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The CODEW
@thecodew.bsky.social
Independent tech intelligence publication covering AI, enterprise software, cloud, cybersecurity & Tech M&A.

Home of the Build vs Buy series and in-depth company profiles (Microsoft, Anthropic, Oracle & more).

Founded by Erwin Castro.
Pinned
This week's VC deals show the funding cycle expanding beyond "build the next model": AI search visibility (Profound, $1.8B), AI agent safety (AIUC), a non-AI healthcare unicorn (Thatch), and a $2B+ semiconductor IPO filing (Altera).

Full breakdown: www.thecodew.com/2026/09/star...
Startup Funding Watch: Where VC Is Going Next — AI Search, Safety, Healthcare, IPO
Profound raises $180M at $1.8B for AI search visibility. AIUC raises $40M for AI safety. Thatch hits $1B without an AI-first thesis.
www.thecodew.com
OpenAI pulls its 2026 IPO citing the safety climate. Nvidia says new AI laws aren't needed. A CVSS 10.0 Cisco firewall bug is being hit by both ransomware and a Russian APT. Samsung is repurposing mobile chip lines for AI memory.

Today's rundown: www.thecodew.com/2026/09/dail...
Daily News Coverage: OpenAI Abandons 2026 IPO as Nvidia Says AI Laws Unnecessary; Cisco FMC Exploited by Qilin and Sandworm
OpenAI formally abandons its 2026 IPO amid safety concerns; Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says AI safety is critical but new laws are unnecessary. Read more
www.thecodew.com
September 16, 2026 at 12:29 AM
Amodei vs. Huang at Dreamforce this week reignited the AI "slowdown" debate — but the more interesting story is what's actually happening underneath it: inference spending is about to overtake training spending, and no hyperscaler has touched its capex guidance.

www.thecodew.com/2026/09/dail...
Daily Tech Briefing: AI Slowdown Debate, What Happens to the $700B+ Infrastructure Buildout?
Strategic insights on technology, AI, software, semiconductors, infrastructure, startups, and market intelligence.
www.thecodew.com
September 16, 2026 at 12:29 AM
This week's VC deals show the funding cycle expanding beyond "build the next model": AI search visibility (Profound, $1.8B), AI agent safety (AIUC), a non-AI healthcare unicorn (Thatch), and a $2B+ semiconductor IPO filing (Altera).

Full breakdown: www.thecodew.com/2026/09/star...
Startup Funding Watch: Where VC Is Going Next — AI Search, Safety, Healthcare, IPO
Profound raises $180M at $1.8B for AI search visibility. AIUC raises $40M for AI safety. Thatch hits $1B without an AI-first thesis.
www.thecodew.com
September 16, 2026 at 12:28 AM
Amodei: "pace the frontier."
Huang: "run as fast as you can."
Same keynote stage. Same week. $1T in AI investment on the line.
Question that actually matters: does a training slowdown even touch the $700B+ infrastructure buildout?

www.thecodew.com/2026/09/dail...
Daily Tech Briefing: AI Slowdown Debate, What Happens to the $700B+ Infrastructure Buildout?
Strategic insights on technology, AI, software, semiconductors, infrastructure, startups, and market intelligence.
www.thecodew.com
September 16, 2026 at 12:28 AM
An in-depth look at GoHighLevel for SMBs. Highlights:
• Stack Efficiency: Evaluating how replacing multiple SaaS tools reduces software bloat and monthly overhead.
• Agency Growth: How white-label features enable marketing agencies to offer branded client software.
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/gohi...
GoHighLevel AI: What Its AI Tools Can Actually Do
This honest review examines pricing, features, learning curve, feedback to help you decide if GHL's all-in-one marketing platform fits your business.
www.thecodew.com
September 15, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Key highlights from Today's tech briefing:
• OpenAI buys Glass Imaging for AI optical enhancement
• Google Cloud expands global AI infrastructure & TPU capacity
• Enterprise demand continues driving hyperscaler CapEx

Full analysis
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/dail...
Daily Tech Briefing: OpenAI Buys Glass Imaging, Google Cloud Expands AI Infrastructure Stack & Adds Nvidia Blackwell GPU Support
OpenAI Buys Glass Imaging, Google Cloud Expands AI Infrastructure Stack & Adds Nvidia Blackwell GPU Support.
www.thecodew.com
September 15, 2026 at 12:31 AM
Today's top tech headlines:
• Amodei & Altman call for AI pacing; SOX index drops sharply
• Trump dismisses AI safety fears, citing competition with China
• Microsoft draft code mandates models never resist human shutdown

Full analysis 👇
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/dail...
Daily News Coverage: Global Chip Stocks Plunge 5.86% as AI Slowdown Calls Intensify; Trump Dismisses Regulation
Global chip stocks plunge as AI slowdown calls intensify, Trump dismisses regulation as "Trojan horse", Microsoft publishes first AI code of conduct.
www.thecodew.com
September 15, 2026 at 12:31 AM
The AI cloud wars, in one number: CoreWeave's Q2 backlog just hit $104B.

But GPU count isn't what decides this fight anymore. It's silicon + power + software + utilization.

