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TechCrunch Mobility: Two roads diverged for robotaxis
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, the role AI is playing in it.
These App Store hidden gems prove theres still room for great software in the AI era
Despite predictions that AI agents could make traditional apps obsolete, developers are shipping new software faster than ever. From smarter bookmarking tools and neighborhood marketplaces to digital pen pals and nature journals, here are the latest App Store finds worth adding to your Home Screen.
Inside the London hacker house taking a stand against founder burnout
How one founder house is betting work-life balance can beat burnout .
Judge denies xAIs request to block Minnesota ban on nudify apps
Despite a lawsuit from xAI, a Minnesota ban on apps that allow users to nudify images can move forward.
Sam Altman is still making the case for parenting via ChatGPT
OpenAI's CEO seemed excited to share a cool use case for parents.
This $9 key physically locks your most addictive apps
This $9 NFC key requires you to physically scan it to unlock distracting apps on your phone.
Apps that help you break free from doomscrolling and get active
If youre looking to cut back on screen time and get a little more active, heres a roundup of the apps that might help.
Whats the best handheld mini fan?
From premium Shark and Dyson offerings to random Amazon devices, these mini fans will make your sweaty summer a little more managable.
OpenAI reportedly finds evidence that more of its agents ran amok
OpenAI has reportedly found evidence of additional agent misbehavior as it looks into the incident that occurred with Hugging Face.
Rivian spinoff Also to start delivering e-bikes after months of delays
Also has big plans beyond the TM-B. The startup mostly refers to itself as a vehicle company, and has plans to make four-wheel pedal-assist cargo vehicles for Amazon.
Silicon Valley loves young founders. Until it doesnt.
AI tools have democratizedthe opportunity to build, shorteningthe timelines of successandenabling more young people to start successful companies without stepping foot inside a Big Tech company.
India is starting to pay for apps, not just download them
India's app market generated a record $345 million in Q2.
A tool that allowed anyone to generate fake AI-generated imagery and superimpose it over real Google Earth maps quickly spurred backlash.
Fresh off its Wiz payout, Index Ventures raises $2B across three funds
The new funding brings Index's total available investing capital to $3.5 billion.
Sam Altmanisntthe only one who wants to pump the brakes on AI
After years of pushing full speed ahead on AI,OpenAI CEOSam Altman saysmaybe itstime for the AI industry to pace itself. The comments camejust days after one of OpenAIs own models broke out of its test environment and got tangled up ina breach at Hugging Facethough as Equitys hosts point out, sloppy security seems to have []
Snapchat no longer rewards fully AI-generated Spotlight content
Snapchat has adjusted its recommendation systems to ensure that only videos created by real people are eligible for Spotlight recommendations, taking a stance against AI slop.
Siri AI could come with a paywall for power users
Apple CEO Tim Cook envisions users being able to buy more compute for Siri AI via Apple's existing iCloud+ subscriptions.
GM and Ford are talking less and less about EVs
The leading U.S. automakers are mentioning EVs on their investor calls at pre-pandemic rates, according to new data from TechCrunch and Hudson Labs.
Samsung expects memory shortage to worsen through 2027 and last until 2028
AI data center demand is fueling a multi-year chip shortage, pushing up component costs and retail device prices.
SpaceX wont remove all of xAIs unpermitted turbines for another year
SpaceX is building a new power plant for xAI's Colossus data centers, but it won't remove existing, unpermitted turbines for many more months.
Reddit is testing a new way to watch and listen to its viral posts
Reddit is developing a new video experience that lets users watch or simply listen to its most popular posts, taking inspiration from the viral TikTok videos that pair Reddit stories with gameplay or other footage. CEO Steve Huffman said the feature is already in the works and could begin testing later this year.
Smallest.ai raises $13M to build ultra-fast voice AI that sounds genuinely human
The startup is building voice models designed to make AI phone calls pass the Turing test.
Tesla reportedly might sell its China business ahead of a SpaceX merger
Tesla had already reportedly prepped for the idea in the event that Beijing invades Taiwan.
Anthropic says its own AI models breached three companies during security tests
After OpenAI's models broke into Hugging Face, Anthropic checked its own history and found three similar incidents
Apple stockpiles inventory as it braces for significant supply constraints
Apple is worried enough about supply shortages that it reported about $11.1 billion in inventory, which is almost double the $5.7 billion it reported last September.
