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Before sixteen-year-old Adam Raine died by suicide, he had spent months consulting ChatGPT about his plans to end his life. Now, his parents are filing the first known wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI, the New York Times reports [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/technology/chatgpt-openai-suicide.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share]. Many consumer-facing AI chatbots are programmed to activate safety features if a user expresses intent to harm themselves or others. But research [https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.02990] has shown that these safeguards are far from foolproof. In Raine’s case, while using a paid version of ChatGPT-4o, the AI often encouraged him to seek professional help or contact a help line. However, he was able to bypass these guardrails by telling ChatGPT that he was asking about methods of suicide for a fictional story he was writing. OpenAI has addressed these shortcomings on its blog. “As the world adapts to this new technology, we feel a deep responsibility to help those who need it most,” the post reads [https://openai.com/index/helping-people-when-they-need-it-most/]. “We are continuously improving how our models respond in sensitive interactions.” Still, the company acknowledged the limitations of the existing safety trainings for large models. “Our safeguards work more reliably in common, short exchanges,” the post continues. “We have learned over time that these safeguards can sometimes be less reliable in long interactions: as the back-and-forth grows, parts of the model’s safety training may degrade.” These issues are not unique to OpenAI. Character.AI, another AI chatbot maker, is also facing a lawsuit [https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/23/lawsuit-blames-character-ai-in-death-of-14-year-old-boy/] over its role in a teenager’s suicide. LLM-powered chatbots have also been linked to cases of AI-related delusions [https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/ai-sycophancy-isnt-just-a-quirk-experts-consider-it-a-dark-pattern-to-turn-users-into-profit/], which existing safeguards have struggled to detect. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $600+ BEFORE PRICES RISE. TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $675 BEFORE PRICES RISE. San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 REGISTER NOW [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrup

SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket lifted off on its tenth test flight Tuesday evening, hitting two long sought milestones and putting an end to a string of failures. The 403-foot vehicle lifted off from Starbase, SpaceX’s launch facility and recently incorporated city, at 7:30 pm ET after two scrubs earlier in this week. The rocket ascended on 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines before separating around three minutes after liftoff. On descent, the Super Heavy booster tested out a new maneuver: intentionally shutting down the engines used for landing and transitioning to backup engines. The test will help engineers understand how the Booster might perform in the case of failure. The test appeared to go as planned, with the 232-foot-tall booster successfully making a targeted splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, the upper stage, also called Starship, reached space. There, for the first time on a Starship flight, it opened its Pez-style payload door and released eight Starlink mass-simular satellites. This is a capability that SpaceX had planned, but failed to demonstrate on earlier missions. The company also successfully re-lit one of the Raptor engines in space before guiding the vehicle toward the Indian Ocean, where it splashed down, tipped over, and promptly exploded. On the way down, the exterior of the Ship was exposed to incredible heat during atmospheric reentry, providing an excellent test environment for the upgraded thermal-protection system. SpaceX also used this test to try out a series of experiments, like removing tiles from sections of the Ship to see how its “skin” operates on reentry, plus a new metallic tile and an actively cooled tile. Most importantly, however, is the upper stage completed the entire test and splashed down in the Indian Ocean without losing comms with SpaceX engineers. Durin the last flight, the Ship reached space and then lost attitude control during the coast phase, preventing the payload doors from opening. Engineers appear to have overcome those issues. It’s a big win for SpaceX, which has repeatedly lost the Starship upper stage due to a series of technical failures during flight. The persistent issues have raised questions as to whether the rocket will be ready to land humans on the moon by mid-2027 for NASA, or when it will be capable of deploying next-gen Starlink satellites for the company. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $600+ BEFORE PRICES RISE. TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE

Assort Health, a startup that uses AI to automate patient communication for specialty healthcare practices, has raised about $50 million in a Series B round at a valuation of $750 million, according to three sources familiar with the deal. The latest round, which comes just four months after the company raised its $22 million Series A [https://www.assorthealth.com/blog/assort-health-secures-26-million-in-funding-to-expand-specialty-specific-generative-ai-platform-for-managing-patient-phone-calls], was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, these people said. The company’s AI voice agents are designed to take over high-volume, repetitive tasks like scheduling, cancellations, and frequently asked questions normally managed by front desk staff, allowing human staff to focus on more complex or sensitive patient interactions. Assort Health is one of several startups that recently raised new funding to use AI to alleviate patient phone call volume for medical offices. Just last week, EliseAI, which automates customer services for real estate and healthcare office front desks, announced that it secured a $250 million Series E [https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/eliseai-raises-250-million-a16z-led-round-expand-healthcare-2025-08-20/] led by Andreessen Horowitz, valuing the company at $2.2 billion. Hello Patient, another AI-powered assistant for medical offices, raised a $20 million Series A [https://www.hellopatient.com/] earlier this month at a $100 million valuation led by Scale Venture Partners, according to a person familiar with the deal. The healthcare industry is increasingly embracing AI solutions, as seen in the growing adoption of medical scribes from companies like Abridge and Ambience Healthcare. Investors are now betting that patient communication will be the next major area for AI implementation. Since Assort Health serves small and medium specialty care offices that often have long wait times, fast responses by an AI agent may help these offices lose fewer patients to competing practices. While Assort Health’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) is only a little more than $3 million, the company is growing quickly, according to two sources. The startup initially focused on orthopedic and physical care offices, but has recently expanded its offerings to other specialties, including Ob-Gyn, dermatology, and dentistry. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $600+ BEFORE PRICES RISE. TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE

Alphabet’s life sciences arm Verily laid off staff and eliminated its entire devices program Monday. CEO Stephen Gillett announced the “difficult decision” to wind down the program in a staff memo [https://www.businessinsider.com/alphabets-verily-lays-off-staff-cuts-its-devices-program-2025-8], according to Business Insider. “Over the years, Verily has built a legacy in developing world-class, innovative medical devices,” Gillett wrote, noting that the “path forward requires difficult decisions” as Verily refocuses on AI and data infrastructure. The move continues Alphabet’s aggressive efforts to invest in AI while cutting costs elsewhere. The company has conducted multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years, including cuts to its HR and cloud units in February [https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/27/google-makes-cuts-to-hr-and-cloud-units.html] and voluntary exit programs for its more than 25,000 Platforms & Devices employees in spring. Alphabet’s biggest recent layoffs came in January 2023, when it slashed 12,000 jobs [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/20/business/google-alphabet-layoffs.html] — 6% of its workforce at the time — in anticipation of an economic slowdown. That same month, ChatGPT became the fastest-growing consumer software application in history, gaining over 100 million users in two months and kicking off the generative AI boom that today drives the tech industry’s priorities. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $600+ BEFORE PRICES RISE. TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $675 BEFORE PRICES RISE. San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 REGISTER NOW [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/?utm_source=tc&utm_medium=ad&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=ticketsales&promo=tc_inline_rb&display=]

