TechCrunch Industry News
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OpenAI reportedly finalizing $100B deal; SoftBank spending $33B to build huge U.S. gas power plant; and New York hits the brakes on robotaxi expansion
OpenAI is reportedly getting close to closing a $100 billion deal, with backers including Amazon, Nvidia, SoftBank, and Microsoft. The deal would value the ChatGPT-maker at $850 billion. SoftBank's project would be among the largest and most expensive natural gas power plants. And, New York pulled a robotaxi expansion proposal that was viewed as a win for Waymo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon halts Blue Jay robotics project after less than six months; plus, Mastodon plans to target creators with new features
Amazon said Blue Jay's core tech will be used for other robotics projects and the employees who worked on it were moved to other projects. Also, Mastodon is looking to grow its open source, decentralized social network with new features aimed at creators. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Audible’s new ‘Read & Listen’ feature syncs your with Kindle; plus, X continues to bet on vertical video
Audible's feature will require customers to buy discounted versions of both versions of the title. Also, X's new immersive video player is designed to offer a more mobile-friendly experience, optimized especially for portrait-oriented videos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta’s own research found parental supervision doesn’t really help curb teens’ compulsive social media use; plus, Apple may be cooking up a trio of AI wearables
An internal research study at Meta found that parental supervision may not help teens regulate their social media, and teens with trauma are more inclined to overuse social media. Also, as the AI hardware space heats up, the iPhone maker has multiple smart products in development. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Running AI models is turning into a memory game
When we talk about the cost of AI infrastructure, the focus is usually on Nvidia and GPUs -- but memory is an increasingly important part of the picture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Have money, will travel: a16z’s hunt for the next European unicorn
According to a16z, it has eyes around the world in order to spot companies as early as local funds might. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After all the hype, some AI experts don’t think OpenClaw is all that exciting
"From an AI research perspective, this is nothing novel," one expert told TechCrunch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Anthropic and the Pentagon arguing over Claude usage; plus, the great computer science exodus
The Pentagon is pushing AI companies to allow the U.S. military to use their technology for “all lawful purposes,” but Anthropic is pushing back, according to a new report in Axios. The government is reportedly making the same demand to OpenAI, Google, and xAI. Also, college students are losing some interest in computer science broadly but gaining interest in AI-specific majors and courses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
For $1M, you can pay Bryan Johnson to teach you how to live longer; plus, Amazon’s Ring cancels partnership with Flock
For $1 million, you can pay Bryan Johnson (or BryanAI?) to teach you how to live longer Also, Ring's Super Bowl commercial stoked controversy over the company's capacity for mass surveillance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aurora’s driverless trucks can now travel farther distances faster than human drivers
CEO Chris Urmson called it a “superhuman” moment, adding that Aurora’s trucks can now carry freight 1,000 miles in 15 hours — faster than what a human driver can legally accomplish. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI disbands mission alignment team; plus, xAI lays out interplanetary ambitions in public all-hands
The team's leader has been given a new role as OpenAI's Chief Futurist, while the other team members have been reassigned throughout the company. Also, xAI took the rare step of publishing its full 45-minute all-hands presentation to the X platform, making it widely available. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
UpScrolled’s social network is struggling to moderate hate speech after fast growth; plus,
Upscrolled, a social network that surged in the wake of the U.S. TikTok deal, has seen an uptick in harmful content, including user names and hashtags that contain racial slurs. Also, Threads' new feature lets users tell Threads what they temporarily want to see more or less of in their feed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
An ice dance duo skated to AI music at the Olympics
Czech ice dancers Katerina Mrazkova and Daniel Mrazek are learning the hard way that LLMs sometimes spit out straight-up plagiarism. Also, an OpenAI executive denied allegations that she engaged in discrimination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google sent personal and financial information of student journalist to ICE; plus, Nearly half of xAI’s founding team has now left the company
The tech giant handed over the personal information of a journalist and student who attended a pro-Palestinian protest in 2024. This is the latest example of ICE using its controversial subpoena powers to target people critical of the Trump administration. Also, out of the twelve-person xAI founding team, only seven are still at the company (counting Elon). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trump EPA reportedly seeks to revoke landmark air pollution rule; plus, Spotify hits a record 751M monthly users
EPA administrator Lee Zeldin is reportedly expected to repeal the 2009 "endangerment finding" that underpins U.S. climate regulatory efforts. Also, Spotify credited a successful Wrapped campaign and new features in its free tier for its rapid user growth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
So, what’s going on with Musicboard?; plus, Lidar-maker Ouster buys vision company StereoLabs
Is Musicboard shutting down? Company says no, but users are worried. Also, Ouster is paying $35 million along with 1.8 million shares. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ex-Googlers are building infrastructure to help companies understand their video data
Founded by former Google Japan leaders, InfiniMind is building enterprise AI to turn vast, unused video archives into searchable, actionable business intelligence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
New York lawmakers propose a three-year pause on new data centers; plus, San Francisco’s pro-billionaire march drew dozens
Although the bill’s prospects are uncertain, New York is at least the sixth state to consider pausing construction of new data centers. Also, a march supporting California’s billionaires didn’t exactly draw a huge crowd on Saturday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Reddit looks to AI search as its next big opportunity; plus, AWS revenue continues to soar as cloud demand remains high
