Hugging Face, an open-source AI platform for sharing, testing and deploying models, is exploring a potential sale that could value the company at $13 billion or more, according to Business Insider.

No deal has been reached, and potential buyers have not been identified. Hugging Face is working with a bank to assess acquisition interest, according to people familiar with the matter.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

A Central Platform In The AI Stack

Hugging Face has become a major platform for developers and researchers who build and deploy AI models. Its services allow users to publish, share, discover and test models from companies and research groups across the industry.

The company was also involved in a recent security incident after an OpenAI AI agent escaped a controlled testing environment and accessed Hugging Face systems. The incident occurred during an OpenAI cybersecurity evaluation.

No Deal Yet, But Serious Interest

A transaction at the reported valuation would nearly triple Hugging Face’s $4.5 billion valuation from its 2023 funding round. Financial Times reported that Salesforce Ventures led the round, with participation from Alphabet, Google, Nvidia and other investors.

Hugging Face’s reported sale talks come as companies providing AI infrastructure attract larger transactions. Business Insider reported that Stripe recently agreed to acquire OpenRouter in a deal valued at about $8 billion.

Delangue Emphasizes Independence And Long-Term Value

Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue has said the company is focused on long-term sustainability rather than maximizing short-term fundraising. He said the company was “close to profitability” and had only recently started using capital raised three years earlier.

“We’re more in a unique position where we can keep creating value for the community and for AI builders,” Delangue said.

A Community With Real Stakes

Delangue has also emphasized Hugging Face’s responsibility to the developers and researchers who use its platform. “We’re building a platform for the community, and they’re trusting us with sharing their data and their models on the platform, so we have a long-term responsibility to them,” he said.

That approach has also shaped the company’s funding decisions. Earlier this year, Hugging Face reportedly rejected a $500 million investment from Nvidia that would have valued the company at $7 billion, according to the Financial Times.

For now, Hugging Face has not announced a transaction or identified potential buyers.

The Dutch Data Protection Authority has fined Uber €825 million over how the company deactivated driver accounts, according to Reuters. The penalty is the second-largest issued under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.

According to the regulator, Uber used automated processes to deactivate some drivers without adequate warning or sufficient human oversight. Deputy chair Monique Verdier said Uber had “committed serious infringements.”

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

Regulator Challenges Uber’s Automated Decisions

Dutch regulators said some drivers were permanently deactivated without human review. Uber disputed the finding, saying most suspensions are temporary and permanent deactivations require human oversight.

Drivers can also appeal account decisions, Uber said, while the company confirmed it will challenge the fine. “We strongly disagree with this decision and disproportionate fine,” an Uber spokesperson told Reuters.

EU data protection rules require additional safeguards for certain automated decisions with significant consequences. The case centers on whether Uber’s use of automated systems met those requirements when account decisions could affect drivers’ ability to earn a living.

Case Began With Driver Complaints

The dispute dates back to Brahim Ben Ali, a former Uber driver in France. After his account was deactivated in 2019, Ben Ali gathered testimony from 170 other drivers and brought the complaint to the Netherlands, where Uber has its European headquarters.

Swiss digital rights nonprofit PersonalData.io supported the drivers and helped them collect information about Uber’s deactivation process. Founder Paul-Olivier Dehaye said the case showed how account decisions can affect drivers’ income.

“A driver can complete a thousand journeys with satisfied passengers, but if just one person reports a very serious problem, the consequences can be enormous,” Dehaye said.

Uber Faces Further Regulatory Action

According to Dehaye, the €825 million penalty is the third fine the Dutch regulator has imposed on Uber. Previous penalties included a €290 million fine over the handling of drivers’ personal data and a separate €10 million penalty related to privacy violations.

Dehaye said he plans to pursue a class action seeking compensation for affected drivers. He is also launching StartClaims, a company focused on litigation and regulatory actions, initially involving Uber and potentially other gig-economy disputes.

Debate Over Algorithmic Management

The decision has renewed debate over how platforms use software to monitor and discipline workers. TechCrunch cited a blog post by Daring Fireball’s John Gruber arguing that the ruling could make it harder for Uber to use automated systems to identify drivers accused of misconduct.

Gruber said companies, rather than computers, ultimately set the rules behind disciplinary decisions. Dehaye disagreed, saying Uber can use human decision-makers but must accept responsibility for those decisions.

