Technology & Startups — AI Claims Majority of European VC Funding for First Time; Anthropic Faces Trust Crisis Over Claude Performance; OpenAI Acquires Fintech Startup Hiro

Technology & Startups · 2026-04-14

TODAY'S SIGNAL — The AI sector is simultaneously consolidating its dominance over venture capital flows and fracturing along trust lines with its most demanding users. European VC hit $17.6B in Q1 2026 — up 30% YoY — but AI now commands more than half of all funding for the first time, a concentration that should concern anyone building outside the AI tent. Meanwhile, Anthropic is navigating a…