Despite pouring a record-breaking amount of cash into US-based AI startups in the first half of 2025, some of the tech industry’s most bullish backers are now starting to change their tune or exit the field altogether, and the money isn’t necessarily coming with them. With the first half of the financial year now behind us, CNBC reports that venture capitalists — who’ve dumped $104.3 billion into AI companies this year so far, almost as much as all of 2024 combined — are now frequently exiting through M&A, with much lower returns on their bets. While two-thirds of US venture […]