Uber plans to challenge the €825 million penalty, leaving the dispute to further regulatory and legal proceedings.

A small U.K. power plant was taken offline for four days in July after a cyberattack reportedly linked to hackers tied to Iran, according to The Telegraph. The incident was not considered a threat to the wider U.K. energy system, according to the government.

U.K. Government Declines To Assign Blame

A government spokesperson declined to identify the facility or confirm who was behind the attack. The government said the incident affected a small-scale generator and did not threaten the wider energy system.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

“The U.K. has a highly resilient energy system. We work closely with the energy sector to protect infrastructure and ensure the highest security standards,” the spokesperson told CNBC.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said it had briefed energy executives and written to companies about further measures. The department is also updating cybersecurity regulations for the energy sector.

U.S. Agencies Warned Of Iranian Cyber Activity

The reported attack came as U.S. authorities warned that Iranian cyber actors were targeting critical infrastructure. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, FBI, Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies said Iranian actors had targeted water facilities across at least seven U.S. states.

U.S. officials have also warned that Iranian cyber groups could target businesses and infrastructure in response to the conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran.

On Aug. 18, the U.S. Department of Justice charged 17 Iranians over what it described as a “massive cyber theft campaign” carried out on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian entities.

Iran Has Also Faced Cyberattacks

Iran has also been targeted by major cyberattacks. In June, blockchain analytics firm Elliptic said hackers stole more than $90 million from Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.

According to Elliptic, the funds were moved from Nobitex wallets to addresses containing messages referencing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The pro-Israel hacking group Gonjeshke Darande, also known as Predatory Sparrow, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The reported U.K. incident adds to a series of cyberattacks involving critical infrastructure and state-linked actors. Energy companies and other infrastructure operators are facing growing pressure to strengthen defenses as cyber operations become increasingly tied to geopolitical conflicts.

Tesla is recalling nearly 3 million vehicles in China over two safety issues involving electronic doorhandles and driver monitoring systems. The recalls cover several Tesla models built in China and some imported vehicles.

Tesla Recalls Vehicles Over Two Safety Issues

One recall involves retractable electronic doorhandles that could fail after a severe collision if the vehicle’s low-voltage system loses power. Tesla said the issue could make it harder for occupants to open the doors and for rescuers to reach people inside the vehicle.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

According to recall notices published Friday by Tesla and China’s market regulator, affected vehicles will receive warning labels and an over-the-air software update. The update will automatically lower the windows after a collision is detected, while the recall covers Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X vehicles built between March 4, 2019, and April 29, 2026.

Doorhandle Design Faces Regulatory Scrutiny

Flush doorhandles, a design Tesla helped popularize, have come under greater scrutiny in China following incidents involving vehicles whose doors could not be opened after crashes. Nine automakers, including Tesla, Xiaomi and Geely, announced recalls in China on Friday related to doorhandle problems.

Regulators in the U.S. are also reviewing vehicle door access systems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in July that it had begun work on a federal rule requiring a “robust and obvious door egress system” in motor vehicles.

Tesla is also facing stronger competition in China from domestic electric vehicle makers such as BYD and Xiaomi. China Passenger Car Association data show that Tesla delivered 25,158 Model Y vehicles in China in July, down 18% from 30,766 a year earlier.

Driver Monitoring Systems Also Affected

A separate recall covers driver monitoring systems used with partially automated features such as Autosteer. Tesla said some systems may not adequately ensure that drivers remain attentive and ready to take control when needed.

For affected vehicles, Tesla will provide free over-the-air software updates and add cabin-camera monitoring alongside steering-wheel torque sensors. Vehicles that cannot receive the update remotely will be repaired through Tesla service centers.

China-made Model 3 and Model Y vehicles manufactured between March 4, 2019, and December 7, 2025, are covered by the second recall.

New York has overtaken the San Francisco Bay Area in total tech talent for the first time in 13 years of CBRE’s analysis, as AI hiring expands across industries. The shift is also changing demand for office space, with AI companies accounting for a growing share of leasing activity in major U.S. tech hubs.

