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Showing posts from October, 2025

Inaudible sound might be the next frontier in wildfire defense

Sonic Fire Tech has developed a device that can extinguish flames using acoustic energy below the range of human hearing. The startup is building a demo capable of protecting a home. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/UtwvmKL

Mozilla’s Firefox adds Perplexity’s AI answer engine as a new search option

The integration offers conversational, cited answers instead of traditional links and follows positive feedback from earlier tests in select markets. Perplexity will expand to mobile soon. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Sps9vCu

India’s Airbound bags $8.65M to build rocket-like drones for one-cent deliveries

Lachy Groom backs Airbound in $8.65M seed round as it launches pilot in Bengaluru. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/oTCbxij

Goldman Sachs is acquiring Industry Ventures for up to $965M as alternative VC exits surge

Goldman Sachs has agreed to acquire Industry Ventures, a 25-year-old, San Francisco-based investment firm with $7 billion in assets under management, CNBC was first to report on Monday. The deal underscores the growing importance of secondary markets and buyouts as traditional venture exits remain sluggish. The investment bank is paying $665 million in cash and […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/RZzaSir

Grindr’s owners may take it private after a financial squeeze

Grindr's majority owners are scrambling to take the LGBTQ+ dating app private after a stock decline triggered a personal financial crisis, according to a report from Semafor. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/T0xUaDY

Oura is winning young women and losing gym rats, and it’s fine with that

Oura's chief commercial officer doesn't seem particularly worried about capturing every demographic. Instead, she's focused on keeping Oura’s core users happy while organically attracting new segments. And young women are becoming part of that core market. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/1NVLzmg

Final Flash Sale: Save up to $624 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 pass — Ends Oct 17

The final countdown to Disrupt 2025! Save up to $624 on your pass before prices rise Friday, October 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Join 10,000+ founders, investors, and operators for 200+ sessions, 250+ leaders, 300+ showcasing startups, and Startup Battlefield 200. Register now to save — plus 30% off group passes. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/MUlSwFg

Anduril’s new EagleEye MR helmet sees Palmer Luckey return to his VR roots

Anduril Industries on Monday unveiled “EagleEye,” a helmeted computing system that seeks to turn soldiers into AI-augmented warfighters. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/qQ2F1Rd

Strava eyes IPO as Gen Z trades dating apps for running clubs

Strava, the 16-year-old fitness tracking app, is gearing up to go public, the Financial Times reports. CEO Michael Martin told the FT that the San Francisco company plans to list “at some point,” eyeing capital for more acquisitions. The company, backed by Sequoia Capital, TCV, and Jackson Square Ventures, was last valued at $2.2 billion […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/81rqsSY

Dating app Cerca will show how Gen Z really dates at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

Cerca is a dating app that sets users up with mutual friends. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/YP8qAce

Thinking Machines Lab co-founder Andrew Tulloch heads to Meta

AI researcher Andrew Tulloch reportedly announced his departure to employees in a message on Friday. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/SvXcZUa

Apple says goodbye to the Clips app

Apple appears to be winding down support of Clips, with the company removing Clips from the App Store and saying it will no longer be making any updates. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/PrN0Caw

Ready or not, enterprises are betting on AI

This has been a big week for AI companies signing enterprise deals, with Zendesk unveiling new AI agents that are supposed to be able to resolve 80% of customer service issues, Anthropic and IBM announcing a strategic partnership, and Deloitte also announcing a deal with Anthropic. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/lk76vJ8

Kalshi hits $5B valuation days after rival Polymarket gets $2B NYSE backing at $8B

Prediction markets startup Klashi raised $300 million, while Polymarket nabbed up to $2 billion. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/bLtkARq

The billion-dollar infrastructure deals powering the AI boom

Here's everything we know about the biggest AI infrastructure projects, including major spending from Meta, Oracle, Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/ViosYIj

Discord data breach affects at least 70,000 users

The platform said in a press release that hackers breached a third-party vendor that Discord uses for age-related appeals. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/gj0st6S

Sora copycats flooded Apple’s App Store, and some still remain

Imposter Sora apps saw hundreds of thousands of downloads before Apple pulled them from the App Store. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/QYe4SC6

Intel unveils new processor powered by its 18A semiconductor tech 

Intel announces new processors produced in Arizona as the company looks to increase its U.S. manufacturing. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/gxOawn7

Here’s what it’s really like to appear on billionaire VC Tim Draper’s ‘Meet the Drapers’ pitch show

The show is one of many on Draper's newly launched television channel, DraperTV, which offers programming around business and entrepreneurship, available via streaming services like Roku. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/VAdaN4Q

OpenAI’s Nick Turley on transforming ChatGPT into an operating system

In an interview, OpenAI's Head of ChatGPT discusses the company's push into developing an AI operating system full of third-party apps. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/QKLyRO5

Sora’s first week on iOS in the US was nearly as big as ChatGPT’s

Sora had a pretty great first week on the US App Store, nearing the size of ChatGPT's debut. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/nFNgmuz

