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Founders Fund hires former OpenAI exec Ryan Beiermeister (and not because of her Mafia skills)
Ryan Beiermeister, who demonstrated cool analysis in the Founders Fund YouTube series Mafia, has joined the firm as a partner.
Google Vids now lets you star in your own AI videos
Google is adding personalized AI avatars to Vids that let users create videos starring a digital version of themselves, alongside Gemini Omni-powered tools for generating and editing videos from prompts and reference images.
Roblox launches an AI-powered game creation feature in its mobile app
Roblox's new Build feature lets users generate basic games using a single text prompt.
Oil giant BP shutters its corporate venture arm after 20 years
BP Ventures is shutting down, ending a nearly 20-year run that was marked by reportedly lackluster returns.
Ubers $14.8B Delivery Hero deal would nearly double its global footprint
Uber has agreed to acquire Delivery Hero in a $14.8 billion all-stock deal that would nearly double the companys global footprint and create one of the worlds largest food-delivery platforms outside China.
Newsletter platform Beehiiv now lets subscribers chat with each other, adds AI
Beehiiv is launching an AI Copilot to help publishers with user growth and analytics.
AI-powered travel agency Fora hits unicorn status, raises $60M
Travel agency Fora announced a $60 million Series D round led by Forerunner and Tactile Ventures, valuing the company at $1 billion.
Google continues its renaming streak by turning NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook
Google said users can soon access their notebooks through AI Mode in Search.
Googles AI Mode now lets you link and interact with select apps
With this new update, Google is expanding AI Mode beyond answering questions and into completing tasks across the apps they use regularly.
Yes, you can now order DoorDash from the command line
DoorDash is opening a limited beta of dd-cli, a command-line tool that lets developers and AI agents search stores, build carts, and place orders from the terminal, marking another step toward software designed for AI agents instead of just humans.
UK cops say arrest of two young hackers disrupted the operations of an infamous hacking group
Owen Flowers and Thalha Jubair, two members of the prolific Scattered Spider hacking group, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to five years and six months in jail for hacking Londons metropolitan transit system.
Period tracker Stardust shares users health data with analytics firm, says Mozilla research
One period tracker app tested by Mozilla was 'squeaky clean,' while another app was seen sharing users' health data with an analytics company, underscoring vast differences in user privacy among these apps.
Why is OpenAI selling a ChatGPT basketball?
You may have heard that OpenAI released its first piece of hardware this week. You may not have heard about the ChatGPT basketball.
How a former DeepMind researcher raised at a $300M pre-seed valuation before launching a product
Drawing on more than a decade spent helping build some of the world's most influential AI systems, including research that later informed the development of ChatGPT, Andrew Dai explains why he believes visual AI is one of the next major frontiers in artificial intelligence.
Why AMI Labs Alexandre LeBrun wont call his AI AGI or superintelligence
While everyone in AI is chasing superintelligence, Alexandre LeBrun, CEO of Yann LeCuns world model startup, AMI Labs, dismisses the word.
Moonshots upcoming Kimi 3 is expected to close the gap with Anthropics Opus 4.8
The FT reports Kimi K3 will be the largest open AI model from China, with a parameter count between 2 trillion and 3 trillion.
Apple Intelligence approved for launch in China with Alibaba and Baidu
The deal, which was rumored to be in the works last year, marks an important step for Apple's AI ambitions in a key market.
Ultrahumans former hardware VP raises $5.5M for devices that control AI agents, not just record you
Aina is going to pilot a new device in the coming weeks.
Meta now alerts parents if their teen discussed suicide or self-harm with its AI chatbot
The updates come as Meta and other tech companies are facing scrutiny from regulators and parents around how AI chatbots respond to users in crisis, particularly teenagers.
Phone maker OnePlus says it wont release new phones in the U.S. and Europe
OnePlus could also wind down its operations in India by 2027.
Applied Computing wants to give oil and gas operators an AI model for the entire plant
Applied Computing has raised a $20M Series A to build a foundation AI model for the oil, gas and petrochemical industry.
Lululemon backs nylon recycling startup Syntetica in $30M Series A
Syntetica, a French startup that has developed a novel approach to recycling nylon, has already obtained big-name partners and investors.
Microsoft is reportedly training salespeople to talk down OpenAI and Anthropic
Microsoft is looking to sell its in-house AI models as more efficient and cost-effective than its competitors' models.
