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Showing posts from April, 2026

OpenAI announces new advanced security for ChatGPT accounts, including a partnership with Yubico

OpenAI is launching additional opt-in protections for ChatGPT accounts. The new security initiative includes a new partnership with security key provider Yubico. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/vDbmLUj

Elon Musk testifies that xAI trained Grok on OpenAI models

"Distillation" is a hot topic as frontier labs try to prevent smaller competitors from copying their models. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/YpbinzF

FDA approval, fundraising, and the reality of building in healthcare according to BioticsAI founder

BioticsAI CEO Robhy Bustami joined Isabelle Johannessen on Build Mode to discuss how the company has navigated a highly regulated space and kept the team motivated while cutting through all the red tape. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/sDO6zyY

Google’s Gemini AI assistant is hitting the road in millions of vehicles

Google announced on Thursday that it will begin rolling out Gemini to cars with Google built-in, marking a significant upgrade from the current Google Assistant. The move signals Google’s push to bring more advanced, conversational AI into the driving experience. The announcement follows closely behind news from General Motors, which revealed yesterday that Gemini is […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/rNnYV0a

Google Cloud surpasses $20B but says growth was capacity-constrained

Google Cloud topped $20B in quarterly revenue for the first time, fueled by surging demand for AI. But capacity constraints mean it could have grown even faster. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/JpiS8H2

Fusion power startup Zap Energy pulls a partial pivot, adding nuclear fission to the mix

Surprise! Fusion startup Zap Energy says it will be developing fission reactors alongside its fusion devices. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/wDUVlq8

Parallel Web Systems hits $2B valuation five months after its last big raise

The AI agent-tool startup founded by former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has raised $100 million, led by Sequoia, months after raising a previous $100 million. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/TP0yRer

Amazon launches an AI-powered audio Q&A experience on product pages

Amazon's new "Join the chat" feature lets you ask questions about products and receive AI-powered audio responses. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Odspr86

Paragon is not collaborating with Italian authorities probing spyware attacks, report says

Despite promising to help determine what happened with the hacks targeting journalists and activists in Italy, Israeli American spyware maker Paragon has reportedly not responded to authorities’ requests for information. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/0tkxAFR

India’s Snabbit closes $56M round as investor interest in on-demand home services heats up

Snabbit now processes over 40,000 daily jobs and has cut costs sharply as it expands across cities and services. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/WablGH9

Letterboxd, the social platform for film buffs, reportedly looking for new owner

Potential buyers of Letterboxd include Versant, the parent company of CNBC and MS NOW, and Hollywood media company The Ankler, according to Semafor. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/bfpDstP

Consumers lost $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, FTC reports

The agency reports that losses from social media scams have increased eightfold, and that social media scams resulted in higher losses than any other method scammers used to contact consumers. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/nL5EfCD

OpenAI ends Microsoft legal peril over its $50B Amazon deal

OpenAI has won major concessions from its largest shareholder, Microsoft, that will allow it to sell products on AWS, while Microsoft get more cash in a revenue-share agreement. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/oZmHtOV

Truecaller faces mounting pressures as its growth matures

As growth slows, Truecaller is leaning on subscriptions, business services, and new features to sustain momentum beyond India. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/T3BEA5W

The Stanford freshmen who want to rule the world . . . will probably read this book and try even harder

Can a book like this actually change anything? Or does the spotlight, as it always seems to, send more students racing to the place? from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/72iVnxe

Amazon’s new podcast strategy: Monetize everything

Amazon's podcasting business seems to have transformed over the past six months. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/pHIcgeB

What Tim Cook built

On the latest episode of Equity, we discuss how Apple has changed since Cook became CEO in 2011, and what challenges incoming CEO John Ternus will be facing. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/XLPwnxt

SpeakOn’s dictation device is a good idea marred by platform limitations

This $129 device uses MagSafe to stick on the back of an iPhone to power transcription across apps from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/fZ5J38D

Anthropic created a test marketplace for agent-on-agent commerce

In a recent experiment, Anthropic created a classified marketplace where AI agents represented both buyers and sellers, striking real deals for real goods and real money. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/1koPM8X

Maine’s governor vetoes data center moratorium

L.D. 307 would have imposed the country’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers — lasting, in this case, until November 1, 2027. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/aMYuW7v

X launches stand-alone XChat app on iOS

X's new app promises private chats, disappearing messages, audio and video calls, and more. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Pn3x8E9

Google to invest up to $40B in Anthropic in cash and compute

Google plans up to $40B investment in Anthropic as AI rivals race to secure massive compute capacity, following the limited release of its powerful, cybersecurity-focused Mythos model. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/PzjLIYH

Tim Cook is stepping down. What happens to Apple now?

