QUASA Connect: News and Analysis on Business, Finance, Tech, Web3, and Crypto

In the whirlwind of today's crypto landscape, Layer 2 (L2) projects, restaking empires, and modular stacks are securing massive funding rounds to build out new rollup chains, Validiums, alternative data availability (Alt-DA) layers, hyperchains, and EigenLayer Actively Validated Services (AVS).

On February 5, 2026, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan dropped one of the most anticipated product teases of the year during an appearance at a creator event: very soon, creators will be able to generate short videos using their own digital likeness — essentially creating AI-powered versions of themselves for YouTube Shorts.

On February 7, 2026, OpenAI — together with CEO Sam Altman personally — announced a major investment in Merge Labs, a newly formed startup developing next-generation brain-computer interfaces (BCI).

In the volatile world of cryptocurrencies, market capitalizations often paint a picture of immense value and potential. As of February 2026, the total crypto market cap hovers between $2.4 trillion and $3.3 trillion, yet a closer examination reveals a stark reality: much of this value is illusory.

In 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple Computer. Eight years earlier, in 1968, The Beatles had already created Apple Corps — their multimedia company and record label.

Just when we thought we'd seen every possible inversion of the “AI takes our jobs” narrative, a new startup has flipped the script completely: RentAHuman — a platform where AI agents hire real people to perform physical-world tasks that LLMs and robots still can't do.

In a candid interview, Jeffrey Housenbold, the head of Beast Industries, provided a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson's vast business empire, currently valued at an staggering $5.2 billion and positioning itself for a potential initial public offering (IPO)

Andrew Ng — one of the most respected figures in modern AI, co-founder of Google Brain, former head of Baidu AI Group, and a long-time advocate for accessible, democratized machine learning — recently dropped a truth bomb on X that should have set off alarm bells across Silicon Valley.

In 2026, the AI landscape has evolved into sophisticated ecosystems powered by advanced reasoning models that serve as "engines" for universal autonomous agents.

In the fast-paced world of cryptocurrency, where security breaches and centralized control often make headlines, Gem Wallet stands out as a beacon of user empowerment.

On February 3, 2026, Walmart became the first classic brick-and-mortar retailer to reach a $1 trillion market capitalization, officially entering the exclusive “trillion-dollar club” that has long been dominated by tech giants, oil companies, and a few outlier financial/pharma players.

A small team from Kazakhstan has launched what might be one of the most delightfully absurd yet strangely appealing hardware startups of 2026: GoFish — a service that allows anyone to go fishing… without ever leaving home.

The European Commission has issued preliminary findings that TikTok's core interface features deliberately foster addiction, breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA).

In the relentless march toward a frictionless future, technology often promises to simplify our lives — only to trip us up with unexpected complications.