Protesters stormed Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters on Monday and made it into president Brad Smith’s office in Building 34, forcing a temporary lockdown. The “No Azure for Apartheid” group reportedly livestreamed their sit-in on Twitch, hoisting banners, chanting ‘Brad Smith, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide!’ and posting a mock legal summons charging Smith with “crimes against humanity.” TechCrunch has reached out to Microsoft for more information. According to The Verge [https://www.theverge.com/news/766324/microsoft-building-34-lockdown-protesters-brad-smith-office], the protest included both active Microsoft workers and former employees who’ve been fired for previous activism. Monday’s escalation follows months of protests over Microsoft’s cloud contracts with Israel, including recent arrests at company headquarters. A recent Guardian investigation [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/06/microsoft-israeli-military-palestinian-phone-calls-cloud]revealed Israel uses Microsoft’s services to store data from millions of calls each day made by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Today’s corporate takeover mirrors tactics from Google employees more than a year ago. In April 2024, nine Google workers staged coordinated protests across New York and California offices, with five occupying Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s office for nine hours. They wrote demands on his whiteboard and wore “Googler against genocide” shirts. The Google protesters targeted Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract with Amazon that provides Israel’s government and military with cloud computing and AI tools. The employees’ sit-ins and arrests were similarly livestreamed on Twitch; three days later, 28 employees involved in those protests were fired [https://www.npr.org/2024/04/19/1245757317/google-worker-fired-israel-project-nimbus-cloud-protestor].

Anthropic is launching a research preview of a browser-based AI agent powered by its Claude AI models, the company announced [https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-for-chrome] on Tuesday. The agent, Claude for Chrome, is rolling out to a group of 1,000 subscribers on Anthropic’s Max plan, which costs between $100 and $200 per month. The company is also opening a waitlist [https://claude.ai/chrome] for other interested users. By adding an extension to Chrome, select users can now chat with Claude in a sidecar window that maintains context of everything happening in their browser. Users can also give the Claude agent permission to take actions in their browser and complete some tasks on their behalf. The browser is quickly becoming the next battleground for AI labs, which aim to use browser integrations to offer more seamless connections between AI systems and their users. Perplexity recently launched its own browser, Comet [https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/09/perplexity-launches-comet-an-ai-powered-web-browser/], which features an AI agent that can offload tasks for users. OpenAI is reportedly close to launching its own AI-powered browser [https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/09/openai-is-reportedly-releasing-an-ai-browser-in-the-coming-weeks/], which is rumored to have similar features to Comet. Meanwhile, Google has launched Gemini integrations with Chrome [https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/20/google-is-launching-a-gemini-integration-in-chrome/] in recent months. The race to develop AI-powered browsers is especially pressing given Google’s looming antitrust case, in which a final decision is expected any day now. The federal judge in the case has suggested he may force Google to sell its Chrome browser. Perplexity submitted an unsolicited $34.5 billion offer for Chrome [https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/12/perplexity-offers-to-buy-chrome-for-billions-more-than-its-raised/], and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggested his company would be willing to buy it [https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/15/sam-altman-over-bread-rolls-explores-life-after-gpt-5/] as well. In the Tuesday blog post, Anthropic warned that the rise of AI agents with browser access poses new safety risks. Last week, Brave’s security team said it found that Comet’s browser agent could be vulnerable to indirect prompt-injection attacks [https://brave.com/blog/comet-prompt-injection/], where hidden code on a website could trick the agent into executing malicious instructions when it processed the page. (Perplexity’s head of communications, Jesse Dwyer, told TechCrunch in an email that the vulnerability Brave raised has been fixed.) Anthropic says it hopes to use this research preview as a chance to catch and address novel safety risks; however, the company has already introduced several defenses against prompt injection attacks. The company says its interventions reduced the success rate of prompt injection attacks from 23.6% to 11.2%. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETF

Thanks to an unexpected surge in popularity on TikTok, Radiohead now has its fourth-ever song on the Billboard Hot 100: the morosely gorgeous track “Let Down [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVgHPSyEIqk]” from the 1997 album “OK Computer.” “Let Down” never broke through to mainstream attention like Radiohead’s “Creep” or “Karma Police,” but it’s by no means a deep cut, like the Pavement B-side “Harness Your Hopes [https://www.stereogum.com/2105993/pavement-harness-your-hopes-spotify/columns/sounding-board/]” that went viral due to a quirk in Spotify’s recommendation algorithm. This Radiohead song is a fan favorite from an album that’s considered among the best rock records [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/500-greatest-albums-radiohead-ok-computer-1059469/] of all time. Unlike the rise of songs like Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill [https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/27/kate-bush-tiktok-stranger-things-spotify/]” or Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams [https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54432900],” this song isn’t just serving as background music for makeup tutorials and recipe videos. Instead, people are tapping into how haunting the song feels. It’s crushingly sad, yet there’s an earnest hopefulness to it, and the desire to escape that sadness makes the pain feel even more acute. I first encountered this trend when my TikTok algorithm served me — an obsessive Philadelphia Phillies and Radiohead fan — with a video that seemed like it could have been created in a lab to make me cry. It’s a montage of Zack Wheeler, the steadfast ace of the Phillies’ pitching rotation, who will soon undergo season-ending surgery, accompanied by a choral edit of “Let Down,” while lyrics are overlaid atop a Wheeler highlight reel: “Bouncing back and/One day, I am gonna grow wings.” > @cheddy [https://www.tiktok.com/@cheddy?refer=embed] > > Get well 45 #zachwheeler [https://www.tiktok.com/tag/zachwheeler?refer=embed] > #philliesbaseball [https://www.tiktok.com/tag/philliesbaseball?refer=embed] > #mlb [https://www.tiktok.com/tag/mlb?refer=embed] #wheeler > [https://www.tiktok.com/tag/wheeler?refer=embed] #ace > [https://www.tiktok.com/tag/ace?refer=embed] > > ♬ suara asli – ˢᵃᵈⁿᵉˢˢ – ˢᵃᵈⁿᵉˢˢ > [https://www.tiktok.com/music/suara-asli-ˢᵃᵈⁿᵉˢˢ-7398053117638822661?refer=embed] It’s almost a relief that this is not a case of TikTok’s algorithm developing a mind of its own with a single-minded mission to destroy me (… that’s not how AI works [https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/21/against-pseudanthropy/], by the way!). All sorts of emotional videos are being set to “Let Down,” like edits of clips [https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8B9qesb/] from the Hunger Games movies. The song got a boost when it was used to score a scene in the season 1 finale [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braciole_(The_Bear)] of “The Bear,” and in May, a music TikTok account posted an edit of “Let Down” that includes vocals from a large chorus. That version of the song appears in many of these video

