Anthropic's release of Claude Sonnet 4.6, a new AI model, and OpenAI's acquisition of OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent, are reshaping the artificial intelligence landscape, according to reports from VentureBeat. Sonnet 4.6 offers near-flagship intelligence at a mid-tier cost, while OpenAI's move signals a shift toward AI agents capable of performing tasks. These developments come as the industry experiences rapid innovation and adoption of AI technologies.
Anthropic launched Claude Sonnet 4.6 on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, marking a significant shift in AI pricing. The model delivers high-level performance at a cost of $315 per million tokens, the same as its predecessor, Sonnet 4.5, but significantly less than Anthropic's flagship Opus models, which cost $1575 per million tokens, according to VentureBeat. The new model is a full upgrade across coding, computer use, long-context reasoning, agent planning, knowledge work, and design. It features a 1M token context window in beta and is now the default model in claude.ai and Claude Cowork.
Simultaneously, OpenAI acquired OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent developed by Peter Steinberger, as reported by VentureBeat. Steinberger announced he would join OpenAI to "work on bringing agents to everyone." The OpenClaw project will transition to an independent foundation, though OpenAI is already sponsoring it. This acquisition represents OpenAI's strategic focus on AI agents, shifting the emphasis from what models can say to what they can do.
In other tech news, the rise of luxury car theft is concerning. Criminals are using email phishing and fraudulent paperwork to impersonate legitimate transport companies, diverting luxury vehicles and erasing their ownership traces, according to MIT Technology Review.
The evolution of communication technologies continues to advance. The shift to remote work accelerated innovation in audio and video technologies, with companies like Shure and Zoom leveraging AI and new acoustic technologies to improve communication, according to MIT Technology Review. "Audio and video just working is a baseline for collaboration," said Brendan Ittelson, chief ecosystem officer at Zoom.
Finally, Stardex, an AI-native ATS and CRM for executive search firms backed by Y Combinator, is hiring a Customer Success Engineer (AI & Data Migration), according to Hacker News. The role involves writing TypeScript and SQL scripts to facilitate data migration for executive search firms transitioning from legacy platforms.
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