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Anthropic Promises Claude Will Remain Ad-Free, Launches Super Bowl Campaign

Posted on by Tea4Tech Team

SAN FRANCISCO: AI startup Anthropic has announced that its chatbot, Claude, will remain permanently free from advertising. The pledge was revealed alongside the company’s first-ever Super Bowl advertising campaign, which clearly contrasts its approach with rival OpenAI’s recent move to test sponsored content inside ChatGPT.

Anthropic said conversations with AI assistants are not suitable places for ads. According to the company, users normally talk about personal sensitive matters, software complexities, and thought-provoking issues with Claude. Placing advertisements in such engagement would be clumsy, and the trust would be broken.

To highlight its stance, Anthropic aired a 60-second pregame ad and a 30-second in-game commercial during the Super Bowl. Both carried the tagline, “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.” The ads used satire, showing AI helpers like therapists suddenly interrupting serious conversations to promote products, underscoring how disruptive advertising could feel.

The company claimed that a high percentage of Claude conversations are about issues that individuals would have told their close advisors. Anthropic is certain that advertising during such times will compromise authenticity and user trust.

In response, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman criticized Anthropic’s campaign on X, calling it “clearly dishonest.” He justified the advertising intentions of ChatGPT, claiming that they would be formulated in a very responsible manner that would not affect responses. Altman also mentioned that advertising would make AI available to billions of individuals who would not be able to pay subscriptions.

The ad-free pledge comes as Anthropic demonstrates formidable revenue traction, having crossed $9 billion annual run rate within two years with over 80 percent deriving from enterprise customers through paid subscriptions and business contracts.

The financial momentum underpins Anthropic’s aggressive expansion strategy, with the company simultaneously pursuing massive capital raise that would more than triple its current $11 billion valuation achieved just weeks earlier in ElevenLabs-leading Series D round. Sources familiar with discussions indicate the $350 billion target valuation positions Anthropic among most valuable private AI companies globally.

While acknowledging that ads could be a lucrative option, Anthropic said an ad-based model would create conflicting incentives and go against Claude’s core principle of being genuinely helpful.

The company also stated that in the event that it decides to change the no-ads policy, it would make its intentions clear by stating the reasons why it needs to modify it.

ChatGPT Recovers After Global Outage Affects Thousands

Posted on by Yashika Aneja

SAN FRANCISCO: OpenAI restores ChatGPT services following a multi-hour global outage that disrupted access for over 12,000 users across web and mobile platforms on February 3.

The disruption began around 3:00 PM Eastern Time, affecting conversations, search functionality, image generation, voice mode and API access as elevated error rates cascaded through OpenAI’s infrastructure. The company acknowledged the incident within minutes and deployed mitigations, marking primary issues resolved by 5:14 PM Eastern.

Down Detector recorded complaints spiking from initial reports at 12:08 PM Pacific to peak levels exceeding 25,000 incidents within two hours. Users encountered error messages preventing them from loading conversations, receiving responses or accessing platform services.

OpenAI’s status page confirmed elevated errors for ChatGPT and Platform users while engineers worked to identify root causes. The timing proved particularly disruptive for professionals and developers relying on ChatGPT for daily workflows, underscoring enterprise dependence on continuous AI availability.

The outage follows OpenAI’s Monday launch of ChatGPT Codex for macOS, which CEO Sam Altman reported achieved over 200,000 first-day downloads. Industry observers speculate unexpectedly high Codex adoption may have contributed to infrastructure strain, though OpenAI has not confirmed specific technical causes.

The incident marks ChatGPT’s latest reliability challenge after previous disruptions in January 2025 and subsequent months. Competitor Anthropic experienced separate Claude outages earlier the same day, suggesting broader infrastructure pressures across AI platforms as user bases scale rapidly and enterprises integrate generative models into critical business operations.

Anthropic’s Launch of New AI Productivity Tools Triggers $285 Billion Software Selloff

Posted on by Anurag Shukla

SAN FRANCISCO: Anthropic releases legal workflow plugins for its Claude Cowork AI assistant, sparking a $285 billion market capitalization wipeout across software, legal technology and professional services sectors as investors flee companies vulnerable to AI automation.

The legal plugin launched Friday enables Claude to review contracts, flag compliance risks, triage nondisclosure agreements and generate templated legal responses without requiring coding expertise from end users.

