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Push for $40 smartphones builds momentum, but still faces cost hurdles
A coalition of telecom operators and device makers is pushing $40 smartphones to bring up to 20 million people online, but rising component costs threaten the plan.
Google just gave Sundar Pichai a $692M pay package
Most of it is tied to performance, including new stock incentives linked to Waymo and Wing, its drone delivery venture.
Grammarlys expert review is just missing the actual experts
A recently-added feature in Grammarly purports to improve users writing with help from the world's great writers and thinkers and some tech journalists, too.
OpenAI robotics lead Caitlin Kalinowski quits in response to Pentagon deal
Hardware executive Caitlin Kalinowski announced today that in response to OpenAI's controversial agreement with the Department of Defense, shes resigned from her role leading the company's robotics team.
PopSockets founder David Barnett talks about building a viral business
David Barnett, founder of PopSocket, stops by Equity to talk about scaling the business and what he's learned as a leader.
OpenAI delays ChatGPTs adult mode again
The feature, which will give verified adult users access to erotica and other adult content, had already been delayed from December.
X is testing a new ad format that connects posts with products
An ad test on X promotes Musk's Starlink beneath original content.
Nintendo sues the US government for a refund on tariffs
This lawsuit comes after a Supreme Court decision struck down some of the president's sweeping tariffs, which had impacted Nintendo and thousands of other companies.
Life EV officially owns Rad Power Bikes now
The Rad Power brand is expected to live on.
OSHA probing fatality at Rivian warehouse
A 61-year-old worker died on Thursday after reportedly getting stuck between a tractor trailer and a loading dock.
Bill Gates TerraPower gets approval to build new nuclear reactor
It's the first permit to be issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in nearly a decade.
Microsoft: Anthropic Claude remains available to customers except the Defense Department
Trump's Department of War feud with Anthropic won't impact other companies that are using Claude via Microsoft products.
These are the countries moving to ban social media for children
Australia was the first country to issue a ban in late 2025, aiming to reduce the pressures and risks that young users may face on social media, including cyberbullying, social media addiction, and exposure to predators.
TriZetto confirms 3.4M peoples health and personal data was stolen during breach
Health tech giant TriZetto has confirmed that more than 3.4 million people had personal and health information stolen in a 2024 cyberattack, which the company failed to detect for almost a year.
City Detect, which uses AI to help cities stay safe and clean, raises $13M Series A
City Detect, a company that helps local governments prevent urban decay, is in at least 17 cities so far, including Dallas and Miami.
Quantum scale-up Pasqal plans $2B SPAC listing, promises to remain French
A SPAC deal that is set to take French quantum company Pasqal public on the Nasdaq values the company at $2 billion pre-money.
Indias Karnataka signals intent to ban social media for under-16s
Karnataka's proposal highlights a growing global debate over childrens rights and online policy.
After Europe, WhatsApp will let rival AI companies offer chatbots in Brazil
Meta is now allowing rival AI companies to provide their chatbots on WhatsApp to Brazilian users for a fee, a day after the company confirmed a similar decision for users in Europe.
Anthropic to challenge DODs supply chain label in court
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said he plans to challenge the Department of Defense's designation of the AI firm as a supply chain risk. He claims most Anthropic customers are unaffected by the label.
USreportedly consideringsweeping new chip exportcontrols
In an alleged drafted proposal, the U.S. government would play a role in every chip export sale regardless of which country it's coming from.
Amazon is rolling out a redesigned Fire TV app
With the updated Fire TV app, users can browse and discover content directly from their phone, manage their watchlist on the go, and play titles on their TV from the mobile app.
BYD rolls out EV batteries with 5-minute flash charging. But theres a catch.
The Chinese automaker's new Blade Battery 2.0 is capable of charging at up to 1.5 megawatts, dramatically slashing the time it takes to fill up.
Its official: The Pentagon has labeled Anthropic a supply-chain risk
The Department of Defense has officially labeled Anthropic a supply-chain risk, making the AI firm the first American company with the label. Meanwhile, the DOD continues to use Anthropic's AI in Iran.