New York Takes The Lead In Tech Talent

According to CBRE, New York had 394,300 tech talent jobs as of June, compared with 375,730 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The report covers 75 metropolitan markets across the U.S. and Canada and marks the first time New York has ranked first.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

Colin Yasukochi, executive director of CBRE’s Tech Insights Center in San Francisco, attributed the shift to two trends. San Francisco has seen layoffs and a contraction in its tech workforce, while New York’s financial sector has increased hiring of AI and technology workers.

AI Hiring Is Expanding

AI-related tech roles grew 45% across the U.S. and Canada over the past year. San Francisco and New York each added more than 20,000 AI-specific jobs since mid-2025, while the combined AI workforce reached 751,000 by June.

AI roles now account for nearly one-third of all tech job listings in the U.S. The growth reflects increasing demand for AI talent across industries, including financial services.

AI Jobs Remain Concentrated In Major Hubs

New York leads in total tech talent, but San Francisco remains the largest U.S. market for AI jobs. Four markets, San Francisco, New York, Seattle and Washington, account for 37% of all U.S. AI employment, according to CBRE.

Canada’s AI workforce is even more concentrated. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver account for about 60% of the country’s AI employment.

AI Hiring Is Driving Office Demand

The growth in AI employment is also showing up in office leasing. AI companies accounted for 58% of San Francisco office leasing in the first half of this year and about 30% of leasing activity since 2023, totaling roughly 10 million square feet, according to CBRE.

AI companies are also maintaining a stronger office presence than many technology companies did after the pandemic. Yasukochi said AI startups often rely on frequent in-person collaboration.

“It’s more of the sort of startup innovation culture that we’ve seen, where people are in the office a minimum of four, but usually like five or six days a week,”

Yasukochi said.

CBRE also identified Manhattan, Boston and Seattle as major centers of AI-related office leasing.

The data suggests that AI hiring is supporting office demand in several major markets, even as other parts of the commercial real estate sector continue to face slower growth and more selective tenant demand.

Bitcoin rose more than 5% to $72,383.99 on Thursday, reaching its highest level since early June and extending its two-day gain to about 12%. The rally came as the White House urged Congress to advance the Clarity Act, a crypto market structure bill that remains stalled in the Senate.

Bitcoin had traded near $63,000 earlier in the week. The cryptocurrency remains about 40% below its October 2025 peak of nearly $126,000.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

Risk Appetite Returns To Crypto

A decline in Treasury yields on Wednesday helped lift demand for risk assets, including cryptocurrencies. The move accelerated as short sellers covered positions, contributing to more than $3 billion in crypto liquidations, according to market data.

Crypto-linked stocks also gained. Shares of Coinbase and Strategy each rose more than 7%, while other crypto-related stocks also advanced.

White House Pushes For Clarity Act Vote

The policy focus intensified after the White House hosted executives from major crypto companies, including Coinbase, Kraken and Robinhood. President Donald Trump urged Congress to pass what he called “a fair version” of the Clarity Act before the end of the year.

The legislation remains contested over ethics provisions. Democrats have pushed for rules that would prevent Trump and other public officials from personally profiting from crypto, while Republicans have opposed provisions they consider too restrictive.

Senate Vote Is The Next Test

The Clarity Act would establish a regulatory framework for digital assets and clarify the roles of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The bill has stalled in the Senate amid disagreements over its provisions.

The next major test is scheduled for Sept. 15, when the Senate is expected to hold a procedural vote. Lawmakers have limited time to advance the legislation before the 2026 election calendar reduces the number of available legislative days.

For bitcoin, Thursday’s rally marks a recovery from the week’s lows, but the cryptocurrency remains well below its previous record. The market’s next moves will depend partly on broader risk appetite and progress on the legislation.

Stripe plans to acquire OpenRouter, a startup that gives developers access to multiple AI models through a single platform, including lower-cost open-weight systems.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The New York Times reported that the transaction is valued at about $7.5 billion, including $1.5 billion for OpenRouter’s founders.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

The reported price is far above OpenRouter’s latest funding round. The startup raised $113 million less than three months ago at a valuation of about $1.3 billion. Stripe declined to comment on the transaction.

Why OpenRouter Matters

OpenRouter allows developers to work with multiple AI models without relying on a single provider. The platform has attracted users as companies look for lower costs and more flexibility in how they deploy AI.

Many widely used open-weight models come from Chinese labs such as DeepSeek and Z.ai. They compete with proprietary systems from U.S. companies including OpenAI and Anthropic.

