How Founders Are Planning for 2026 Amid Chaos
Planning for 2026 feels impossible with today’s uncertainty over tariffs, rates, and inflation. Three founders explain how they’re building flexible roadmaps and focusing on what they can control.
Author: Ava Winslow
Ava Winslow brings a distinctive perspective to technology journalism through her background in industrial computing systems, where she first witnessed how automation and IoT technologies transform physical operations into intelligent networks. Her reporting demystifies complex industrial technologies while exploring their convergence with consumer-facing innovations in the emerging tech landscape. With a keen eye for how enterprise-grade solutions influence broader technological adoption, she translates specialized industrial applications into accessible insights for the wider tech community.
Festo’s New Gripper is Built for Delicate, Dirty Jobs
Festo has launched a new adaptive gripper designed for hygienic environments like food and pharmaceutical production. It’s built to handle irregular, delicate items without causing damage and can withstand intense cleaning procedures.
Orange’s $27M Sierra Leone Data Center Is a Big Bet on Africa
Telecom giant Orange has launched a new €23 million data center in Bo, Sierra Leone. It serves as a full disaster recovery backup to the company’s primary facility in Freetown, with President Julius Maada Bio hailing it as a digital milestone.
MrBeast’s YouTube Empire is a $110 Million Money Pit
A new report from The Verge shatters the illusion of creator economy riches. It shows that even the world’s biggest YouTuber, MrBeast, loses massive money on videos, relying instead on selling chocolate bars at Walmart.
Wedbush boosts Apple target, bets big on 2026 AI shift
Investment firm Wedbush has increased its Apple price target to $320, citing strong iPhone 17 sales and a belief that major AI changes are coming in 2026. The firm expects a formal partnership with Google Gemini and sees new executive hires as key to Apple’s AI success.
Microsoft’s Latest Windows 11 Update Is Causing Headaches
Microsoft’s optional KB5070311 update for Windows 11 is causing more problems than it solves. Users are reporting a broken dark mode in File Explorer and an invisible password icon for Windows Hello. The update, released December 1, 2025, is also failing to install for some.
Linux 6.19 Lays the Foundation for Encrypted PCIe Links
The upcoming Linux 6.19 kernel is introducing core infrastructure for PCIe link encryption and device authentication, spearheaded by AMD’s SEV-TIO. This work, coordinated through a Trusted Execution Environment, aims to protect PCIe traffic and block interposer attacks. It’s a key building block for
Microsoft quietly drops a crucial recovery update for Windows 11
Microsoft has rolled out a new dynamic update focused on the Windows Recovery Environment. The update, KB5071844, is for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, as well as Windows Server 2025. It’s designed to be installed automatically to improve recovery processes.
HP’s 5G Laptop Is Great, But Why Can’t You Have It?
HP’s new EliteBook 6 G1q laptop comes with an amazing feature: unlimited 5G service in the U.S. that automatically switches between carriers. The catch? It’s a business-only device, highlighting a frustrating gap in the consumer market.
Nvidia’s CEO on China’s AI Edge: “They Can Build a Hospital in a Weekend”
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says it takes about three years to build an AI data center in the U.S., while China’s construction speed is staggering. He also points out China has twice the energy capacity of the U.S., a critical advantage for powering the AI boom. Despite a chip technology lead, Huang war