RELX and Wolters Kluwer each plunged over 10 percent on Tuesday while Thomson Reuters, LegalZoom and London Stock Exchange Group dropped between 6.5 and 10 percent. A Goldman Sachs basket tracking US software stocks sank 6 percent, its steepest single-day decline since April’s tariff-driven selloff.

The Nasdaq 100 fell as much as 2.4 percent before recovering to close down 1.6 percent. Traders dubbed the panic a SaaSpocalypse, describing sell-at-any-cost behavior as investors reassess AI as replacement rather than complement to existing software platforms.

Anthropic released 11 open-source plugins spanning sales, finance, data analysis, marketing and customer support alongside the legal toolkit. The plugins transform Claude from conversational assistant into specialized domain expert capable of executing multi-step workflows across business functions.

Industry analysts note the legal plugin consists primarily of structured prompts and workflow instructions rather than proprietary fine-tuned models, yet its release crystallizes investor fears around AI agents automating knowledge work previously requiring human specialists.

The broader selloff extends beyond legal software to encompass Indian IT services firms whose full-time-equivalent billing models face existential pressure as AI automates human-led project work traditionally charged by headcount.

Overland AI Secures $100 Mn as Military Demand for Ground Autonomy Rises

Posted on by Shobhit Kalra

SEATTLE: Autonomous ground systems startup Overland AI has raised $100 million in fresh funding as demand grows for its military-grade autonomous vehicles across the US Armed Forces.

The equity round was led by 8VC, with continued backing from Point72 Ventures, Ascend Venture Capital, Shasta Ventures and Overmatch Ventures. New investors include Valor Equity Partners and StepStone Group, while the total raise also features a $20 million venture debt facility from TriplePoint Capital. The funding comes just a year after Overland AI raised $42 million, taking its total capital raised to over $140 million.

Founded in 2022 after spinning out of the University of Washington, Overland AI has grown to more than 100 employees. The company works closely with the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and SOCOM, and recently secured a $2 million contract with the U.S. Army.

Overland AI develops autonomous ground technology that allows a single human operator to control multiple robotic vehicles in complex, off-road and GPS-denied environments. Its systems can be installed on different vehicles and are designed to operate at tactically relevant speeds, including in high-risk combat scenarios such as breaching missions.

The company’s flagship autonomous tactical vehicle, ULTRA, debuted last year and is already being used for autonomous resupply missions following airborne insertions, including deployments with the 82nd Airborne Division.

“Demand for ground autonomy has moved decisively from experimentation to operational integration,” said Stephanie Bonk, co-founder and president of Overland AI. He added, “This funding allows us to scale alongside the units adopting our technology.”

Overland AI completed DARPA’s RACER program last year and has also expanded beyond defense. Recently, it partnered with CAL FIRE to test its autonomous vehicles for wildfire logistics and resupply operations in Southern California.

The startup plans to use the new capital to expand manufacturing, field support and operational integration teams to meet rising military demand.

We Found Love, Not Capital: AI Matchmaking Startup Juleo Pauses Operations

Posted on by Shobhit Kalra

Bengaluru: Online matchmaking startup Juleo has wound down its operations, with cofounder Varun Sud announcing that the company is ‘pausing’ its services after failing to secure additional funding.

In a LinkedIn post, Sud said that while Juleo had managed to build an AI-driven matchmaking platform focused on trust and safety, and had achieved early product-market fit, it struggled to convince institutional investors to back the business.

According to him, lingering skepticism stemming from past failures in the online dating and matchmaking space worked against the startup’s fundraising efforts.

The shutdown comes less than a year after Juleo raised $2.5 Mn in August 2024 from a group of prominent angel investors, including Ramakant Sharma, Kunal Shah, Ruchi Deepak, and Harsh Jain along with Lalit Keshre, among others.

Founded in 2023 by Sud and Chiranjeev Ghai, Juleo positioned itself as a subscription-led matchmaking platform. Beyond its app, the company experimented with offline community meetups and curated events to help singles connect in real-world settings.

At the core of its offering was an AI-powered matchmaker called Genie, which not only shortlisted compatible profiles but also coordinated in-person meetings. The platform also emphasised user safety and privacy, with women’s profiles remaining private by default unless they chose otherwise.

Moving forward, Sud hinted at founding a new venture in the “consumer AI space”.