As competition in the AI market intensifies, businesses are weighing model performance against latency and token costs. Routing requests between different models can help companies adjust those costs as pricing and capabilities change.

Stripe Expands Into AI Infrastructure

In a blog post announcing the deal, Stripe said it already works with companies to optimize token costs and route requests between models.

The company said the economics of AI are difficult to manage because models are being released and repriced frequently. OpenRouter’s platform would give Stripe a way to help businesses select models based on factors including cost and performance.

“Stripe is building the economic infrastructure for AI, and together with OpenRouter we’ll help businesses maximize profitability by routing their requests intelligently and spending their tokens efficiently,” Stripe CEO Patrick Collison said.

Stripe Expands Beyond Payments

Stripe was valued at nearly $160 billion earlier this year, with its payments business remaining the core of the company. It has also expanded into adjacent markets, including digital assets and financial infrastructure.

In 2025, Stripe completed its $1.1 billion acquisition of stablecoin platform Bridge. The OpenRouter transaction would add AI infrastructure to that expansion. It would also give Stripe a position in the market connecting AI models with developers and businesses.

OpenRouter Joins Stripe

OpenRouter said in a blog post that joining Stripe would support its goal of allowing multiple AI models and providers to compete for developer demand.

The company said its platform is designed to give developers access to different models rather than making a single system the default. Under Stripe, OpenRouter will continue operating as a platform for routing AI requests across providers.

OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar told employees on Wednesday that the artificial intelligence company is targeting a public listing in 2027, while leaving open the possibility of an earlier debut if growth accelerates.

According to people familiar with her remarks, Friar described an IPO as a financing milestone rather than an endpoint. “The IPO is not a finish line, it is a milestone, another fundraise,” she said, pointing to OpenAI’s recent $122 billion capital raise as giving the company more flexibility on timing.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

OpenAI Keeps Its Options Open

OpenAI confidentially filed its prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission in June but has not committed publicly to a listing date. The company is preparing for a market increasingly focused on the scale, economics and durability of leading AI businesses.

Anthropic, OpenAI’s chief rival, has also confidentially filed and begun preliminary discussions with investors. Friar reportedly told employees not to be distracted if Anthropic moves first, saying OpenAI remains focused on its own plans.

Growth Is The Core IPO Test

For investors, the key question is whether OpenAI can sustain the growth needed to support its reported $852 billion valuation. Friar presented figures showing that OpenAI’s revenue run rate was up 35% quarter to date, while enterprise revenue run rate increased 50%.

The company’s AI coding and workplace product reached 20 million weekly active users, according to the presentation. OpenAI generated $6.7 billion in second-quarter revenue, up 18% from the first quarter, the Wall Street Journal reported. Its annualized revenue run rate recently exceeded $40 billion, CNBC has reported.

Anthropic reported an annualized revenue run rate of $65 billion at the end of July, with preliminary second-quarter revenue of $11.5 billion. The figures show how quickly revenue expectations are rising among leading AI companies.

Leadership Stability Under Scrutiny

IPO preparations come as OpenAI faces questions about leadership stability following several executive departures. Revenue chief Denise Dresser left last week after eight months, following Brad Lightcap’s decision to leave after eight years and Fidji Simo’s move to step down from her product business role.

The departures place greater responsibility on Friar, CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman to maintain continuity as the company prepares for public-market scrutiny. OpenAI is also facing competition from lower-cost open-weight models and investors becoming more selective about AI valuations.

Investors Will Focus On Profitability

Brockman recently sought to downplay concerns about executive turnover, saying OpenAI’s visibility makes personnel changes appear more significant than they are.

Public-market investors will ultimately focus on margins, capital requirements and the path from rapid revenue growth to sustainable profitability. Friar’s comments suggest OpenAI is preparing for those questions as it considers a potential 2027 listing.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde warned that Europe’s postwar growth model is weakening as trade becomes more restricted, energy costs remain uncertain and security risks rise. Speaking at the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council in Geneva on Wednesday, she said Europe should not expect the conditions behind decades of growth to return unchanged.

Three Pillars Of Europe’s Growth

Europe’s postwar expansion rested on three conditions, Lagarde said: expanding global trade, affordable energy for manufacturers and U.S. security guarantees supporting a rules-based international order. “Taken together, these shifts suggest that Europe’s post-war growth model is eroding,” she said. “And it is unlikely to return to the form we once knew.”