X revamps Creator Subscriptions with new features, like exclusive threads and shareable cards
X is rolling out a series of new features for creators, like the ability to offer paid threads and other marketing tools.
Cursor is rolling out a new kind of agentic coding tool
Called Automations, the new system gives users a way to automatically launch agents within their coding environment, triggered by a new addition to the codebase, a Slack message, or a simple timer.
Lawyers say Meta's marketing materials promised privacy and user control over sharing footage. But an investigation found that subcontractors are reviewing footage from customers' glasses.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei could still be trying to make a deal with Pentagon
Anthropic's $200 million contract with the Department of Defense broke down due to disagreements over giving the military unrestricted access to its AI.
Oura acquires Doublepoint, a startup that specializes in gesture recognition technology
The company believes its next phase of wearable AI will be powered by a combination of voice and gesture.
How 1,000+ customer calls shaped a breakout enterprise AI startup
On thisepisode of Build Mode,David ParkjoinsIsabelle Johannessen to discuss how he and his team are intentionally iterating, fundraising, and scaling Narada.
Lio raises $30M from Andreessen Horowitz and others to automate enterprise procurement
AI procurement startup Lio announced a $30 million Series A in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Wednesday that his company's investments in OpenAI and Anthropic will likely be its last but his explanation may not tell the whole story.
Google settles with Epic Games, drops its Play Store commissions to 20%
Google has dropped its commission, charging a 20% service fee and an optional 5% to use its billing services. It will also offer a new process for third-party app stores.
His house burned down. He used the insurance money to buildPopSockets.
Doesaconsumer hardwarecompany need to get on theVC treadmill tosucceed?Eleven years and 290 million products sold across 115 countries later,PopSocketshas proven thatthe bootstrapped, low-dilution path moreviablethan the industry gives it credit for.The global consumer hardware brand was built on less than $500k, no institutional capital, and a philosophy professors determination. Watch as founder and former CEO []
US and EU police shut down LeakBase, a site accused of sharing stolen passwords and hacking tools
Authorities say LeakBase was one of the worlds largest online forums for cybercriminals, and maintained an archive of hacked databases containing hundreds of millions of passwords.
MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e, and everything else Apple announced this week
From a new iPhone to a budget-friendly MacBook, Apple announced a series of new products this week.
Googles Gemini rolls out Canvas in AI Mode to all US users
Canvas in AI Mode is available to U.S. users in English for creating plans, projects, apps, and more.
Decagon completes first tender offer at $4.5B valuation
The AI-powered customer support startup is the latest example of a fast-growing, young company that's providing employee liquidity.
The US military is still using Claude but defense-tech clients are fleeing
As the US continues its aerial attack on Iran, Anthropic models are being used for many targeting decisions.
Host a Side Event during TechCrunch Founder Summit Week in Boston
Want to tap into the energy of 1,100+ startup founders, investors, and tech leaders descending on Boston for the Founder Summit 2026 on June 9? Host your own Side Event during Founder Summit Week, happening June 4-10!
TikTok wont add end-to-end encryption to direct messages, report says
The social media giant says that end-to-end encryption would make users less safe.
Father sues Google, claiming Gemini chatbot drove son into fatal delusion
A father is suing Google and Alphabet, alleging its Gemini chatbot reinforced his sons delusional belief it was his AI wife and coached him toward suicide and a planned airport attack.
Meet the MacBook Neo, Apples colorful answer to the Chromebook, starting at $599
Apple is offering the MacBook Neo at a more affordable price point by using an A18 Pro chip, which is used in the iPhone 16 Pro.
One startups pitch to provide more reliable AI answers: crowdsource the chatbots
CollectivIQ looks to give users more accurate answers to their AI queries by showing them responses that pull information from ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok and up to 10 other models all at the same time.
Who needs data centers in space when they can float offshore?
Offshore wind developer Aikido will deploy a small data center beneath a floating offshore wind turbine later this year.
Eight Sleep raises $50M at $1.5B valuation
Eight Sleep said it was free-cash-flow positive in 2025, and plans to use the new funding for new products, global expansions, and clinical validation.
