Bird vs Salesforce

European Tech Weekly Recap: Over €2B Invested Across 65+ Deals

This weekly recap summarizes European tech funding and M&A activity for the week of September 21-27, 2026. More than 65 funding deals raised over €2 billion, with robotics, AI, and healthtech leading the sectors. Portugal, the Netherlands, and the UK were the top countries by funding amount. Notable deals include TEKEVER's $580M Series D, Bird's $450M debt raise, and Verda's $189M AI cloud funding. In M&A, feld.energy is acquiring AckerKapital, EYSA acquires Joinup, Mistral AI acquires Pimento, and Luno acquires GXTN. The recap also highlights various smaller funding rounds across Europe.

• Over 65 tech funding deals raised more than €2 billion in Europe during the week of September 21-27, 2026.
• Top industries: robotics (€508.3M), AI (€406.6M), and healthtech (€305.8M).
• Leading countries: Portugal (€510.9M), Netherlands (€435.9M), UK (€273.9M).

Bird secures $450M and opens its infrastructure to AI agents

Bird announced securing $450M in financing and opening its infrastructure to AI agents, as featured on the company's blog.

Bird Raises $450M Debt, Cuts Headcount to 120

Bird, the business communications platform formerly known as MessageBird, has raised $450 million in debt financing led by JP Morgan, Capital One, and Citi. The funding includes a $400 million term loan and a $50 million revolving credit facility, with seven banks participating. The proceeds will provide liquidity to existing shareholders, including current and former employees. The company has drastically reduced its headcount from over 1,000 at its peak to 120, driven by automation and a strategic pivot toward AI. Bird is focusing on its AI Agentic Harness platform, which enables AI agents to communicate via SMS, calls, and email. The company reported $165 million in profits last year.

• Bird raised $450 million in debt financing led by JP Morgan, Capital One, and Citi.
• The financing comprises a $400 million term loan and a $50 million revolving credit facility.
• Bird's headcount has been reduced from over 1,000 at its peak to 120 employees.

TikTok Adds AI Shopping Assistant and Direct Brand Checkout

TikTok has rolled out an AI-powered Shopping Assistant and a new in-app checkout feature in the U.S., allowing users to buy products directly from brands within the For You feed, separate from TikTok Shop. The conversational AI agent provides product details, shipping, sizing, and purchase assistance, while the one-click checkout enables seamless purchases without leaving the app. These features are developed in partnership with Salesforce, Shopify, Shoplazza, and Stripe, aiming to move users from discovery to action, as stated by David Kaufman, TikTok's global head of monetization and product partnerships. This expansion beyond TikTok Shop underscores TikTok's growing e-commerce footprint. The platform's Economic Impact Report estimates an $81 billion contribution to U.S. GDP, with 54 million Americans purchasing after watching videos, and TikTok Shop generated $15.8 billion in U.S. sales in 2025.

• TikTok launched an AI shopping assistant and one-click checkout feature in the U.S.
• The features are built in partnership with Salesforce, Shopify, Shoplazza, and Stripe.
• TikTok's Economic Impact Report estimates $81 billion in U.S. GDP contribution.

Google AI Overviews for Brands Include Third-Party Sources

Google's AI Overviews increasingly appear for brand-related search queries, providing visibility but also risks. A recent Ahrefs analysis shows that in September, 73.3% of branded searches in the US triggered AI Overviews on desktop, up from 61.3% in July. These overviews often cite third-party sources like Wikipedia, YouTube, and LinkedIn, not just the brand's own content. This can lead to misinformation or negative portrayals, and Google may be liable for false statements, as a German court ruling indicated. Brands and SEOs must manage their reputation across third-party sources, as clicks from AI Overviews can benefit not only the brand but also publishers and creators.

• Google's AI Overviews appear for 73.3% of branded searches on US desktop in September, up from 61.3% in July.
• AI Overviews for brands often cite third-party sources like Wikipedia, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
• Google introduced a brand filter in Search Console to help SEOs analyze brand-related queries.

Multiplayer AI: The Shift from Smarter Individuals to a Smarter Company

Salesforce's newsroom now features a new article on Multiplayer AI, highlighting the shift from individual intelligence to company-wide intelligence. The article is dated Sep 24, 2026.