Top 3 Signals This Week
1) Elon Musk’s xAI to bring Grok chatbot to Telegram’s one billion users
Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov announced on X that Elon Musk’s startup xAI will be paying Telegram $300 million to roll out its Grok chatbot. He also said Telegram will earn 50% of the revenue from xAI subscriptions that are sold on the platform. However, Elon Musk commented on X that no deal has been signed.
➤ Why it matters: If this deal goes through, Telegram’s integration could significantly broaden Grok’s user base and real-world utility. The rollout could be part of xAI’s wider strategy to compete with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google by embedding conversational AI into everyday platforms.
2) AI startup Builder.ai files for bankruptcy
Builder.ai, once valued at over $1.3 billion and backed by prominent investors including Microsoft and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), has filed for bankruptcy. Known for its no-code platform that aimed to simplify software development using AI, the company struggled after Viola Credit seized US$37 million from its account, leaving it with only US$5 million.
➤ Why it matters: The collapse underscores the fragility of high-valuation AI startups amid execution challenges. It also raises concerns about due diligence and the pace of capital deployment in the AI funding boom.
3) Singapore expands national AI push
Singapore is launching a national push to scale AI capabilities — creating 800 new training opportunities and embedding AI in 500 projects through new initiatives. Both mid-career AI novices as well as seasoned practitioners could have a stab at 400 training places at national programme AI Singapore (AISG) over the next three years. Another 400 training places will be made available by companies ranging from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Oracle to Microsoft and Singtel.
➤ Why it matters: Spearheaded by AI Singapore (AISG), the initiative is designed to deepen AI capabilities across sectors and upskill the local workforce. The move reinforces Singapore’s ambition to be Asia’s leading AI hub. It also presents new opportunities for companies hiring AI talent or looking to pilot AI projects in the region.
💡 Headhunter’s Lens
Most of the AI roles in Singapore today are still concentrated in large enterprises — think ByteDance, Changi Airport Group, UOB. They’re hiring across AI transformation, governance, product, and research. If you’re looking for AI work right now, this is where the action is.
The startup and scale-up scene hasn’t quite caught up yet. Fundraising has been brutal, in one of the toughest climates in the past 20 years, and LP sentiment across Southeast Asia is still soft. Most VCs have pulled back, focusing on profitability over growth. As Jeremy Tan from Tin Men Capital puts it, venture capital has entered a more grounded phase, backing brick-and-mortar businesses enabled by tech.
That said, there are signals worth watching. Singapore is doubling down on AI with 800 new training spaces, 500 business projects, and EDB is hiring a New Ventures Manager to attract technical founders to build AI startups here. Perhaps in the near future, we might see a new wave of AI-native startups coming out of the region.
Until then? Most of your next AI roles will still sit inside traditional businesses, helping them get AI-ready, not just in building models but embedding AI into how they operate.
🚀 Executive Move to Watch
Fidji Simo → OpenAI
Fidji Simo is joining OpenAI as their CEO of Applications, reporting directly to Sam Altman. Fidji will focus on enabling their traditional company functions to scale as they enter the next phase of growth, while Sam will continue to directly oversee success across all pillars of OpenAI — Research, Compute, and Applications.
Read the announcement here: https://openai.com/index/leadership-expansion-with-fidji-simo/
📬 One to Forward
🎧 Google CEO Sundar Pichai on the future of search, AI agents, and selling Chrome