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# Big Tech, Bigger Bets, Money Moves
- URL: https://adjacent.media/scan/2026-04-20-am/
- Published: 2026-04-20T10:02:01.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-20T10:02:02.000Z
- Description: The week starts with Tesla expanding its robotaxi footprint while Europe throws €80 billion at its scaleup problem, and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang warns that DeepSeek optimizing for Huawei chips would be a nightmare scenario for US AI dominance.
- Author: Jonathan Greene
- Tags: #scan-am, #scan

The week starts with Tesla expanding its robotaxi footprint while Europe throws €80 billion at its scaleup problem, and Nvidia's Jensen Huang warns that DeepSeek optimizing for Huawei chips would be a nightmare scenario for US AI dominance. Meanwhile, luxury brands are rethinking their Middle East expansion as regional instability hammers Gulf state sales.

> **€80B** — Europe's new fund of funds aims to unlock this much in scaleup funding, addressing the continent's notorious growth-stage capital gap.. *(The Next Web)*

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### Connected World

#### [Tesla expands its robotaxi service to Dallas and Houston](https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/18/tesla-brings-its-robotaxi-service-to-dallas-and-houston/?ref=adjacent.media)

The company started offering rides without safety drivers in January — now it's time to see if the Texas expansion can prove the model scales beyond Austin. *(TechCrunch)*

#### [Nvidia's Huang warns DeepSeek running on Huawei chips would be 'horrible' for the US](https://thenextweb.com/news/nvidia-huang-deepseek-huawei-chips-horrible-outcome?ref=adjacent.media)

The CEO's warning on the Dwarkesh Podcast highlights how China's AI efficiency gains could bypass US hardware dominance entirely. *(The Next Web)*

#### [Anthropic's Amodei meets Wiles and Bessent at the White House in first step toward resolving Mythos standoff](https://thenextweb.com/news/anthropic-amodei-wiles-mythos-white-house-pentagon-cybersecurity-2?ref=adjacent.media)

The CEO's sit-down with Trump's chief of staff and treasury secretary suggests the administration is taking AI safety governance seriously. *(The Next Web)*

#### [Even Netflix is getting in on vertical videos, mobile app redesign gets discussed](https://www.androidcentral.com/streaming-tv/netflix/even-netflix-is-getting-in-on-vertical-videos-mobile-app-redesign-gets-discussed?ref=adjacent.media)

The streaming giant is finally acknowledging that people watch video on phones, not just TVs — only about five years late to the TikTok party. *(Android Central)*

### Connected World

#### [Europe is pouring tens of billions of public money into VC. The hard part is making it work](https://thenextweb.com/news/europe-public-money-vc-scaleups-growth-problems?ref=adjacent.media)

The European Investment Fund's €15 billion ETCI 2 initiative aims to solve Europe's scaleup funding gap, but public money doesn't automatically create Silicon Valley dynamics. *(The Next Web)*

#### [Expo, which develops an eponymous React Native framework, raised a $45M Series B led by Georgian](https://siliconangle.com/2026/04/16/developer-tooling-startup-expo-nabs-45m-investment/?ref=adjacent.media)

Cross-platform mobile development tools are having a moment as companies try to reduce their iOS/Android maintenance burden. *(SiliconANGLE)*

#### [Luxury Brands Bet on the Middle East. War Has Damaged Their Plans.](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/19/business/luxury-brands-bet-on-the-middle-east-war-has-damaged-their-plans.html?ref=adjacent.media)

Louis Vuitton and Hermès are scrambling for new markets after Persian Gulf sales collapsed — turns out geopolitical stability matters for selling $5,000 handbags. *(NYT)*