At the Cybertruck’s 2019 unveiling, Tesla fans moved from shock at its angular design to cheering for the truck within minutes. That early enthusiasm helped drive reservations to 1 million, Elon Musk said in 2023, but industry estimates put sales at about 71,000 since deliveries began in November 2023.
The Ninja AutoBarista can make 13 coffee drinks at the press of a button, from drip coffee to espresso and milk-based drinks. In a review, its versatility and automatic brewing earned praise, but a drip tray that fills quickly—and a knock box prone to mold if neglected—made upkeep the dealbreaker.
Voters across the United States backed measures to restrict or pause data center projects in the midterms, while Democrats made gains in races that could bring further scrutiny. On TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts said the results add political pressure to an industry already facing questions from investors about its spending.
A US intelligence-based memo reportedly alleged that China’s Ministry of State Security recruited Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed, to spy on Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang. The claims have been reported by The New York Times and the Financial Times; the allegations have not been independently established in the reports cited.
From monitored smartphones to Wi-Fi home phones, companies are offering parents alternatives to unrestricted devices for children. The products vary in how much they allow: some scan messages and content for potential risks, while others limit use to approved calls and texts.
At $169.99, Amazon’s refreshed 6-inch Kindle costs more than its predecessor but leaves out features found on pricier models, including warm light and waterproofing. After testing it for a couple of weeks, a TechCrunch reviewer found the compact reader worth considering for people who value a small, light device over extra features.
Binance chief financial officer Kaiser Ng is leaving the cryptocurrency exchange to pursue a new venture, co-CEO Yi He said, in an announcement made just over a week after hackers stole $6.3 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance users.
Sequoia’s decision to close a program it pioneered 17 years ago is prompting questions about the future of venture capital scouting. The firm’s broader overhaul also includes shutting its London office, but observers say the end of the scout program offers a clearer signal about changing investment practices.
As the midterms shift Washington’s balance of power, technology companies that cultivated closer ties with President Donald Trump’s administration are reaching out to Democrats, who have promised tighter oversight of AI. Their efforts come as data-center opposition grows and state governments continue to pursue their own rules.
Google has taken over an unfinished data center project in southeastern Wyoming from Crusoe, the Denver-based developer confirmed Friday. The campus was planned to reach 10 gigawatts of power capacity, but Google had raised concerns about its cost and construction schedule under Crusoe’s management, according to reports.
OpenAI has reportedly raised $11 billion in a funding round that remains open and values the company at $1.25 trillion. Bloomberg reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter, that the round could reach about $20 billion when it closes in the coming weeks.
More than 100,000 apps built for Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo are now available on the App Store, the company said Friday, with thousands more added daily. The announcement came alongside updates to more than a dozen prominent apps, as developers continue adapting software to the device’s unusual screen.
More than 800 Artex deployments were reachable online without a password, cybersecurity firm Censys said, exposing copies of an autonomous penetration-testing tool that has been linked to attacks. The company said it was unclear why so many were publicly accessible, since the software does not need an internet-facing connection.
Meta’s new Spaces feature gives users a dedicated place to work with a Muse agent on projects such as trip planning, recipe collecting and event tracking. The custom conversations appear in the interface sidebar and are designed to keep each goal organized in its own tab.
A Massachusetts startup has won conditional approval for a $250 million Department of Defense loan to build a Tennessee factory, part of a push to expand U.S. production of battery materials and reduce reliance on Chinese suppliers. 6K announced the approval on Thursday.
Fox has completed its $22 billion purchase of Roku, bringing the streaming company under Fox ownership earlier than the companies initially projected and expanding Fox’s reach in connected TV. Fox said the combined business ranks third among U.S. television companies by viewership.
Token spending rose only 1.5% across August and September, down sharply from July’s 42% monthly increase, even as companies used more AI, according to Ramp. The data points to pricing pressure and more cost-conscious customers curbing revenue growth for AI providers including OpenAI and Anthropic.
Amazon is introducing a way for customers to shop through text messages with its Alexa AI agent, just before the holiday shopping season. Select customers in the U.S. will be invited to use the feature, which can search for products, add items to carts and make purchases from natural-language requests.
A retro-themed browser game is the showcase for Underdog’s Woof text-to-speech model, which the startup says is just 31.7 MB and can run on most devices without an internet connection. Players can type text for the model to speak or turn a tuner to generate different kinds of music.
Robotics startup Physicl has raised $10 million in seed funding from Inovia Capital to help developers train physical AI systems with realistic digital environments. Founder Alex de Vigan is adapting technology from his previous company, which built 3D product renderings for retailers, to address gaps in robot training.
Tesla plans to stop making the Cybertruck next year and convert the factory space to produce more two-seat Cybercab robotaxis, CEO Elon Musk said on X. The shift comes after the electric pickup fell well short of the annual sales target Musk set when the first trucks were delivered in late 2023.
At least 10 local governments and police departments have moved since summer to restrict or end their use of Flock Safety surveillance technology, amid rising concerns over privacy, data sharing and oversight. The decisions span several states and include contract cancellations, planned withdrawals and a League City, Texas, vote against continued use.
Palo Alto Networks is discussing a cash acquisition of Clutch Security for $500 million, plus milestone-based payments, according to a person familiar with the talks. The three-year-old startup makes tools to control AI agents’ access to company systems, a security concern drawing growing investor and buyer interest.
Letterboxd has grown from 3 million users in January 2021 to 28 million by April this year. The New York Times reports that its parent company, The New York Times Company, has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire the film-focused social platform for $330 million.
Meta, Google and TikTok have sued California Attorney General Rob Bonta to block AB 1709, a law restricting certain social media features for users under 16. Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, it is scheduled to take effect at the start of the new year.
Airbnb plans to release its AI travel agent to consumers in the first half of 2027, the company said in its Q3 shareholder letter. CEO Brian Chesky says the tool will use travel-specific visual features rather than rely on a text-only chatbot, while also assisting guests with issues during their trips.
Serve Robotics is moving beyond its own delivery and hospital robots, launching Physical AI Services to sell connectivity and data tools to other robotics companies. The new business already has construction-robotics startup Bedrock Robotics as a customer, the company said Thursday.
Meta has made Muse Voice, its call and video-chat feature for the company’s consumer AI agent, available to everyone in the United States. The feature gives Muse an animated avatar that can respond during live conversations, and users can customize its appearance.
A researcher says he used an OpenAI model to uncover a severe flaw in software used by Ubuntu servers in about two hours. Debian issued a patch, and there is no known evidence the vulnerability was exploited—but the discovery has sharpened questions about whether defenders can keep pace with AI-assisted hacking.
Meta President Dina Powell McCormick said Democratic victories in the midterm elections could make it harder for companies to build data centers, as opposition to local projects reflects wider concerns about artificial intelligence. The industry, she said, has not adequately explained the benefits of its investments.
