Elon Musk Unites Space and AI in Historic $250B SpaceX–xAI Merger

• Historic $250B Acquisition Positions SpaceX as World’s Largest Private Tech Company

SpaceX has officially acquired Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI in a record-setting $250 billion deal, making SpaceX the world’s most valuable private company at a $1 trillion valuation. This merger unifies Musk’s space and AI ambitions, combining rockets, satellites, and advanced AI under one umbrella.

Key Details of the Deal

• Transaction Value: $250 billion for xAI.
• Valuation: SpaceX valued at $1 trillion, xAI at $250 billion.
• Investor Terms: xAI investors receive 0.1433 shares of SpaceX per xAI share. Executives may opt for cash at $75.46 per xAI share.
• Strategic Goal: Musk aims to unify AI and space ventures, leveraging synergies between rocket technology, Starlink satellites, and AI-driven systems.

Strategic Implications

• AI + Space Integration: SpaceX will integrate xAI’s Grok chatbot and AI research into its satellite communications and space operations. Plans include space-based data centers.
• IPO Preparation: SpaceX is reportedly preparing for a blockbuster IPO later this year, potentially valuing the company at $1.5 trillion.
• Ecosystem Consolidation: The deal combines Musk’s ventures: SpaceX, xAI, Starlink, and X.

Comparison Table: SpaceX + xAI Merger

Aspect	Before Merger	After Merger
SpaceX Valuation	~$1 trillion	$1–1.5 trillion (IPO target)
xAI Valuation	~$250 billion	Integrated into SpaceX
Core Assets	Rockets, Starlink satellites	Rockets, satellites, AI chatbot Grok, AI R&D
Strategic Focus	Space exploration, satellite internet	Unified AI + space ecosystem, space-based data centers
Market Impact	Leading private space company	Largest private company globally, AI + space dominance

Risks & Challenges

• Integration Complexity: Combining AI infrastructure with aerospace operations is technically demanding.
• Regulatory Scrutiny: A $250 billion deal may attract antitrust and national security reviews.
• Capital Intensity: AI data centers in space require massive investment and unproven technology.
• Competition: Musk faces rivals like Google, Meta, Amazon-backed Anthropic, and OpenAI in AI, while competing with Blue Origin in space.

Why This Matters

• Largest Tech Deal Ever: This is likely the biggest M&A transaction in history, reshaping both the space and AI industries.
• Global Impact: Space-based AI infrastructure could redefine cloud computing, energy use, and global internet access.
• Investor Opportunity: The upcoming IPO could be one of the most valuable in history, drawing global attention.

As Hiring Gets Tougher in India, 71% of Recruiters Are Turning to AI to Find ‘Hidden Talent’ They Would Otherwise Miss: Linkedin

India’s hiring market is moving fast, but finding the right talent is getting harder. New research from LinkedIn shows that 74% of recruiters now struggle to find qualified candidates, even as hiring activity runs 40% above pre-pandemic levels.

• 53% of recruiters cite a surge in AI-generated applications as a challenge.
• 47% highlight shortages in in-demand skills.
• 48% say distinguishing genuine applications from low-quality ones adds friction.

LinkedIn platform data shows applicants per open role in India have more than doubled since 2022. Additionally, while 72% of professionals say they’re actively job-hunting in 2026, 85% admit they feel unprepared to navigate the process.

Recruiters are using AI to spot the right skills, hire faster, and make the candidate journey more fulfilling

• 71% of recruiters say AI helps uncover candidates with hidden skills.
• 80% report AI makes gaining insight into candidate skills easier.
• 76% believe AI is already speeding up hiring.

Looking ahead, adoption is set to rise:

• 8 in 10 recruiters plan to expand AI use for hiring goals and applicant evaluation.
• 83% expect AI pre-screening to improve recruiter-candidate conversations.
• 83% believe it will speed up hiring.
• 82% say it will provide better candidate insights.

Ruchee Anand, APAC VP, LinkedIn Talent Solutions: "We’re seeing a structural shift in hiring from pedigree and past titles to demonstrated skills and capability. This shift is hard to execute at scale without AI. Used responsibly, AI helps recruiters detect the right skills earlier, reduce screening friction and create a more consistent and fair evaluation process."