Anthropic has settled a class action lawsuit [https://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/desktop/document/BartzetalvAnthropicPBCDocketNo2548439thCirAug012025CourtDocket/6?doc_id=X6BG9AV2HNU9F7QAS3RDBOJK5NV] with a group of fiction and nonfiction authors, as announced in a filing on Tuesday with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Anthropic had won a partial victory in a lower court ruling [https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/24/a-federal-judge-sides-with-anthropic-in-lawsuit-over-training-ai-on-books-without-authors-permission/] and was in the process of appealing that ruling. No details of the settlement were made public, and Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Called Bartz v. Anthropic, the case deals with Anthropic’s use of books as training material for its large language models. The court had ruled that Anthropic’s use of the books qualified as fair use, but because many of the books were pirated, Anthropic still faced significant financial penalties for its conduct connected to the case. Nonetheless, Anthropic had applauded the earlier ruling, framing it as a victory for generative AI models. “We believe it’s clear that we acquired books for one purpose only — building large language models — and the court clearly held that use was fair,” the company told NPR after the ruling in June [https://www.npr.org/2025/06/25/nx-s1-5445242/federal-rules-in-ai-companys-favor-in-landmark-copyright-infringement-lawsuit-authors-bartz-graeber-wallace-johnson-anthropic].

The Trump administration made an unprecedented, and confusing, move last week when it announced plans to convert money Intel was supposed to receive through Joe Biden-era government grant programs into a 10% equity stake. While it remains unclear if converting those government grants into equity is even possible — that’s up for debate [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/technology/trump-intel-stake.html] — it’s even less obvious how this move will solve Intel’s biggest problem, its waffling foundry business. Even Intel is unconvinced. Intel Foundry, which manufactures custom semiconductors for outside customers, has not been fruitful for the company. The business division lost out on potential big contracts, like one with Sony, according to Reuters [https://www.reuters.com/technology/how-intel-lost-sony-playstation-business-2024-09-16/], and has cost the company significantly more than it has brought in. Intel Foundry reported an operating income loss of $3.1 billion [https://www.intc.com/filings-reports/all-sec-filings/content/0000050863-25-000109/0000050863-25-000109.pdf] in the second quarter. The company has also laid off thousands of people since the beginning of the year, with the foundry business unit being hit especially hard [https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/17/intel-to-layoff-up-to-20-of-intel-foundry-workers/]. Differences over how Intel would turn around its struggling foundry business [https://www.reuters.com/technology/intel-board-member-quit-after-differences-over-chipmakers-revival-plan-2024-08-27/] was partially responsible for Lip-Bu Tan’s resignation from the company board in August 2024. Tan was appointed CEO [https://newsroom.intel.com/corporate/intel-appoints-lip-bu-tan-chief-executive-officer] in spring 2025. Kevin Cassidy, a managing director at Rosenblatt Securities, told TechCrunch he doesn’t see how this deal will solve Intel’s problems. Intel Foundry doesn’t need money to solve its issues, he said, instead it needs to change its approach to its customers. “They didn’t understand customer service,” Cassidy said of Intel Foundry’s struggles to sign customers. “They have always manufactured internally, the manufacturing group was king. It’s hard to be a customer service-focused group when you think you know better.” Intel did not respond to a request for comment. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $600+ BEFORE PRICES RISE. TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH

Library e-book and audiobook app Libby [https://libbyapp.com/] is adding AI, much to the disappointment of some [https://bsky.app/profile/ladyjenpool.bsky.social/post/3lwpjv24wl224] readers [https://www.reddit.com/r/LibbyApp/comments/1mr3qxz/hidden_featurefor_inspireme/] and [https://bsky.app/profile/zanadu.bsky.social/post/3lww3xkqmdk2x] librarians [https://bsky.app/profile/rachelsstorm.bsky.social/post/3lwf3hfmubc2o], who would prefer not to have AI inserted into their favorite apps. The new feature, “Inspire Me,” allows users to get book recommendations by using prompts or from their previously saved titles in Libby. To use the feature, readers tap on the “Inspire Me” options on Libby’s home page, where they can ask for fiction or nonfiction, then narrow down the suggestions by other factors, like age range, type of content, and more. For instance, you might tap on suggestions like “spine-tingling” or “amusing,” then on particular scenarios, such as “dark humor about modern family dysfunction” or “time travelers rescue dragons from medieval knights.” [https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/libby-ai.jpg?w=680]Image Credits:Overdrive/Libby (screenshot) The app will then display five relevant titles that match the requested inspiration. Overdrive, the company that makes the Libby app, says the feature relies on each library’s digital collection, so it will point to books the library offers. It also prioritizes titles that are immediately available to borrow. While a fairly basic use case for AI, some Libby users and librarians are pushing back at the addition via posts on social [https://bsky.app/profile/rachelsstorm.bsky.social/post/3lwf3hfmubc2o] media [https://www.reddit.com/r/LibbyApp/comments/1mr3qxz/hidden_featurefor_inspireme/] sites, saying they’d prefer to get book recommendations without the use of AI technology. Others are worried about the potential privacy issues that come with some AI experiences. Overdrive, however, clarifies in a policy document about Libby’s use of AI [https://about.libbyapp.com/policies/artificial-intelligence] that it avoids collecting “inessential personal information,” and when it does use your personal information, it’s not shared with third parties or artificial intelligence models. The company also says that users’ details and activity aren’t shared with the AI model. Plus, if you share one of your saved tags with the AI to get suggestions, it doesn’t receive any details about you, your device, or the name or description of your tag — it only gets the titles to use for recommendations. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP

