AI coding startup Cognition raises $1 billion at $25 billion pre-money valuation
Cognition, which developed an autonomous AI software engineer named Devin, has raised more than $1 billion at a $25 billion pre-money valuation, the company announced Wednesday. That’s a big jump from its $10.2 billion post-money valuation just eight months ago, when it closed a $400 million funding round in September. The round was led by […]
FAA orders SpaceX to investigate Starship V3 booster failure
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered SpaceX to investigate why its Starship booster failed during the company’s May 22 test flight, according to a statement published Wednesday on TechCrunch. This means SpaceX will have to pause future Starship test launches until the investigation is complete and the results are submitted to the FAA for […]
The application of the startup “Battlefield 200” has ended today
Today is the last day to apply or nominate startups for the Startup Battlefield 200. When the clock strikes at 11:59 PM Pacific Time, the window closes for your chance to compete for $100,000 in equity-free funding, gain global visibility, connect directly with investors, and launch on the TechCrunch Disrupt stage. If you’re launching a […]
China is increasingly keeping top AI talent at home
For China’s top AI researchers, borders are rapidly closing. Researchers, startup founders and executives from private companies are currently subject to travel restrictions, with some industry figures reportedly required to obtain government approval before traveling abroad. The restrictions reflect a broader shift in how the Chinese government manages brain drain in the AI field, with […]
Tech CEOs are clearly suffering from AI psychosis
There’s a certain wildness to the technology industry these days, with both things that mimic previous eras of big change like cloud computing (huge initial costs) and things we’ve never seen before (record profits accompanied by mass layoffs). There are powerful theories that attempt to explain this phenomenon. Tech executives, especially CEOs, are collectively suffering […]
UK visa portal leaks passports and selfies of thousands of applicants online – leak still not fixed
A TechCrunch investigation has found that a website called the UK Visa Portal is publishing the passports and selfies of applicants who have registered and paid a fee to obtain a UK immigrant visa. An anonymous person alerted TechCrunch to the security lapse, saying at least 100,000 documents of people who uploaded their passports or […]
Trump administration allows Volvo to continue selling connected cars in the US
Volvo Cars has reached an agreement with the Trump administration that exempts the company from a U.S. crackdown on connected vehicle technology made in China. The Swedish automaker, which is majority-owned by China’s Geely Holding, said Tuesday it has received special permission from the U.S. Department of Commerce to continue importing and selling vehicles equipped […]
Trump administration wants nuclear startups to use plutonium in reactors
For decades, the United States has had a plutonium problem. Approximately 100 tons were manufactured for use as powerful atomic bombs during the Cold War. However, as nuclear stockpiles were disposed of, the government had to store radioactive materials in high-security facilities. Now it’s looking to startups to help remove some of that. The Department […]
Trump administration wants nuclear startups to use plutonium in reactors
For decades, the United States has had a plutonium problem. Approximately 100 tons were manufactured for use as powerful atomic bombs during the Cold War. However, as nuclear stockpiles were disposed of, the government had to store radioactive materials in high-security facilities. Now it’s looking to startups to help remove some of that. The Department […]
DuckDuckGo installs increase by 30% as users reject Google’s AI search ‘force-feeding’
Last week, after Google announced a major overhaul of search, I overheard a woman on the phone saying she was switching to DuckDuckGo because “you can opt out of using AI.” “Google is no longer Google,” she said. It seems others had the same idea. At I/O, Google’s annual developer conference, the company said the […]