OpenAI loses another lead safety researcher, Lilian Weng

Another one of OpenAI’s lead safety researchers, Lilian Weng, announced on Friday she is departing the startup. Weng served as VP of research and safety since August, and before that, was the head of the OpenAI’s safety systems team. In a post on X, Weng said that “after 7 years at OpenAI,…Read More

Benchmark, Index, others are in a wild unsolicited bidding war over Anysphere, maker of Cursor

There isn’t a shortage of AI-powered coding assistance startups. They include Augment, Codeium, Magic, and Poolside. However, Cursor has become one of the most popular. Its developer, Anysphere, has seen its revenue grow from $4 million annualized…Read More

Supersonic aircraft startup Exosonic is shutting down

Exosonic, a startup developing supersonic commercial air travel and UAV tech, is winding down after five years of operation. In an update posted to its website, Exosonic said it was unable to find the traction necessary to continue operations.  “Although the founders and team still believe i…Read More

Large funds are too invested in the energy transition to turn back now

The recent U.S. election might appear bad for climate tech, but the energy transition has enough financial momentum that experts aren’t expecting investment trends to change anytime soon.
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Led by a founder who sold a video startup to Apple, Panjaya uses deepfake techniques to bite into video dubbing

There’s a big opportunity for generative AI in the world of translation, and a startup called Panjaya is taking the concept to the next level: a hyperrealistic, gen AI-based dubbing tool for videos that re-creates a person’s ori…Read More

Block scales back TIDAL investment and shutters TBD in favor of Bitcoin mining

Jack Dorsey’s Block is scaling back its investment in TIDAL, the music streaming platform once owned by Jay-Z, according to a shareholder letter on Thursday. Block is also shutting down TBD, a Bitcoin-focused arm of the business that previously set out to build a…Read More

Block scales back TIDAL investment and shutters TBD in favor of Bitcoin mining

Jack Dorsey’s Block is scaling back its investment in TIDAL, the music streaming platform once owned by Jay-Z, according to a shareholder letter on Thursday. Block is also shutting down TBD, a Bitcoin-focused arm of the business that previously set out to build a…Read More

Block scales back TIDAL investment and shutters TBD in favor of Bitcoin mining

Jack Dorsey’s Block is scaling back its investment in TIDAL, the music streaming platform once owned by Jay-Z, according to a shareholder letter on Thursday. Block is also shutting down TBD, a Bitcoin-focused arm of the business that previously set out to build a…Read More

Crypto CEO kidnapped in Toronto, released after paying $1M ransom

The CEO of Canadian cryptocurrency firm WonderFi was kidnapped and held for ransom on Wednesday, according to CBC. Dean Skurka was reportedly shoved into a vehicle in downtown Toronto during rush hour, only to be released uninjured after electronically sending $1 million…Read More

AI-powered parenting is here and a16z is ready to back it 

AI wants to help us drive better, write better and diagnose diseases faster. Now imagine AI helping you be a better parent. 
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Canoo’s latest loss, tales from Waymo riders, and what a Trump win means for Elon (and his companies) 

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! We’re just two days past the election, and there is already a ton of speculat…Read More

Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro (M4 Pro) review: A powerful desktop replacement

On Monday, Bloomberg reported on Apple’s plans to fully overhaul its laptop line. That’s exactly the kind of rumor you don’t want to drop in the week between the announcement and launch of a new MacBook Pro. A deeper dive reveals that the planned revamp is coming at some…Read More

Anthropic teams up with Palantir and AWS to sell AI to defense customers

Anthropic on Thursday announced that it’s teaming up with Palantir, the data-mining firm, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide U.S. intelligence and defense agencies access to Anthropic’s Claude family of AI models. The news comes as a growing number of AI vendors, for…Read More

Glint Solar grabs $8M to help accelerate solar energy adoption across Europe

Solar energy is booming, which is good news for Glint Solar. The Norwegian software-as-a-service startup has built a platform that’s helping energy giants and large solar developers such as E.ON, Recurrent Energy, and Statkraft cut the time it takes to plan and…Read More

Truecaller founders step down as spam-blocker regains momentum

The co-founders of Swedish caller identification app Truecaller are stepping back from day-to-day operations, marking the end of an era for one of Sweden’s most successful consumer technology companies as it pushes toward a goal of 1 billion users. Alan Mamedi and Nami Zarringhalam,…Read More