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Showing posts from May, 2026

Erin Brockovich takes aim at data center secrecy

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has a new mission. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/ZSn62h8

‘This is fine’ artist KC Green reaches agreement with AI startup Artisan

The startup has apparently taken down the ads using KC Green's "This is fine" meme. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/DXi6KcR

Black founders raise highest amount of quarterly funding since 2022, but there’s a catch

Speaking to TechCrunch, Crunchbase’s head of research Gené Teare, said the factors holding back Black founders include “access to networks, relationships, and early introductions." from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/S58jmid

SoftBank says it will invest up to €75 billion to build French data centers

The goal, the firm said, is to develop and operate up to 5 gigawatts of additional data center capacity. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/LWZsmTp

This weekend’s two biggest movies were both directed by YouTubers

The YouTube-to-prestige-horror pipeline is looking very strong. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Et4CFUR

Coders are refusing to work without AI — and that could come back to bite them 

While AI is helping coders produce code faster, it may not be producing better code, researchers warn. And that could cause problems down the road for them.  from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/0jDAKhJ

So you’ve heard these AI terms and nodded along; let’s fix that

The rise of AI has brought an avalanche of new terms and slang. Here is a glossary with definitions of some of the most important words and phrases you might encounter. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/hfSpD1c

What happens when companies become too AI-pilled?

The people deciding that AI can replace your job are also the ones least likely to understand what your job truly involves, according to Box founder Aaron Levie, who pointed to this as an example of “AI psychosis.” Indeed, ClickUp recently cut 22% of its workforce for AI agents, tech layoffs in 2026 are already nearly matching all of 2025, […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/5DpRBc1

Anthropic raises $65 Billion, nears $1T valuation ahead of IPO

Anthropic has closed a $65 billion Series H round at a $965 billion post-money valuation, marking what could be the AI startup's final private fundraise before a highly anticipated IPO. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3PtonFB

A security lapse at prison pay phone service Pay Tel publicly exposed over 300K callers’ driver’s licenses

Pay Tel secured the publicly exposed data after security researchers discovered the leak containing callers' sensitive ID documents and inmate communications. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/vK0mCH8

Payroll startup Remote says it grew revenue 50% per employee without adding headcount

Payroll service provider Remote recently surpassed $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and became cash-flow positive, thanks to a 50% increase in revenue per employee resulting from AI adoption. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3L9m4BE

Google just broke SEO. Here’s what replaces it.

Google I/O made it official: AI-generated answers are now front and center in search, and most brands have almost no visibility into how AI is describing them to their customers. For anyone who has spent years building a strategy around 10 blue links, the rules just changed in a pretty significant way.  On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/PfL2aXv

Starship’s path to reusability looks murky after SpaceX’s S-1

SpaceX's recent IPO and Starship rocket test flight delivered two big data points that offer a realistic vision for the coming years — and one that may disappoint both the company's boosters and its critics. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/aflF506

SpaceX’s Starlink nabs American Airlines contract, another win for its IPO

American Airlines said Tuesday it plans to install Starlink on more than 500 Airbus aircraft, the latest carrier win for IPO-bound SpaceX. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/opcmlfn

OpenRouter more than doubles valuation to $1.3B in a year

OpenRouter has raised a $113 million Series B led by CapitalG. Its 5x growth in usage over six months indicates the multi-AI-model future is here. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Xnx61w7

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Early Bird ticket rates end May 29

Save up to $410 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass before prices increase on May 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Register here to join the tech epicenter in San Francisco. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Od0vJUp

7-Eleven data breach affects over 185,000 people’s personal data

The data breach included names, dates-of-birth, postal addresses, and Social Security numbers, according to a state government listing. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/s1a7epg

Amazon fulfillment competitor Stord raises $250M at $3B valuation

Stord was founded in 2015 by then-college students CEO Sean Henry and CTO Jacob Boudreau while they were still at Georgia Tech. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/iN7MKve

Startup Battlefield 200 applications close in days: Apply before May 27

The deadline to apply or nominate for Startup Battlefield 200 is May 27. This is your shot at VC access, global visibility, TechCrunch coverage, and $100,000. Apply now. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/1kVKo6d

5 days left: Save up to $410 on TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 passes before prices increase

Early Bird savings for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco end May 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Register now to save up to $410 before prices increase. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/vSuWF0g

Everyone is navigating AI security in real time — even Google

We're in the transition period -- all of us. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/uL5h1Cd

Xreal, Google’s smartglasses partner, thinks it has finally mastered this notoriously tricky industry

Chi Xu, the founder and CEO of XREAL, thinks the smart glasses business has finally reached a turning point. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/mpJWySj