How AWS, Azure, Google, Oracle & the neoclouds are actually competing 🧵
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/ai-c...
Cloud Computing: AI Cloud Wars- How AWS, Azure and Google Are Rebuilding Enterprise Computing
AI is reshaping cloud competition around GPU capacity, custom silicon, power, enterprise platforms and workload portability.
www.thecodew.com
September 14, 2026 at 11:10 PM
AI agents are reshaping enterprise workflows, opening a complex new attack surface.
• High-permission AI agents introduce machine-speed vulnerabilities
• Why security teams must extend zero-trust frameworks
• Cybersecurity tools focus on real-time tool governance

www.thecodew.com/2026/09/cybe...
Cybersecurity Watch: The Threats, Technologies and Companies Defending the Digital Economy
The Threats, Technologies and Companies Defending the Digital Economy. Read more.
www.thecodew.com
September 14, 2026 at 3:19 AM
A growing divide between Capitol Hill and the Pentagon over AI safety. Highlights:
• Congress vs. DoD:
• Cybersecurity's AI Shift:
• Cloud & Macro Dynamics:

Read Erwin Castro's full breakdown:
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/dail...
Daily News Coverage: Congress Weighs AI Catastrophe Rules as Pentagon Dismisses Extinction Warnings, Nvidia Bets Cybersecurity
Congress moves to regulate catastrophic AI risks as the Pentagon dismisses extinction warnings. Nvidia bets on cybersecurity, and more news.
www.thecodew.com
September 14, 2026 at 12:53 AM
The AI hardware landscape is shifting. Highlights from The Semiconductor Watch:
• Qualcomm & AWS partner on custom inference silicon
• Broadcom's AI chip revenue hits $16.7B
• d-Matrix adopts Nvidia's NVLink Fusion architecture

Read the full report by Erwin Castro:
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/semi...
Semiconductor Watch: Qualcomm's $4 Billion AWS Alliance, Broadcom's Custom Silicon Momentum, Nvidia's Grace Blackwell Shipments
This week delivered three converging signals that the next phase of the AI chip market will be defined not by a single dominant processor architecture
www.thecodew.com
September 14, 2026 at 12:49 AM
AI cloud demand is outpacing supply, but concentration risks are mounting.
• Oracle posts a record $664B backlog, linked to OpenAI.
• China's AI chipmakers hike prices up to 50%.
• d-Matrix partners with Nvidia on Raptor inference chips.
Read full breakdown:
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/dail...
Daily Tech Briefing: Oracle's $664 Billion Backlog Confirms AI Cloud Demand Is Outrunning Supply, Inference Chip Startup Joins Nvidia's Stack
Oracle's AI cloud backlog hits $664B, China's chipmakers raise prices as HBM runs short, and Latham & Watkins bets on owning its own AI servers.
www.thecodew.com
September 14, 2026 at 12:48 AM
From an NLP library to hosting 3M+ models, 1M+ datasets, and 18M+ developers—Hugging Face has reshaped open-source AI development.

Check out the full Startup Spotlight analysis on The CODEW
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/star...

#AI #MachineLearning #OpenSource #Tech
Startup Spotlight: Hugging Face — The GitHub of AI?
Explore Hugging Face's rise as the open-source AI platform, its business model, funding, market position, whether it truly deserves the AI GitHub
www.thecodew.com
September 14, 2026 at 12:26 AM
OpenAI: $40B annualized revenue. $20.9B operating loss. $665B in off-balance-sheet compute commitments.

Can the AI leader turn massive spending into a sustainable business? We break down the economics, competition, and path to profitability.

🔗 www.thecodew.com/2026/09/open...
Company Analysis: OpenAI — Can the AI Leader Turn Massive Compute Spending Into a Sustainable Business?
Can OpenAI turn rapid AI growth and massive compute spending into a sustainable business? Analyzing its economics, strategy, competition, and risks.
www.thecodew.com
September 13, 2026 at 7:20 AM
This week in tech: 📱 iPhone Duo ($1,999, Apple's first foldable) 🤖 GPT-6 Astra's autonomous computer use 💰 Nvidia buys Hugging Face for $12.93B 🇪🇺 Mistral raises €3B at €21B valuation

The pattern: integration is the new moat.

Full roundup: www.thecodew.com/2026/09/week...
Weekly Tech Roundup: iPhone Duo, GPT-6 Astra & Nvidia's Hugging Face Deal
The CODEWeekly Tech Roundup: iPhone Duo launch, GPT-6 Astra computer use, Nvidia acquires Hugging Face, Mistral €3B funding & sovereign AI shifts.
www.thecodew.com
September 12, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Today in tech: OpenAI reportedly weighing whether to slow frontier AI development after safety incidents. Senate drafts AI bill with emergency shutdown powers. AI agents used to breach 440 servers. Google named a Gartner Leader for Enterprise AI Assistants.

www.thecodew.com/2026/09/dail...
Daily News Coverage: OpenAI Weighs Slowing Frontier AI Dev, Google Named Gartner Leader in Magic Quadrant for Enterprise AI Assistants
OpenAI considers slowing frontier AI development amid safety incidents and a Senate investigation. EU tells tech firms to get AI models "under control
www.thecodew.com
September 12, 2026 at 1:39 PM
GoHighLevel vs Salesforce for small businesses 🥊

$97/mo flat + 2-4 week setup vs. $25/user/mo + 3-6 month implementation

We break down pricing, automation, CRM depth, and which one actually fits your business model.

