LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman has been immersed in Silicon Valley since his August 1967 birth in Palo Alto, California, in the shadow of Stanford University, where he and fellow technology luminary Peter Thiel became friends as college students during the 1980s.

A US start-up whose backers include tech billionaires Sam Altman and Peter Thiel has raised $425mn to keep it on track to achieve its target of producing electricity from nuclear fusion in 2028.

Trump's pick for national science adviser Michael Kratsios signals the nation's prioritization of AI technology development.

This allows enterprises of all sizes to integrate DeepSeek into their operations without incurring licensing fees. By removing cost barriers, NxtGen hopes to democratise access to advanced AI tools and accelerate the adoption of open-source AI solutions among businesses.

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR) emerged virtually unscathed from the artificial intelligence sector bloodbath on Monday following the DeepSeek release. Although it dropped 4% in sympathy with much of the rest of the AI industry,

Silicon Valley’s been rattled by a low-cost Chinese AI – with the start-up claiming its DeepSeek technology can emulate the performance of ChatGPT, at a fraction of the cost. Its launch shook share markets and spawned allegations from OpenAI that their Chinese rivals used its work and models to make their artificial intelligence.

One week into his second administration, Donald Trump has put technology at the forefront, featuring tech billionaires prominently at his inauguration and

Vice President JD Vance, backed by Peter Thiel, criticized big tech's influence, stating these companies wield "too much power," despite prominent tech CEOs attending Donald Trump's inauguration.

Trump named venture capitalist David Sacks as his AI and cryptocurrency czar in December.

Peter Thiel-backed Lindus Health has raised $55 million as it sets about "fixing the broken clinical trial industry."

Stuart Jay Olshansky, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, spoke with Gizmodo back in October about the limitations of technology to radically increase human lifespans.

The party symbolized the euphoria of the tech industry on the cusp of the Trump presidency. The guest list included Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Miriam Adelson and the vice president-elect, JD Vance.