TL;DR

Meta acquires 49% of Scale AI for $14.8B; Glean raises $150M at $7.2B; Mistral AI eyes $1B raise.

Highlights

• Meta acquires 49% of Scale AI for $14.8B; CEO Alexandr Wang to lead Meta’s new superintelligence team 1.
• Glean raises $150M Series F at $7.2B valuation for enterprise AI search; plans global expansion 2.
• Mistral AI launches Magistral Medium model, targets $1B raise at nearly €6B valuation; eyes IPO, not sale 3.
• OpenAI signs Google Cloud deal to expand compute capacity, diversifying beyond Microsoft Azure 9.
• OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Sora experience hours-long global outage tied to cloud provider disruption 13.
• Uber and Wayve to begin Level 4 driverless taxi trials in London in spring 2026; UK accelerates AV regulation 10.
• Guardz raises $56M Series B, backed by Goldman Sachs , to expand AI-driven cybersecurity for MSPs and SMBs 6.
• Wisk acquires SkyGrid to advance autonomous aviation; sector sees progress in electric/hybrid aircraft and AI-enabled drones 7.
• Anduril tops CNBC Disruptor 50 after $30B valuation; Databricks, OpenAI, Rippling also featured 8.
• Disney acquires remaining 33% of Hulu from Comcast for $438.7M, completing full ownership and integration plans 11.
• Blackstone plans $500B investment in Europe over the next decade; eyes Middle East expansion 15.
• Bloomberg Beta closes $75M Fund V; HarbourView, BharCap, and Sunflower also close new funds; CMBS distress rate rises to 11% 5.

Commentary

AI investment remains central, with Meta ’s $14.8B stake in Scale AI marking the largest external AI commitment to date and signaling continued demand for foundational AI infrastructure 1. Glean’s rapid valuation increase and Mistral AI’s $1B fundraising target further highlight investor appetite for enterprise AI and open-weight models 23, while OpenAI’s expanded cloud partnership with Google Cloud underscores the sector’s operational dependencies and the need for diversified compute resources 9. The outage affecting ChatGPT and Sora is a reminder of the risks tied to cloud concentration for AI-native businesses 13.

Autonomous systems are advancing on multiple fronts. Uber and Wayve’s 2026 London driverless taxi pilot, enabled by accelerated UK regulatory timelines, points to a more favorable environment for mobility tech commercialization 10. Wisk’s acquisition of SkyGrid and ongoing progress in electric and hybrid aviation reflect sustained momentum in autonomous and sustainable air mobility, with potential for both early-stage and growth investment 7.

Cybersecurity and defense technology continue to attract capital, as seen in Guardz’s $56M round for AI-driven MDR 6 and Anduril’s $30B valuation and top ranking on CNBC’s Disruptor 50 8. These sectors remain resilient amid broader market volatility, benefiting from enterprise and government demand for AI-enabled security and automation.

On the capital formation side, new funds from Bloomberg Beta and others 5, alongside Blackstone ’s $500B European investment plan 15, indicate sustained LP interest in both early-stage and alternative assets. The rise in CMBS distress rates and ongoing PE activity suggest a bifurcated environment—robust for tech and AI, but with emerging distress in some credit-linked sectors 5. Disney ’s full acquisition of Hulu is a notable example of continued consolidation in media, with integration and streaming strategies in focus 11.