Tesla driver in fatal Texas crash pressed accelerator 100%, NTSB confirms
The safety board confirmed Tesla's account of the crash, which the company shared days after it happened last month.
Daniel Eks body-scanning startup Neko Health raises another $700M
Neko Health has developed proprietary body-scanning technology, which it couples with bloodwork, to assess a person's health.
Amid hardware legal battle, OpenAI releases a $230 keyboard for Codex
OpenAI, which is in the middle of a legal battle with Apple over hardware trade theft allegations, just released a light-up keyboard designed to be paired with its agentic coding app.
Microsoft patches bug in video game Age of Empires II
The vulnerability in the decades-old game could have allowed hackers to take over victims computers with a malicious game invite.
Apple quietly reveals how its Maps ads will differ from Googles
Apple has published the policies governing its upcoming Maps advertising business, revealing a strategy that differs from Googles. The new rules prohibit home services businesses like plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, and roofers from advertising on Apple Maps, along with several other sensitive categories, suggesting Apple is taking a more curated approach to these ads.
SpaceX slips below its $135 IPO price ahead of Starship launch
The stock has steadily fallen from the euphoric post-IPO high, showing that markets may be sobering up to the promises CEO Elon Musk made before and after SpaceX went public.
Thinking Machines amps up its bet against one-size-fits-all AI with its first open model, Inkling
It's the company's first public proof point after a year and a half spent building AI infrastructure largely out of public view.
Googles biggest clean power project is 40 miles north of xAIs unpermitted gas power plant
Google's biggest solar and battery project stands in sharp contrast with xAI's nearby unpermitted power plant.
Hack suggests AI music generator Suno scraped YouTube for training data
The hacker used an employee's credentials to access source code, which revealed how Suno scraped decades of audio.
Whatnot acquires Shaped to power real-time live shopping recommendations
Livestream shopping platform Whatnot has acquired AI startup Shaped, a machine learning company focused on real-time recommendations and search. The deal will bolster Whatnots personalization and discovery features as it expands into new product categories.
Microsoft patches record number of security vulnerabilities, citing its use of AI
Microsoft's monthly release of security fixes, dubbed Patch Tuesday, resolved a record 570 security vulnerabilities across the company's product line, thanks to discoveries with AI.
Stripe and Advent reportedly offered to buy PayPal for around $53.4B
Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have reportedly submitted a joint bid to acquire PayPal in a deal valued at approximately $53.4 billion. Reuters reports that the offer was submitted earlier this month and is backed by roughly $50 billion in committed bank financing. Under the proposal, Stripe and Advent would jointly own PayPal, []
Apple Intelligence approved for launch in China with Alibabas Qwen AI
Apple Intelligence is headed to China after regulators approved Apples AI services through a partnership with Alibaba. The long-rumored deal will bring Alibabas Qwen AI models to Apples operating systems, marking a major expansion of the companys generative AI platform into one of its most important markets.
Spotify expands parent-managed accounts to users on its free tier
The feature was previously only available to paid subscribers.
India bets billions on breaking Chinas grip on smartphone manufacturing
New Delhi announced a $6.5 billion smartphone manufacturing program and a $13.3 billion semiconductor push to deepen India's electronics supply chain.
Anthropic, Blackstone bet the next trillion-dollar AI business is implementation, not just models
Anthropic-backed Ode launches as AI labs bet that embedding forward-deployed engineers inside enterprises is the key to accelerating enterprise AI adoption.
Rime picks up $24M Series A to help enterprises field customer calls
Rime is handling over 100 million calls each month across multiple companies.
Reelfuls AI turns your camera roll into short-form videos for social media
The app is designed for people who want to create social content, but find traditional video editing tools too complex or time-consuming.
OpenAI researcher Miles Wang in talks to launch AI drug discovery startup valued at $2B
Lightspeed is in discussions to lead the funding round, sources say.
Lorde says AI glasses are not sexy
Increasingly in our world, it gets harder and harder to know what is real, Lorde said onstage.
OpenAIs first hardware device is reportedly a screenless speaker that can move
OpenAI's first hardware device is reported to be a screenless, AI-guided smart speaker that can move. Weird enough for you?
OpenAI pushes back on Apple trade secret lawsuit
OpenAI has issued another statement on the lawsuit, this time suggesting it lacks merit.
