Scott Kirsner

Would be big, if it happens....

Y Combinator's CEO is mulling a return to Cambridge

www.masslive.com/news/2026/03... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Six international companies are relocating to Boston as part of an artificial intelligence health care accelerator, backed by Sheba Medical Center in Israel.

www.masslive.com/news/2026/03... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Crazy stat: Whoop's acceptance rate for job applicants is 0.13%.

Harvard, where Whoop's co-founders went to college, has a 3.6% acceptance rate.

Link below is the Whoop press release today announcing 600 new jobs.

www.whoop.com/us/en/press-...

The more snow, the better for Teradar, a Boston startup that’s building new technology for military and civilian vehicles.

www.masslive.com/news/2026/03... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Apparently P.E.T.A. just sent a letter to President Trump asking him to replace the working dogs in the military (as well as police force K-9s) with robot dogs like Spot from Boston Dynamics.

Official data doesn’t capture it, and it may be tough to believe as you’re digging out from this week’s blizzard, but it’s a fact: some people who leave Massachusetts eventually boomerang back.

I spoke to a handful of them:

www.masslive.com/news/2026/02... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Fascinating piece from Juliet Schulman-Hall at
@masslive.bsky.social:

This New England college campus is on the market — and the price tag is $0

www.masslive.com/education/20...

As Mass. continues to mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Worcester area is counting down to a milestone of its own: the centennial of Robert Goddard’s pioneering liquid‑fueled rocket launches in March 1926.

www.masslive.com/news/2026/02... — via @masslive.bsky.social

At launch event for new AI council, Gov. Healey says state employees will get access to ChatGPT Gov. Maura Healey announced the three-year, $4.3 million annual deal with OpenAI at a Thursday event launching the Massachusetts AI Coalition.

Here's what happened at the launch event for the new Massachusetts AI Coalition, held last night at Whoop HQ in Kenmore Square...

www.masslive.com/news/2026/02... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Exclusive | A Nuclear-Power Startup Says It Can Rouse the Slow-Moving Industry Alva Energy has the support of former Intel chief Pat Gelsinger, whose venture firm led its recent $33 million fundraising round.

This is wild... the @wsj.com writes 900 words about a nuclear power startup, Alva Energy, that just raised $33M and has former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger among its backers... but forgets to mention where it is located. (Cambridge, MA!)

www.wsj.com/business/ene...

Waymo wants to bring robot taxis to Boston. Are we ready? Here are five things to know as California-based Waymo tries to launch its driverless taxi service in Massachusetts.

Last week, Waymo announced it had raised $16 billion in fresh capital... and that it intends to launch its driverless taxi service in Boston.

Here are five things to know as that process plays out in Massachusetts.

www.masslive.com/business/202... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Massachusetts is losing the battle to keep its residents, and officials need to act fast Six Massachusetts families explain how they escaped $1 million home prices and found better lives in North Carolina, Maine and New Mexico.

Exit interviews: Talking to people who've left Massachusetts. The top three factors that influenced their decision probably won’t surprise you...

www.masslive.com/news/2026/02... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Elon Musk’s AI company is hiring people in Mass. Employees of Elon Musk's xAI hosted one of the first gatherings of the new Massachusetts AI Coalition. They held it at the Tesla dealership in Back Bay.

At the Tesla showroom in BOS last Wed, employees from xAI hosted one of the first gatherings of the recently-formed Massachusetts AI Coalition, a group created to support artificial intelligence companies.

Here's what I know:

www.masslive.com/news/2026/01... — via @masslive.bsky.social

The 26 Most Influential People in Music in 2026  - SPIN The way we see it, 2026 is going to be a monumental battle with AI for the music industry’s soul. As it seemingly seeps into every nook and cranny of the Festival founders, people who use AI for good ...

Two Mass. residents show up on the new Sping Magazine list of the 26 most influential people in music:

www.spin.com/2026/01/the-...

(from Suno + Berklee College of Music)

Is this job post a hint about the future of robot-maker Boston Dynamics? A recent Boston Dynamics job post “reads like prep for a spin-out to me,” said one Boston investment banker.

In December, a job opening appeared that could offer a hint about what comes next for Boston Dynamics, which is owned by the South Korean car maker Hyundai Motor Group.

www.masslive.com/business/202... — via @masslive.bsky.social

#robotics

These AI startups just made a major bet on Boston's tech talent Anthropic and Lovable have rented space in Cambridge and Boston, and begun hiring employees who live locally.

Two of the #AI industry’s most valuable startups have quietly planted their flags in the Boston area: Anthropic, which makes the chatbot Claude, and Lovable, which makes an AI "vibe coding" tool. Here's who they've hired...

www.masslive.com/news/2026/01... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Just launched today by Whoop, the Boston-based fitness band maker: the Massachusetts AI Coalition (complete with clever logo!)

www.whoop.com/us/en/press-...