Meta plans to launch a super PAC [https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/26/exclusive-meta-to-launch-california-super-pac-focused-on-ai-00524989] to support California candidates favoring a light-touch approach to AI regulation, Politico reports. The news comes as other Silicon Valley behemoths, like Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI’s Greg Brockman, pledge $100 million for a new pro-AI super PAC [https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/silicon-valley-is-pouring-millions-into-pro-ai-pacs-to-sway-midterms/]. Meta will pour tens of millions into its new group, dubbed Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across California, according to Politico. Brian Rice, Meta’s VP of public policy and head of the new PAC, has argued that Sacramento’s regulatory environment “could stifle innovation, block AI progress, and put California’s technology leadership at risk.” Meta’s lobbying force earlier this year targeted state senator Scott Wiener’s SB-53 [https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/09/california-lawmaker-behind-sb-1047-reignites-push-for-mandated-ai-safety-reports/] bill that would require AI firms to publish safety and security protocols and issue reports when safety incidents occur. Last year, it helped kill the Kids Online Safety Act [https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/14/the-kids-online-safety-act-is-back-with-the-potential-to-change-the-internet/] that was widely expected to pass. The social media giant has already donated to various down-ballet candidates from both parties. This new PAC signals an intent to influence statewide elections, including the next governor’s race in 2026. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Got a sensitive tip or confidential documents? We’re reporting on the inner workings of the AI industry — from the companies shaping its future to the people impacted by their decisions. Reach out to Rebecca Bellan at rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com [rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com/] and Maxwell Zeff at maxwell.zeff@techcrunch.com [maxwell.zeff@techcrunch.com/]. For secure communication, you can contact us via Signal at @rebeccabellan.491 and @mzeff.88.

A top Social Security Administration official turned whistleblower says members of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uploaded hundreds of millions of Social Security records to a vulnerable cloud server, putting the personal information of most Americans at risk of compromise. Charles Borges, the Social Security Administration’s chief data officer, said in a newly released whistleblower complaint published Tuesday [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26074874-charles-borges-ssa-disclosure/] that other top agency officials signed off on a decision in June to upload “a live copy of the country’s Social Security information in a cloud environment that circumvents oversight,” despite Borges raising concerns. The database, known as the Numerical Identification System, contains more than 450 million records containing all of the data submitted as part of a Social Security application, including the applicant’s name, place of birth, citizenship, and the Social Security numbers of their family members, as well as other sensitive personal and financial information. Borges said members of DOGE, the team of former Elon Musk employees appointed to government under the guise of reducing fraud and waste [https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/18/the-people-in-elon-musk-doge-universe/], copied the sensitive database to an agency-run Amazon-hosted cloud server “apparently lacking in independent security controls,” such as who was accessing the data and how they were using it. The lack of security protections violated internal agency security controls and federal privacy laws, the complaint alleges. Borges said by allowing DOGE to be administrators of the agency’s cloud, the DOGE operatives would be able to create “publicly accessible services,” meaning that they could allow public access to the cloud system and any of the sensitive data stored inside. Borges warned in the complaint that if this information were compromised, “it is possible that the sensitive [personally identifiable information] on every American including health diagnoses, income levels and banking information, family relationships, and personal biographic data could be exposed publicly, and shared widely.” The complaint said any compromise or unauthorized access to the database would have “catastrophic impact” on the U.S. Social Security program, describing a worst-case scenario as potentially having to reissue everyone’s Social Security numbers. While a federal restraining order in March initially blocked DOGE staffers [https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/20/federal-judge-blocks-doges-access-to-social-security-administrations-banks-of-personal-information/] from accessing the country’s database of Social Security records, the Supreme Court lifted the order on June 6, paving the way for DOGE’s access. In the days that followed, DOGE allegedly worked to seek internal approvals from the agency’s top brass, per Borges’ complaint. The agency’s chief information officer A

Two years ago, Apple announced its Watch Series 9 as its first carbon-neutral product [https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/12/apple-watch-series-9-is-the-companys-first-carbon-neutral-product/]. From cradle to grave, the company said the manufacturing, use, and disposal of the then-new model didn’t contribute to global warming. Now, a German court says that Apple has to recant the claim. Each aluminum Apple Watch Series 9 [https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/watch/Carbon_Neutral_Apple_Watch_Series_9_PER_Sept2023.pdf] and Series 10 [https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/watch/Apple_Watch_Series_10_PER_Sept2024.pdf] — two models with the carbon-neutral designation — generates just over 8 kilograms of carbon emissions. Apple then offsets those emissions through the purchase of carbon credits. The German environmental group Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) brought the lawsuit against Apple. “The Court has broadly upheld our rigorous approach to carbon neutrality,” an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch via email. “We remain laser focused on further reducing emissions by industry-leading innovation in clean energy, low-carbon design and more — work that has put us on track to achieve carbon neutrality throughout our entire supply chain by 2030.” A panel of German judges zeroed in on the nature of Apple’s carbon credits, which stem from the planting of eucalyptus trees in Paraguay. Three-quarters of the project area falls on leased land, and the leases end in 2029. The court said the short timeline undermined the company’s carbon-neutral claims and runs afoul of German competition law. Consumers might reasonably expect that forests used in carbon offset projects today would remain standing in 2050 and beyond since the Paris Agreement calls for a cessation of carbon emissions in the latter half of the century. “Consumers would therefore assume that CO2 compensation is secured for the advertised Apple Watch until about 2050,” the court chairwoman said [https://www.lto.de/recht/nachrichten/n/306o824-lg-frankfurt-apple-watch-greenwashing-duh-uwg]. Without longer-term leases, it’s possible that the plantations would be cut down, undermining the carbon neutrality of any credits sold against them. Update: Added statement from Apple.