OpenAIs new flagship model deletes files on its own, people keep warning
A number of social media posts claim that GPT-5.6 Sol deleted files and data without warning. OpenAI had basically disclosed the problem in June.
Anthropics newest ad is creeping people out
Anthropic's latest advert is stirring up high emotions which is undoubtedly what it was designed to do.
DeepMind CEO calls for an independent standards body to regulate frontier AI
DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis is proposing an AI standards body modeled after FINRA, to test frontier models and develop best practices for their release.
DeepSeek reportedly in talks to raise $1.5B, then IPO
DeepSeek, the Chinese large language model developer, is said to be preparing for a 2027 IPO debut as it also looks to raise around $1.5 billion in new funds at a $71 billion valuation.
The real AI race may no longer be at the frontier
Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue says enterprises increasingly want open models, due to cost, accessibility, and ownership. Do frontier models still matter if most production AI ends up running on open models?
Pinwheel launches a retro-inspired landline phone for kids
Kid-friendly tech company Pinwheel announced the launch of a new landline phone designed to let children stay connected without the distractions of a smartphone.
Already rich, already successful, why the last wave of tech winners is grinding again
They're rolling up their sleeves again, seemingly out of fear of missing AI's defining moment and, presumably, the irresistible allure of making even more money -- potentially a lot more.
Uber Chief Product Officer Sachin Kansal walks TechCrunch through the company's financial-services ambitions, its increasingly complicated relationship with Waymo, its new AV Labs data operation, and how AI is starting to show up in ways riders and drivers will actually notice.
Video generation startup PixVerse raises $439M, valuation soars past $2B
Singapore-based video generation startup PixVerse closed a Series C extension on the strength of 15 million monthly active users, it said.
Hermes agent maker Nous Research in talks for new funding at $1.5B valuation
The company is raising at least $75 million, led by Robot Ventures, with significant participation from USV and other prominent investors.
Satya Nadella has issued a shocking warning to companies using AI
Of all the debates raging about the potential downsides of AI, there is one worry causing the most hand-wringing among AI enthusiasts in Silicon Valley that the giant AI labs that sell proprietary models are somehow acting like Trojan horses.
Apple would not comment on the security breach, which allegedly allowed a former employee to download sensitive files from Apple's network long after he departed the company for rival OpenAI.
As TV-tracking app TV Time shuts down, its founder builds Bingers, a new home for fans
The creator of TV Time is building a successor app that will let users import their watch histories and preserve the community that formed around discussing their favorite shows.
Anthropic starts localizing Claude pricing for India, its biggest market after the US
Claude users in India are starting to see Indian rupee-denominated subscription plans.
SpaceX cleared to fly Starship again after booster failure in May
This will be the first Starship test flight for SpaceX as a public company, testing the market's appetite for the company's fly, fail, fix approach to rocket development, which often ends in fireballs.
Waze adds new AI-powered features and customization updates
Some of the new features are powered by Google's Gemini AI assistant, which reflects the the tech giant's broader push to integrate Gemini across its products while also better positioning Waze to compete with rival services such as Apple Maps.
The LAPD, one of Flock's biggest government customers, is ending its contract with the company citing civil liberties concerns.
AvenuesAI Subsidiary Rediff Pre-Files DRHP
AvenuesAIs (formerly Infibeam Ventures) subsidiary Rediff has filed its IPO papers via the confidential route with SEBI. Rediff.com India Limited,
Xovian Aerospace Raises $2 Mn To Launch RF Satellite
Spacetech startup Xovian Aerospace has secured $2 Mn (about 18.7 Cr) in a fresh funding round led by ace investor
SIP Investing Guide: Young Professionals Aged 21-35 Earning 20K-75K Monthly
AMFI-registered mutual fund distributor's SIP guide: 21-35 yr olds 20K-75K. SEBI-compliant education on categories, allocation, step-up strategy. The post SIP Investing Guide: Young Professionals Aged 21-35 Earning 20K-75K Monthly appeared first on Startup Success Stories India - News & Updates for Indian Entrepreneurs .
NODWINs Pre-IPO Round, Funding Tanks In Q1 2026 & More
NODWINs Pre-IPO Funding Meal NODWIN Gaming is moving beyond gaming and esports. Emerging from the shadows of its former parent
