Acquires

• Quarterhill has acquired the tolling solutions business from Conduent to expand its service offerings. • The acquired business specializes in providing tolling services for government transportation agencies, primarily operating in the United States and the United Kingdom. • This strategic move allows Quarterhill to integrate established government infrastructure services into its portfolio, strengthening its presence in the transportation sector.

London Theatre Company founded in 2017 by Hytner and former National Theatre colleague Nick Starr has been sold to company that owns 20-plus venues in UK and abroadThe Bridge theatre in London, opened in 2017 by the former National Theatre duo Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr, has been acquired by Trafalgar Entertainment in a sale that also includes the Lightroom venue for immersive art shows. Trafalgar Entertainment now owns the duo’s London Theatre Company (LTC).“After nine years, it feels like the right time to be moving on,” said Hytner, who described establishing the Bridge theatre – which has a flexible 900-seat auditorium – as a “thrilling experience”. Hytner directed several of the Bridge’s hits, including its opening promenade-style production of Julius Caesar and a long-running Guys and Dolls which ended with the audience dancing alongside the actors. Away from the Bridge, Hytner recently directed Giant at the Royal Court – which transferred to the West End and Broadway – and is staging James Graham’s new play, The Standard of Living, in the West End in September. Continue reading...

• SpaceX has agreed to acquire Anysphere, the developer of the AI coding assistant Cursor, in an all-stock transaction valued at $60 billion. • The deal, which converted from an option into a signed merger agreement on June 16, preempted a $2 billion funding round that would have valued Cursor at $50 billion. • This massive acquisition highlights SpaceX's strategic push to integrate advanced AI coding capabilities into its operations and software ecosystem.

• Meta Platforms has acquired Manus, a Singapore-based AI startup, in a $2 billion deal announced on May 7, 2026, focusing on autonomous agents that plan and execute complex tasks. • Manus specializes in agentic AI technology, enabling systems to independently handle multi-step processes without constant human oversight. • The acquisition positions Meta to expand its AI portfolio amid intensifying competition in generative and autonomous AI development globally.

• Meta acquired ARI, a US-based robotics AI startup, to bolster its efforts in humanoid robots and physical artificial general intelligence. • The deal focuses on developing software for real-world machine control and agentic systems. • This acquisition positions Meta as a leader in embodied AI, competing with rivals in robotics hardware and software.

• Datavault AI, a U.S. cybersecurity firm, revealed plans on May 4, 2026, to acquire CyberCatch AI for undisclosed terms to enhance AI-driven threat detection. • The deal bolsters quantum-resistant risk mitigation and real-time anomaly detection capabilities across finance, healthcare, and defense sectors. • Acquisition addresses rising AI security gaps, as enterprises face 40% more sophisticated attacks per recent reports.

• Anthropic announced the acquisition of Coefficient Bio, a U.S.-based AI startup specializing in biological modeling, on April 27, 2026. • The deal aims to integrate Coefficient's protein design AI tools with Anthropic's Claude models for advanced drug discovery applications. • This move positions Anthropic in the competitive AI-biotech space amid rising investments, potentially accelerating personalized medicine breakthroughs.

• Allison Janney and Andrew Rannells star in 'Miss You, Love You', which had a secret screening at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and is now set for HBO premiere on May 29. • The film lands at HBO after festival buzz, marking a key acquisition for the streamer in upcoming releases. • This deal highlights HBO's push into indie dramas amid competition from Netflix and Apple TV+.

• Stripe completed the acquisition of Wise Exchange, a fintech startup specializing in cross-border payment optimization, for $1.2 billion in stock on April 18, expanding its international payment capabilities. • The acquisition adds Wise Exchange's proprietary currency conversion algorithms and partnerships with 40+ financial institutions across Europe, Asia, and Americas to Stripe's existing platform. • Industry analysts view this acquisition as Stripe's strategic response to intensifying competition from Block, PayPal, and traditional payment networks in the global payments sector.

• Microsoft announced the acquisition of Cerberus AI, a Boston-based cybersecurity startup, for $2.1 billion on April 19 to enhance real-time threat detection across Azure cloud infrastructure. • Cerberus AI's proprietary machine learning platform identified over 50,000 zero-day vulnerabilities in the past year and will integrate with Microsoft Defender to provide unified threat management across enterprise environments. • The acquisition marks Microsoft's continued investment in AI-driven security as cloud-based attacks have increased 35% year-over-year, according to recent industry reports.