During its operations, Juleo claims to have crossed over 5 lakh app installs, attracted around 1.5 lakh applicants to its ‘Club’ membership, and facilitated multiple relationships and marriages across India.

Juleo operated in a highly competitive market, going up against global players from Match Group, including Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and Bumble, as well as homegrown rivals such as Aisle and Truly Madly.

Adobe Offers Unlimited Image and Video Generations for Firefly Users

Posted on by Amita Parul

SAN JOSE: Adobe is lifting generation limits on Firefly for subscribers who sign up before March 16, offering unlimited AI image and video creation across both its own models and third-party platforms. The move removes monthly credit caps that previously restricted how many generations users could create.

The offer applies to Firefly Pro, Firefly Premium, and credit-based plans. Subscribers get unrestricted access to Adobe’s Firefly models plus third-party integrations including Google Nano Banana Pro, OpenAI’s GPT-Image 1.5, and Runway’s Gen-4 Image models. Video output supports up to 2K resolution.

The unlimited generation feature works across the Firefly website, mobile apps for iOS and Android, and Firefly Boards, Adobe’s collaborative workspace. Users can also access the browser-based video editor, add sound effects and licensed music, and use Prompt to Edit for text-based modifications.

Adobe says 86 percent of creators now use AI in their daily workflows, and prompt length doubled in 2025. The company previously offered unlimited generations following Adobe Max, but that promotion ended in November 2025. The March 16 cutoff creates urgency around the current offer, which applies only to standalone Firefly subscriptions rather than broader Creative Cloud plans.

If you can’t follow our Constitution, leave India: SC to Meta

Posted on by Shobhit Kalra

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday strongly criticised Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, over the messaging platform’s privacy practices, warning that the company would not be allowed to misuse Indian users’ data.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant made sharp observations while hearing a case linked to WhatsApp’s controversial 2021 privacy policy, saying, “You can’t play with privacy… we will not allow you to share a single digit of our data,” adding that the court would not tolerate exploitation of Indian citizens.

The matter relates to WhatsApp’s challenge to an order of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), which had imposed an INR 213 crore penalty on the company. The fine was upheld by the appellate tribunal, even as it allowed WhatsApp to resume data-sharing with Meta companies for advertising purposes. The court was also hearing a cross-appeal by the CCI against that relief.

Appearing for the government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta described the policy as “exploitative”, arguing that user data was being shared for commercial gain. Responding sharply, the Chief Justice said, “If you can’t follow our Constitution, leave India. We won’t allow citizens’ privacy to be compromised.”

The bench questioned whether the policy could realistically be understood by ordinary users. “…a poor woman or a roadside vendor, or someone who only speaks Tamil… will they be able to understand?” the court asked.

When Meta’s lawyers pointed to an opt-out clause, the bench replied, “Sometimes even we have difficulty understanding your policies… so how will people living in rural Bihar understand them? This is a way of committing theft of private information. We won’t allow it.”

The Chief Justice also cited a personal example, “If a message is sent to a doctor on WhatsApp… that you are feeling under the weather… and the doctor sends some medicine prescriptions, immediately you start seeing ads…”

Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Akhil Sibal, appearing for Meta and WhatsApp, argued that all messages are end-to-end encrypted and cannot be accessed by the company.

Background: In November 2024, the CCI ruled that WhatsApp had abused its dominant position by forcing users to accept the 2021 policy to continue using the service, leading to the penalty. Meta and WhatsApp challenged the order in January 2025, and while the appellate tribunal later lifted a five-year restriction on data-sharing, it upheld the fine, which the company told the court has already been deposited.

Nyca Partners Backs Loop With $14 Mn for Restaurant AI Expansion

Posted on by Shobhit Kalra

New Delhi: Enterprise AI platform Loop has raised $14 million (over INR 126 crore) in a Series A funding round led by Nyca Partners, with participation from a mix of prominent angels and venture funds including Gokul Rajaram, Base10, Afore Capital, Converge, Alumni Ventures, Data Tech Fund, John Pepper, 9Yards Capital, and Operators Studio.

The company plans to deploy the fresh capital toward expanding its AI product portfolio and strengthening its team as it accelerates growth in global markets.

