TechCrunch Mobility: Finding the tipping point for robotaxis
Welcome to TechCrunch Mobility. A central hub for news and insight on the future of transportation. To receive this in your inbox, sign up for free here. Just click on TechCrunch Mobility. Before we get started, here are some simple housekeeping items. Due to Thanksgiving next Friday, the Transportation Newsletter will not be published. We […]
Beehiiv’s CEO isn’t worried about newsletter saturation
Newsletter platform beehiiv recently celebrated its four-year anniversary by launching a suite of new features, including an AI website builder, as well as support for podcasts and selling digital products. In other words, beehiiv is about more than newsletters now. Co-founder and CEO Tyler Denk (who writes a popular startup newsletter of his own) spoke […]
ChatGPT told them they were special, but family says that led to tragedy
Zane Shamblin never said anything to ChatGPT that suggested a negative relationship with his family. But in the weeks leading up to his death by suicide in July, chatbots encouraged the 23-year-old to distance himself even as his mental health deteriorated. According to chat logs included in a lawsuit filed by Shamblin’s family against OpenAI, […]
After all, the Trump administration may not fight state AI regulations
The Trump administration has targeted state-level AI regulation, with the president declaring in a social media post this week that the industry needs “one federal standard, not a patchwork of 50 state regulatory systems.” This comes after a 10-year ban on national AI regulation was initially included in President Trump’s Big Beautiful Act, but was […]
Waymo receives regulatory approval to expand across Bay Area and Southern California
Waymo continues to expand its reach, with the robo-taxi company announcing Friday that it is “officially cleared for full self-driving in more areas of the Golden State.” Waymo already has operations in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles (as well as outside California in Atlanta, Austin, and Phoenix). But maps published by the California […]
Byju founder appeals US court order to pay more than $1 billion in bankruptcy case
Byju Raveendran, founder of Indian edtech giant Byju’s, has slammed a US bankruptcy court’s order ordering him to pay more than $1.07 billion. He has denied any wrongdoing, accused lenders of misleading the court and vowed to appeal the ruling, which marks a dramatic fall from grace for the man who was once the poster […]
Pew’s latest social media report shows Company X has staying power in the US despite competition
Threads and Bluesky still have a long way to go before they catch up with X in the U.S., according to data from the latest Pew Research Center report released this week. The research firm asked about these small services for the first time and found that each was used by just under 1 in […]
Why now is the best time to invest in climate change technology
Conventional wisdom holds that climate technology is entering its winter season, with political and investor interest and investment levels cooling, an ironic contrast to the climate itself, which has continued to deliver record warmth for years. A new report from the International Energy Agency suggests there’s never been a better time to go all-in on […]
How this founder’s serendipitous path to Silicon Valley led to an industrial technology advantage
Thomas Lee Young doesn’t seem like your typical Silicon Valley founder. The 24-year-old CEO of Interface, a San Francisco startup that uses AI to prevent workplace accidents, is a white man with a Caribbean accent and a Chinese last name, an interesting combination that he notes when first introduced to business associates. Born and raised […]
Google says hackers stole data from 200 companies after Gainsight breach
Google has admitted that hackers stole more than 200 companies’ data stored in Salesforce in a massive supply chain hack. Salesforce said Thursday that “Salesforce data for certain customers” had been compromised, although it did not name the affected companies. The data was stolen through an app published by Gainsight, which provides a customer support […]