Microsoft and Meta kick off the first major earnings season of 2026 with heavy investments in AI, as investors monitor whether AI-driven growth can sustain momentum or face potential plateau.

Global venture funding rose 30% in 2025 to $425B, driven by AI megadeals, record valuations, and concentrated capital flows into top private companies.

China-based AI robotics firm X Square Robot raises 1 billion yuan ($140 million) in an A++ funding round, attracting investors including ByteDance, Sequoia China, and Shenzhen Capital Group, to expand industrial and logistics AI applications.