• American Express acquired Hyper, an AI startup specializing in automating expense categorization, compliance, and reporting. • Hyper's agent-based technology supports multistep workflows with minimal human input, targeting corporate finance teams. • The deal bolsters AmEx's commercial services amid surging demand for AI in financial operations.

• OpenAI acquired Hiro Finance, its second startup purchase in a month, focusing on AI tools for financial planning as first reported by TechCrunch. • The deal expands OpenAI's capabilities into fiscal management amid racing agent development with Anthropic and Nvidia for web-browsing, emailing, and booking tasks. • This move signals intensifying M&A in AI finance, cutting development time for enterprises adopting similar tech like Accenture-Replit code generation.

• Anthropic expanded its AI strategy by acquiring AI drug discovery startup Coefficient Bio for approximately $400 million and launching a political action committee to influence AI regulation. • The company is also seeing surging investor demand for its shares amid tightening AI infrastructure supply and growing market appetite. • These moves position Anthropic to shape policy, enter life sciences, and capitalize on demand for leading AI technologies in the US.

• Meta Platforms acquired Manus, a Singapore-based AI startup, in a deal valued at over $2 billion to advance AI infrastructure. • The acquisition bolsters Meta's capabilities in AI development amid US tech competition. • Details on Manus technology integration remain pending announcement.

• Anthropic acquired Coefficient Bio, a startup founded eight months ago with fewer than 10 employees, for roughly $400 million in shares, despite it having no product or revenue. • The platform uses AI for pharmaceutical tasks like drug research planning and identifying new drug opportunities, positioning Anthropic's models for scientific discovery in life sciences. • This bet signals a strategic push into AI-driven biotech, potentially accelerating drug development amid growing competition in applied AI verticals.

• Anthropic acquired startup Coefficient Bio for more than $400 million to bolster its AI capabilities amid recent challenges like a source code leak. • The deal follows Anthropic's npm packaging error exposing Claude Code's source code, including memory architecture and model roadmap. • This acquisition strengthens Anthropic's position despite setbacks, potentially aiding future developments in autonomous AI features.

• Eli Lilly announced the acquisition of Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a company developing treatments for excessive daytime sleepiness and neurological conditions, in a deal valued at up to $7.8 billion if certain conditions are met. • Centessa shares soared 44% on the news, while Lilly's stock rose 3.7%, helping offset broader market pressures from companies like McCormick. • The deal highlights Big Pharma's aggressive push into neuroscience amid rising demand for sleep disorder therapies, potentially boosting Lilly's pipeline.

• Broadcom announced the acquisition of a major semiconductor competitor in an all-stock transaction valued at $82 billion, marking one of the largest chip industry consolidations in five years and aimed at reducing competition in core infrastructure markets. • The deal includes a 28% premium to the target company's 30-day volume-weighted average price and is expected to generate $8 billion in annual cost synergies through manufacturing optimization and R&D consolidation. • Regulatory approval is anticipated by late 2026, with both companies maintaining competitive positions in data center and 5G markets, though the transaction signals ongoing industry consolidation pressures amid AI infrastructure buildout and margin compression.

Archivist Jo Klett says the 40 boxes of material will provide ‘a full picture of Roger’s entire working career’“It’s a joy to be old,” wrote Roger McGough, one of Britain’s most popular, prolific and funniest poets. “The dog dead and the car sold.”Another joy might be decluttering. After the departure of dozens of boxes of notebooks, manuscripts, drafts, project files, journals, posters, letters, personal artworks and more, McGough has admitted his house is significantly emptier. “If anyone wants to buy some old empty filing cabinets then get in touch … through you,” he joked. Continue reading...

• Pophouse Entertainment, co-founded by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus, acquired Tina Turner's name, image, likeness rights and majority music catalog from BMG, announced March 19, 2026. • CEO Jessica Koravos highlighted Turner's visual presence and stage energy for projects recreating her legacy, comparing her to Elvis and Marilyn Monroe. • Plans include announcements within six months, potentially featuring digital avatars like ABBA Voyage created with Industrial Light & Magic.