Reddit says its search business, including AI answers, is an "enormous" opportunity. Also, AWS recorded its best quarter, in terms of revenue growth, in 13 quarters in Q4 2025 as AI drives AWS adoption. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI launches a way for enterprises to build and manage AI agents; plus, Anthropic releases Opus 4.6 with new ‘agent teams’
OpenAI launched Frontier, a new platform designed for enterprises to build and deploy agents while treating them like human employees. Also, the newest version of Anthropic's model is designed to broaden its appeal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Secondary sales shift from founder windfalls to employee-retention tools' plus, Meta tests a standalone app for its AI-generated ‘Vibes’ videos
AI startups like Clay and ElevenLabs are using early liquidity to keep their best talent. Also, launched last September, Vibes lets you create and share short-form AI-generated videos and access a dedicated feed that displays AI videos from others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Accel doubles down on Fibr AI as agents turn static websites into one-to-one experiences
Fibr AI replaces marketing agency– and engineering-heavy website personalization with autonomous systems designed for enterprise scale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Alexa+, Amazon’s AI assistant, is now available to everyone in the U.S.
Amazon opens Alexa+ to everyone in the U.S. The AI feature is free for Prime members across devices, and free for everyone on mobile and web. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Homeland Security is trying to force tech companies to hand over data about Trump critics
The use of administrative subpoenas, which are not subject to judicial oversight, are used to demand a wealth of information from tech companies, including the owners of anonymous online accounts documenting ICE operations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fitbit founders launch AI platform to help families monitor their health; plus, French police search X office in Paris
Luffu uses AI in the background to gather and organize family information, learn day-to-day patterns, and flag notable changes so families can stay aligned and address potential wellbeing issues. Also, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced that it is expanding a criminal investigation into X for alleged crimes, including the possession and distribution of child sexual exploitation material. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Firefox will soon let you block all of its generative AI features; plus, Ring brings its ‘Search Party’ feature for finding lost dogs to non-Ring camera owners
Starting with Firefox 148 arriving later this month, users will find a new AI controls section within the desktop browser settings. Also, Ring's Search Party feature for finding lost dogs is now available across the U.S. — even if you don't own a Ring camera. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What Snowflake’s deal with OpenAI tells us about the enterprise AI race; plus, GrubHub's new fee policy
Snowflake is the latest enterprise to sign multi-year deals with multiple AI companies in what could be a sign to come of a future trend. Also, in a bold move to close the gap with rivals, Grubhub is waiving delivery and service fees on restaurant orders over $50. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bye-bye corporate conglomerates. Hello personal conglomerates.
TechCrunch's Tim DeChant writes about Elon Musk's reported merging of SpaceX, xAI, and Tesla and how it harkens back to the heyday of General Electric — or maybe the robber barons of the Gilded Age. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The iPhone just had its best quarter ever; plus, Amazon is reportedly in talks to invest $50B in OpenAI
Growth in regions like China and India are credited with pushing Apple's phone sales higher than ever. Also, If a deal materializes, it would mean Amazon is backing competing startups in the race for AI supremacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tesla’s energy storage business is growing faster than any other part of the company; plus, Apple bought Israeli startup Q.AI
Energy storage products like the Megapack, Megablock, and Powerwall drove Also, Apple announced its acquisition of Q.AI for a reported nearly $2 billion, making it the company's second-largest acquisition to date. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI’s Sora app is struggling after its stellar launch; plus, Music Publishers sue Anthropic for $3B
Sora's mobile app downloads fell 45% in January, and consumer spending dropped. Originally, these music publishers had filed a lawsuit against Anthropic over its use of about 500 copyrighted works. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Luminar sale approved despite last-minute mystery bid
An unidentified bidder submitted a Hail Mary offer that was "substantially higher" than the winning bid at auction. Founder Austin Russell has been circling a bid, but it's not clear he was behind it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SFPD investigating Zoox collision with a parked car; plus, Allbirds is closing its last brick-and-mortar store in SF
The investigation is looking into a January 17 crash where a Zoox robotaxi hit the driver's side door of a parked car, which Zoox said was "suddenly opened." Also, once symbolic of a mid-2010s San Francisco tech bro, Allbirds is cutting costs to "support the long-term health of the business." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amid Trump weaponized sanctions, Europeans look to rely less on US tech; plus R.I.P. Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh
European governments are looking to move away from U.S. tech and reclaim their digital sovereignty at a time of unpredictability and volatility in the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Uber launches an ‘AV Labs’ division to gather driving data for robotaxi partners; plus, Luminar receives a larger $33 million bid for its lidar business
Uber is not developing its own robotaxis again; instead it plans to collect and offer data. It's a bet that more volume will help autonomous vehicle partners solve the weirdest edge cases. Also, a new leading bidder has appeared in the Luminar bankruptcy case: Redmond, Washington-based MicroVision, which beat out Quantum Computing Inc.'s bid by $5 million. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Science fiction writers, Comic-Con say goodbye to AI; plus, ChatGPT is pulling answers from Elon Musk’s Grokipedia
Some of the major players in science fiction and pop culture are taking firmer stances against generative AI. Also, information from the conservative-leaning, AI-generated encyclopedia developed by Elon Musk’s xAI is beginning to appear in answers from ChatGPT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What to know about Netflix’s landmark acquisition of Warner Bros.