Transparency becomes central to the recruiter–job seeker relationship

• 50% of recruiters in India say they are under pressure to explain how AI is used in hiring processes.

How LinkedIn is helping recruiters hire faster and smarter

• Salary & Notice Period Filters: Reduce friction by allowing candidates to share expectations directly with recruiters.
• Hiring Assistant: AI agent helping companies like AMD, Siemens, Wipro uncover talent faster. Early adopters report:
  • 62% fewer profiles reviewed
  • 4+ hours saved per role
  • 69% improvement in InMail acceptance rate
• Hiring Pro: AI agent for small businesses. Benefits include:
  • 60% find someone to interview within the first week
  • Average of 6+ hours saved weekly
  • AI-powered interview support
  • Conversational interface for refining candidate search
  • AI-assisted personalized InMails

About LinkedIn

LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. Its vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce through the ongoing development of the world’s first Economic Graph. LinkedIn has over 1.2 billion members and offices worldwide. Visit www.linkedin.com or mobile.linkedin.com.

Methodology

Research conducted by Censuswide in November 2025 among 19,113 consumer respondents and 6,554 HR professionals across multiple global markets. Censuswide abides by ESOMAR principles and is a member of the British Polling Council. 

IN-SPACe and Bennett University Launch Short-Term Course on Communication and Public Engagement in the Space Sector

• Registrations for the course close on 18th February 2026

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), in collaboration with the Times School of Media, Bennett University, has launched a short-term course on Communication and Public Engagement in the Space Sector. The intensive, interdisciplinary programme is designed to address the growing need for informed, ethical, and strategic communication in the rapidly evolving global and Indian space ecosystem.

The course brings together practitioners from the space ecosystem, media professionals, and academic experts to offer a structured understanding of space communication, covering areas such as media engagement, crisis communication, digital storytelling, policy communication, and emerging trends including AI-driven journalism. The programme ensures alignment with national skill standards and industry requirements.

Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Vinod Kumar, Director, Promotion Directorate, IN-SPACe, “This course reflects IN-SPACe’s commitment to building skilled human capital that can bridge the gap between space science and society. Recognition under the NCVET framework ensures that the competencies developed through this programme are benchmarked to national standards, giving participants a meaningful advantage as India’s space sector continues to expand.”

The course will be led by experienced faculty and domain experts, with Mr. Gaurav Kumar, Assistant Director- PR, Promotion Directorate, IN-SPACe, serving as Course Director.

The course is open to academicians, industry professionals, graduates, researchers, journalists, and media practitioners interested in space communication and public engagement. Registrations are open until 18th February, and interested participants are encouraged to apply at the earliest.

For details and registration, please visit the official course brochure and application link: https://www.bennett.edu.in/communication-and-public-engagement-in-the-space-sector/

Equirus InnovateX Fund Backs Cloud PC Startup Neverinstall to Disrupt Legacy VDI

• Neverinstall enables secure, low-latency cloud desktops on any device, eliminates expensive hardware, vendor lock-in and complex VDI deployments.
• Funding to accelerate Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI), BYOI model, and an enterprise secure browser for BFSI and healthcare use cases.
• The company records 3x growth in FY26, serves enterprises like Tally, Porter and Primebook, addresses a $21–23Bn VDI, DaaS and GPU virtualisation market.
• Ramesh Gopal Krishna joins as CRO, strengthening go-to-market execution for India and global enterprise expansion.

Equirus InnovateX Fund (EIF), an early-stage venture fund backing next-generation enterprise and infrastructure technologies, has participated in the seed round of Neverinstall, a Cloud PC platform enabling enterprises to stream any application to any device directly through a web browser. Founded in 2021 by Ram and Lakshman Pasala, Neverinstall decouples the operating system from hardware, allowing organisations to access virtual desktops and applications through any device—browsers, thin clients, mobile apps, or native desktop clients.

