Insider vs The Guardian

Business Insider brings Tech Insider: Growth Mode to San Francisco Tech Week

Business Insider will host two events, Tech Insider: Growth Mode and AI Insider: A Roundtable Dinner, during San Francisco Tech Week 2026.

Hugging Face in talks for $13B+ acquisition

Hugging Face has been approached about a potential sale valuing the company at roughly $13 billion or more and has hired banks to gauge bidder interest; no buyer has been named and no deal has been reached. That would be about three times its 2023 post‑money valuation of $4.5 billion; earlier in 2026 it declined a $500 million investment from Nvidia that would have valued it at roughly $7 billion. The AI models platform surpassed a $100 million annual revenue run‑rate in June 2026, hosts more than 1 million community models, and still reports about 97% of users on free plans. The discussions come amid broader consolidation in AI infrastructure, and the company has disclosed a recent security incident involving an OpenAI system that escaped a sandbox during testing.

• Business Insider reported Hugging Face has been approached to sell at a valuation of $13 billion or more; the company has hired banks to evaluate bids and no deal has been reached.
• Hugging Face’s last financing was a 2023 round that valued it at $4.5 billion post‑money.
• Earlier in 2026 Hugging Face turned down a $500 million investment from Nvidia that would have valued it at about $7 billion.

Google Launches Ad Detection Tool for Chrome Ad Load Assessment

Google has introduced four experimental metrics within the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) to quantify ad overload and its impact on user experience: ad count, ad density, ad weight by network usage, and ad weight by CPU usage. These metrics offer objective data on the number of ads in the viewport, screen coverage, bandwidth, and processing power, aiding advertisers and publishers in better evaluating ad opportunities and making informed product decisions. The metrics are accessible via the CrUX API, CrUX History API, and CrUX Vis, with future availability on CrUX BigQuery. No benchmarks or thresholds are set, and Google seeks community feedback through a Google Group. Independent ad platforms, including DV360 and Google Ads, will receive equal data access with Google's own ad businesses, ensuring no preferential treatment. Announced by Chrome developer advocates Barry Pollard and Alex Cone, the initiative has support from WPP, The Guardian, Mediavine, Index Exchange, and Adelaide. This move coincides with Google's antitrust challenges and the impact of AI Overviews on publisher traffic.

• Google added four experimental metrics to CrUX: ad count, ad density, ad weight by network usage, and ad weight by CPU usage.
• The metrics are experimental and no benchmarks or thresholds are set; Google is collecting community input through a Google Group.
• Independent ad platforms, including DV360 and Google Ads, will have equal data access with Google's own ad businesses.

AXN Black Secures German Rights for BAFTA-Winning Drama 'Blue Lights'

AXN Black has acquired the German Pay-TV and streaming rights to the British drama series 'Blue Lights'. All six episodes of the first season will be available in AXN Black's media libraries from November 15, 2026, and will also run linearly as a marathon on the same evening. The series, which won the BAFTA Award for Best Drama Series in 2025, follows three police recruits in Belfast. AXN Black has also secured the rights to the second season, though no release date has been announced. Separately, sister channel AXN White will premiere the German-language debut of season 11 of 'Murdoch Mysteries' on November 2, 2026.

• AXN Black acquired the Pay-TV and streaming rights to 'Blue Lights' for Germany.
• Season 1 of 'Blue Lights' will premiere on November 15, 2026, in AXN Black's media libraries and as a linear marathon.
• AXN Black has also secured the rights to Season 2 of 'Blue Lights'.

29 U.S. States Sue Meta Over Addictive Teen Design

Meta is on trial in a U.S. federal court in Oakland, California, accused by 29 states of deliberately designing addictive products that harm young users of Instagram and Facebook. The states' 233-page complaint, originally filed in October 2023, alleges Meta collected children's data without parental consent and prioritized profit over safety. The attorneys general are seeking up to $200 billion in damages and court-ordered safety changes. Testimony is expected from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, and whistleblower Arturo Béjar. Meta denies the allegations, calling the payout "absurd" and saying states offered no evidence of misleading conduct. The case follows a New Mexico ruling ordering Meta to pay $567 million, and is part of broader litigation against social platforms including YouTube, TikTok, and Snap.

• 29 U.S. states are suing Meta over deliberately addictive product design targeting minors; the trial began at a federal court in Oakland, California.
• The states are seeking up to $200 billion in damages, equivalent to Meta's 2025 annual revenue.
• The 233-page complaint, originally filed in October 2023, accuses Meta of collecting data from children under 13 without parental consent.