Set your alarms. Bookmark this page. Refresh like your future depends on it. After reviewing thousands of groundbreaking applications from around the globe, TechCrunch is just days away from announcing the 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 — our handpicked cohort of the most promising early-stage startups set to take the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/?promo=postinclusion_sb200startup&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=ticketsales&utm_medium=post&utm_source=tc] this October 27-29. The 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 list will go live, right here, on Wednesday, August 27, at 9:00 a.m. PT. Whether you applied, referred a standout founder, or just want to see who made the cut, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for. Your name. Your rival. Your next investment. They might all be on this list. This October marks 20 years that TechCrunch Disrupt [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/?promo=postinclusion_sb200startup&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=ticketsales&utm_medium=post&utm_source=tc] has been shaping the startup world — and we’re pulling out all the stops. For two decades, the biggest names in tech, venture capital, and startups have taken our stage to share their visions and make history. Game-changers like Dropbox, Cloudflare, Fitbit, and Discord got their start in Startup Battlefield [https://techcrunch.com/startup-battlefield/] — and this is where the next generation of breakout companies will be born. Want to see these rising stars pitch live? Hear from top-tier founders and investors? Network with the people shaping the future of tech? Grab your ticket to Disrupt 2025 [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/tickets/?promo=postinclusion_sb200startup&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=ticketsales&utm_medium=post&utm_source=tc], happening October 27-29 in San Francisco. Last year’s winner, Salva Health [https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/30/and-the-winner-of-startup-battlefield-at-disrupt-2024-is-salva-health/], topped a competitive field of startups with its development of a portable device to detect breast cancer early, especially in rural populations that lack access to mammograms and other diagnostic tools. You can relive their victory below, listen to our Equity podcast interview with CEO Valentina Agudelo [https://techcrunch.com/podcast/startup-battlefield-winner-salva-health-is-changing-the-game-in-breast-cancer-detection/], or get a detailed rundown of their journey here [https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/29/salva-health-wants-to-lower-breast-cancer-mortality-with-its-affordable-screening-device/]. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH

Apple said today that it is holding its event for the iPhone 17 [https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/26/iphone-17-the-thinnest-iphone-ever-and-everything-else-were-expecting-out-of-apples-hardware-event/] on Tuesday, September 9 — just like last year. The company has started sending invites for the event, which will be held at the Steve Jobs theatre in Cupertino and will start at 10 a.m. PT/ 1 p.m. ET. While the company is expected to release one regular and two Pro phones, it could replace the Plus with a new and slim iPhone 17 Air model [https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/24/iphone-17-the-thinnest-iphone-ever-and-everything-else-were-expecting-out-of-apples-hardware-event/]. The device could reportedly have a thickness of 5.5 mm with a 6.6-inch screen. This would make the new iPhone 17 Air 0.08 inches thinner than the current-gen models. The base iPhone 17 is reported to have a new and bigger 6.3-inch screen [https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/27/iphone-17-base-model-larger-display-rumor] with a 120Hz refresh rate instead of 60Hz as in previous years. Along with the iPhones, Apple will likely have updated the Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 would be a notable update amid the trio, with a bigger screen and faster charging support. The company might also announce AirPods Pro 3, three years after the previous generation of Pro AirPods were released. The new buds would have a more compact design, a new chip for better noise cancellation and audio processing, and touch-sensitive [https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/10/ios-26-code-airpods-pro-3/] controls. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $600+ BEFORE PRICES RISE. TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $675 BEFORE PRICES RISE. San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 REGISTER NOW [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/?utm_source=tc&utm_medium=ad&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=ticketsales&promo=tc_inline_rb&display=]

SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket lifted off on its 10th test flight Tuesday evening, hitting two long-sought milestones and putting an end to a string of failures. The 403-foot vehicle lifted off from Starbase, SpaceX’s launch facility and recently incorporated city, at 7:30 p.m. ET after two scrubs earlier this week. The rocket ascended on 33 methane-fueled Raptor engines before separating around three minutes after liftoff. On descent, the Super Heavy booster tested out a new maneuver: intentionally shutting down the engines used for landing and transitioning to backup engines. The test will help engineers understand how the booster might perform in the case of failure. The test appeared to go as planned, with the 232-foot-tall booster successfully making a targeted splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, the upper stage, also called Starship, reached space. There, for the first time on a Starship flight, it opened its Pez-style payload door and released eight Starlink mass-simular satellites. This is a capability that SpaceX had planned but failed to demonstrate on earlier missions. The company also successfully relit one of the Raptor engines in space before guiding the vehicle toward the Indian Ocean, where it splashed down, tipped over, and promptly exploded. On the way down, the exterior of the ship was exposed to incredible heat during atmospheric reentry, providing an excellent test environment for the upgraded thermal-protection system. SpaceX also used this test to try out a series of experiments, like removing tiles from sections of the ship to see how its “skin” operates on reentry, plus a new metallic tile and an actively cooled tile. Most importantly, however, is the upper stage completed the entire test and splashed down in the Indian Ocean without losing comms with SpaceX engineers. During the last flight, the ship reached space and then lost attitude control during the coast phase, preventing the payload doors from opening. Engineers appear to have overcome those issues. It’s a big win for SpaceX, which has repeatedly lost the Starship upper stage due to a series of technical failures during flight. The persistent issues have raised questions as to whether the rocket will be ready to land humans on the moon by mid-2027 for NASA, or when it will be capable of deploying next-gen Starlink satellites for the company. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $600+ BEFORE PRICES RISE. TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HER

IBM and AMD [http://techcrunch.com/2025/08/11/nvidia-amd-may-sell-high-end-ai-chips-to-china-if-they-pay-us-a-cut/] are partnering to develop next-generation computing architectures that integrate IBM’s quantum [https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/03/israeli-quantum-startup-qedma-just-raised-26-million-with-ibm-joining-in/] systems with AMD’s AI-specialized chips. The move could position both the tech giant and chipmaker as key infrastructure players as they look to regain ground after falling behind on the generative AI boom. Together, IBM and AMD will attempt to launch a commercially viable quantum computing architecture — one that’s scalable and open sourced. In other words, it will be more widely accessible to researchers and developers solving complex real-world problems in fields like drug and materials discovery, optimization, and logistics, per IBM. “Quantum computing will simulate the natural world and represent information in an entirely new way,” said Arvind Krishna, chairman and CEO of IBM, in a statement [https://newsroom.ibm.com/2025-08-26-ibm-and-amd-join-forces-to-build-the-future-of-computing]. “By exploring how quantum computers from IBM and the advanced high-performance compute technologies of AMD can work together, we will build a powerful hybrid model that pushes past the limits of traditional computing.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Got a sensitive tip or confidential documents? We’re reporting on the inner workings of the AI industry — from the companies shaping its future to the people impacted by their decisions. Reach out to Rebecca Bellan at rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com [rebecca.bellan@techcrunch.com/] and Maxwell Zeff at maxwell.zeff@techcrunch.com [maxwell.zeff@techcrunch.com/]. For secure communication, you can contact us via Signal at @rebeccabellan.491 and @mzeff.88.

Google is rolling out a new AI-powered experimental feature in Google Translate designed to help people practice and learn a new language, the company announced on Tuesday. Translate is also gaining new live capabilities to make it easier to communicate in real time with a person speaking a different language. The new language practice feature is designed for both beginners starting to learn conversational skills and advanced speakers looking to brush up on their vocabulary, the company says. To do so, it creates tailored listening and speaking practice sessions that adapt to a user’s skill level and unique learning goals. With this new language practice feature, Google is taking on Duolingo [https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/07/the-backlash-against-duolingo-going-ai-first-didnt-even-matter/], the popular language learning app that uses a gamified approach to help users practice over 40 languages. [https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Google-Translate-Language-learning-GIF.gif?w=680]Image Credits:Google To access the feature, you’ll select the “practice” option in the Google Translate app. From there, you can set skill level and goals. Google Translate then generates customized scenarios where you can either listen to conversations and tap the words you hear to build comprehension, or you can practice speaking. The exercises track users’ daily progress, Google says. The beta experience is rolling out in the Google Translate app for Android and iOS starting Tuesday. The feature is available first for English speakers practicing Spanish and French, as well as for Spanish, French, and Portuguese speakers practicing English. Google is also introducing the ability for users to have back-and-forth conversations with audio and on-screen translations through the Translate app. “Building on our existing live conversation experience, our advanced AI models are now making it even easier to have a live conversation in more than 70 languages — including Arabic, French, Hindi, Korean, Spanish, and Tamil,” Google wrote in a blog post. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $600+ BEFORE PRICES RISE. TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $675 BEFORE PRICES RISE. San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 REGISTER NOW [https://techcrunch.c

YouTube’s “Hype” feature, which allows fans to help their favorite creators get discovered, is rolling out globally, the company announced [https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/hype-global-expansion/] Tuesday. First introduced [https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/18/youtube-unveils-hype-a-new-way-for-fans-to-help-smaller-creators-grow-their-reach/] at Google’s Made On YouTube event in 2024, the feature — a dedicated button that appears below the existing “like” button — will become available on videos from creators with fewer than 500,000 subscribers. The feature is now available across 39 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and India. Viewers have the opportunity to hype up to three videos per week for a favorite creator. This gives the video points, which helps it gain traction on a new, ranked leaderboard that YouTube users can find in the Explore menu. To make hyping fair, YouTube says it will give smaller creators a bigger boost. That means if a creator has fewer subscribers, they’ll get a bigger bonus when fans hype their video. [https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Secondary_-_hype_leaderboard.width-800.format-webp.webp?w=652]Image Credits:YouTube Videos that have received this fan boost will display a “hyped” badge, and users can also filter their Home feed on YouTube to see only videos with the new “hyped” category. When a video they’ve hyped is getting close to the leaderboard, YouTube will notify the users who helped hype it. Dedicated fans can show their support by earning a new “hype star” badge every month, as well. YouTube said it introduced Hype because it saw that passionate fans wanted to be a part of a creator’s success story. However, the addition will also offer YouTube a new revenue stream as the company said it plans to let fans purchase more “hypes” to help boost their favorite videos in the future. (Paid hypes are currently being tested in [https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/15509925#zippy=%2Cavailability] Brazil and Turkey for the time being, YouTube told TechCrunch). [https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/videoframe_10349.png?w=651]Image Credits:YouTube In the near term, YouTube is also developing hype leaderboards for specific interests, like gaming and style, and a way for fans to share that they’ve just hyped a video. Creators can track their hypes and hype points in the YouTube Studio mobile app, and they can check their video analytics for a new Hype card and recap in their weekly data stories. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $600+ BEFORE PRICES RISE. TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN T

Malaysia has developed its first domestic edge AI processor. Malaysian chip design company SkyeChip [https://skyechip.com/] announced its MARS1000 processor at an industry event on Monday, Bloomberg [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-25/malaysia-unveils-first-ai-device-chip-to-join-global-race?embedded-checkout=true] reported. While an edge processor isn’t as powerful as an advanced Nvidia chip, it still represents a technological milestone for Malaysia, which is looking to play a bigger role in the global AI race. Malaysia already has a foothold in the chip manufacturing sector [https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/05/arm-to-sign-250m-chip-deal-with-malaysia/] and has recently increased its efforts and investment around AI. The country announced the creation of the Malaysian National AI Office [https://ai.gov.my/about-naio] in late 2024, an agency that plans to focus on seven areas, including the acceleration of AI adoption, AI adoption regulatory frameworks, and AI ethics. It was rumored in early July that the Trump administration was considering restricting the sale [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-04/us-plans-ai-chip-curbs-on-malaysia-thailand-over-china-concerns] of U.S. AI chips to Malaysia, and Thailand, in an attempt to prevent smuggling of these chips to China. While those rumors have yet to come to fruition, Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry announced that it was going to require trade permits for U.S. AI chips [https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/14/malaysia-will-require-trade-permits-for-u-s-ai-chips/] on July 14. This rule means individuals and companies are required to notify the Malaysian government at least 30 days in advance if they plan to export or transship U.S.-made AI chips.