Tim Cook plans to step down from his CEO role in September, handing the reins to hardware chief John Ternus.   Ternus may be inheriting one of the most durable businesses in tech, but he’s also stepping into a very different ecosystemthan the one Cook spent decades shaping. The App Store’s 30% cut is under pressure, the behind-the-scenes power Apple once […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/bJAcfPj

Don’t stop hiring humans — stop hiring the wrong humans, Artisan’s founder says

Artisan may be known for their bold “Stop Hiring Humans” campaign but the reality is every founder needs to assemble the right team if they want to scale. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/c1DGTvy

Meta to cut 10% of jobs, or 8,000 employees, report says

According to an internal memo, Meta plans to begin its sweeping layoffs on May 20. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Woid1s2

France confirms data breach at government agency that manages citizens’ IDs

The French government agency that issues and manages national IDs, passports, and other documents announced that hackers stole the personal information of an unspecified number of citizens. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/8k1NLwS

Google Cloud launches two new AI chips to compete with Nvidia

Google's newest TPUs are faster and cheaper than the previous versions. But the company is still embracing Nvidia in its cloud — for now. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/oJRMzt9

Sam Altman throws shade at Anthropic’s cyber model, Mythos: ‘fear-based marketing’

This week, during a podcast appearance, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called out his competitor's new cybersecurity model, noting that the company was using fear to make its product sound more impressive than it actually is. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/hy0xgO6

A look at Tim Cook’s 15-year legacy as CEO of Apple

Cook, who joined Apple in 1998, succeeded Steve Jobs as CEO in 2011 and went on to transform Apple into a $4 trillion powerhouse.  from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/QOWTspD

Google rolls out Gemini in Chrome in seven new countries

Google is rolling out Gemini in Chrome in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/OwZ89Tx

Tim Cook stepping down as Apple CEO, John Ternus taking over

Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus will take over as CEO at the start of September. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/gCm3nO4

Google Photos adds new touch-up tools for ‘quick’ fixes

You can use the new tools to remove blemishes, refine skin texture, brighten eyes, or whiten teeth in photos. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/bEM9hIe

It’s not just one thing — it’s another thing

This sentence construction ("It's not just this — it's that") has become so common in AI-generated writing that it's no longer just a clue that a piece of writing may be synthetic — it's almost a guarantee. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/EIS8oBy

OpenAI’s existential questions

On the latest episode of Equity, we discuss OpenAI's latest acquisitions and whether they address "two big existential problems" for the company. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/S2GUC04

Robots beat human records at Beijing half-marathon

The winning time is a massive improvement over last year’s race, when the fastest robot finished in two hours and 40 minutes. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Iib4Mfg

Blue Origin successfully re-uses a New Glenn rocket for the first time ever

It's a major milestone for the company's new mega-rocket system, putting it in position to challenge SpaceX's dominance of the global launch market. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2pHEORA

Tesla brings its robotaxi service to Dallas and Houston

Tesla is expanding its robotaxi service to Dallas and Houston, according to a social media post from the company. The post says simply that “Robotaxi is now rolling out in Dallas & Houston 🤠” and includes a 14-second video showing Tesla vehicles driving without human monitors or drivers in the front seat. The company now […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/N4QwVzX

VC Ron Conway says he has a ‘rare form of cancer’

Conway wrote that he “will be stepping back from some of my usual activities,” but he will “continue to support” founders backed by his firm SV Angel. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/zNQqLlo

AI chip startup Cerebras files for IPO

In recent months, the company announced an agreement with Amazon Web Services to use Cerebras chips in Amazon data centers, as well as a deal with OpenAI reportedly worth more than $10 billion. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/u9MrnYH

Man who hacked US Supreme Court filing system sentenced to probation

Nicholas Moore hacked into three U.S. government networks using stolen credentials, and then bragged about it and posted victims' personal data on Instagram under the handle @ihackedthegovernment. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/8dGjug3

“Tokenmaxxing” is making developers less productive than they think

There's a lot more code—but it's a lot more expensive and requires a lot more rewriting. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/x4XSkso

Hackers are abusing unpatched Windows security flaws to hack into organizations

A security researcher published details of three security vulnerabilities in Windows Defender, and the code used to exploit them. Now, hackers are taking advantage of the vulnerabilities in real-life attacks, according to a cybersecurity firm. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/YZnM4HU

