Business

Meta buys robotic startup to bolster its humanoid AI ambitions

Published

1 month ago

May 1, 2026

Preport

Meta has acquired humanoid robotics startup Assured Robot Intelligence for an undisclosed sum, the social media giant said.

“We acquired Assured Robot Intelligence, a company at the frontier of robotic intelligence designed to enable robots to understand, predict, and adapt to human behaviors in complex and dynamic environments,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch in an emailed statement.

ARI’s team, including its co-founders, will join Meta’s AI unit, the Superintelligence Labs research division. ARI had raised an undisclosed seed round from AI seed firm Aix Ventures.

The startup was building foundation models for humanoid robots to perform all types of physical labor such as household chores. Co-founder Xiaolong Wang was previously a researcher at Nvidia, and an associate professor at UC San Diego, with a list of prestigious awards to his name. Co-founder Lerrel Pinto, who previously taught at NYU and co-founded the kid-size humanoid startup Fauna Robotics before Amazon snapped it up last month, has also won a string of prestigious awards.

ARI will help Meta with its humanoid ambitions. “This team, led by Lerrel Pinto and Xiaolong Wang, will bring a deep expertise in how we can design our models and frontier capabilities for robot control and self-learning to whole-body humanoid control.”

Meta researchers have been working on humanoid robotics tech for years. A leaked memo from a year ago discussed Meta’s ambitions to build such a robot, including AI models and hardware, aimed at consumers.

Even if Meta never releases a consumer humanoid product, many AI experts these days believe that the path to artificial general intelligence (AGI) — the theoretical point at which AI reaches or surpasses human-level intelligence across all domains — will require training AI models in the physical world, where robots learn through direct interaction rather than data alone.

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The ARI and Fauna deals reflect a broader industry sprint — one where forecasts vary wildly, from Goldman Sachs’s projection of $38 billion by 2035 to Morgan Stanley’s estimate of $5 trillion by 2050 — a spread that reflects both the enormous potential and the uncertainty around tech that’s still finding its footing.

Related Topics:Meta buys robotic startup to bolster its humanoid AI ambitions

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Business

Zamfara Police Overpower Armed Bandits in Forest Gun Duel, Rescue 3 Kidnap Victims

Published

3 hours ago

June 14, 2026

Preport

BY SUNDAY SAMUEL—The Zamfara State Police Command says its continuous effort to rid the state of crime and criminality have paid off as a team of police operatives attached to the Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU), rescued three kidnapped victims along Gurusu–Anka Road who were travelling from Bukuyum to Talata Mafara.

A statement by Yazid Abubakar, Zamfara State Police Public Relations Officer says operatives were swiftly mobilised after receiving a distress call indicating that a large number of armed bandits wielding sophisticated weapons had blocked the Gurusu–Anka Road and kidnapped three persons travelling from Bukuyum to Talata Mafara. The team trailed the armed bandits into a nearby forest. A gun duel subsequently ensued between the police operatives and the bandits. Through the effective deployment of tactical measures, the bandits were overpowered and forced to flee into the bush with suspected gunshot wounds.

As a result of the operation, all three kidnapped victims were successfully rescued unharmed. However, the bandits escaped with an Android phone belonging to one of the victims.

Efforts are currently ongoing to track and apprehend the fleeing suspects through the stolen phone and other intelligence-led strategies.

The Commissioner of Police, A.M Bello Zamfara State Command, commends the bravery and professionalism of the operatives involved in the operation and reassures residents of the Command’s unwavering commitment to protecting lives and property across the state.

The post Zamfara Police Overpower Armed Bandits in Forest Gun Duel, Rescue 3 Kidnap Victims appeared first on Business Today NG.

Business

Elon Musk becomes world’s first trillionaire as SpaceX IPO surges on debut

Published

1 day ago

June 13, 2026

Preport

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has attained trillionaire status after SpaceX, the rocket, AI and satellite communications company established by him, turned a soaraway success on its first trading day, surging 20 per cent to $2.1 trillion in valuation.

SpaceX’s shares closed at $161 on the Nasdaq on Friday, compared to its initial public offering (IPO) price of $135, making it the biggest-ever stock market debut.

The IPO had earlier raised $75 billion from investors and the underwriters of the transaction before the listing.

“Liftoff! First $SPCX trade complete,” Space X wrote on X (formerly Twitter), which Mr Musk also owns.

The 54-year old now has a total net worth of $1.1 trillion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with its stake in SpaceX standing at 42 per cent or $767.1 billion as of Friday.

SpaceX debuted with a valuation of around $1.8 trillion. Its valuation at the end of Friday’s trade makes it the sixth-largest publicly traded company in the United States.

Trading under the ticker symbol “SPCX,” SpaceX began trading shortly before noon, attracting strong investor demand.

The listing places SpaceX among the world’s most valuable companies, despite the firm reporting a loss of nearly $5 billion last year and generating significantly less revenue than many technology giants with comparable valuations.

“I gave SpaceX a 10 per cent chance of succeeding at all,” Mr Musk said shortly before the company was listed.

SpaceX, since its establishment in 2002, has evolved from an experimental rocket startup into a dominant player in aerospace, satellite communications, and AI-related infrastructure.

READ ALSO: Elon Musk announces formation of American Party

Starlink, its satellite internet business, has expanded SpaceX beyond rocket manufacturing into a broader technology and connectivity platform.

Mr Musk, who now controls several companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, and X, began building his wealth by co-founding Zip2 and PayPal.

After completing the acquisition of X in October 2022 in a deal worth $44 billion, Mr Musk introduced monetisation features on the platform, which contributed to the growth of his business empire.

After selling Zip2 and later PayPal, he reinvested much of his earnings into Tesla, SpaceX, and other ventures.

Mr Musk’s wealth is now nearly equivalent to the entire economic output of Switzerland or Poland.