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Startup and Technology News
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What we know about the alleged Iranian hacks on U.S. water utilities
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14 Aug 2026
Over the last couple of weeks, hackers have targeted and broken into the systems of several water plants in the United States. Here’s what we know and don’t know about this wave of attacks
Read-it-later app Pocket shut down down — here are the best alternatives
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14 Aug 2026
Pocket users have until October 8, 2025, to export their saved articles and other items, including lists, archives, favorites, notes, and highlights.
Unforgetful is a new reminders app for people who can’t stop hitting snooze
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14 Aug 2026
Unforgetful, the latest app from longtime indie developer Marco Arment, is designed to make reminders harder to ignore — or accidentally dismiss.
Google will now allow users to remove visible watermark from its AI generations
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14 Aug 2026
Turning off this setting won't affect invisible benchmarks used to identify an AI generated file
Does Mark Zuckerberg really believe AI is ‘for everyone’?
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14 Aug 2026
Meta released Glimmer this week, an open-weight AI model anyone can download and run on their own hardware — a contrast to Muse Spark, the company’s more powerful model that stays locked
Apple proposes to take a 15% cut of purchases made outside the App Store
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14 Aug 2026
Apple is asking a federal judge to allow it to charge commissions of up to 15% on purchases made through external links in iOS apps.
Kog is going deeper to squeeze more inference out of GPUs
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14 Aug 2026
The idea that GPUs are poorly suited for agentic workflows may be a misconception, according to French startup Kog.
Hyperscalers might regret embracing natural gas if new forecast proves correct
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14 Aug 2026
Natural gas prices could triple in some parts of the U.S., which could saddle hyperscalers with massive bills to power their AI data centers.
US courts will start publishing how often the government uses spyware
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14 Aug 2026
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts told TechCrunch that it will start disclosing how many times judges authorized the use of spyware to wiretap suspected criminals.
Uber and Pony.ai plan to bring 2,000 robotaxis to Europe
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14 Aug 2026
The partnership is expanding beyond the initial market of Zagreb, Croatia to four additional European cities.
Investors sue Selena Gomez alleging fraud tied to her mental health startup
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13 Aug 2026
The plaintiffs say they invested nearly $1.2 million in the company, and are accusing Gomez of failing to build and market the startup.
Flock says its new tool will help identify police abuse, but hasn’t explained how it works
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13 Aug 2026
The surveillance company announced it's making a tool called "Audit Assistance" mandatory for all customers, claiming it's already helped catch abuse. But the company has yet to explain how the tool
If Apple sends you a push notification alerting you to a spyware attack, take it seriously
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13 Aug 2026
Apple now sends out push notifications to iPhone lock screens when the company identifies government spyware targeting someone's devices.
Writer introduces new AI model and upgraded harness to contain token costs
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13 Aug 2026
Built as a post-training variation on Z.ai's open source model GLM-5.2, Writer says the new system should provide deployment-ready capabilities at a much lower price.
Databricks wanted to raise $1B, investors wanted $15B. It settled on $5B at a $190B valuation.
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13 Aug 2026
AI is expensive, Ali Ghodsi tells TechCrunch. With so many investors wanting into his latest round, he said yes to more than planned.
OpenAI introduces ‘Ultrafast,’ a new mode that makes GPT 5.6 Sol work at 14x the speed
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13 Aug 2026
OpenAI is launching a preview of a sped up version of its latest, most powerful model, in an effort to court enterprise users.
IBM partners with OpenAI to bolster enterprise AI push
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13 Aug 2026
IBM plans to train and certify tens and thousands of consultants on OpenAI's technologies as part of this deal.
Anthropic set AI agents loose on the same task. They started a turf war.
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13 Aug 2026
Anthropic researchers found AI agents can clash, collude and coordinate in unexpected ways, raising new questions about whether today’s safety tests capture the risks of multi-agent systems.
OpenAI hires new CRO as executive shake-up continues
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13 Aug 2026
Dali Rajic will take over as OpenAI's top salesperson.
Ford on track to complete $2B factory overhaul for Fathom EV truck
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13 Aug 2026
Ford expects to begin prototype builds of the Fathom EV in the first quarter of 2027.
X open sources its ranking algorithm, letting users see if they’ve been ‘shadowbanned’
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13 Aug 2026
X is expanding the open source code behind its 'For You' feed and launching new transparency tools that show users when its ranking systems have affected their accounts or posts.
Instagram introduces a redesigned wordmark
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13 Aug 2026
The social media giant says it was time for a sharper and more modern look after a decade.
Microsoft kills off unsuccessful AI features while merging its separate Copilot apps
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13 Aug 2026
Microsoft is simplifying Copilot by combining its consumer and business apps, and dropping AI-generated podcasts, Group Chats, Deep Research, and its Mico character.
Nvidia’s new $500B plan is risky but brilliant, especially for aging GPUs
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13 Aug 2026
Nvidia has a plan to make sure its GPUs won't lose value. It wants to convince a new crop of financiers to keep lending for AI buildouts.
Who really needs a cocktail robot?
