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Bluesky leans into AI with Attie, an app for building custom feeds
Blueskys new app Attie uses AI to help people build custom feeds the open social networking protocol atproto.
Mark Zuckerberg texted Elon Musk to offer help with DOGE
While the relationship was once thorny enough that Musk challenged Zuckerberg to a cagefight, things seem to have warmed up by the early days of the second Trump administration.
Stanford study outlines dangers of asking AI chatbots for personal advice
While theres been plenty of debate about AI sycophancy, a new study by Stanford computer scientists attempts to measure how harmful that tendency might be.
Elon Musks last co-founder reportedly leaves xAI
All but two of Musk's 11 xAI co-founders departed before this week.
These iPad apps will make you wish you had more free time
Weve compiled a list of some of the best iPad apps for creativity that are available on the App Store.
Anthropics Claude popularity with paying consumers is skyrocketing
Estimates for total Claude consumer users are all over the map (we've seen figures ranging from 18 million to 30 million). Anthropic hasn't disclosed this data, but a spokesperson did tell TechCrunch that Claude paid subscriptions have more than doubled this year.
Lets take a look at the retro tech making a comeback
Boomboxes, instant cameras, and even landlines are making a comeback. Here are the coolest retro-inspired devices available.
From Moon hotels to cattle herding: 8 startups investors chased at YC Demo Day
We polled nearly a dozen VCs to find out which W26 startups are the sought after in the batch.
Whoop has LeBron now it wants your mom
Whoop founder Will Ahmed has spent 14 years building a health wearable beloved by elite athletes, and is now racing Oura and the FDA, and the limits of consumer medicine to turn it into something that could one day save your life.
Physical Intelligence is reportedly in talks to raise $1 billion, again
The deal would effectively double the company's $5.6 billion valuation in just four months.
Memory chip giant SK hynix could help end RAMmageddon with blockbuster US IPO
SK hynixs potential U.S. listing could raise $10-$14 billion to help it build more capacity, encourage others to follow, and end the 'RAMmageddon' memory shortage.
Waymos skyrocketing ridership in one chart
Waymo's weekly paid robotaxi trips have increased tenfold in less than two years.
European Commission confirms cyberattack after hackers claim data breach
The European Union's top executive body has confirmed a cyberattack after hackers reportedly stole reams of data from the European Commission's cloud storage.
Aetherflux reportedly raising Series B at $2 billion valuation
Index Ventures is said to be leading a $250 million to $350 million round.
Iranian hackers claim breach of FBI director Kash Patels personal email account
Handala, a pro-Iranian hacking group allegedly working for Irans government, published emails it said were taken from the Gmail account of FBI director Kash Patel.
Apple says no one using Lockdown Mode has been hacked with spyware
The tech giant's claim that it has not seen any successful spyware attacks targeting Apple devices with Lockdown Mode enabled comes amid a leak of hacking tools targeting users running devices with older software.
David Sacks is done as AI czar heres what hes doing instead
Sacks will be much further from power center in Washington than since the outset of this second Trump administration.
Anthropic wins injunction against Trump administration over Defense Department saga
A federal judge has ordered that the Trump administration rescind recent restrictions it placed on the AI company.
You can now transfer your chats and personal information from other chatbots directly into Gemini
Google is launching switching tools that, just as it sounds, will make it easier for users of other chatbots to switch to Gemini.
Wikipedia cracks down on the use of AI in article writing
The site, whose policies are subject to change, has struggled with the issue of AI-generated writing.
Mastodon is making its decentralized social network easier to use with its latest revamp
Mastodon is redesigning user profiles to simplify the experience and better appeal to mainstream users and organizations.
Netflix confirms its raising prices again
The standard plan without ads now costs $19.99 per month, a $2 increase from the previous $17.99 subscription fee, while the premium plan is also going up by $2 and will now cost $26.99 per month.
Google Translates real-time headphone translations feature expands to iOS and more countries
The real-time headphone translations experience keeps each speakers tone, emphasis, and cadence intact, so its easier to follow the conversation and tell whos saying what.
OpenAI abandons yet another side quest: ChatGPTs erotic mode
It's only the latest of several side projects that the AI startup has ditched over the past week.
Data centers get ready the Senate wants to see your power bills
Sens. Josh Hawley and Elizabeth Warren want the Energy Information Administration to gather more details about how data centers use power and how that affects the grid.
Defense startup Shield AI lands $12.7B valuation, up 140%, after US Air Force deal
In one year, Shield AI's value has leaped 140%. This after it won a contract to be the software provider to Anduril's Fury fighter jet for the U.S. Air Force.
Leaked hacking tools threaten the security of millions of older iPhones. Cybersecurity experts weigh in.
Google is launching Search Live globally
Search Live allows users to point their phone camera at objects to get real-time assistance, enabling back-and-forth conversations that draw on the visual context from the camera feed.
Silicon Valleys two biggest dramas have intersected: LiteLLM and Delve
LiteLLM offers an AI open source project used by millions that was infected by credential harvesting malware.
ByteDances new AI video generation model, Dreamina Seedance 2.0, comes to CapCut
The new model in CapCut will have built-in protections for making video from real faces or unauthorized intellectual property.
Heres what we know, and what you need to know, about Coruna and DarkSword, two advanced iPhone hacking tools discovered by security researchers. DarkSword has now leaked online.
Conntour uses AI models to let security teams query camera feeds using natural language to find any object, person, or situation.