Founded in 2022 by Anand Tumuluru, Sundar Annamalai, and Vinod Pachipulusu, Loop builds AI-powered agents designed to automate back-office operations for food and retail brands. Its solutions are tailored for restaurant businesses, helping operators analyze delivery trends, customer behavior, and ordering patterns to drive profitability and operational efficiency.

“Delivery has effectively become the new drive-through,” said CEO Anand Tumuluru, noting that shifting consumer preferences toward takeout and delivery are reshaping the restaurant industry. Loop’s mission, he added, is to help operators turn delivery into a more profitable channel.

Primarily operating in the US, Loop claims its platform is used by over 3,000 restaurants, including franchises and brands such as McDonald’s, Koyo Ramen, Whataburger, and Cowboy Chicken. The startup says it has recorded 6X growth since launch and currently partners with more than 300 restaurants worldwide.

Adobe Quietly Retires Its Iconic Animate Tool With No Successor

Posted on by Shobhit Kalra

SAN FRANCISCO: Adobe is discontinuing Animate, its 2D animation software that has been a backbone of web animation and game development for nearly 30 years. The app will no longer be available for purchase starting March 1, 2026.

The decision landed with little warning. Adobe emailed customers and updated its support site Monday, saying Animate “has served its purpose well” but that new platforms now better serve users. The move aligns with the company’s aggressive pivot toward AI, Animate was absent from Adobe Max last year, and no 2025 version was ever released, signaling months of quiet deprecation before the formal cut.

What has frustrated users most is the lack of a true replacement. Adobe can only suggest Creative Cloud Pro customers piece together functionality using After Effects and Adobe Express, neither replicates what Animate does. It remains the last major vector-based animation tool built for the web.

The backlash was immediate. Game developer Tyler Glaiel publicly urged Adobe to open-source the software rather than abandon it. Animators and indie developers warned that alternatives like Toon Boom Harmony and Moho only partially fill the gap. Enterprise customers retain support through March 2029; individual users through March 2027.

The shutdown marks another chapter in a long saga. The software began life as FutureSplash Animator, created by FutureWave Software in 1996. Macromedia acquired it that same year and rebranded it as Flash which became one of the defining technologies of the early internet.

Adobe bought Macromedia in 2005 for $3.4 billion, and in 2016 renamed Flash Professional to Adobe Animate as the company distanced itself from the Flash Player, which Adobe itself shut down at the end of 2020. Now, six years later, the authoring tool that outlived the player is being retired too.

SpaceX Acquires xAI in $1.25 Trillion Merger, Targets Orbital AI Data Centers

Posted on by Anurag Shukla

HAWTHORNE: SpaceX confirmed that it has acquired Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI, creating the world’s most valuable private company at a combined valuation of $1.25 trillion and setting the stage for what could become one of the largest IPOs in history.

Musk announced the deal via a memo posted to SpaceX’s website, framing it as a vertically integrated combination of rockets, Starlink satellite internet, the Grok AI chatbot, and social media platform X.

The central thesis centres on moving AI compute into orbit. SpaceX filed with the FCC on January 31 seeking authorization to launch up to one million solar-powered satellites functioning as orbital data centers, projecting 100 gigawatts of annual AI compute capacity.

The merger values SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at roughly $250 billion. Bloomberg reported the combined entity could price its IPO at approximately $527 per share, potentially raising $50 billion, which would rank among the largest public market debuts globally.

Nevada public records confirm the deal closed February 2, with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. listed as managing member of X.AI Holdings.

The financials tell a complicated story. SpaceX generated an estimated $8 billion in profit on $15-16 billion revenue in 2025, but xAI is reportedly burning approximately $1 billion monthly while racing to scale against OpenAI and Google.

Tesla’s earlier $2B investment in xAI is tightening the links across Musk’s growing business empire.

Regulatory scrutiny looms. SpaceX holds tens of billions in federal defense contracts with the Pentagon and NASA, while xAI’s most recent funding round included investments from Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi’s MGX foreign sovereign wealth funds likely to trigger CFIUS review.

Executives at both companies declined to comment on regulatory implications. The FTC and SEC are also reportedly monitoring potential conflicts of interest given cross-holdings across Musk’s portfolio.

Analysts remain divided. Quilty Space’s Kimberly Siversen Burke called orbital data centers “speculative” in the near term, citing unproven economics, aging chips, and latency challenges. Others see the merger as valuation scaffolding for the IPO, positioning space-based compute as a solution to terrestrial AI infrastructure limits.