India's government has partnered with Alibaba.com to boost exports, while iRobot's Roomba is under new Chinese ownership, and Anthropic's Super Bowl ads propelled its AI chatbot Claude into the top 10. These developments, along with Roku's plans for streaming bundles and a Stanford student's dating app, highlight recent shifts in the tech landscape.
The Indian government's Startup India initiative announced a collaboration with Alibaba.com to support Indian startups in reaching overseas buyers, according to TechCrunch. This partnership offers commissions and technical support to assist small manufacturers and traders. This move comes after years of strained relations between India and China, with New Delhi having previously banned numerous Chinese-linked apps.
Meanwhile, iRobot, the maker of Roomba robot vacuum cleaners, is now owned by China-based Picea Robotics. As part of the acquisition, iRobot is establishing a new US-based subsidiary, iRobot Safe, to protect US consumer data, similar to the TikTok deal, The Verge reported.
Anthropic's AI chatbot Claude saw a surge in popularity after its Super Bowl ads, which featured darkly comedic scenarios of people seeking advice from chatbots. Claude climbed from No. 41 to a top 10 app on the U.S. App Store, reaching No. 7, according to TechCrunch. Downloads totaled an estimated 148,000 from Sunday through Tuesday, a 32% increase from the preceding three days.
Roku shared its fourth-quarter earnings for 2025, revealing plans to launch new streaming bundles, expand its subscription service, and partner with more premium streaming services, TechCrunch reported. The company aims to attract cost-conscious consumers amid rising subscription prices.
Finally, a Stanford graduate student created Date Drop, a dating service that pairs students with potential dates once per week based on a questionnaire. Over 5,000 students at Stanford have used Date Drop since its launch in the fall, and it has expanded to 10 more schools, including MIT and Princeton, according to TechCrunch.
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