Tech News Digest: Wednesday, 1 July 2026

Today in tech, we're seeing a significant shift toward agentic AI hitting our mobile devices and a massive valuation boost for one of the UK’s homegrown autonomous driving stars. It’s a busy start to July with major updates from Anthropic and a nostalgic nod to tactile smartphone keyboards.

Wayve hits $8.5B valuation with employee tender offer

London-based autonomous driving pioneer Wayve is cementing its status as a global leader with an $85m employee tender offer at a staggering $8.5bn valuation. This move not only rewards the talent behind their 'embodied AI' but signals that the UK remains a powerhouse for high-stakes tech innovation and recruitment.

Anthropic launches Claude Sonnet 5 for cheaper AI agents

Anthropic has released Claude Sonnet 5, specifically designed to make running AI agents significantly cheaper and more efficient than previous iterations. It’s a major win for developers and businesses looking to automate complex digital workflows without the eye-watering costs usually associated with top-tier frontier models.

OpenClaw brings open-source AI agents to mobile

The popular open-source agentic programme OpenClaw is finally available on both Android and iOS, bringing powerful automation directly to your smartphone. For those looking to tinker with AI assistants that can actually perform tasks across different apps, this release is a significant milestone for mobile productivity and data sovereignty.

Acti embeds AI assistants directly into your keyboard

Startup Acti is betting that the smartphone keyboard is the perfect home for AI, launching a new tool for iOS and Android that works across every app you use. By living where you type, it aims to help you manage tasks and information without the constant, tiring need to switch between different applications.

Clicks Communicator brings the physical keyboard back to life

For those who still miss the tactile feel of a BlackBerry, the final production version of the Clicks Communicator has been revealed in a new hands-on video. It’s a stylish piece of kit that turns your modern smartphone into a typing powerhouse, perfect for anyone who finds glass screens a bit fiddly for drafting long emails or articles on the go.

We'll be back tomorrow with another roundup of the stories shaping our digital world.