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Who’s behind the new ‘stealth model’ Ox Alpha?

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TechCrunch · Technology

Who’s behind the new ‘stealth model’ Ox Alpha?

A mysterious new AI model called Ox Alpha has driven certain corners of the internet into a frenzy of speculation.

Anthony Ha 2 hours ago

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Uber faces fine of nearly $1B over automated driver suspensions

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TechCrunch · Technology

Uber faces fine of nearly $1B over automated driver suspensions

The Dutch Data Protection Authority is fining Uber €825 million in the second largest penalty issued under Europe’s GDPR.

Anthony Ha 3 hours ago

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TechCrunch Mobility: The custom chip driving Waymo’s robotaxi ambitions

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TechCrunch · Technology

TechCrunch Mobility: The custom chip driving Waymo’s robotaxi ambitions

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation.

Kirsten Korosec 6 hours ago

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Flock CEO calls for ‘compromise’ as surveillance company faces growing backlash

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TechCrunch · Technology

Flock CEO calls for ‘compromise’ as surveillance company faces growing backlash

Flock Safety faces a growing public outcry over concerns that its surveillance technology could be misused.

Anthony Ha 7 hours ago

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Is it legal to train AI models on copyrighted books? It’s complicated

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TechCrunch · Technology

Is it legal to train AI models on copyrighted books? It’s complicated

Most published authors have, without their knowledge or consent, contributed to the development of the same AI tools that threaten to undermine their livelihoods. That seems illegal, right?

Amanda Silberling 7 hours ago

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Two years after launch, Walmart’s Flipkart is closing in on India’s quick-commerce leaders

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TechCrunch · Technology

Two years after launch, Walmart’s Flipkart is closing in on India’s quick-commerce leaders

Flipkart's quick-commerce venture is delivering 1.1 million to 1.2 million orders a day, nearly triple its November volume.

Jagmeet Singh 19 hours ago

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Harvard’s $699 startup bootcamp offers AI avatars of its instructors

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TechCrunch · Technology

Harvard’s $699 startup bootcamp offers AI avatars of its instructors

In the HBS Foundry program, AI avatars provide feedback during practice pitches and board meetings.

Anthony Ha 1 day ago

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Will the DOJ’s investigation into a16z spook other VCs?

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TechCrunch · Technology

Will the DOJ’s investigation into a16z spook other VCs?

On the latest episode of Equity, we wonder why the DOJ is investigating startup board seats.

Anthony Ha 1 day ago

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Inherent, founded by DeepMind alumni, says its AI ‘teammate’ just outperformed Anthropic and OpenAI at replicating research

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TechCrunch · Technology

Inherent, founded by DeepMind alumni, says its AI ‘teammate’ just outperformed Anthropic and OpenAI at replicating research

Built by DeepMind alumni, British AI lab Inherent released Faraday, an AI agent whose ability to replicate scientific papers could be a stepping stone for innovation.

Anna Heim 1 day ago

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OpenAI says California should strengthen its AI safety bill

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TechCrunch · Technology

OpenAI says California should strengthen its AI safety bill

OpenAI is calling for California to strengthen SB 53, an AI safety bill that the company previously opposed.

Anthony Ha 1 day ago

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Frontier AI labs still won’t say how they’d contain a rogue model

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TechCrunch · Technology

Frontier AI labs still won’t say how they’d contain a rogue model

A new study finds leading AI labs have few publicly documented plans for containing rogue models, raising questions about preparedness as AI systems increasingly demonstrate unexpected and potentially dangerous behavior.

Rebecca Bellan 1 day ago

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US battery startups have found a lifeline in defense

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TechCrunch · Technology

US battery startups have found a lifeline in defense

U.S. battery startups pulled in $500 million in grants from the Department of Energy, throwing a lifeline to an industry that was on the ropes after EV incentives were slashed.

Tim De Chant 1 day ago

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Pixel 11 Pro XL review: Snappier cameras can’t hide an iterative upgrade

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TechCrunch · Technology

Pixel 11 Pro XL review: Snappier cameras can’t hide an iterative upgrade

Google’s Pixel 11 Pro XL brings snappier cameras and genuinely useful AI features like Rambler, but its iterative upgrades may not be enough to tempt recent Pixel owners.

Ivan Mehta 1 day ago

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Michael Polansky is training an AI model on skin that’s still alive

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TechCrunch · Technology

Michael Polansky is training an AI model on skin that’s still alive

Michael Polansky — better known publicly as Lady Gaga's partner and a former top deputy to Sean Parker — has quietly spent years building an AI-driven startup that keeps living human skin tissue alive for weeks outside the body to discover new skincare compounds, and is only now going public about i...

Connie Loizos 1 day ago

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Japanese space tech startup Letara expands beyond satellite thrusters with $16M

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TechCrunch · Technology

Japanese space tech startup Letara expands beyond satellite thrusters with $16M

Japanese space startup Letara is betting its hybrid rocket technology can move beyond small satellite thrusters into a broader market for space, defense and security, after raising ¥2.6 billion ($16 million).

Kate Park 1 day ago

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TechCrunch · Technology

Anthropic’s Opus 4.6 is a smut-machine

Anthropic forbids its Claude models from generating sexually explicit content. But a series of tests conducted by TechCrunch found that it didn't take much to get past the restriction.

Rebecca Bellan 1 day ago

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Nvidia partners with data center developer Cloverleaf

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TechCrunch · Technology

Nvidia partners with data center developer Cloverleaf

Nvidia continues to pour money into data center development — just as AI data centers bring lots of money into Nvidia.

Lucas Ropek 2 days ago

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How AI accounting startup Rillet raised $100M and became a unicorn in 48 hours

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TechCrunch · Technology

How AI accounting startup Rillet raised $100M and became a unicorn in 48 hours

Rillet CEO Nicolas Kopp shared growth numbers at a board meeting and set off a fundraising frenzy from Iconiq, Sequoia and others. Without even trying.

Dominic-Madori Davis 2 days ago

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Apple is reportedly cutting hundreds of jobs from Siri, Vision Pro teams

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TechCrunch · Technology

Apple is reportedly cutting hundreds of jobs from Siri, Vision Pro teams

Apple has admitted that some roles are being impacted as it shifts its focus away from certain initiatives.

Lucas Ropek 2 days ago

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TikTok reaches $400M settlement over children’s privacy lawsuit

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TechCrunch · Technology

TikTok reaches $400M settlement over children’s privacy lawsuit

Two years after the U.S. Department of Justice alleged that TikTok violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, it has reached a $400 million settlement.

Lauren Forristal 2 days ago

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The $225 Pebble Time 2 is a refreshingly fun smartwatch

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TechCrunch · Technology

The $225 Pebble Time 2 is a refreshingly fun smartwatch

The $225 Pebble Time 2 pairs quirky watch faces and apps with physical buttons, an e-paper display, weeks of battery life, and a playful hacker spirit.

Sarah Perez 2 days ago

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Nvidia just showed that the harness, not the AI model, is now the real hero

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TechCrunch · Technology

Nvidia just showed that the harness, not the AI model, is now the real hero

Nvidia research shows that AI agents can perform well, and not go off the deep end, through fine-tuning, even if the AI model isn't that great at the task.

Julie Bort 2 days ago

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