SEC closes investigation into Fisker
The Securities and Exchange Commission closed its investigation into bankrupt electric vehicle startup Fisker last September, about a year after it began its investigation. TechCrunch has learned that the investigation ended when financial regulators responded to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in January. The SEC’s FOIA Division announced that it had identified “approximately […]
India partners with Alibaba.com to boost exports despite past ban on Chinese technology
The Indian government has partnered with China’s Alibaba.com on an export-focused program aimed at helping startups and small businesses reach overseas buyers. The move highlights New Delhi’s selective engagement with China-linked technology platforms, years after imposing a blanket ban on consumer apps and games. This week, the Government of India’s Startup India Initiative announced a […]
Anthropic’s Super Bowl ad that mocks AI in advertising helped push Claude’s app into the top 10
Anthropic’s Super Bowl ad, which features a darkly comedic scenario in which people seeking advice from a chatbot are directed to a “cougar” dating site and height-enhancing insoles, has been successful. Since then, Anthropic’s AI chatbot Claude has moved up from number 41 to become a top 10 app in the US App Store. As […]
A graduate student at Stanford University has created an algorithm to help classmates find love. Now, Date Drop is the foundation of his new startup
As Valentine’s Day approaches at Stanford University, some students may be preparing for their first date. Rather than someone you met on Tinder or Hinge, you’re going on a date with a service called Date Drop, created by Stanford University graduate student Henry Wen. Date Drop pairs students with potential dates once a week based […]
Dutch mobile phone giant Odid announces millions of customers affected by data breach
Dutch telephone company Odid has admitted that a data breach affected millions of customers. The company said in a statement Thursday that unidentified hackers gained access to its customer contact system and secretly downloaded large amounts of customer information. An Odid spokesperson told local Dutch media that the breach affected more than 6.2 million customers, […]
Fusion startup Helion faces heatwave as it heads towards 2028 deadline
Fusion energy startup Helion announced Friday that it has reached an important milestone in its quest for fusion energy. The plasma inside the company’s prototype reactor, Polaris, reaches 150 million degrees Celsius, three-quarters of the temperature the company believes is needed to operate a commercial fusion power plant. David Kirtley, co-founder and CEO of Helion, […]
Waymo asks DoorDash drivers to close self-driving car doors
Waymo’s self-driving cars are currently transporting passengers in six cities. Unfortunately, this future without self-driving cars comes with its own set of problems. These vehicles can become inoperable if a passenger accidentally leaves the door open. According to a post on Reddit, one DoorDash driver discovered the issue when a strange request appeared in his […]
Pinterest claims more searches than ChatGPT amid disappointing results
Following particularly weak fourth-quarter revenue, Pinterest CEO Bill Reddy sought to compare the digital pinboard site favorably to popular AI chatbot ChatGPT. In an effort to highlight its potential as a unique search destination, Ready claimed that the site’s search volume is higher than ChatGPT. According to third-party data, ChatGPT has 75 billion searches per […]
Rivian was saved by software in 2025
Rivian is clearly an EV manufacturing and sales company. However, in 2025, the company’s software and services supported 8% annual revenue growth. Rivian on Thursday reported total revenue of $5.38 billion in 2025, up from $4.97 billion a year earlier. Looking at the company’s auto revenue alone, Rivian said, that rosy picture is a little […]
Musk needed a new vision for SpaceX and xAI. He landed on Moonbase Alpha.
“If the idea of a mass driver on the moon appeals to you, join xAI,” CEO Elon Musk declared yesterday, following a restructuring that saw a flurry of former executives leave the AI Institute. This is an interesting hiring strategy after the company merges with Musk’s rocket maker SpaceX and the combined company goes through […]