European police email 75,000 people asking them to stop DDoS attacks

Europol coordinated an operation against for-hire distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) services, including the arrest of four people and the takedown of 53 domains. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/F94bACc

Anthropic CPO leaves Figma’s board after reports he will offer a competing product

A herald of the SAASpocalypse? from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/cCzZwem

Can AI judge journalism? A Thiel-backed startup says yes, even if it risks chilling whistleblowers

Objection, a Thiel-backed startup, aims to use AI to judge journalism, letting users pay to challenge stories. Critics warn it could chill whistleblowers and reshape how media accountability works. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/FSAcIeD

Google rolls out a native Gemini app for Mac

You can share anything on their screen with Gemini to get help with what they're looking at in the moment, including local files. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/i2lbnO9

This Khosla-backed autonomous pod startup just raised $170M — now it’s aiming for more

Glydways is in talks to raise another $250 million as it prepares to launch three pilot programs. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/kEXRLuJ

Aloe Blacc’s fame means nothing in biotech (and that’s the point)

When Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc got COVID despite being vaccinated and boosted, he tried to fund research for a better solution. What he quickly found out? You can’t just write a check in biotech. Regulators require a commercialization plan, and philanthropy doesn’t move science through clinical trials or get you a license on university IP. Now, he’s bootstrapping a cancer drug platform targeting pancreatic cancer, a disease that […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/OgcEbFt

AI data center startup Fluidstack in talks for $1B round at $18B valuation months after hitting $7.5B, says report

Fundraising is reportedly flowing for Fluidstack after it secured a $50 billion deal to build data centers for Anthropic. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/VhoStYF

London gets closer to its first robotaxi service as Waymo begins testing

Waymo's commercial service will eventually follow testing if the U.K. government approves. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/mb1pgci

FBI announces takedown of phishing operation that targeted thousands of victims

Cybercriminals allegedly used the W3LL phishing kit to target more than 17,000 victims worldwide, stealing their passwords and multi-factor authentication codes. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/ukgwcrp

Roblox introduces ‘Kids’ and ‘Select’ accounts for age-appropriate access to games and chat

Users aged five to nine will be assigned to a "Roblox Kids" account, and users aged nine to 15 to will be put in a "Roblox Select" account. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/lW40Y1P

The largest orbital compute cluster is open for business

Kepler Communications is flying 40 GPUs in Earth orbit. And its latest customer is Sophia Space. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/K7M2UQ1

Trump officials may be encouraging banks to test Anthropic’s Mythos model

The report is particularly surprising since the Department of Defense recently declared Anthropic a supply-chain risk. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/uhJjQP9

Apple reportedly testing four designs for upcoming smart glasses

These glasses are a step back from an ambitious plan that once called for Apple to launch a variety of mixed and augmented reality devices. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/F7nW04I

Slate Auto: Everything you need to know about the Bezos-backed EV startup

Slate auto burst onto the scene in April 2025. Here is a timeline that covers its origins, backers, product, and other new details. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/zqSUmdN

Walmart-owned Flipkart, Amazon are squeezing India’s quick commerce startups

Flipkart's ongoing expansion beyond major cities and heavy discounting is raising risks for India's quick commerce startups, analysts say. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/KSbeY8w

Kalshi wins temporary pause in Arizona criminal case

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced Friday that it has won a temporary restraining order preventing Arizona from pursuing its criminal case against Kalshi. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Liw4xjG

AMC will stream ‘The Audacity’ premiere in 21 parts on TikTok

Is this a smart way to build buzz, or just an odd attempt to recreate Quibi? from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/sZNX0ip

NASA Artemis II splashes down in Pacific Ocean in ‘perfect’ landing for Moon mission

The Integrity craft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego just after 5:07 p.m. Pacific Time. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/NOpL5aX

How to watch NASA’s Artemis II splash back down to Earth

NASA's Artemis II mission has traveled farther from Earth than any mission before. Here's how to watch the crew's return landing in the Pacific Ocean. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/lfrMczK

Anthropic temporarily banned OpenClaw’s creator from accessing Claude

This ban took place after Claude's pricing changed for OpenClaw users last week. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/YBpD2Pv

Battery recycler Ascend Elements files for bankruptcy

Ascend Elements said that it will be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the wake of a canceled government grant and a challenging market for lithium-ion batteries. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/7Tos0YB

Is Anthropic limiting the release of Mythos to protect the internet — or Anthropic?