TechCrunch Mobility: Robotaxi reality check

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/QwcSZAz

I tried Amazon’s Bee wearable and am both intrigued and slightly creeped out

Like other AI wearables, Amazon's Bee offers an odd combination of convenience and privacy anxiety. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/6suJvPY

The Dreamie alarm clock got me to stop using my phone in bed

What sets Dreamie apart from all of the other fancy alarm clocks is laughably simple: It can play podcasts. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/gSvbV0Q

SolarSquare in talks to raise up to $60M as India’s rooftop solar market draws major VC interest

SolarSquare could be valued at up to $500 million in the financing expected to close next month. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/E7K19nO

Blue Origin cleared to fly New Glenn mega-rocket after April mishap

Jeff Bezos' rocket company confirmed an engine failure led to the loss of an AST SpaceMobile satellite last month, but offered little detail. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/HOmVQAX

How VCs and founders use inflated ‘ARR’ to crown AI startups 

Some AI startups are stretching traditional revenue metrics when talking about progress publicly. And their investors are fully aware. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/aoBUF3C

SpaceX files to go public, and the math requires a little faith

The SpaceX S-1 is finally here, and the story it tells goes way further than rockets. The filing runs to 36 pages of risk factors alone, and the numbers inside match the ambition: a $28 trillion total addressable market, a pay package tied to establishing a Mars colony, and a valuation target that would make it the largest IPO in American […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/gOJf930

Law enforcement shuts down VPN service used by two dozen ransomware gangs

First VPN promised hackers complete anonymity for their cyberattacks. But Europol said it was able to notify the service’s users that they have now been identified. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/MgO7shn

Six search engines worth trying now that Google isn’t really Google anymore

Google is about to look really different, and if you're not a fan of the AI overview feature, then you're not going to like what's coming. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/bvKPawn

Convective Capital raises an $85 million fund to build disaster resilience

After launching to invest in fire tech, Convective is broadening its mandate to disaster resilience. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/BwGWaS5

IrisGo, a startup backed by Andrew Ng, looks to become the AI desktop buddy you never knew you needed

Initially billed as an "AI butler," Iris watches what happens on a user's desktop and automatically learns how to do tasks for them, its co-founder says. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/5Tj69Lw

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software is creeping into Europe

First came the Netherlands, now it's Lithuania. And more European countries appear to be in the queue for Tesla's driver assistance system. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/DROWo1y

Airbnb gets into hotels, expands AI for host onboarding and customer support

Airbnb will soon let you book luggage storage and car rental services on its app from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/mINx3c8

Google launches Antigravity 2.0 with an updated desktop app and CLI tool

Google is debuting a new AI Ultra plan priced at $100, which will give users 5x more usage limit than the AI Pro plan alongside Antigravity 2.0 launch. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/0JdKsnO

OpenAI is making it easier to check if an image was made by their models

OpenAI announced two new measures to help detect AI generated imagery: joining the open C2PA standard and adding Google's SynthID to its products. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/K0bmLJQ

OSHA probing worker death at SpaceX’s Starbase site

The death is the latest worker safety issue at the Starbase facility, which has a higher injury rate than all other SpaceX sites. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Wls9vEK

SandboxAQ brings its drug discovery models to Claude — no PhD in computing required

Other venture-backed companies like Chai Discovery and Isomorphic Labs have raced to build better models. SandboxAQ is betting that the bigger obstacle is access, and that Claude solves it. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Emp0CLg

Anthropic has acquired the dev tools startup used by OpenAI, Google, and Cloudflare

Stainless, a New York-based startup, will wind down all hosted products as part of the acquisition. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/XdRDAnr

Elon Musk has lost his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI

Elon Musk's claim that he was mistreated by his OpenAI cofounders failed after nine California jurors decided in a unanimous verdict that his lawsuits had been filed too late. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Xz2HGkV

Open source tool maker Grafana Labs says hackers stole its code, refuses to pay ransom

The open source project said hackers stole its codebase and threatened to publish its source code if the company did not pay. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/az7hdEi

South Korea’s LetinAR is building optics behind AI glasses

A lens the size of a thumbnail — and the South Korean startup that makes it could become the optical backbone of the AI glasses era. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/9hIkFlN

Why trust is a big question at the Elon Musk-OpenAI trial

A big theme in the trial’s final days was whether OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is trustworthy. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3MbfHYJ

For Eclipse, the $2.5B Cerebras win is just the start of realizing its physical-world thesis

Investing in the real world was lonely for Lior Susan 10 years ago. Now his firm finds itself at the center of the tech world's action. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/QPX1UJp

The haves and have nots of the AI gold rush

The vibes around the current AI boom aren't great, even in the tech industry. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/1nQSNZG

Research repository ArXiv will ban authors for a year if they let AI do all the work

ArXiv is doing more to crack down on the careless use of large language models in scientific papers. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/neFXtS0

General Catalyst posted VC rage bait and it worked, especially on a16z

Compulsive X user Andreessen himself couldn't resist responding, many, many times. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/vHLVpQD

A hotel check-in system left a million passports and driver’s licenses open for anyone to see

The tech company that maintains the hotel check-in system set its cloud storage to public, allowing anyone to access customers' data without a password. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/wKXrk8l

Silicon Valley’s vacationland needs a new energy provider just as AI is driving prices up

Lake Tahoe, Silicon Valley's favorite ski spot, is about to get hit with higher energy prices as AI drives demand for electricity. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/LpT4XB0

What happens when AI starts building itself?

