started Replika. Wabi lets users create tools for tasks like meal planning, fitness tracking and planning events. Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Amazon Alexa Fund and IVP. The new funding will support growth in the hot AI agent market.
Wabi secures $55 million to fund group AI assistant
Wabi raised $55 million to develop its AI assistant designed to coordinate group activities. The financing values the company at $1.25 billion. The assistant works in group chats to help plan trips, manage schedules and handle daily tasks. It can turn conversations into shared tools like travel itineraries. Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, and research shows more consumers are turning to AI first for personal tasks.
Wabi raises $55M for consumer AI assistant platform
Wabi Inc. raised $55 million in a seed round led by IVP. The company is valued at $1.25 billion and was founded by Eugenia Kuyda, who previously founded Replika. Wabi offers a group chat interface with an embedded AI assistant that can find restaurants, manage budgets and create simple apps. It also integrates with Plaid and Gmail. The company plans to launch a Windows app and invest in product development.
Delta Electronics AI revenue nears 50 percent
Delta Electronics reported that AI and data-center-related revenue now makes up nearly half of total sales. Chairman Cheng Ping forecast that fourth-quarter revenue will exceed the third quarter. The company recorded NT$3.9 billion in inventory losses in the third quarter due to delays in AI data-center buildouts. Delta is building a production base in Penang, Malaysia and plans to mass produce solid oxide fuel cells next year.
Samsung expects AI and HPC to drive over half foundry sales
Samsung Electronics said its 2-nanometer foundry order pipeline is expected to more than double from a year earlier. The company secured new 2-nanometer projects from major cloud service providers and AI and HPC customers. Samsung expects next year AI and HPC revenue will exceed 50 percent of total foundry sales. The company plans to start operations at its Taylor, U.S. plant and expand mass production of leading-edge processes.
Vertiv and Amphenol surge after strong AI earnings
Vertiv, Amphenol, and GE Vernova all beat Wall Street earnings expectations. Vertiv's adjusted EPS was $2.21, beating the $1.82 consensus, and revenue grew 61% to $4.31 billion. Amphenol's adjusted EPS was $0.80, beating the $0.73 consensus, and revenue hit $10.23 billion. GE Vernova's EPS was $4.81, beating the $4.10 consensus, but its stock price slipped.
AssemblyAI launches text-to-speech API for voice agents
AssemblyAI released AssemblyAI-TTS-1, its first text-to-speech model. The API is designed for voice agents on live phone calls and costs $15 per 1 million characters. It has no annual contract or concurrency tier. Developers using AssemblyAI speech-to-text can now handle the full voice loop with one vendor.
Job seekers face ghost jobs and AI scams
Job seekers are encountering 'ghost jobs' and AI-powered scams. Ghost jobs are real-looking postings from real companies that do not have active openings. Companies may post them to collect resumes or gauge the talent pool. Experts warn that scammers use AI to create convincing fake listings and say applicants should never send money to a potential employer.
Nvidia faces DOJ probe over Hugging Face acquisition
Nvidia is facing a U.S. Department of Justice antitrust probe into its planned $12.9 billion acquisition of Hugging Face. The DOJ is reviewing whether the deal would concentrate too much power over open source AI tools. Nvidia also expanded its ChipAgents collaboration to apply agentic AI to chip design. The probe does not affect broader AI factory demand.
Data masking and DSPM shield data from AI risks
Data masking and DSPM help protect sensitive information from AI systems. Masking replaces real data with realistic but unusable values so teams can test applications safely. DSPM helps security teams find sensitive data spread across cloud buckets, data lakes, and SaaS apps. Knowing what is in a dataset before giving AI access prevents systems from seeing raw values they do not need.
Sandler Partners launches AI sales engineer Scout
Sandler Partners introduced Scout AI, a virtual sales engineer for channel partners. Partners can email Scout and get responses in minutes based on past engineer conversations. The tool aims to help human engineers spend more time with customers instead of handling routine questions. Independent agents often cannot afford human sales engineers costing over $250,000 a year. Early testers found Scout highly accurate and helpful for vendor shortlists.
Albion's Ware says Anthropic gets too much AI scrutiny
Jason Ware of Albion Financial Group says Anthropic receives excessive attention as a measure of AI success. He expects Anthropic's IPO to be well received by investors. However, he cautions that the investment case is not as simple as markets may believe. Ware also shares his top picks for quality stocks outside the AI sector.
AI shoppers now test products before real buyers see them
Consumer goods companies are using simulated shoppers to test products before launch. Atyprima builds fake customer profiles from real interviews rather than just copying purchase data. A 2024 survey found 69% of market researchers used synthetic responses in the past year. Company founder Xu warns that fake profiles can mirror a company's own biases if not checked against real people. She says research findings must still be validated against actual consumers.
Sources
- Wabi, the AI agent that builds mini apps, now valued at $1.25B after latest round
- Wabi Raises $55 Million For AI Assistant to Coordinate Groups
- Wabi reels in $55M for its consumer-focused AI assistant
- Delta Electronics' AI Revenue Share Nears 50%; Chairman Cheng Ping Says Q4 Sales and Margins Will Both Match or Beat Q3
- Samsung Electronics projects AI and HPC to drive over half of foundry sales next year
- 3 AI Stocks Crush Earnings: Vertiv and Amphenol Soar While GE Vernova Slips
- AssemblyAI Ships AssemblyAI-TTS-1: A $15 per 1M Character Text-to-Speech API for Voice Agents
- The scary side of job hunting: Ghost jobs, fake listings and AI scams
- Nvidia (NVDA) Faces DOJ Antitrust Probe Over $12.9 Billion AI Deal
- How Data Masking and DSPM Protect Sensitive Data From AI
- Sandler Partners AI-ifies its sales engineers
- Anthropic gets too much attention as a litmus test for AI, says Albion's Ware
- The Product on Your Shelf May Have Been Tested on an AI Shopper First
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