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The top talent behind yet another promising AI startup was swallowed up by the incumbent company. As part of the new licensing deal, Google DeepMind will bring in the CEO and several top engineers from voice AI startup Hume AI, Wired reports. What remains of Hume AI will continue to provide its technology to other AI companies. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. TechCrunch reached out to Google and Hume AI to confirm this news. According to Wired, CEO Alan Cowen and about seven other engineers will work with DeepMind to improve Gemini’s voice capabilities. Hume’s acquisition is…

A Waymo vehicle leaves a charging station in Austin, Texas, on January 15, 2026.Brandon Bell | Getty ImagesalphabetWaymo announced Thursday that its robotaxi service will open to paying passengers in Miami, kicking off a market expansion in 2026.Miami is Waymo’s sixth market for driverless ride-hailing, extending its lead with Miami. tesla and AmazonOwned Zoox. Waymo’s planned 2026 expansion could lock in passenger demand and loyalty in the US as US competition lagsWaymo will initially serve a 60-square-mile area that includes Miami’s Design District, Wynwood, Brickell and Coral Gables neighborhoods, Google’s sister company said. The company began testing the vehicle in…

A new framework agreed with US President Donald Trump to push for Greenland will require North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries to quickly strengthen security in the Arctic, Mark Rutte, the organization’s secretary-general, told Reuters.The NATO chief made the comments Thursday at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, as Washington’s traditional European allies scrambled to respond to President Donald Trump’s sudden shift in attitude threatening NATO member Denmark’s acquisition of the semi-autonomous strategic Arctic island.Recommended stories list of 4 itemsend of list”We will come together in NATO with our senior commanders and consider what needs to…

soul AP — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed his deputy prime minister over trouble with a factory modernization project, an apparent move to tighten officials’ discipline and push for greater results ahead of a major political conference. The upcoming convention of the ruling Workers’ Party, the first in five years, is one of North Korea’s biggest propaganda shows, aimed at reviewing past projects, establishing new political and economic priorities, and reshuffling its leadership. The Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday that Kim accused Vice Prime Minister Yang Seong-ho, who is in charge of the machinery manufacturing…

These leadership takeaways are part of the new primetime series “CNBC Leaders Playbook,” with all new episodes airing Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT. Hosted by CNBC’s Julia Boorstin, the series goes inside the minds of the world’s top business leaders to uncover how lasting success is built.1) Leadership from the fieldBefore becoming CEO, Marvin Ellison had a job that most people ignore. He unloaded the truck. He drove a forklift. He worked as a janitor. All of these jobs paid by the hour and helped pay for his college education. Ellison says those front-line roles shape his leadership style and every…

Brett Taylor, co-founder of artificial intelligence startup Sierra, said Thursday that AI is “probably” a bubble, with both “smart money” and “stupid money” funding competitors at every layer of the technology stack. Taylor, who also serves as OpenAI’s board chairman, said the free market will ultimately decide where value lies and which AI players have the best products. He described himself as an AI optimist. “The money is plentiful because we all know that AI will have a huge economic impact across a wide range of industries and workflows,” Taylor told CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Provided by Robust personal consumptionthe U.S. economy grew at the fastest pace in two years in the July-September period, the government said Thursday, revising its initial forecast slightly upward.U.S. gross domestic product, the country’s output of goods and services, grew at an annualized rate of 4.4% in the third quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. This was up from 3.8% in the April-June period and higher than the 4.3% growth the ministry had originally estimated. Economic growth has not accelerated since the third quarter of 2023.Consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of US GDP, grew at a…

United States President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he had reached a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.He also withdrew his threat to impose 10 percent trade tariffs on eight European nations objecting to the sale of Greenland to the US – set to rise to 25 percent later in the year if no deal was reached.Greenland is a self-governing territory which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly stated that the island is not for sale.In a bid to defuse rising transatlantic tensions, Rutte met with…

Reuters — A commuter train collided with a crane in southeastern Spain on Thursday, the country’s fourth rail accident in less than a week, emergency services said. Officials added that four people suffered minor injuries in the accident near the port city of Cartagena in the Murcia region. A spokesperson for Murcia’s emergency services said: “The train did not overturn or derail.” The first calls about the crash came in just after noon, police said. Spain is still reeling from the aftermath of a high-speed train crash that killed at least 43 people in the southern region of Andalusia on…

Novak Djokovic advanced to the third round of the Australian Open with his 399th Grand Slam victory over Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli.Fourth seed Djokovic, seeking a record-extending 11th Melbourne Park title and 25th overall Grand Slam trophy, methodically defeated Mastrelli 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to continue his quest for more history at Rod Laver Arena. The 38-year-old hasn’t had to shift into top gear, maintaining a steady grip in the second round matchup and has now dropped just 14 games from two outings. Instagram This content is provided by Instagramcookies and other technologies may be used. To view this content, you…