Decentralized social network Mastodon says it can’t comply with Mississippi’s age verification law — the same law that saw rival Bluesky pull out of the state — because it doesn’t have the means to do so. The social non-profit explains that Mastodon doesn’t track its users, which makes it difficult …
Read More »Henrik Fisker quietly wound down his nonprofit after his EV startup went bankrupt
Henrik Fisker, the founder of failed EV startup Fisker Inc., and his wife Geeta quietly wound down a private charitable foundation established in late 2021 that was supposed to “incubate innovation in healthcare, education, sustainability, mobility, and all causes that help support the planet and improve and further the lives …
Read More »Apply to host a Side Event at Disrupt 2025
TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is where over 10,000 founders, VCs, and tech innovators collide on October 27-29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. But the conversations don’t end when the venue doors close. They spill across San Francisco — throughout the week — into the rooms, rooftops, and lounges where the real …
Read More »Microsoft and Uber alum raises $3M for YC-backed Munify, a neobank for the Egyptian diaspora
Khalid Ashmawy remembers the first time he wired money home while studying in Europe. He had just received his monthly stipend as a master’s student in Stuttgart and wanted to send part of it back to his family in Cairo. It was usually a slow and expensive process, he recalled. …
Read More »Billionaire Ambani taps Google, Meta to build India’s AI backbone
Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man and chairman of Reliance Industries, has unveiled an ambitious plan to build the country’s AI backbone through a new subsidiary — starting with strategic partnerships with Google Cloud and Meta. At the company’s 48th annual general meeting on Friday, Ambani launched a new venture called …
Read More »Vocal Image is using AI to help people communicate better
With 4 million app downloads, Estonia-based startup Vocal Image aims to help people improve their voice and communication skills with AI-powered coaching. But out of its 160,000 active users, it may be its CEO, Nick Lakhoika, who best embodies its mission. Lakhoika was born in Belarus, didn’t speak English until …
Read More »Trump administration’s deal is structured to prevent Intel from selling foundry unit
The Trump administration seems intent on controlling Intel’s ability to make key business decisions around its floundering foundry business unit. Intel’s CFO David Zinsner shared new details about the company’s recent deal with the Trump administration, which gave the U.S. government a 10% equity stake, at a Deutsche Bank conference …
Read More »Anthropic users face a new choice – opt out or share your data for AI training
Anthropic is making some big changes to how it handles user data, requiring all Claude users to decide by September 28 whether they want their conversations used to train AI models. While the company directed us to its blog post on the policy changes when asked about what prompted the …
Read More »Nvidia, Google, and Bill Gates help Commonwealth Fusion Systems raise $863M
Fusion power startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems has raised $863 million from a long list of investors that includes Nvidia, Google, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and more. “We’re continuing our trend here of looking into the world and saying, ‘How do we advance fusion as fast as possible?’” co-founder and CEO Bob …
Read More »AI or not, Will Smith’s crowd video is fresh cringe
Will Smith posted a video on social media that shows oceans of fans cheering him on during his recent European tour. “My favorite part of the tour is seeing you all up close,” the caption says. “Thank you for seeing me too.” In these thousands-deep crowds, some fans are holding …
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