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Startup and Technology News
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Aurora CFO says 30,000 driverless trucks by 2030 isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds
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28 Sep 2026
Self-driving truck company Aurora laid out an audacious plan for 2030. Its CFO says its targets aren't aspirational.
Source: Inference provider Modal Labs closing in on $750M round at $15.75B valuation
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28 Sep 2026
The new financing is expected to more than triples the AI infrastructure startup's valuation from just four months ago.
AMD will acquire Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs for $8.2 billion
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28 Sep 2026
The acquisition will see World Labs founder Fei-Fei Li join AMD as executive vice president and chief scientist.
Shopify opens checkout to browser-based AI agents
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28 Sep 2026
Shopify is expanding WebMCP support to checkout, allowing browser-based AI agents to update order details and complete purchases with a buyer’s authorization.
Tesla delays Roadster 2 event again due to bad weather
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28 Sep 2026
Tesla says the event "can only be held outdoors," as it's expected to show the car flying in some form using SpaceX thrusters.
The AI boom took over Climate Week and not everyone is happy about it
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28 Sep 2026
Just like the rest of the U.S, data centers and AI are dividing climate tech founders and investors.
Nvidia launches new platform for reining in rogue AI agents
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28 Sep 2026
As the debate rages over whether the recent spate of rogue AI agents is a step toward AGI or a more conventional engineering problem, Nvidia is offering its own answer to problem. Nvidia CEO Jensen
Anthropic releases Sonnet 5.5, which it calls a significantly cheaper, faster work partner
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28 Sep 2026
Anthropic has released the newest version of its mid-range model, boasting faster response times and less token burn.
Google is killing off Gemini’s Gems in favor of ‘skills’
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28 Sep 2026
As all-in-one AI agents like Meta's Muse and Instinct take off, Google is opting to end a feature which built task-specific agents.
OpenAI still doesn’t seem to have a handle on all of its rogue AI activity
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28 Sep 2026
On Friday, OpenAI published a new site devoted to “misalignment reports” and the breath of the incidents s alarming.
Meta launches enterprise AI platform, hires MongoDB CEO to lead new initiative
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28 Sep 2026
Meta says it will focus on bringing its full technology stack, including Muse, Meta Business Agent, Muse API, Muse Code, and more to businesses and developers.
The iPhone Duo may already have its first killer app: a virtual Walkman
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28 Sep 2026
An indie developer's upcoming app for the iPhone Duo is going viral for turning the new foldable into a virtual Walkman.
Anthropic, Gamma, and Clay share what happens when enterprises actually deploy AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
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28 Sep 2026
Anthropic, Clay, and Gamma on what it takes for an AI product to go beyond the demo at the AI Stage at TechCrunchDisrupt 2026. Register to join and get 50% off a second pass.
Physical AI chip developer SiMa.ai hits $1.45B valuation
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28 Sep 2026
The edge computing startup raised a $150 million Series C led by Fidelity and Amplify.
Mavi bets on the AI boom creating demand for a new kind of accountant
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28 Sep 2026
Accounting staffing company Mavi emerges from stealth with $4million in funding.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ Brandon Sorbom and Helion’s David Kirtley on bringing fusion to the grid at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
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28 Sep 2026
CFS' Brandon Sorbom and Helion's David Kirtley join the Smart Systems Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to discuss the breakthroughs moving fusion forward, the challenges that remain, and what it will
After a deepfake voice fooled her grandfather, this founder sprang into action
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28 Sep 2026
After her grandfather was scammed by a deepfake of his brother's voice, Tarini Padmanabhuni founded DetectifAI, a San Francisco startup building AI models small enough to run directly on smartphones
FBI reportedly declares ‘cyber security incident’ after hackers steal agents’ personal data
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28 Sep 2026
The bureau has not yet publicly confirmed a breach, but has told its agents that their personal information and Social Security numbers were exposed.
Next five VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
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28 Sep 2026
Thousands of applications. Multiple rounds of review. Hundreds of hours spent evaluating startups from around the world. Now comes the part everyone has been waiting for. Startup Battlefield 200 is
Modulate raises $25M for its voice models and analysis suite
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28 Sep 2026
Modulate deploys its models to detect deepfake, fraud and scam
Your final chance to grab your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is Oct. 2
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28 Sep 2026
The last day to book your Disrupt 2026 exhibit table is this Friday, October 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Secure your exhibit table and get your startup in front of 10,000+ founders, investors and tech
ElevenLabs’ new v4 speech model supports more expression control and 90 languages
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28 Sep 2026
ElevenLabs v4 can clone voices with a 10 second clip
Insuretech Outmarket raises $34.5M just months after prior round
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28 Sep 2026
The startup uses AI to automate tedious paperwork for insurance agencies and brokers.