Also includes Suno, Lovable, DraftKings, Wayfair, HubSpot, Klaviyo, Circle, Blitzy, Jellyfish, Formlabs + more co's....

Could we quit complaining and be Massachusetts boosters ... just this once? If you’re a resident of Massachusetts, you can undoubtedly add to this list of problems that our state has. But what if we tried seeing the Dunkin' cup as half full in 2026?

For one year — just one year! — What if we all tried to be Mass. boosters, rather than Mass. criticizers, Mass. fault-finders or plain old Massholes?

www.masslive.com/news/2026/01... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Massachusetts startup developing AI copilots for military aircraft to go public Boston-based Merlin Labs is developing AI copilots for military aircraft. And it's set to go public.

BOS-based Merlin Labs hopes to go public this year. The company is developing "AI copilots" for military planes like an aerial refueling tanker and a four-engine cargo and passenger plane. And it is testing with Cessna Caravans as well.

www.masslive.com/news/2026/01... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Meet a U.S. Start-Up Trying to Break China’s Rare-Earth Monopoly

BOS-based startup, with production facility in NH:

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/b...

What it’s like to take the stage with the Boston Pops at the holidays Reading at a Holiday Pops performance is one of those only-in-Boston opportunities — like tossing out the first pitch at Fenway — that felt too good for a MassLive columnist to pass up, despite the pr...

This was one of those only-in-Boston opportunities — like tossing out the first pitch at Fenway — that felt too good to pass up, despite the pressure.

www.masslive.com/destinations... — via @masslive.bsky.social #merrychristmastoall #andtoallagoodnight

This famous Boston landmark is celebrating 50 years, but locals say it feels like a 'divorced dad's apartment' at Christmas At the half century mark, Faneuil Hall Marketplace has lost direction and is badly in need of rejuvenation. Almost no one can remember the glory days.

7 ideas for rebooting Boston's beleaguered Faneuil Hall Marketplace in advance of its 50th birthday:

www.masslive.com/news/2025/12...

Cambridge biotech will invest $250M in Mass. production facility, add jobs The expansion will add about one-third more active manufacturing space to Alnylam's production facility in Norton, and it is expected to be completed by late 2027.

Cambridge biotech will invest $250M in Mass. production facility, add jobs

Here’s what happened to Mass. startup investing in 2025 If the trends of the first three quarters continue in the fourth, the amount of money raised by Bay State startups could be slightly more this year than in 2023 or 2024 — though it’s still down from t...

Talking with three Mass. venture capitalists about what happened to startup investing in 2025 — and what could change next year:

www.masslive.com/news/2025/12... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Opinion | Let’s take a closer look at MIT, one target of Trump’s blunderbuss It’s alarming to see such a complex, important institution subject to the whims of today’s politics.

"Watching today’s politics toy with an institution of MIT’s complexity and importance is like watching a toddler play with Sèvres porcelain." — George F. Will in the @washingtonpost.com

wapo.st/4pChimy

The most promising startups from Techstars Boston’s latest batch The two local companies, focused on medical device regulatory AI and virtual cardiac care, respectively, received the most positive mentions.

This week's Techstars Boston demo day was held at Google’s office in Kendall Square. Are these the most promising two startups that presented? My informal panel of 11 judges thought so...

www.masslive.com/news/2025/12... — via @masslive.bsky.social

One teen uses AI to fix his car while another fears it will "stunt cognitive development" of future generations A teen focus group reveals divided opinions, with some embracing AI tools for studying while others worry about the environment and future job prospects.

How do teenagers feel about the arrival of the AI age?

I assembled a focus group of eight Massachusetts teens to get their take. Here's what they said in our group text:

www.masslive.com/news/2025/12... #AI #education — via @masslive.bsky.social

Rent a robot for $18 an hour? Watertown startup Tutor Intelligence raised $34 million for robots that can stack 14 boxes per minute and work around the clock.

The new robot warehouse worker from Tutor Intelligence won’t work for minimum wage.

But pay it $18 an hour, and it will uncomplainingly pick up boxes and plunk them onto wooden pallets — three shifts a day, with no breaks

www.masslive.com/business/202... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Mass. dad creates magazine celebrating adult Lego builders as artists The new magazine, Bricka, launches a print edition next week, and its founder says that Lego creations can be art.

Launching next month: A new print mag for adults who love LEGO...

www.masslive.com/news/2025/11... — via @masslive.bsky.social

Exclusive | AI Music Platform Suno Valued at $2.45 Billion The startup has raised $250 million and says annual revenue has reached $200 million.

Big #AI funding round for a Cambridge startup.... with some coming from NVIDIA Ventures

www.wsj.com/business/med...