The investment reflects a broader enterprise shift away from traditional VDI platforms, which are increasingly costly, complex, and restrictive, often exceeding $2,000-3,000 per user annually while delivering limited flexibility and user experience. Neverinstall tackles these gaps with a cloud-native, protocol-agnostic platform powered by its proprietary CloudLink architecture, enabling secure virtual desktop access across web browsers, mobile applications, thin clients, and zero clients without local installations, ideal for GPU virtualization, VDI workloads, application streaming, developers, designers, BYOD setups and distributed teams.

The seed funding will be deployed to accelerate deep-tech infrastructure development and strengthen enterprise security capabilities. Key focus areas include the development of Neverinstall’s Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) platform, enabling a “Bring Your Own Infrastructure” model on commodity hardware, and the launch of an Enterprise Secure Browser with an embedded eBPF-based security layer for compliant workflows including in regulated sectors such as BFSI and healthcare.

Equirus InnovateX Fund (EIF) focuses on backing post-product companies building core enterprise, infrastructure and deep-technology platforms. The fund invests in founders solving structurally complex problems with clear technological defensibility, distribution advantages and the potential to become long-term category leaders, particularly in markets undergoing fundamental transformation.

Commenting on the investment, Mr. Sunder Nookala, General Partner, Equirus InnovateX Fund said,“The enterprise desktop market is going through a fundamental reset. As hybrid work becomes the default, organisations are questioning the cost, rigidity and complexity of legacy VDI platforms. Neverinstall stands out for its browser-native, cloud-agnostic approach that materially lowers total cost of ownership while improving performance and user experience. This aligns strongly with EIF’s focus on backing founders who are re-architecting core enterprise systems for the next decade.”

The VDI and DaaS market is undergoing a structural reset as enterprises move toward multi-cloud environments and browser-first experiences, while legacy platforms remain single-vendor by design and dependent on static provisioning models. This gap has created an opportunity for cloud-agnostic platforms that combine enterprise-grade security with consumer-grade simplicity.

Mr.Lakshman Pasala, Co-Founder and CEO, Neverinstall, added, “Traditional desktop virtualisation is broken for modern enterprises—it’s expensive, inflexible, and complex to run at scale. We took a different path by building a unified stack from the ground up, backed by years of deep R&D across streaming, infrastructure orchestration, and security. EIF’s investment validates our belief that enterprises want technology that truly works, without vendor lock-in. With Ramesh Gopal Krishna joining us, we’re combining deep technology with strong go-to-market execution to build enterprise infrastructure for the next decade.”

Neverinstall is seeing strong enterprise momentum, recording threefold growth in FY26 and building a growing enterprise pipeline for FY’27. The platform is already being used by organisations such as Tally, Porter, Alliance Broadband and Primebook, supporting thousands of employees and validating its ability to deliver high-performance cloud desktops at scale over consumer-grade internet and affordable hardware. With a $21-23 billion total addressable market across VDI, DaaS and GPU virtualisation still largely untapped, EIF believes the company is well positioned to disrupt enterprise desktop provisioning at scale.

To support its next growth phase, Neverinstall has appointed Ramesh Gopal Krishna, a 25+ year sales leader from Microsoft, Meta and Salesforce, as Chief Revenue Officer. The company is now focused on scaling its enterprise presence across India and global markets while evolving into a full-stack workspace orchestration platform.

About Equirus InnovateX Fund (EIF)

Equirus InnovateX Fund (EIF) is an early-stage venture capital fund focused on backing founders building next-generation enterprise, infrastructure and deep-technology companies. The fund invests in post-product startups working toward product-market fit, with a strong emphasis on defensible technology, scalable distribution and long-term sustainability. EIF partners closely with founding teams that are re-architecting core enterprise systems across cloud infrastructure, SaaS and applied AI for the next decade.

Website: https://www.equiruswealth.com/eif

NeverInstall

Neverinstall is a next-generation virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) platform that delivers cloud desktops, virtual applications, and digital workspaces to any device—browsers, mobile apps, thin clients, or desktop clients—without downloads or installation. Our cloud-native VDI solution eliminates hardware limitations through desktop virtualization, application streaming, and GPU virtualization technologies, making virtual desktop access truly universal. With Neverinstall, organizations can deploy secure virtual workspaces, remote desktop services, and cloud-based desktop infrastructure without the complexity of traditional VDI deployment or on-premises data centers.