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13 Aug 2026
Bartesian's cocktail makers would be best described like a Keurig or Nespresso machine, but for alcoholic drinks.
Apple in talks to pay publishers to provide Siri with current news: report
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13 Aug 2026
The tech giant has considered a nine-figure budget for the payments, according to the WSJ.
In a first, US will allow some private firms to carry out cyberattacks
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13 Aug 2026
The new order sweeps away decades of existing U.S. cybersecurity policy prohibiting private companies from conducting 'hack back' attacks or offensive cyber operations.
Can social media start over? Bluesky’s CEO and COO deliver their case at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
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13 Aug 2026
Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider is joined by COO Rose Wang for a Disrupt Stage session on whether social media can start over and where Bluesky fits into that potential reboot.
Some Claude users are mad that Anthropic’s new watermarks will catch them cheating at their jobs, classes
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12 Aug 2026
Is Anthropic's new watermarking system a travesty? Some have taken to social media to complain that it is.
AI nuclear power firm Fermi finally has a new CEO
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12 Aug 2026
Lee McIntire, an independent member of Fermi's board, has been hired as CEO, more than three months since the company fired co-founder Toby Neugebauer from the top post.
Northrop’s robot space mechanic is a new way to keep satellites at work longer
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12 Aug 2026
The Mission Robotic Vehicle is making the first attempt to attach a new thruster to an aging satellite.
Amazon will train on Twitch streamers’ content by default, unless they opt out
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12 Aug 2026
"If this was opt-in, nobody would opt in," Twitch CPO Mike Minton said on a livestream responding to user feedback. "That's honestly the answer."
Grubhub’s $24M FTC settlement is finally reaching diners and drivers
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12 Aug 2026
Checks are being mailed from Grubhub's $23.8 million fine from the FTC after it settled allegations over its business practices.
AI coding startup Cognition reportedly already in talks to raise at $40B valuation
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12 Aug 2026
Cognition may be looking to raise another mega round just a few months after raising $1 billion at a $26 billion valuation.
As AI safety concerns mount, three pioneers make the case for staying open
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12 Aug 2026
At Ai4, three of the world's most respected AI experts—Geoffrey Hinton, Fei-Fei Li, and Andrew Ng—debated regulation, open-source access, and how America can compete as China advances in Asia.
OpenAI-backed Thrive Holdings raises $2B to bring AI to the enterprise
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12 Aug 2026
Thrive Holdings has raised $2 billion in new funding at a $12 billion valuation from investors like SoftBank, D1 Capital Partners, and Alitmeter Capital.
Uber Freight reportedly investigating after hacking group claims data breach
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12 Aug 2026
An extortion gang known for targeting transportation companies and private equity firms has taken credit for a breach at Uber Freight.
Mesh, Automattic’s CRM for everyone, comes to Android
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12 Aug 2026
Mesh, an AI-powered contacts app and relationship manager from Automattic is now an Android app.
Why Stream ring-maker Sandbar says the future of AI wearables is voice
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12 Aug 2026
AI notetaking hardware has taken off over the past couple of years, with credit-card-sized devices, pendants, pins, and even transcribing earbuds all promising to capture your meetings and turn
Tesla wants to build a $10B solar factory in Texas
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12 Aug 2026
Tesla wants to build a massive solar factory in Texas, but first it wants the state to chip in to defray the costs.
Form Energy raises $750M to build more 100-hour batteries for the grid
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12 Aug 2026
Form Energy has landed Google and Crusoe as customers. Now, it has raised $750 million to expand manufacturing to deliver its massive, 100-hour batteries.
Lovable confirms new $13.3B valuation, raises another $400M
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12 Aug 2026
This new funding comes after Lovable hit $500 million in annualized run rate revenue in June, the startup told TechCrunch.
Facebook officially rolls out its standalone Creator Studio app with AI tools for creators
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12 Aug 2026
The new app launches with Facebook's AI creator assistant built into it, providing creators with personalized recommendations based on their content style, performance, audience engagement, and
How a $250 million acquisition collapsed into allegations of fraud and forged signatures
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12 Aug 2026
Investors are still waiting for their share of the $250 million windfall, and VideoVerse co-founder Vinayak Shrivastav is now at the center of multiple legal cases.
After Microsoft threatened legal action, a security researcher publishes a new Windows zero-day bug
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12 Aug 2026
This is the latest zero-day released by security researcher Nightmare Eclipse, despite Microsoft publicly threatening to take legal action against them.
Silkroad Innovation Hub’s Road to Battlefield competition continues
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12 Aug 2026
The Road to Battlefield competition is now in its second year, and its purpose is to give founders across Central Eurasia a direct route to Startup Battlefield
Google unveils Pixel 11 lineup, new AirTag rival, and Gemini features at Made by Google 2026
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12 Aug 2026
From the Pixel 11 series and a brand new competitor to Apple’s AirTag, here are all the announcements from the Made by Google 2026 event.
Google’s Quick Share adds a tap-to-share mode
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12 Aug 2026
Google's Quick Share feature is getting a tap-to-share mode for quickly exchanging contacts, photos, videos, and more.