Richard Socher's new $650 million startup wants to build an AI that can research and improve itself indefinitely — and he insists it will actually ship products. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/jmPyKni

YouTube viewers watch 2 billion hours of Shorts on TVs each month

Short-form video is built for mobile, so it may seem counterintuitive, but it's true: YouTube Shorts are becoming quite popular on the big screen. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/QBb1HOw

Musk’s xAI is running nearly 50 gas turbines unchecked at its Mississippi data center

Gas turbines at xAI's Colossus 2 data center have drawn a lawsuit over the company's use of "mobile" gas turbines as power plants. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/MAaEkfQ

Anthropic’s Cat Wu says that, in the future, AI will anticipate your needs before you know what they are

The head of product for Claude Code and Cowork says that the next big step for AI is proactivity. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/lgX7oJ9

Geothermal startup Fervo Energy pops 33% in IPO debut fueled by AI data center demand

Fervo Energy's IPO was upsized several times after potential investors asked why the enhanced geothermal startup wasn't raising more money. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/cLMHhNU

Kevin Hartz’s A* just closed its third fund with $450 million

Early-stage venture firm A* Capital just took the wraps off its $450 million Fund III. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/6kDBawe

Google adds Gemini-powered Dictation to Gboard, which could be bad news for dictation startups

Google's transcription feature will initially launch with Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/yn0YeZM

Riding an AI rally, Robinhood preps second retail venture IPO

Robinhood files confidentially for its second venture fund, this time targeting growth as well as early-stage startups. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/QxVrAKO

GM just laid off hundreds of IT workers to hire those with stronger AI skills

Some of the positions focus on AI-native development, data engineering and analytics, cloud-based engineering, and agent and model development as well as prompt engineering and new AI workflows. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/gw3nzUq

Finally, texts between Android and iPhone users can be end-to-end encrypted

Google had urged Apple for years to support RCS texting to make communication between each company's devices more seamless. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/h7Fkinv

Daniel Ek-backed defense tech Helsing to raise $1.2B at $18B valuation

Five-year old European military drone startup Helsing is close to raising another monster round. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/hKtrmOL

Korea’s biggest manufacturers back Config, the TSMC of robot data

Samsung, Hyundai and LG just bet on the startup that wants to be robotics' data backbone. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/w37Zd2A

Anthropic says ‘evil’ portrayals of AI were responsible for Claude’s blackmail attempts

Fictional portrayals of artificial intelligence can have a real effect on AI models, according to Anthropic. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/9dnt3hG

Uber has always wanted to be more than a ride; now it has reason to hurry

The company has been trying to embed itself inside the AV industry — as a data provider, an investor, and a distribution platform — but the consumer-facing bet may be just as important. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/PQThenW

Voice AI in India is hard. Wispr Flow is betting on it anyway.

Wispr Flow says growth accelerated in India after its Hinglish rollout, even as voice AI products continue to face challenges. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/ZXuWiKp

So you’ve heard these AI terms and nodded along; let’s fix that

The rise of AI has brought an avalanche of new terms and slang. Here is a glossary with definitions of some of the most important words and phrases you might encounter. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/hWaR3ke

Fintech startup Parker files for bankruptcy

Parker, a well-funded startup offering corporate credit cards and banking services, has filed for bankruptcy and is widely reported to have shut down. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/UDyMvBC

GM agrees to pay $12.75M in California driver privacy settlement

General Motors has reached a privacy-related settlement with a group of law enforcement agencies led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/uxHJK0v

Intel’s comeback story is even wilder than it seems

Intel's stock has risen a stunning 490% over the past year, a bet by Wall Street that may be running well ahead of the company's actual turnaround. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/fFmrE2l

Mother Ventures is looking at moms as the ‘economic engine’

The VC firm, which focuses on mothers as consumers, raised a $10 million debut fund. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/6xNyzS5

Could Lovable’s automatic 10% pay raise be the cure for toxic cultures?