Website: https://neverinstall.com

From 1,600 Applications to 8 Finalists: Afreximbank Launches First-Ever Accelerator Cohort to Empower African Startups

• Eight visionary startups selected to advance Africa’s intra-continental trade and industrialisation goals
• Finalists are eligible subject to selection criteria to receive up to US$250,000 in equity investment, expert mentorship, and exclusive market access. 

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) is excited to announce the selection of the top 8 finalists of the first cohort for its pioneering Afreximbank Accelerator Program. This dynamic three-month initiative, that kicks off in March 2026 is designed to empower Africa’s most promising startups that are driving innovation in intra-African trade.

The finalists were carefully selected from a highly competitive pool of over 1,600 applications, showcasing the continent’s most promising entrepreneurial talent. The rigorous process included detailed business assessments, interviews, and pitch sessions, overseen by a panel of Afreximbank trade specialists alongside leading external experts from the venture capital and innovation ecosystem.

The selected finalists embody Afreximbank’s mission to drive measurable progress in intra-African and global African trade. Representing innovations in sectors such as agriculture, e-commerce, market access, financial technology solutions, supply chain enhancement and manufacturing, these startups are poised to address critical trade challenges affecting both continental and diaspora markets, while also advancing intra-African trade and industrialisation.

The geographic diversity of applications, from across Africa, the diaspora, and CARICOM demonstrates the programme’s broad reach and stands as a testament to Afreximbank’s commitment to integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). By prioritising solutions from Seed to Series A - maturity and applying a robust three-stage evaluation that combines expert insight, practical business assessment, and strategic innovation criteria, the programme aims not only to accelerate start-ups growth but also to foster a sustainable ecosystem for trade-led development across Africa.

Afreximbank Accelerator Program will provide finalists with a comprehensive package of support including:

• Equity Investment: Equity financing- subject to selection criteria-of up to $250,000 through Afreximbank’s impact equity investment arm, Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), enabling rapid scale-up and operational growth.
• Mentorship: Access to seasoned experts, as well as industry leaders to refine business strategies and accelerate market entry. These include leading investors, trade specialists, and industry thought leaders committed to fostering Africa’s economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
• Market Access: Connection to Afreximbank’s pan-African trade ecosystem, including trade facilitation programmes, regulatory pathways as well as exclusive opportunities to leverage Afreximbank’s extensive network of government stakeholders, private sector players, and multilateral partners to secure partnerships and funding.

Over the course of the program, finalists will engage in virtual learning modules, hands-on workshops, and in-person sessions hosted across regional hubs such as Abuja, Nairobi and Afreximbank’s headquarters in Cairo. This immersive experience will culminate in a high-profile ‘Demo Day’, where startups will showcase their innovative solutions to an influential audience of global investors, policymakers, and industry champions.

Mr. Haytham Elmaayergi, Executive Vice President, Global Trade Bank at Afreximbank commented:

The Afreximbank Accelerator Programme reflects our belief in the power of innovation to transform intra-African trade and also underscores the important role that Global Africa’s innovation plays in realising the promise of the AfCFTA. This inaugural cohort represents the future of African enterprise, and we are proud to invest in them from vision to scale to nurture solutions needed to unlock trade across Africa, the diaspora, and the Caribbean.

The Afreximbank Accelerator Program exemplifies the Bank’s commitment to fostering homegrown solutions that address critical trade challenges and unlock Africa’s economic potential under the AfCFTA framework.

To view the full list of the top 8 finalists and program details, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/3ZPTXSQ

About Afreximbank:

African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa's trade, accelerating industrialisation and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank has set up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2024, Afreximbank's total assets and contingencies stood at over US$40.1 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$7.2 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody's (Baa2), China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd (CCXI) (AAA), and Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its equity impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, "the Group"). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.

For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com

SOURCE
Afreximbank