Viral AI agent Instinct raises $1B Series C at a $10B valuation
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28 Sep 2026
Instinct has raised a $1 billion Series C, saying 'we're just getting started.' The company is now valued at $10 billion.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket reaches orbit for the first time
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28 Sep 2026
Though not without some drama along the way.
Ocean surveillance startup Quartermaster raises another $140M
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28 Sep 2026
The tech enables real-time awareness for what Quartermaster calls the “largest blind spot on Earth.”
Truecaller takes its scam intelligence to the open web as it looks beyond caller ID
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28 Sep 2026
Truecaller finds a new way to reach users as pressure grows on its traditional caller ID business in India, its biggest market.
Anthropic’s CEO is about to have dinner with President Trump
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27 Sep 2026
This will be the first one-on-one meeting between Dario Amodei and Donald Trump
Can Muse overcome Meta’s trust issues?
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27 Sep 2026
On Equity, we discussed how Meta's AI announcement managed to steal the spotlight from OpenAI and Anthropic.
Anthropic’s Dario Amodei gets the SNL treatment
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27 Sep 2026
"AI is the devil and I its maker."
TechCrunch Mobility: AV companies pick their lanes
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27 Sep 2026
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, the role AI is playing in it.
Sennheiser Momentum 5 review: Great sound, incredible battery life, and few compromises
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27 Sep 2026
I spent the last few weeks with the Sennheiser Momentum 5 to determine if this pair actually stands out, testing everything from sound quality and noise cancellation to comfort and battery life.
PNOE’s new face mask wants to make lab-grade breath testing a self-serve affair
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27 Sep 2026
PNOĒ, the Malden, Mass.-based startup whose breath-analyzing mask used to bear an unfortunate resemblance to Bane's, is launching a sleeker self-serve version on October 1 that lets gym-goers
Google tests buying from Walmart-owned Flipkart through Gemini and AI Mode in India
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27 Sep 2026
The limited test covers select products and users, with a broader rollout planned for later in October.
Insurers claim AI is already increasing healthcare costs
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26 Sep 2026
Blue Cross Blue Shield says hospital use of AI tools led to an additional $942M in healthcare spending over a two-year period.
TikTok agrees to pay at least $100M in Alabama settlement
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26 Sep 2026
TikTok will pay Alabama at least $100 million in a settlement tied to allegations that the short-form video platform misled users about safety and was designed to addict children.
Meta says it will run ads for ‘Musk’ documentary after all
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26 Sep 2026
At least one social media company seems to be reversing its stance on whether it will accept advertising for Alex Gibney’s upcoming documentary about Elon Musk.
Levoit’s new air purifier is for the pet odors that have taken over your apartment
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26 Sep 2026
This $189.99 air purifier is specifically designed to tackle pet odors, removing up to 70% in one hour.
I created an interactive digital avatar of myself — and you can talk to it
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26 Sep 2026
After obtaining an interactive avatar and training it to discuss venture fraud, I have mixed feelings about making AI clones of ourselves.
At Meta Connect, the company’s smart glasses were everywhere
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26 Sep 2026
The company behind Facebook and Instagram wants to keep consumers connected to the digital world via its ever-growing line of smart glasses.
Crusoe abandons $1.25B plan to use Boom turbines at AI data centers
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25 Sep 2026
Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl said its new stationary power plants were no longer in Crusoe's near-term plans.
Automattic has a new board after failed attempt to put CEO on leave
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25 Sep 2026
After days of upheaval at Automattic, following a failed attempt to remove CEO Matt Mullenweg, the company has a new board.
Unsecured OpenAI agents posted 53 user images on the internet without the lab’s knowledge
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25 Sep 2026
AI agents operating in OpenAI's research environment posted user images on public image-hosting sites without the lab's knowledge.
Meta opens early access program for new Muse features
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25 Sep 2026
Anyone interested in joining has to ask Muse to put them on the list.
The hottest new hangout for middle schoolers is NPR’s comment section?
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25 Sep 2026
When NPR staffers flagged strange comments under their podcasts on Spotify as bots, it took a Gen Z colleague to (immediately) figure out the mystery.
Anthropic to pay Akamai $11.6 billion over seven years in cloud deal
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25 Sep 2026
nthropic has committed $11.6 billion over seven years to Akamai's cloud infrastructure, a bet on CPUs that could grow to about $20 billion, and in an unusual arrangement, Akamai is giving Anthropic a
Mark Wahlberg is coming to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, and he wants to talk about your work, not his
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25 Sep 2026
Mark Wahlberg joins Bruce K. Lee at Disrupt to discuss investing, entrepreneurship, healthcare, wellness, and building businesses.
Ahead of U.S. IPO, British AI neocloud Nscale secures $3.36B in convertible finacing
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25 Sep 2026
The funding, which comes from Third Point, Nvidia and others, will fuel the company's massive AI data center buildout.