Learn more about Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros., considered the most historic megadeal in Hollywood, as it continues to develop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TikTok users freak out over app’s ‘immigration status’ collection — here’s what it means
TikTok users are freaking out over a mention of "immigration status" data collection, but lawyers explain the disclosure is related to state privacy laws. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tesla discontinues Autopilot in bid to boost adoption of its FSD software; plus, GM will end Chevy Bolt EV production next year
The company is also currently facing a 30-day suspension of its manufacturing and dealer licenses in California for deceptive marketing about Autopilot's capabilities. Also, the factory musical chairs reflect an economic and political environment, shaped by the Trump administration's tariff policy and its decision to end the federal EV tax credit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Are AI agents ready for the workplace? A new benchmark raises doubts.; plus, Ring is adding a new content verification feature
New research looks at how leading AI models hold up doing actual white-collar work tasks, drawn from consulting, investment banking, and law. Most models failed. Also, Ring says the new feature will identify if video edits have been made, even if they're minor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google DeepMind CEO ‘surprised’ OpenAI is rushing forward with ads in ChatGPT; plus Substack launched a TV app
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis says the tech giant isn't pressuring him to insert ads into the AI chatbot experience. Also, Substack's move comes as the company has been investing more heavily in video and livestreaming, as it looks to compete with platforms like YouTube and Patreon for both creators and viewers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
An interactive AI-powered learning app for kids; plus, Apple is reportedly developing an AI wearable
Big tech companies and upcoming startups want to use generative AI to build software and hardware for kids. A lot of those experiences are limited to text or voice, and kids might not find that captivating. Also, if Apple's wearable materializes, it could be released as early as 2027, according to a report on the device. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Zanskar thinks 1 TW of geothermal power is being overlooked; plus, consumers spent more on mobile apps than games in 2025
Zanskar has raised $115 million to find about a dozen geothermal resources that could help power the grid throughout the U.S. West. Also, consumers spent more money in mobile apps than games in 2025, driven by AI app adoption. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Well, there goes the metaverse!
The metaverse is on its last legs as VR is eclipsed by AI. But that's not the only thing that went wrong for Meta's VR ambitions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Netflix is rolling out a live voting feature; SpaceX didn’t properly inspect crane before collapse
Netflix said it the feature will be available globally and it will tally votes in real-time Also, OSHA hit SpaceX with a $115,850 fine after finding seven "serious" violations during its investigation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
BioticsAI gains FDA approval for its AI-powered fetal ultrasound product; plus, Sequoia to invest in Anthropic
TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield 2023 winner, Biotics AI, announced on Monday that it has received FDA clearance for its AI software that helps detect fetal abnormalities in ultrasound images. Also, Sequoia Capital is reportedly joining a blockbuster funding round for Anthropic, the AI startup behind Claude, according to the Financial Times. It’s a move sure to turn heads in Silicon Valley. Why? Because venture capital firms have historically avoided backing competing companies in the same sector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A privacy-conscious alternative to ChatGPT; plus Oshen built the first ocean robot to collect data in a Cat 5 hurricane
Confer is designed to look and feel like ChatGPT or Claude, but your conversations can't be used for training or advertising. Also, Oshen has signed contracts with multiple government agencies for its C-Star robots to collect ocean data autonomously. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why Silicon Valley is really talking about fleeing California (it’s not the 5%)
If you’ve been following the billionaire exodus from California with some confusion, here’s what’s actually driving the nervousness: it’s not the 5% rate. As highlighted Friday in the New York Post, the proposed wealth tax would hit founders on their voting shares rather than the actual equity they own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Taiwan to invest $250B in US semiconductor manufacturing; plus, Silicon Valley’s messiest breakup is definitely headed to court
The U.S. struck a trade deal with Taiwan as the country looks to help boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Also, OpenAI and Microsoft tried to dodge a courtroom showdown with Elon Musk, but a federal judge on Thursday rejected their requests to dismiss the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Iran’s internet shutdown is now one of its longest ever, as protests continue
Iran’s government-imposed internet shutdown enters its second week as authorities continue their violent crackdown on protesters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices