Phia founder talks about how AI will change online shopping
When Phia founders Phoebe Gates and Sofia Chianni decided to launch an AI startup, they targeted an area they understood well: online shopping. The founders, who met at Stanford University when randomly paired as roommates, understood e-commerce because they had spent hours finding the right items to expand their wardrobes. And they realized that AI […]
CEO of spyware maker Memento Labs admits one of his government customers was caught using the company’s malware
On Monday, researchers at cybersecurity giant Kaspersky Lab released a report identifying a new piece of spyware called Dante that they say is targeting Windows victims in Russia and neighboring Belarus. Dante spyware is made by Milan-based surveillance technology maker Memento Labs, which was founded in 2019 after earlier spyware maker Hacking Team was acquired […]
Tata Motors admits it has fixed a security flaw that exposed company and customer data
Indian auto giant Tata Motors has fixed a series of security flaws that exposed sensitive internal data including customer personal information, company reports and dealer-related data. Security researcher Eaton Zuber told TechCrunch that he discovered the flaw in Tata Motors’ E-Dukaan division, an e-commerce portal for purchasing spare parts for Tata commercial vehicles. Tata Motors, […]
The five Startup Battlefield finalists at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 are:
After two days filled with live demos and pitches, it’s time to announce the five finalists for this year’s Startup Battlefield. These finalists were initially selected from thousands of applicants, and TechCrunch’s editorial team narrowed the field to 200 companies that participated here at Disrupt, with the top 20 competing on the Disrupt stage. The […]
Super Teacher is developing an AI tutor for elementary schools — see us at Disrupt 2025
Private tutoring is one of the most effective tools for improving a child’s education, yet very few children in the United States are privately tutored. A 2023 study of the nation’s largest school districts found that less than 10% of students received tutoring. One factor is that tutoring is too expensive for many families, often […]
Netflix’s CTO says more vertical video experiments are coming, but the streamer won’t compete with TikTok
Speaking at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 conference on Tuesday, Netflix said it is looking to vertical video as a way to experiment with new content types. The executive said the company doesn’t intend to compete directly with apps like TikTok or other short-form drama apps, but acknowledged there are other ways Netflix could leverage the […]
Sam Altman says OpenAI will have “legitimate AI researchers” by 2028
OpenAI says its deep learning systems are rapidly advancing, with more models able to solve complex tasks faster. So fast, in fact, that OpenAI internally aims to have intern-level research assistants by September 2026 and fully automated “regular AI researchers” by 2028, CEO Sam Altman said in a livestream on Tuesday. This ambitious timeline was […]
Charter Space brings fintech to spaceship insurance, showcases results at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
When Yuk Chi Chan began construction on the charter space in late 2021, it was after a long period of pain. As a mission manager for a satellite bus startup, he coordinated the company’s first demonstration mission. All of this had to be done with critical data scattered across Microsoft Excel. In addition to managing […]
Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla says the U.S. government could take a 10% stake in all publicly traded companies to soften the blow for AGI.
Vinod Khosla has a bold vision for how society can be reconfigured to share the wealth created by AI technology. Speaking at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 conference on Tuesday, the founder of Khosla Ventures suggested that the US government could take a 10% stake in every public company and redistribute that company’s wealth to the […]
TechCrunch Disrupt 2025: How to watch Vinod Khosla, Netflix, Slate Auto, and Startup Battlefield
TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is coming! If you’re still on the fence about attending in person, join us for the extensive schedule of speakers, networking opportunities, workshops, afterparties, and more available here. There’s still plenty of time to get your tickets, and since there’s only 2 days left, we’re offering you a 50% discount. However, if […]