The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned an international fraud network used by North Korea to infiltrate U.S. companies with hackers posing as legitimate job seekers, agency officials announced Wednesday. The sanctions are the latest action taken by the U.S. Treasury in recent months aimed at combating North Korean government workers from seeking employment at American companies using fake identities and documents to apply for jobs. Once employed, the hackers earn a wage from the company, but also steal sensitive company data and extort their employers by demanding a ransom. In a statement Wednesday [https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0230], the Treasury said the fraud network generated at least $1 million in profits for the North Korean regime, one of many such schemes that have helped raise billions of dollars in stolen funds [https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/28/north-korean-hackers-have-stolen-billions-in-crypto-by-posing-as-vcs-recruiters-and-it-workers/], including cryptocurrency, to fund its internationally sanctioned nuclear weapons program. As part of its latest round of enforcement, the Treasury sanctioned Vitaliy Sergeyevich Andreyev, a Russian national accused of working with the North Koreans to facilitate payments to a company called Chinyong. The Treasury, which sanctioned Chinyong in 2024 [https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20240327_33], says the company employs delegations of fraudulent IT workers based in Russia and Laos. The U.S. says Andreyev worked with a North Korean consular official based in Russia called Kim Ung Sun to launder close to $600,000 in stolen money into cryptocurrency for the regime. The Treasury sanctioned Shenyang Geumpungri, a Chinese company that the U.S. says also employs fraudulent IT workers on behalf of the North Korean government, as well as Sinjin, another North Korean front company for the IT workers’ scheme. This is the latest round of sanctions targeting North Korea, as well as the U.S.-based facilitators [https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/30/us-government-takes-down-major-north-korean-remote-it-workers-operation/] who help support the North Korean’s sprawling money-stealing schemes [https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/28/north-korean-hackers-have-stolen-billions-in-crypto-by-posing-as-vcs-recruiters-and-it-workers/]. North Korea remains highly dedicated to stealing money and converting it into cryptocurrency to skirt the country’s ban on accessing the global financial system. While the scheme is not new, North Koreans are increasingly effective at getting jobs at U.S. and other Western companies. Security researchers in the past couple of years began raising the alarm about the North Korean IT workers’ schemes. Security firm CrowdStrike says North Korean hackers have infiltrated hundreds of companies in the United States [https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/04/north-korean-spies-posing-as-remote-workers-have-infiltrated-hundreds-of-companies-says-crowdstrike/] alone by using fake documentation and de

We’re thrilled to unveil the 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/startup-battlefield/?promo=post_sbtop200_08272025&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=sb200&utm_medium=post&utm_source=tc] — TechCrunch’s annual, handpicked list of the 200 most promising early-stage startups from around the world. These founders rose to the top from thousands of applications spanning every industry and geography. Their reward? A coveted spot to exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/?utm_source=tc&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=sb200&promo=post_sbtop200_08272025&display=], taking place October 27–29 in San Francisco’s Moscone West. This is the cohort to watch — and this fall, you’ll get to meet them in person. From AI to climate, health to fintech, robotics to consumer — these are the companies shaping the future across every major category. A special thank-you to Google Cloud, our premier sponsor, for helping early-stage startups build, scale, and succeed. Only at Disrupt can you: * Watch live demos of never-before-seen tech. * See Battlefield companies pitch in front of top global VCs. * Cheer them on as they compete for $100,000, equity-free, and the iconic Disrupt Cup. Are you a VC scouting the next breakout investment? A tech enthusiast looking to stay ahead of the curve? An early-stage founder who missed the Battlefield 200 application deadline because you were too busy building a robot in your garage? Step onto the battlefield. Join us at Disrupt 2025. Register for your ticket [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/tickets/?promo=post_sbtop200_08272025&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=sb200&utm_medium=post&utm_source=tc] before prices go up in September. Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $600+ BEFORE PRICES RISE. TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $675 BEFORE PRICES RISE. San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 REGISTER NOW [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/?utm_source=tc&utm_medium=ad&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=ticketsales&promo=tc_inline_rb&display=] Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for … PRESENTING THE 2025 STARTUP BATTLEFIELD 200 AGTECH & FOOD AQUAWISE [https://aquawise.tech/] Clave [htt

Hardware company Plaud.ai [https://www.plaud.ai/] released its new physical notetaker, the Plaud AI Pro, on Wednesday. The notetaker, priced at $179, comes two years after the original Plaud Note was released, and a year after the company released an AI pin [https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/28/plaud-takes-a-crack-at-a-simpler-ai-pin/]. For people who haven’t seen one, the Plaud Note is a credit-card-sized hardware notetaker, which can stick on the back of your phone and help you take notes for calls or in-person meetings. The Note Pro looks similar to the original Note, but there’s one major difference. The new device has a small 0.95-inch AMOLED screen, which shows information like a recording indicator and battery level. An image of Plaud AI hardware notetaker displaying battery level on its tiny screen. [https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Black_side.jpeg?w=680]Image Credits:Plaud.ai The Note Pro offers a 30-hour recording capacity for the standard range. But you can push the device to record for 50 hours with a shorter range of 9.8 feet (nearly 3 meters) on a single charge. The company said that the Note Pro has four MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) mics, compared with two on the last-gen device, to better capture audio. Because of this, the Note Pro can capture audio within the range of 16.4 feet (nearly 5 meters), resulting in a 2x jump in range from the original Note Pro. The startup said users will get better noise suppression and speaker detection with the new device, as well. While you had to manually switch between calls and in-person recording on the original Note, the Note Pro uses an auto-detection feature for this. Plaud.ai is also updating its companion app with new features. You can take notes in text on your phone — just like Granola [https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/14/ai-note-taking-app-granola-raises-43m-at-250m-valuation-launches-collaborative-features/] — and add images, like slides. The app update also offers “multidimensional summaries,” which allow you to extract insights in different formats, such as key insights or data items. The company built templates for summary generation, and the app can automatically suggest the right one based on your role. Plus, you can build your own templates. An Image showing a person using Plaud AI notetaker while adding an image to notes using Plaud's app [https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Highlight-Multimodal-AI.jpg?w=680]Image Credits:Plaud.ai Another new feature, still in beta, allows you to query your notes. The Plaud Note Pro is priced at $179/£169, and users can preorder the device starting today, with shipping slated for October 2025. The company said people preordering the device will get 600 complimentary transcription minutes along with a magnetic case. Users can get 300 minutes of monthly transcription for free, and if they want more, they need to buy a paid monthly plan or a one-time top-up. Plaud is one of the companies that has been successfu