The former OpenAI researchers fund was forced to unwind public equities after leveraged public bets plummeted. But he still has cards to play.
Reddit reports a solid quarter but shows signs of AIs impact
Reddit's financial situation is looking good but uncertainty about its relationship to Google and the new AI-ified web are stirring market concerns.
Investors love AI, as long as youre a cloud host
Amazon isn't slowing down on data center spending but investors don't seem to mind.
Apple says gaming slowdown and App Store changes hurt services growth
Apple said a slowdown in mobile gaming and changes to the App Stores business model including court-ordered payment rule changes in the U.S. weighed on its services business, even as the company topped 1.5 billion paid subscriptions.
Judge says Trump admin still lacks evidence for Anthropic supply chain risk label
A federal judge said the Trump administration has not presented enough evidence to justify labeling Anthropic a supply chain risk, casting doubt on the government's ban on its AI technology.
Friend, the lonely AI wearable, returns with a new voice and a much bigger price tag
Friend, the AI wearable, can now talk to its users for an enhanced price.
Google says it fixed more Chrome bugs in June than over the past two years, thanks to AI
As experts have warned for the last two years, some companies like Microsoft and now Google are finding and patching an exponential number of bugs in their products, thanks to the use of LLMs and AI tools.
Florida plans to build air taxi pads using $200M intended for EV chargers
Florida wants to use federal EV charger funds to build an air taxi network connecting golf courses, luxury apartment buildings, and airports.
LinkedIn adds a button to report AI-generated slop
LinkedIn is introducing new ways to reduce low-quality AI-generated posts, including a seems like AI slop reporting option. It's also replacing its own AI writing feature with a proofreading tool.
Synthetic-user startup Simile raises $200M at $2B valuation 5 months after $100M Series A
Add another member to the fast-and-furious AI unicorn club: Simile
Spotify launches User notes to let users add memories to songs
Spotify says the new feature is designed to let users add personal captions to their favorite songs, such as noting why a track was added to a playlist or when they first discovered it
Okta buys AI security startup Permiso; source says for about $200M
The deal gives Okta identity threat detection capabilities as enterprises seek to secure AI agents and other non-human identities across cloud environments.
Tesla made its 10 millionth EV
The milestone means Tesla is halfway to accomplishing one of the four core product goals Elon Musk has to hit to unlock his full $1 trillion pay package.
Meta says AI is making it easier to build new apps and more are coming
Meta says AI is making it dramatically easier to build and launch new consumer apps, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg telling investors the company has more new consumer products on the way following a recent wave of releases for Facebook Groups, Marketplace sellers, Instagram, and gaming.
Netflix lands global streaming deal for The Walking Dead
Netflix just signed a massive new licensing agreement worth $500 million to bring The Walking Dead Universe to international markets.
Nscale buys Anyscale as it seeks to own more of the AI compute stack
British AI neocloud Nscale is buying software startup Anyscale, which helps companies scale their AI workloads across data centers and servers.
Fusion power darling Commonwealth Fusion Systems raises another $1B
Commonwealth Fusion Systems raised $1 billion as the startup moves toward its first commercial fusion power plant.
Forward-deployed engineers are the AI industrys latest talent obsession
A new study estimates only 2,000 U.S. engineers have the expertise to deliver meaningful AI ROI, as enterprises race to hire forward-deployed engineers to implement AI at scale.
In the Hugging Face breach, OpenAIs hacker was noisy and fast but not unstoppable
Cybersecurity experts told TechCrunch that one of the biggest lessons to be taken from the OpenAI hack against Hugging Face has nothing to do with AI, but traditional cybersecurity defense.
The Disrupt Stage is where many of the biggest conversations in technology happen, with a legacy that stretches back for more than a decade.
FTC sues Hims & Hers for allegedly sharing patients medical data with advertisers Meta and Snap
The U.S. federal consumer watchdog said Hims & Hers, which prescribes for sexual wellness and mental health conditions, used website trackers to share customers' information with advertisers.
Dili raises $21.7M to bring AI compliance to the infrastructure boom
The Series A was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Allianz, Rebel Fund, Brick and Mortar Ventures Darren Bechtel, and Y Combinators Garry Tan.
Inforcer raises $50M to help prepare smaller businesses for a new world of AI and security risks
London-based Inforcer just closed a $50 million Series C round led by Insight Partners.
Spotify adds a running mode to its app
Running Mode will be available to Premium users on iOS in select countries
