Software & Apps
Riding an AI rally, Robinhood preps second retail venture IPO
Robinhood files confidentially for its second venture fund, this time targeting growth and early-stage startups.
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 ne…
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.
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.
Bravo is creating unscripted microdramas for the Peacock app
As microdrama apps like ReelShort and DramaBox quietly rake in billions, Peacock announced on Monday that it is launching two unscripted Bravo microdramas, which will stream in th…
Digg tries again, this time as an AI news aggregator
In an email to beta testers, the company said the site's goal is to "track the most influential voices in a space" and to surface the news that's actually worth "paying attention …
‘Too early’ to talk IPO, Redwood Materials’ incoming CFO says
The battery-recycling and energy-storage company has hired former Tesla finance chief Deepak Ahuja, reuniting him with former Tesla CTO JB Straubel.
NYT’s Wordle to become a TV game show
This will be the first time that The Times has collaborated with a TV broadcaster for an entertainment-based program, representing yet another pivot in the media company's attempt…
TikTok launches an ad-free subscription plan in the UK
Users who sign up for the plan won’t see ads on TikTok, and their data won’t be used for advertising purposes.
Discord launches Nitro Rewards, giving subscribers access to the base tier of Xbox Game Pass for no extra cost
Discord's Nitro Rewards program will give Nitro subscribers access to Xbox Game Pass and discounts from Logitech, SteelSeries, and other gaming brands.
There aren’t enough rockets for space data centers — Cowboy Space raised $275M to build them
The apparently insatiable demand for AI compute has data center entrepreneurs looking to the stars. There's a key problem: There aren't enough rockets to put data centers in orbit…
Venmo’s biggest makeover in years comes at a very interesting time
The timing is notable. PayPal, which owns Venmo, is restructuring to spin Venmo off as a stand-alone business unit — a move widely seen as laying the groundwork for a potential sa…
Korea’s biggest manufacturers back Config, the TSMC of robot data
Instead of building robots themselves, the team is focused on a simpler goal — providing data that robots need to learn and operate. They believe that better data will be key to m…
Get ready for the whisper-filled office of the future
How will work setups change if we spend more and more time talking to our computers?
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.
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 impo…
TechCrunch Mobility: Lime’s IPO gamble
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, how AI is playing a part.
We’re feeling cynical about xAI’s big deal with Anthropic
On the latest episode of the Equity podcast, we discussed what xAI's deal with Anthropic might mean for parent company SpaceX.
The hottest place for startups to strike a deal? The F1 paddock
F1 Grands Prix have emerged as a new place to see and be seen if you are a founder or investor.
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.