Reader

TechCrunch

• Solar installer Sunnova races to raise cash as it issues ‘going concern’ warning
• Didi reportedly seeking funds for self-driving unit at $5B valuation
• On a quest to revive the woolly mammoth, Colossal Biosciences has created a woolly mouse
• Last chance! Last 24 hours to save up to $325 on TechCrunch Sessions: AI
• The TechCrunch AI glossary
• Mark Cuban offers to fund government tech unit that was cut in the middle of the night
• Researchers explore how to build shapeshifting, T-1000-style robots
• OpenAI launches GPT-4.5, its largest model to date
• DeepSeek claims ‘theoretical’ profit margins of 545%
• Ben Horowitz donates Cybertruck fleet to the Las Vegas police
• How to get rid of the new Apple Mail redesign
• ‘Uber for guns’ app Protector lets you hire armed body guards like you would an Uber — but does anyone need this?
• 2 days left to save up to $325 on TechCrunch Sessions: AI tickets
• OpenAI’s startup empire: The companies backed by its venture fund
• What is Mistral AI? Everything to know about the OpenAI competitor
• General Catalyst is reportedly weighing a potential IPO
• Sergey Brin says RTO is key to Google winning the AGI race
• SymbyAI raises $2.1M seed to make science research easier
• Startup co-founded by longevity guru Peter Attia emerges from stealth
• OpenAI plans to bring Sora’s video generator to ChatGPT
• Researchers uncover unknown Android flaws used to hack into a student’s phone
• Google Sheets gets a Gemini-powered upgrade to analyze data faster and create visuals
• Bluesky-based Instagram alternative Flashes launches publicly
• Good hype for fusion, bad buzz for YC
• Alkami is buying fintech Mantl for $400 million
• Tesla applies for ride-hail permit in California — but there’s a catch
• Mozilla responds to backlash over new terms, saying it’s not using people’s data for AI
• The biggest data breaches of 2025 — so far
• Last week to apply to speak at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
• Apply to Speak at TechCrunch All Stage 2025
• TechCrunch Disrupt 2025: Final 24 hours to save up to $1,130
• Only 3 more days to save up to $325 at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
• Intel delays its Ohio chip factory to 2030
• Microsoft hangs up on Skype: service to shut down May 5, 2025
• Belgium investigating alleged cyberattack on intelligence agency by China-linked hackers
• OpenAI’s Sora is now available in the EU, UK
• Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia takes wraps off his first assignment for DOGE
• 2025 TechCrunch Events Calendar
• Sequoia’s Roelof Botha warns ‘chumps’ not to buy into SPVs
• The hottest AI models, what they do, and how to use them
• SEC says meme coins are not securities
• Meta is reportedly planning a standalone AI chatbot app
• Snowflake grows startup accelerator with $200M in new capital
• Meta fires around 20 employees for leaking confidential information
• Waymo has doubled its weekly robotaxi rides in less than a year
• Twitch is letting more streamers access its monetization tools
• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the company is ‘out of GPUs’
• Spyzie stalkerware is spying on thousands of Android and iPhone users
• OpenAI unveils GPT-4.5 ‘Orion,’ its largest AI model yet
• OpenAI’s GPT-4.5 is better at convincing other AIs to give it money
• 4 days left to save up to $325 at TechCrunch Sessions: AI
• TikTok sunsets its creator marketplace for TikTok One, a broader solution with AI tools
• Accounting hasn’t fully embraced AI yet — Quanta just raised $4.7M to change that
• Figure will start ‘alpha testing’ its humanoid robot in the home in 2025
• Microsoft Copilot gets a macOS app
• Lucid loses its CEO, and ‘founder mode’ comes for Flexport
• Stripe says AI startups are growing faster than SaaS ever did, and calling them wrappers ‘misses the point’
• Fyre Festival 2 is coming, and it already sounds bananas (and not in a good way)
• Automattic-owned Beeper is releasing redesigned desktop and iOS apps
• 1,000 artists release ‘silent’ album to protest UK copyright sell-out to AI
• UK’s internet watchdog toughens approach to deepfake porn
• Web Summit attendees aren’t buying Scale AI CEO’s push for America ‘to win the AI war’
• Anthropic reportedly ups its next funding round to $3.5B
• Chegg sues Google over AI search summaries
• Even Elon Musk forgets that X isn’t Twitter sometimes
• Holmes and Balwani’s appeal falls flat as court upholds fraud convictions
• Apple exec Phil Schiller testifies that he raised concerns over App Store commissions on web-based sales
• DOGE’s HR email is getting the ‘Bee Movie’ spam treatment
• A comprehensive list of 2024 and 2025 tech layoffs
• Anthropic used Pokémon to benchmark its newest AI model
• SpaceX says Starship self-destructed after propellant leaks caused fires and comms blackout
• SoundCloud partners with Ticketmaster to let artists list events
• Khosla Ventures seeks $3.5B in fresh capital
• Google Drive users can now access and search transcripts for videos
• Anthropic launches a new AI model that ‘thinks’ as long as you want
• Grok 3 appears to be driving Grok usage to new heights
• DeepSeek: Everything you need to know about the AI chatbot app
• The SEC will not sue Robinhood over crypto
• AI-coding startup Codeium in talks to raise at an almost $3B valuation, sources say
• ‘For You’ feeds are not for creators, Patreon says
• Saronic raises $600M to mass-produce autonomous warships
• Study of TikTok, X ‘For You’ feeds in Germany finds far-right political bias ahead of federal elections
• After raising $1 billion, fintech Varo closes another $29 million, replaces founder CEO
• Uber ditches commissions in favor of daily fees for rickshaw drivers in India
• Brand-new women’s focused Swizzle Ventures skyrockets past its fundraising target
• Mark Zuckerberg’s charity U-turns, ends DEI efforts 
• Spanish spyware startup Mollitiam Industries shuts down
• IVF insurance startup Future Family promises a baby or your money back
• Karman+ digs up $20M to build an asteroid-mining autonomous spacecraft
• This Week in AI: Maybe we should ignore AI benchmarks for now
• Google’s ‘Career Dreamer’ uses AI to help you explore job possibilities
• Google pulls Gemini from main search app on iOS
• ElectronX is building a stock market for electricity trading
• Sanas taps AI to change call center workers’ accents in real time
• Google brings a ‘Circle to Search’-like feature to iPhone users
• Mistral’s Le Chat tops 1M downloads in just 14 days
• Apple’s $599 iPhone 16e adds AI, launches February 28
• Instagram upgrades DMs with music sharing, message scheduling, translation, and more
• OpenAI’s chief research officer has left
• Dinii, a cloud-based restaurant management platform, raises $45M Series B