TechCrunch

438 articles in the Truth Foundry index. Each links out to the original.

• Australian Startups Have 48 Hours Left to Apply for Stripe x Startup Battlefield · Australian founders must apply by July 20 2026 for the Stripe x Startup Battlefield competition offering cash prizes and entry to TechCrunch Disrupt.
• Vertu Alphafold Hermes AI Agent Tested for Executive Workflows · Vertu’s $6,880 Alphafold pairs luxury hardware with Hermes Agent AI to automate executive tasks, but testing showed mixed results against Samsung’s Gemini.
• Databricks Hits $188B Valuation in Latest AI-Focused Funding Round · Databricks announced a funding round valuing the company at $188 billion, led by Coatue, as it continues its transition into an AI provider.
• VC Jeremy Levine Uses Zoom Name Hack to Block AI Transcription · Venture capitalist Jeremy Levine changes his Zoom display name to refuse consent for AI transcription of meetings.
• AI Memory Demand Raises Smartphone Prices and Cuts India Shipments 10% · Rising AI-driven memory chip costs have pushed up handset prices and caused India's smartphone shipments to fall 10% year-over-year in the April-June quarter.
• San Francisco Orders Apple and Google to Remove Nudify Apps · San Francisco city attorney demands Apple and Google purge nudify apps enabling non-consensual deepfake pornography.
• Valar Atomics Seeks $6 Billion Valuation in New Funding Round Led by Sequoia · Valar Atomics is raising a $1 billion round at a $6 billion valuation with Sequoia expected to lead for its small modular nuclear reactors.
• Reviewer Replaces Space Heater and Fan with Dyson HF1 Smart Appliance · A consumer reporter tests the Dyson Hot+Cool HF1, replacing two appliances with one smart, bladeless unit.
• Apple Lawsuit Alleges OpenAI Misconduct and Could Delay IPO Plans · Apple filed a trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI alleging misconduct by former employees and targeting the chief hardware officer, potentially disrupting the AI firm's IPO timeline.
• TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Panel Offers Pre-Seed Funding Advice Without a Product · Disrupt 2026 features a panel on securing pre-seed funding despite lacking a minimum viable product.
• Zoox Recalls Software After Robotaxi Confused by Smoke at Fire Scene · Zoox issued a software recall after a robotaxi struggled to navigate a smoke-filled emergency fire scene in June.
• SpaceX Aborts Starship V3 Launch Minutes After Ignition · SpaceX aborted its second Starship V3 launch attempt shortly after engine ignition due to a failure to start some engines.
• Coca-Cola Suspends Fairlife Dairy Production After Ransomware Attack · Coca-Cola suspended Fairlife dairy production in the U.S. following a ransomware attack on its systems.
• Founders Fund Hires Ex-OpenAI VP Ryan Beiermeister After Adult Mode Dispute · Ryan Beiermeister joins Founders Fund as partner following her departure from OpenAI over product policy disagreements.
• Google Vids Adds AI Avatars and Gemini Omni Video Editing Features · Google Vids now lets users create AI avatars and edit videos with Gemini Omni.
• Roblox Launches AI Game Builder 'Build' for Mobile Users · Roblox introduces 'Build,' an AI tool allowing mobile users to create games from text prompts without coding.
• AI Travel Agency Fora Reaches Unicorn Status with $60M Series D · Fora, an AI-powered travel agency platform, raised $60M to reach a $1 billion valuation.
• Google AI Mode Integrates Instacart, Canva, and YouTube for Task Automation · Google expands AI Mode to link with Instacart, Canva, and YouTube for shopping, design, and music tasks.
• DoorDash Launches CLI Tool for AI Agents to Order Food · DoorDash opens limited beta CLI tool allowing developers to order food via AI agents
• UK Jails Two Teen Hackers, Severely Disrupts Scattered Spider Operations · U.K. police say sentencing two teenage hackers severely hampered the infamous cybercrime group Scattered Spider.
• OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Basketball as Part of New Campaign · OpenAI released a $70 ChatGPT basketball as part of its 'Pause. Play. Prompt.' campaign, aiming to encourage creativity beyond screens.
• Sheryl Sandberg Leads $10M Investment in AI Vehicle Inspection Startup Self Inspection · Sheryl Sandberg's family office leads $10M investment in Self Inspection's AI-powered vehicle damage assessment platform.
• AMI Labs CEO Rejects AGI and Superintelligence Labels for World Models · AMI Labs CEO Alexandre LeBrun avoids terms like AGI, preferring world models for physical AI.
• Aina Raises $5.5M for Action-Oriented AI Control Devices · Aina raised $5.5M to build hardware that controls AI agents rather than just recording context.
• Meta to Alert Parents if Teens Discuss Suicide or Self-Harm with AI Chatbot · Meta will notify parents if their teen discusses suicide or self-harm with Meta AI, with emergency service contact planned.
• Lululemon Invests $30M in French Nylon Recycling Startup Syntetica · Lululemon leads a $30M Series A for Syntetica, a startup recycling mixed nylon textile waste into reusable pellets.
• Applied Computing Raises $20M Series A Led by KBR for Industrial AI · Applied Computing secures $20M Series A funding from KBR to deploy its Orbital AI model for oil and gas plants.
• Greylock Ventures Caps $1.5B Fund Despite Ability to Raise More · Greylock Ventures raised a $1.5B fund, capping size to prioritize deep support for fewer portfolio companies.
• NTSB Confirms Tesla Driver Pressed Accelerator 100% in Fatal Texas Crash · NTSB data shows Tesla driver Michael Butler pressed accelerator to 100% during fatal crash in Katy, Texas.
• Microsoft Patches Historic Security Flaw in Age of Empires II · Microsoft patched a remote code execution bug in Age of Empires II discovered via AI-assisted research.