Listen to today’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silk-logic-small-business-daily/id1841930957
Small Business Daily Podcast — February 1, 2026
Today’s podcast episode was created from the following stories: a mix of new developer tools, public-sector platforms, autonomous mobility insights, and big moves in AI infrastructure and finance.
OpenSandbox – run untrusted code
OpenSandbox is a Rust-based Linux sandbox that runs commands in isolated namespaces with resource limits, exposed via HTTP and gRPC with a Python SDK. It supports fast, stateful sessions and reports strong benchmark wins versus E2B, making it attractive for CI, code execution services, and AI agent backends. For teams handling untrusted code, it offers a practical path to safer, faster execution without heavy infrastructure.
Department of War launches LYNX to help businesses enter and compete in defense markets
The Department of War’s Office of Small Business Programs introduced LYNX, a digital platform that helps companies assess readiness, showcase capabilities, and discover mission-aligned opportunities across the defense industrial base. The tool provides AI/ML-informed roadmaps and partner matching to lower barriers for new entrants and non-traditional suppliers. If defense is on your roadmap, LYNX promises clearer next steps and faster visibility.
We rode in dozens of driverless robotaxis in China. Here’s what we saw — and our advice for other curious travelers.
A field guide from Business Insider shows China’s driverless robotaxis operating across multiple cities, often ahead of global peers but confined to specific zones with app and access quirks. Travelers should plan for service areas, potential waits, and the need for a local phone number to book rides. The takeaway: automated mobility is scaling on real streets, hinting at near-term shifts in urban transport and partnerships.
SpaceX applies to FCC for 1 million AI satellites in space
Nextbigfuture reports that SpaceX applied to the FCC to deploy up to one million AI inference satellites as orbital data centers. If realized, this would signal a bold move toward space-based compute infrastructure, though it would face significant regulatory, technical, and capital hurdles.
Nvidia’s plan to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI has stalled, WSJ reports
Reuters reports Nvidia’s non-binding plan to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI has stalled, with talks shifting toward a smaller equity stake amid internal doubts. CEO Jensen Huang has questioned OpenAI’s discipline and the competitive heat from Google and Anthropic, even as Amazon explores a large investment and OpenAI pursues a massive raise. The recalibration underscores fluid alliances and funding dynamics across the AI stack.
OpenAI plans Q4 FY26 IPO amid growing rivalry with Anthropic: Wall Street Journal
Economic Times says OpenAI is accelerating plans for a potential Q4 FY26 IPO while strengthening its finance bench and racing against Anthropic’s own listing ambitions. Both firms are spending heavily to build and run models, pushing pre-IPO fundraising that could shape valuations and investor appetite. A public listing would bring new scrutiny to growth, margins, and platform economics that cascade through the AI ecosystem.