Stockholm-based vibe coding platform Lovable it is offering employees an automatic 10% raise as a way to sidestep classic corporate politics. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/I05a4DX

Hackers hack victims hacked by other hackers

An unknown group of hackers is breaking into systems previously breached by the cybercrime group TeamPCP. Once inside, the hackers immediately kick out TeamPCP and remove its hacking tools from the victims’ systems. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/4aCXK5u

Kalshi doubles valuation in 5 months, hitting $22B

Prediction market startup Kalshi has raised a $1 billion Series F round led by Coatue. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/SLFB4A7

Jeff Bezos rep leaves Slate Auto’s board

Melinda Lewison's departure raises questions about Bezos' support and involvement with the startup at a time when the Amazon founder is now apparently focused on robotics at his new startup, Project Prometheus. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/oWFrh2w

Robinhood’s venture fund IPO attracted 150,000+ retail investors, CEO says

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev says more than 150,000 retail investors joined the fintech’s new venture fund, which offers exposure to private tech companies like OpenAI, Stripe, Databricks, and Oura before they go public. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/i1KCStA

How Elon Musk left OpenAI, according to Greg Brockman

Cutthroat negotiations between startup founders are rarely shared so publicly, especially when a company becomes as world-changing as OpenAI. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/giOkzoR

AI evaluation startup Braintrust confirms breach, tells every customer to rotate sensitive keys

Braintrust, a startup that makes an “operating system for engineers building AI software,” notified customers that hackers broke into one of its Amazon cloud environments, and is asking customers to rotate their API keys. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/1R2YKS8

Volkswagen becomes Rivian’s top shareholder, displacing Amazon

VW Group's stake will continue to grow under the $5.8 billion joint venture with Rivian. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/7VxpQ5a

Pennsylvania sues Character.AI after a chatbot allegedly posed as a doctor

According to Pennsylvania's filing, a Character.AI chatbot presented itself as a licensed psychiatrist during a state investigation, and also fabricated a serial number for its state medical license. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/EzPkl7f

OpenAI’s cozy partner Cerebras is on track for a blockbuster IPO

AI chip maker Cerebras is heading for a blockbuster IPO that could value it at $26.6 billion or more. Its relationship with OpenAI is deep and rich. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/CYwFGZ7

Katie Haun raises $1B for new venture funds

Katie Haun announced on Monday that $1 billion has been raised across new funds to continue the firm’s thesis of backing crypto and blockchain startups. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/fCbGehd

Hackers are still exploiting the cPanel bug to gain control of thousands of websites

Days after the disclosure of a critical vulnerability in popular web hosting software cPanel and WHM, hackers keep targeting and hacking websites. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/Szl9Q0D

Nicolas Sauvage is betting on the boring parts of AI

The portfolio he has assembled since 2019 is dotted with technologies that have become more widely interesting to VCs over the last year: from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/ZGPud1X

We’ll take it: a TikToker rallies pledges to buy Spirit Airlines after its abrupt weekend collapse

Within hours he'd thrown up a website — a janky, one-hour job, by his own admission — and by Sunday, 36,000 "founding patrons" had pledged nearly $23 million, crashing his servers in the process. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/29QIKte

‘This is fine’ creator says AI startup stole his art

The ad comes from Artisan, the AI startup behind billboards urging businesses to "stop hiring humans." from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/yp2bxB1

In Harvard study, AI offered more accurate diagnoses than emergency room doctors

A new study examines how large language models perform in a variety of medical contexts, including real emergency room cases — where at least one model seemed to be more accurate than human doctors. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/jAnGDtT

TechCrunch Mobility: How do you issue a ticket to a robotaxi?

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/aFE9I0R

This tiny, magnetic e-reader could stop you from doomscrolling

The Xteink X3 is a delightfully tiny, MagSafe-compatible e-ink reader that attaches to the back of your phone like a Pop Socket. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/38SPXkG

AI-generated actors and scripts are now ineligible for Oscars

Bad news for Tilly Norwood. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/ydkwYRI

Farewell, Jeeves: Ask.com shuts down

Owner IAC says it's discontinuing its search business. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/S1VIqzH

Musely secures $360M from General Catalyst without giving up equity

The DTC skin, hair, and menopause care brand will use the non-dilutive capital to super-charge customer acquisition. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/6cIPjTx

Meta buys robotic startup to bolster its humanoid AI ambitions

Meta bought humanoid startup Assured Robot Intelligence to beef up its AI models for robots, the company said. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/homEN8C

Musk v. Altman is just getting started

Elon Musk spent the better part of three days on the witness stand this week in his lawsuit against OpenAI, and it’s already getting messy. Emails, texts, and his own tweets are surfacing in court, and there are plenty more witnesses to come. Musk’s argument against OpenAI? By converting the company to a for-profit model, Sam Altman betrayed the “nonprofit for the […] from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/1UqY9mE