Are real cybersecurity concerns a cover for a bigger problem at the frontier lab? from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/KuIZin3

You can now edit your Instagram comments

Instagram users can now edit comments, which is a long-awaited fix for anyone who’s ever had to delete and re-post a comment just to fix a typo. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3nuGzR6

Ex-Tesla engineer’s startup taps Pronto to help automate a copper mine

Pronto's autonomous haulage trucks are about to start operating at Mariana Minerals's Utah copper mine -- the first such deal since Pronto got acquired by Travis Kalanick's Atoms Inc. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/H8wgRvN

Amazon to end support for older Kindle devices

Amazon told Kindle owners this week that it's ending support for all e-readers released in 2012 or earlier, making them virtually unable to load any new content. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/FErXYdw

Hack-for-hire group caught targeting Android devices and iCloud backups

Security researchers exposed a spying campaign by a hack-for-hire group that used Android spyware and phishing to steal iCloud credentials and hack victims’ devices. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/UqDyCr2

Tubi is the first streamer to launch a native app within ChatGPT

Tubi becomes the first streaming service to offer an app integration within ChatGPT, the AI chatbot that millions of users turn to for answers. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/rGuzNqi

Firmus, the ‘Southgate’ AI data center builder backed by Nvidia, hits $5.5B valuation

Nvidia-backed Asia AI data center provider Firmus has now raised $1.35 billion in six months. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/1ZjhXdT

Apple’s foldable iPhone is on track to launch in September, report says

The news follows a report from Nikkei Asia on Tuesday that raised concerns the company’s foldable iPhone could be delayed due to challenges during the phone’s engineering test phase. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Xmpt6fI

Apple plans Supreme Court appeal in Epic Games App Store battle — again

Apple plans to ask the Supreme Court to review its App Store fight with Epic Games, as it challenges a ruling limiting its ability to charge fees on external payments. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/q9AQjGd

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra has some impressive add-ons that make snapping photos really fun

The Xiaomi 17 Ultra gives you a ton of options to play around with images, including preset filters and hardware add-ons. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/u3vSwaI

Copilot is ‘for entertainment purposes only,’ according to Microsoft’s terms of use

AI skeptics aren’t the only ones warning users not to unthinkingly trust models’ outputs — that’s what the AI companies say themselves in their terms of service. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/QyCRMjv

As people look for ways to make new friends, here are the apps promising to help

We've compiled a list of friendship apps, from friend discovery platforms like BFF to event-focused ones like Timeleft. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/VG6TgOS

Can orbital data centers help justify a massive valuation for SpaceX?

On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, we debated Elon Musk's vision for data centers in space. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2ZMyh0F

In Japan, the robot isn’t coming for your job; it’s filling the one nobody wants

Driven by labor shortages, Japan is pushing physical AI from pilot projects into real-world deployment. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/9UX1ps6

Embattled startup Delve has ‘parted ways’ with Y Combinator

The controversy around Delve appears to have cost the compliance startup its relationship with accelerator Y Combinator. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/DPAEVqt

AI companies are building huge natural gas plants to power data centers. What could go wrong?

Meta, Microsoft, and Google are all betting big on new natural gas power plants to run their AI data centers. They may regret it. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/0TtF7le

People would rather have an Amazon warehouse in their backyard than a data center

A new poll shows that the debate over data centers is far from settled. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/iaKHqfL

ElevenLabs releases a new AI-powered music-generation app

ElevenMusic lets users create and remix songs using text prompts. The new app suggests ElevenLabs wants to be more than just a voice model company. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Su1IAMU

NASA astronauts prove that sending an email really is rocket science

NASA Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman faced the most earthly possible conflict while in outer space: his Outlook wasn't working. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/uc9arP1

A new dating app, Sonder, has a deliberately annoying sign-up process (and it’s working)

Sonder profiles are completely unstructured, encouraging users to build something that looks like a mood board or a digital collage. Think MySpace rather than LinkedIn. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/O5ijYsg

Startup funding shatters all records in Q1

The record quarterly fundraise was largely fueled four mega-deals into OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, and Waymo. But it also indicates a generally hot market. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/TXMwEQq

Apple releases security fix for older iPhones and iPads to protect against DarkSword attacks

The security update protects a raft of older iPhones and iPads from attacks linked to leaked hacking tools called DarkSword. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/KatuqQS

Meta’s natural gas binge could power South Dakota

Meta's upcoming Hyperion AI data center will be powered by 10 new natural gas plants. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/DgGz2Pm