Tech World Sees Major Moves in AI, Aviation, and Crypto
The tech industry witnessed a flurry of significant developments on Monday, February 3, 2026, ranging from Elon Musk's proposed merger of SpaceX and xAI to Microsoft's foray into AI content licensing and Y Combinator's adoption of stablecoins for startup funding.
Elon Musk announced a merger between SpaceX and xAI in a deal reportedly worth $1.25 trillion, according to The Verge. Musk stated the merger was intended to build data centers in space. However, The Verge noted that SpaceX is currently profitable, while xAI is reportedly burning through approximately $1 billion per month, raising questions about the motivations behind the merger.
In other AI-related news, Microsoft unveiled plans to launch the Publisher Content Marketplace (PCM), an AI licensing hub designed to streamline the process of AI companies acquiring rights to use online content for training their models. According to The Verge, the PCM will display usage terms set by publishers, enabling AI companies to easily negotiate deals and compensate content owners for the use of their material.
Meanwhile, a previously announced deal between Nvidia and OpenAI appears to have stalled. In September 2025, the companies announced a letter of intent for Nvidia to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI's AI infrastructure, according to Ars Technica. However, five months later, the deal has not been finalized. Nvidia's CEO has stated that the $100 billion figure was never a firm commitment. Reuters reported that OpenAI has been exploring alternatives to Nvidia chips since last year, citing dissatisfaction with the speed of some Nvidia chips for inference tasks, according to sources familiar with the matter. Inference is the process by which a trained AI model generates responses to user prompts.
Outside of the AI realm, Skyryse, an aviation automation startup based in El Segundo, California, announced a Series C investment of over $300 million, pushing its valuation to $1.15 billion, according to TechCrunch. The round was led by Autopilot Ventures. The funding will support the integration of Skyryse's operating system, SkyOS, across various aircraft, including U.S. military Black Hawk helicopters, as well as help the company complete the Federal Aviation Administration certification process for its flight control system.
Y Combinator (YC) announced that startups accepted into its program would soon have the option to receive their seed checks via stablecoins, according to TechCrunch. Nemil Dalal, a crypto YC partner, told The Block that the option would be available starting with the upcoming spring batch. YC's standard deal involves investing $500,000 into startups in exchange for 7% of their companies. Dalal stated that stablecoin transfers are often more efficient, particularly for founders in emerging markets.
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