Elon Musk will settle $128M lawsuit with former Twitter execs

One of Musk's first moves upon buying Twitter was to fire CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and top lawyers Sean Edgett and Vijaya Gadde. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/jswMIRy

Google launches its AI vibe-coding app Opal in 15 more countries

The app, which lets you create mini web apps using text prompts, is now available in Canada, India, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil, Singapore, Colombia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panamá, Honduras, Argentina and Pakistan. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/4gjsS08

Tesla reveals slightly cheaper ‘standard’ versions of the Model 3 and Model Y

The long-awaited cheaper Model 3 and Model Y are finally here, but they start at $36,990 and $39,990, respectively -- just a few thousand dollars less than Tesla's current offerings. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/GL01Yhs

X splits Verified Organizations into ‘Premium Business’ and ‘Premium Organizations’

The social network says Premium Business will help companies drive growth on the platform by boosting credibility with a gold checkmark and increasing visibility through affiliate badges. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/HEMgTaV

MrBeast says AI could threaten creators’ livelihoods, calling it ‘scary times’ for the industry

As Sora tops the App Store, MrBeast says AI could threaten creators' ability to make money. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/jx47hQY

OpenAI launches apps inside of ChatGPT

OpenAI is launching a new way for developers to build applications that appear directly inside of ChatGPT's conversations. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/qJ1scfZ

Heidi Health raises $65M Series B led by Steve Cohen’s Point72

Heidi Health raised a $65 million Series B led by Steven Cohen’s Point72. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/VrCUhKT

Waffles eat Bluesky

A waffle-centric controversy underlines ongoing tensions between Bluesky and some of its most vocal users. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/WT16IrY

Suspect arrested after threats against TikTok’s Culver City headquarters

Police say they have arrested a suspect allegedly connected to multiple online threats that led TikTok to evacuate its headquarters near Los Angeles on Friday. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/HpCrk5x

California’s new AI safety law shows regulation and innovation don’t have to clash 

“Are bills like SB 53 the thing that will stop us from beating China? No,” said Adam Billen, vice president of public policy at youth-led advocacy group Encode AI. “I think it is just genuinely intellectually dishonest to say that that is the thing that will stop us in the race.” from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/akbym42

Newsom signs bill giving Uber and Lyft drivers in California the right to unionize

Drivers for ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft will soon have the right to unionize in California as independent contractors, thanks to a bill signed Friday by Governor Gavin Newsom. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/HGpYPuZ

If you’re not an AI startup, good luck raising money from VCs

New PitchBook data illustrates how dramatically AI is dominating startup investment, with 2025 on-track to become the first year when AI accounts for more than half of all VC money invested. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/6q5moLr

Startups and the U.S. government: It’s getting complicated

Equity co-hosts Anthony Ha, Kirsten Korosec, and Max Zeff explore the how startups are navigating a topsy-turvy relationship with the U.S. government. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/DNtve9Y

Anker offered Eufy camera owners $2 per video for AI training

Hundreds of Eufy customers have donated hundreds of thousands of videos to train the company’s AI systems. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Bg1slzI

Rivian is redesigning the R2 SUV’s door handles for better safety

The change comes after employees and customers reportedly voiced concerns. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2s8x0P6

Can you think like a YC partner? This game will help you find out

The YC Partner Simulator game, created by an undergrad in Berlin, lets you see if you can predict which startups get into Y Combinator. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/XOhEU86

Can AI companies turn brainrot into revenue?

The U.S. government shutdown that began this week is the first in seven years. While it might not feel immediately disruptive, for startups waiting on permits, visas, or regulatory approvals, even a few weeks can become an existential problem.  On this episode of Equity, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Max Zeff talk through how uncertainty […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/ymH1QlR

Supabase nabs $5B valuation, four months after hitting $2B

It's been a wild year of growth and fundraising for vibe-coding database of choice, Supabase. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/I4zXbl8

Anthropic hires new CTO with focus on AI infrastructure

As part of the change, Anthropic is updating the structure of its core technical group, bringing the company's product-engineering team into closer contact with the infrastructure and inference teams. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/jlZsJx6

YouTubers aren’t relying on ad revenue anymore — here’s how some are diversifying

YouTubers are no longer just creators, and in some cases, their side businesses are growing faster than their channels. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/UWXMiQv

Google’s Jules enters developers’ toolchains as AI coding agent competition heats up

Jules is already being used by developers to complete code after experimenting on vibe-coding platforms. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/wO5paUe

Whizz co-founder says Trump’s Chicago crackdown is scaring delivery workers off the streets

Whizz has seen e-bike rentals drop by about 8% since Trump threatened to send National guards troops to the city. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/FeH4Xmz

Why California’s new AI safety law succeeded where SB 1047 failed

California just made history as the first state to require AI safety transparency from the biggest labs in the industry. Governor Newsom signed SB 53 into law this week, mandating that AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic disclose, and stick to, their safety protocols. The decision is already sparking debate about whether other states will […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/qilYU2F

OpenAI’s new social app is filled with terrifying Sam Altman deepfakes

OpenAI's Sora app makes it too easy for people to create misleading AI content. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/DRNcJok