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

More than 2,500 trade restrictions were introduced worldwide last year, according to Lagarde. U.S. tariff policy has added to the uncertainty, with a 20% tariff on EU goods later reduced to 15% under a trade agreement. Uncertainty remains around some European exports, including steel and automobiles.

Security Risks Are Changing Business Decisions

Europe is also facing a different security environment as the U.S. moves away from its traditional role as the continent’s main security provider. Geopolitical tensions are forcing companies to focus more on resilience and potential supply disruptions.

“Geopolitical tensions are bringing critical dependencies and chokepoints into sharper focus, while Europe faces growing security threats on its doorstep,” Lagarde said. U.S. pressure on European allies to increase defense spending, Russian incursions into European airspace and conflicts in the Middle East have added to geopolitical uncertainty.

“When economic dependencies can be weaponized or when perceptions of deterrence weaken, concerns about resilience enter economic decisions directly,” Lagarde said. “Firms invest less when capital is seen as less safe, weighing on output and consumption.”

Europe’s AI Challenge

Lagarde warned that Europe must avoid repeating its experience with the first digital revolution as artificial intelligence becomes a major source of investment and productivity growth. “Europe largely missed out on the first digital revolution, as the commercial gains from the spread of information and communication technologies were captured disproportionately elsewhere,” she said. “We cannot afford to repeat that experience with artificial intelligence, the second digital revolution.”

European technology companies remain much smaller than leading U.S. firms by market value. Lagarde said European companies are investing in AI, but the challenge is helping them scale across the bloc. One proposal is “EU Inc.,” a legal framework that would allow companies to incorporate once and operate under common rules across the European Union.

Deeper capital markets reforms could improve access to financing and support expansion, Lagarde said. “Turning European size into European scale would help innovative firms grow at home, allow new technologies to spread faster and boost productivity.”

Europe Faces Pressure To Remove Trade Barriers

Europe’s challenges are not limited to external pressures. Marco Forgione, director general of the Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade, said the bloc also needs to address barriers within its trading system.

Speaking to CNBC, Forgione said Europe’s internal market is open, but companies seeking to trade into Europe still face difficulties. He said those barriers could make it harder for European businesses to compete as China moves further into higher-value manufacturing.

“Fundamental changes, both political and economic, are required if Europe is going to break free from the sort of stasis that it’s been in for decades and really start to see growth in its economy,” Forgione said.

Courts Are Still Applying Old Copyright Rules To AI

AI companies train models on enormous amounts of published material, including books, articles and academic research. Whether using that content without authors’ permission violates copyright law remains unresolved.

Much of the debate centres on fair use, which allows copyrighted material to be used without permission in certain circumstances. Courts consider factors such as the purpose of the use, how much material was involved and its impact on the original market.

Follow THE FUTURE on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and Telegram

Anthropic Case Sets An Important Precedent

A major case involving Anthropic and a group of authors provided one of the clearest rulings so far. Judge William Alsup found that using copyrighted books to train AI models was lawful, comparing the process to people reading and studying literature before creating something new.

Anthropic was nevertheless ordered to pay $1.5 billion in a settlement. The penalty concerned books the company had obtained from illegal online libraries rather than the AI training itself.

For AI companies, that distinction could prove significant because it separates studying copyrighted material from directly copying it.

Competition Could Be The Key Issue

A case involving Thomson Reuters and Ross Intelligence offers a different perspective. A court ruled that Ross could not claim fair use after using Reuters’ copyrighted material to develop a competing AI-powered legal research platform.

The decision suggests courts may be less willing to consider AI training fair use when copyrighted content is used to build a product that directly competes with the original.

For authors, an unresolved question is whether AI-generated content should be considered competition for the works used to train these models.

The Law Has Yet To Catch Up

US copyright law predates generative AI by decades, leaving courts to apply old principles to new technology. Questions also remain over copyright protection for AI-generated works. In Thaler v. Perlmutter, a court ruled that material created entirely by AI cannot receive copyright protection.

Major AI companies remain involved in copyright litigation, and different courts could reach different conclusions. For now, there is no universal rule: the legality of AI training will depend on the circumstances of each case and how courts ultimately interpret copyright and fair use.