Cohere launches an open-source voice model specifically for transcription
Relatively light at just 2 billion parameters, the model is meant for use with consumer-grade GPUs for those who want to self-host it. It currently supports 14 languages.
WhatsApp can now draft AI-generated responses based on your conversations
The Meta-owned messaging platform is also launching a way to free up space, the ability to touch up photos with Meta AI, and more.
A pound of flesh from data centers: one senators answer to AI job losses
Fears of AI-driven job loss are growing fast, and theyre fueling backlash against data centers. Sen. Mark Warner suggests taxing them to help workers survive the transition.
Mistral releases a new open-source model for speech generation
Mistral's new speech model can run on a smartwatch or a smartphone.
A little-known Croatian startup is coming for the robotaxi market with help from Uber
Verne, the robotaxi company launched under Rimac Group, is starting with a service in Zagreb, Croatia.
The least surprising chapter of the Manus story is whats happening right now
Did anyone think there would not be a reckoning over this tie-up?
The AI skills gap is here, says AI company, and power users are pulling ahead
Anthropic finds AI isnt replacing jobs yet, but early data shows growing inequality as experienced users gain an edge, raising concerns about future displacement and workforce divides.
Convicted spyware chief hints that Greeces government was behind dozens of phone hacks
The spyware founder's comments are the most direct suggestion yet from anyone inside Intellexa that the Mitsotakis government authorized the hacking of dozens of phones belonging to senior Greek government ministers, opposition leaders, military officials, and journalists.
Whos driving Waymos self-driving cars? Sometimes, the police.
First responders have had to take control of Waymo vehicles and move them during emergency situations, including in at least two active crime scenes, TechCrunch found.
Googles TurboQuant has the internet joking about Pied Piper from HBO's Silicon Valley. The compression algorithm promises to shrink AIs working memory by up to 6x, but its still just a lab experiment for now.
Melania Trump wants a robot to homeschool your child
The First Lady sees AI and robotics playing a prominent role in the future of American education.
Riding the GLP-1 boom, VITL lands $7.5M to overhaul cash-pay clinic prescribing
The startup provides an e-prescribing marketplace for the booming cash-pay clinic market.
Jury finds Meta and Google negligent in landmark social media addiction trial
The jury says Meta and YouTube will have to pay $3 million in damages.
Meta is cutting several hundred jobs
The cuts will impact employees in the U.S. and other international markets.
Bernie Sanders and AOC propose a ban on data center construction
Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced companion legislation to halt construction on new data centers until Congress passes comprehensive AI regulation.
DeleteMe acquires social media security tool Block Party
Tracey Chou founded Block Party in 2018 as a tool to help people stay safe from targeted harassment on Twitter, inspired by her own experiences.
Google launches Lyria 3 Pro music generation model
Google is launching Lyria 3 Pro, an upgraded music model that generates longer, more customizable tracks, as it expands AI music tools across Gemini, enterprise products, and other services.
Russia arrests alleged owner of cybercrime forum LeakBase, report says
Russian state-owned media reported that police in Russia arrested the administrator of LeakBase, a large hacking forum.
Waymo relies on firefighters and police to bail out stuck robotaxis
In at least six instances identified by TechCrunch, first responders have had to take control of Waymo vehicles and move them out of traffic during emergency situations.
Reddit takes on the bots with new human verification requirements for fishy behavior
Reddit will require suspected automated accounts to verify theyre human, as it ramps up efforts to curb bot-driven spam and manipulation.
Howsoap opera-TikTok hybridsbecame a billion-dollar business
Over the past few years, a new category of mobile apps has quietly exploded intoa multi-billion dollar business.Theyrecalled micro dramas short-form, mobile-first scripted shows designed to be watched vertically on your phone. Think soap opera meets TikTok, complete with secret billionaire romances, disapproving werewolf mothers-in-law, and cliffhangers engineered to keep users tapping. The leading []
Harvey confirms $11B valuation: Sequoia triples down
Investors like Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Elad Gil can't get enough of AI legal tech startup Harvey.
Meta launches new initiative to support entrepreneurship, drive AI adoption
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a memo to staff that small businesses have always been a big part of the company's business model, and that while tens of millions of entrepreneurs already use its platforms to grow and connect with customers, the company wants to do more in the space.
Arbor Energy just landed a billion-dollar order to bring rocket turbine tech to the power grid
The large deal sees Arbor delivering as many as 200 of its Halcyon turbines, which can burn either natural gas or waste biomass.
Meta turns to AI to make shopping easier on Instagram and Facebook
Meta is using generative AI to provide more product and brand information to consumers when they're shopping in its apps.
Sony and Honda give up on their joint EV project
The Sony-Honda joint venture has killed plans for its Afeela sedan and SUV electric vehicles. The news comes shortly after Honda reversed its plans to launch more electric vehicles in the U.S.
Elon Musk pauses changes to Xs creator revenue-sharing program after backlash
Hours after announcement of the new policy Elon Musk said X is pausing the rollout.
Sift is building the data infrastructure for advanced manufacturing.
Arinna raises $4M seed round to solve the space power problem
Arinna builds solar cells specifically for spacecraft and has developed an ultrathin new material that it expects to be far more flexible and more efficient than current technology.
Harbingers next product will be hybrid emergency vehicles
The young California startup is already building RVs, FedEx vans, and box trucks. Now its hybrid powertrain will underpin ambulances and mobile healthcare units.
Lucid Bots raises $20M to keep up with demand for itswindow-washing drones
Lucid Bots has seen demand accelerate over the last year for its window cleaning drones and power washing robots.