🔗 www.thecodew.com/2026/09/gohi...
GoHighLevel vs Salesforce: Which CRM Makes More Sense for Small Businesses?
GoHighLevel vs Salesforce for SMBs: compare features, pricing, automation, ease of use, and scalability to find the right CRM for your business.
www.thecodew.com
September 12, 2026 at 1:39 PM
Amazon's fee stack can eat 40-60% of your selling price before ad spend even enters the picture.

Our new guide breaks down how to actually find profitable products — demand signals, competition gates, real margin math, and a research scorecard.

🔗 www.thecodew.com/2026/09/how-...
Amazon Seller Intelligence: How to Find Profitable Products on Amazon
Learn how to find profitable products on Amazon with product research strategies, including demand, competition, pricing, margins, and sales potential
www.thecodew.com
September 12, 2026 at 1:38 PM
New on The CODEW: Our CometChat review 🔍

In-app chat drives engagement, lifts marketplace conversion, and cuts support costs. But should you build it or buy it?

We break down features, pricing, and the real build-vs-buy math.

📊 Rating: 4.4/5
🔗 www.thecodew.com/2026/09/come...
Business Intelligence: How In-App Messaging Can Help Businesses Grow
Read our independent CometChat review covering features, pricing, use cases, build-vs-buy considerations, and whether it's right for your business.
www.thecodew.com
September 12, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Is WordPress. com worth it in 2026? 🤔

Plugins are now on every paid plan (starting at $4/mo) — the biggest change to the platform in years.

We break down pricing, AI tools, performance benchmarks, and how it stacks up vs. Wix, Squarespace & self-hosted WordPress.

www.thecodew.com/2026/09/word...
WordPress Intelligence: WordPress.com Review 2026, Is It Worth It?
The review examines pricing, features, AI tools, SEO, hosting, ecommerce and business use cases to determine whether WordPress.com is worth it in 2026
www.thecodew.com
September 12, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Beyond GPUs: How ASICs, LPUs, and Custom Silicon are Rewriting the AI Infrastructure Playbook ⚡

The AI hardware race is moving past general-purpose GPUs toward domain-specific architectures built for high-throughput inference and lower TCO.
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/semi...
Semiconductor Watch: The AI Chip Race Moves Beyond GPUs
This week made clear that the next phase will be defined by something broader. Read for deeper analysis.
www.thecodew.com
September 11, 2026 at 6:03 AM
Searching for lifetime #softwaredeals that actually deliver ROI? 🛠️

This week’s AppSumo launches feature specialized AI tools built for ad creatives, ecommerce product photography, and automated social posting.

Here’s a quick look at the top picks & breakdowns:

🔗 www.thecodew.com/2026/09/apps...
AppSumo Deal Watch: Best AI Tools And Software Deals Worth Watching This Week
Discover the best new AI tools and software deals on AppSumo this week. We analyze features, use cases, value, & which LTDs are actually worth buying.
www.thecodew.com
September 11, 2026 at 1:30 AM
Startup funding is splitting into two markets 🧵

Mega-rounds for AI infra:
→ Positron AI: $875M at $5B (5x in 7 months)
→ Cognition: $2B+ at $48B
→ Mistral AI: €3B at €21B
→ Celero: $275M at $3B+

This week's Startup Funding Watch 👇
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/star...
Startup Funding Watch: AI Infrastructure Drives Another Mega-Round Funding Wave
Startup Funding Watch tracks the biggest startup rounds, valuations, investors and capital flows reshaping AI, technology and venture markets.
www.thecodew.com
September 11, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Is DataCamp worth it in 2026? 🤔

✅ 790+ interactive courses (Python, SQL, ML, AI/agentic systems)
✅ ~$14/mo on annual promo, zero setup
✅ Great for beginners & career changers

Our full verdict (4/5) + comparison vs Coursera/Udemy/Dataquest:
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/data...
DataCamp Review 2026: Is DataCamp Worth It?
Is DataCamp worth it in 2026? We review its courses, AI training, projects, certifications, pricing, career tracks and learning experience.
www.thecodew.com
September 11, 2026 at 12:17 AM
AI agents are becoming the new enterprise interface 🧵

→ Salesforce buys Listen Labs (~$2B)
→ Google Cloud + Accenture: 1,000 forward-deployed AI engineers
→ Atlassian, Intercom, Zendesk move to per-outcome pricing
→ GitHub Copilot adds GPT-6 Astra + Gemini 3.8 Flash
www.thecodew.com/2026/09/ente...
Enterprise Software Watch: Google & Accenture Launch Gemini Enterprise Business Group, GitHub Copilot Adds GPT-6 Astra
The Watch examines AI agents, SaaS, enterprise applications, software economics, & the shifts reshaping how businesses buy & use technology.
www.thecodew.com
September 10, 2026 at 11:44 PM