TechCapsules

OpenAI announced it has acquired Odessia, an AI‑powered travel‑planning service founded by former Sonder CEO Francis Davidson. The deal, described as an acqui‑hire, brings Davidson onto OpenAI’s team to work on future travel applications, though no specific product roadmap was disclosed. Odessia, which raised a $6 million pre‑seed round led by Sequoia and launched its agent five months ago, claimed to have helped early users plan millions of dollars in trips before the service was shut down. OpenAI [...]

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitted an affair with Alice Huang, an alleged Chinese spy, sparking a probe by independent directors and congressional inquiries. The relationship raises concerns over potential espionage and the company’s ongoing lobbying for relaxed U.S. export controls to China. Nvidia’s China revenue reached $7.9 billion in the first quarter, about 8% of total sales, while the firm has repeatedly urged the U.S. to allow broader chip exports. The controversy threatens Nvidia’s credibility amid heightened scrutiny [...]

Sanjit “Bunker” Roy, founder of India’s Barefoot College, died at 81 in Tilonia, Rajasthan. Roy, a former elite‑school graduate and national squash champion, turned away from a conventional career after witnessing the 1960s Bihar famine and settled in a Rajasthan village to launch the Social Work and Research Centre, later renamed Barefoot College. The institute rejects university‑educated students, awards no degrees, and trains illiterate and semi‑literate rural women—particularly grandmothers—to become solar engineers, rainwater harvesters and health workers. [...]

California voters rejected Proposition 40, a one‑time 5% wealth tax targeting residents with net worths over $1 billion. The measure, backed mainly by labor unions and opposed by Governor Gavin Newsom, aimed to raise up to $100 billion over five years for programs such as Medi‑Cal. Critics warned the tax could drive billionaires out of the state and deter venture capital, citing potential capital flight and reduced entrepreneurial incentives. The ballot failed in the midterm election, ending the proposal’s [...]

Six months before Nvidia’s spy scandal broke, short‑seller firm Culper Research flagged CEO Jensen Huang’s close ties to Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore‑based Megaspeed that purchases Nvidia chips. Huang is now suspected of being a Chinese spy. Nvidia has opened an internal probe into the relationship, which the company denies is familial. U.S. intelligence believes Huang was recruited to influence Nvidia’s stance on U.S. export controls. Culper’s May 13 report highlighted the connection while examining Megaspeed’s [...]

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang hired crisis‑communications firm Heller Inc. over a year ago, a firm known for managing high‑profile sex scandals. The firm’s founder, Risa Heller, has advised figures such as Anthony Weiner, Mario Batali, and Jeffrey Toobin. Wired reports that Nvidia’s internal team copied Heller Inc. on press inquiries after a 2025 New York Times article linked Nvidia to a Singaporean data‑center company tied to China. Huang later admitted an affair with a former Megaspeed executive, [...]

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced yesterday that he had been the target of a honey‑trap operation allegedly orchestrated by a Chinese intelligence agent. The revelation, which upended his long‑standing public image as a stable, family‑oriented tech icon, quickly ignited a wave of online memes and commentary across social platforms. Huang, who co‑founded Nvidia in the 1990s and whose chips power the majority of AI startups, has no publicly disclosed succession plan, leaving investors and partners uncertain about [...]

Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake, echoing the 1998 original’s acclaim. Shigeru Miyamoto, reflecting on past titles, noted Nintendo’s struggle to balance innovation with polish, distinguishing “well‑made” from “interesting” games. He argued that the company had shifted focus toward technical excellence, risking the creative edge that defined earlier releases. The remake’s reception raises questions about whether a modern re‑launch can match the original’s pioneering spirit.