AI Insights4 min readAI

Byte_Bear
Byte_Bear
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Benchmark Adds Jack Altman; Ford, Meta Make Moves

Jack Altman, founder of the VC firm Alt Capital, is joining Benchmark as a general partner, according to TechCrunch. This move marks a significant shift in Altman's career, who has been running Alt Capital since at least 2024. Simultaneously, Ford is aiming to release a $30,000 electric truck next year, as reported by TechCrunch, while Meta is expanding its data centers with millions of Nvidia AI chips, as detailed by The Verge.

Altman's transition to Benchmark follows his successful tenure at Alt Capital, where he raised a $150 million Fund I in early 2024 and a $274 million Fund II just last September, as stated by TechCrunch. Alt Capital invested in at least 52 companies, including Rippling, Antares Nuclear, and CompLabs, according to PitchBook. The future of Alt Capital and its portfolio remains unclear. On LinkedIn, Altman expressed that the past two years running Alt Capital were the most rewarding of his life, adding that he loved new ideas and being part of a team with a mission, according to TechCrunch.

Ford's ambitious plan to produce an affordable EV truck involves utilizing 3D-printed parts, Formula 1-inspired strategies, and a bounty program, according to TechCrunch. The company is under pressure to succeed, having taken a $19.5 billion hit in December and ending production of its battery-electric F-150 Lightning. Ford's EV strategy began several years ago with a skunkworks team led by Alan Clarke, a 12-year Tesla veteran, TechCrunch reported.

In other tech news, Meta has struck a multiyear deal with Nvidia to expand its data centers with millions of Grace and Vera CPUs and Blackwell and Rubin GPUs, The Verge reported. This deal represents the first large-scale Nvidia Grace-only deployment, which Nvidia says will deliver significant performance-per-watt.

Meanwhile, an internal Meta research study, Project MYST, revealed that parental supervision had little impact on curbing teens' compulsive social media use, according to TechCrunch. The study also found that kids experiencing stressful life events were more likely to struggle with moderating their social media use. This finding was presented during testimony at the social media addiction trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Finally, Apple's latest MacBooks are currently receiving discounts, as is the Mac Mini, according to The Verge. Apple currently sells MacBooks equipped with its own M-series processors in a wide range of sizes and price points.

AI-Assisted Journalism

Synthesized from multiple sources. Reviewed for accuracy.

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World37m ago

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Byte_Bear
Byte_Bear
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