Seven years after unveiling Mirror at TechCrunch Disrupt 2018, Brynn Putnam is returning to the stage where it all began. The serial entrepreneur who turned a fitness concept into a $500 million acquisition by Lululemon will debut her latest venture at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/?utm_source=tc&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=speaker&promo=post_brynnputnam_08272025&display=] at San Francisco’s Moscone West in October. TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 Brynn Putnam [https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/TC25_-Brynn-Putnam-Speaker-16x9-Dark.png?w=680]https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/?utm_source=tc&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=speaker&promo=post_brynnputnam_08272025&display= Putnam’s path from that breakthrough Disrupt moment to today is a story of very smart timing. Mirror, the connected fitness device that brought boutique workout classes into homes, launched just as the pandemic created unprecedented demand for home fitness solutions. The timing proved so prescient that Lululemon acquired the company for $500 million just two years after its Disrupt debut. Now Putnam is betting on another cultural shift — the growing desire to disconnect from screens and reconnect with family and friends in person. Her new company, still operating in stealth mode, is developing consumer gaming hardware designed to bring people face-to-face rather than isolate them behind individual devices. “We’re about to enter a golden age of hardware,” Putnam recently told TechCrunch [https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/16/consumer-tech-is-bouncing-back-and-consumer-founders-like-brynn-putnam-are-bouncing-back-with-it/] at one of its investor-focused StrictlyVC evenings [https://www.flickr.com/photos/techcrunch/albums/72177720321931752/], pointing to the convergence of mature display technologies, affordable components, and AI capabilities that make new types of interactive devices possible. [https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-26-at-1.09.07PM.png?w=680]https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/?utm_source=tc&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=disrupt2025&utm_content=speaker&promo=post_brynnputnam_08272025&display=Image Credits:TechCrunch The new venture represents a shift in priorities for Putnam. Where Mirror was about individual performance and self-improvement, her latest project focuses on shared experiences and strengthening relationships. She describes it as using technology not as the primary experience but as an enabler for better human connections. Drawing inspiration from Nintendo’s philosophy of using “withered technology with lateral thinking” — mature, affordable components combined with innovative experiences — Putnam is following the playbook that made Mirror successful. Rather than pushing technological boundaries, though, she’s focusing on creating compelling user experiences with proven hardware. The gaming space represents a natur

If there’s one thing McDonald’s has done for the world, it’s made starting a burger restaurant relatively straightforward. Franchisees buy into the system, and in return they get equipment, marketing, and even an operating manual. Terraton [https://terraton.ai/] wants to bring that same model to biochar, a technology that turns agricultural waste into a carbon dioxide-sequestering fertilizer. Terraton recently raised an $11.5 million seed round for its “business-in-a-box” approach to biochar project development, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. The series was led by Lowercarbon Capital and Gigascale Capital. ANA Holdings’ ANA Future Frontier Fund and East Japan Railway Company’s Takanawa Gateway Global Co-Benefits Fund participated, along with a number of angel investors, including Google’s Jeff Dean and OpenAI board member Bret Taylor. “Most biochar facilities, people have only ever built one,” said Greg D’Alesandre, co-founder of Terraton. “They’ve never learned and progressed.” Terraton is betting that it can help a few partners build biochar facilities and, from that experience, clone those facilities with any number of companies that want to get into the business. Along the way, it’s developing a SaaS component to run the plants, measure and verify carbon credits, and sell them to large companies. Co-founder and CEO Kevin Gibbs and D’Alesandre think that biochar is ripe for the franchise approach. The technology burns waste plant material in the absence of oxygen, and the resulting black matter can be incorporated into soil, where it stores carbon for hundreds of years while improving soil health. “The science is settled. It’s reliable and delivered today. It’s at a good price. But the problem is it’s supply constrained. There’s not enough of it to go around,” Gibbs told TechCrunch. “When we talk to the big buyers like Microsoft, Google, Airbus — those sort of companies — they want to buy more, and they can’t find more places to buy it from.” Techcrunch event TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL, ELAD GIL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $600+ BEFORE PRICES RISE. TECH AND VC HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA NETFLIX, ELEVENLABS, WAYVE, SEQUOIA CAPITAL — JUST A FEW OF THE HEAVY HITTERS JOINING THE DISRUPT 2025 AGENDA. THEY’RE HERE TO DELIVER THE INSIGHTS THAT FUEL STARTUP GROWTH AND SHARPEN YOUR EDGE. DON’T MISS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT, AND A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM THE TOP VOICES IN TECH — GRAB YOUR TICKET NOW AND SAVE UP TO $675 BEFORE PRICES RISE. San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025 REGISTER NOW [https://techcrunch.com/events/tc-disrupt-2025/?utm_source=tc&utm_medium=ad&utm_campaign=disrupt2

Elon Musk’s The Boring Company is finally testing Full Self-Driving (Supervised), the advanced driver assistance system created by Tesla, in the tunnels that connect Las Vegas’ Convention Center to a few nearby hotels, according to Fortune [https://fortune.com/2025/08/26/tesla-self-driving-cars-testing-boring-co-tunnels-las-vegas/]. Steve Hill, the CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority told the outlet that The Boring Company has been doing tests of the software for a few months now in Tesla vehicles with only safety drivers onboard. But any widespread use of the tech is still “a ways off,” Hill said. The Tesla tunnels [https://www.boringcompany.com/loop] have been open for around four years [https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/12/early-data-from-elon-musks-las-vegas-loop-shows-a-slower-yet-popular-service/], and while The Boring Company has plans to expand them across Las Vegas, they currently serve a small area underneath and around the Convention Center. Despite Tesla’s recent launch of a small-scale, invite-only robotaxi service in Austin, Texas (and a similarly small ride-hail service in San Francisco), and Musk’s boasting about how good the technology is, Hill said that safety drivers still have to “periodically” intervene and take control of the vehicles. In theory, the simple tunnels should be an easy task for Tesla’s autonomy software to solve, with perhaps the greatest challenge being navigating passenger pick-up and drop-off at the various underground stations. Hill said the colorful lighting of The Boring Company’s tunnels, along with the semi-smooth rock walls, have been challenges that the driver assistance system has had to cope with as the cars “find spots that are difficult for them.”