Erin Brockovich targets data center secrets
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has a new mission: to bring more transparency into data center construction and its impact on nearby communities. Brockovich, best known for being played by Julia Roberts in the dramatization of the lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric, recently launched a website with a map of data centers across the United […]
This weekend’s two big movies were both directed by YouTubers
The pipeline from YouTube to premium horror is looking very strong this weekend. The No. 1 spot at the box office went to Backrooms, a feature film adaptation of Kane Parsons’ series of YouTube videos featuring creepy found footage of mysterious, physics-defying office spaces (taken from 4chan threads). Parsons’ “Backroom” is expected to gross an […]
‘This is fine’ artist KC Green agrees with AI startup Artisan
Artist KC Green, creator of the famous “This is it” meme, said he reached an agreement with Artisan after accusing the startup of misusing his work. The controversy arose after the startup appeared to be using a version of Green’s art to promote its AI assistant Ava. Artisan’s bus and subway ads featured a familiar […]
Understanding the debate surrounding AI psychosis
Box founder Aaron Levy made headlines this week for a social media post suggesting that tech company CEOs are “prone to AI psychosis.” On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Kolosek, Sean O’Kane, and I did our best to clarify Levy’s comments. First, we noted that he is not denying AI tools, only […]
Black founders raise the most funding in a quarter since 2022, but there’s a catch
According to Crunchbase’s latest data on Black founders, $643 million has poured into Black-founded startups in the U.S. since the start of the year, the most since 2022, when Black founders raised $653 million in funding. For context, Black founders raised $942 million of all venture funding last year (or 0.32% of the $290 billion […]
What happens in Vega$: steroids, swimmers, and a billion-dollar hustle
I am sitting in the sweltering Nevada heat watching a man struggle to lift a bar over his head. If the man manages to do it, he will win $250,000. The man is Boady Santavy — a two-time Olympic weight-lifting contestant from Canada — and he has muscles that look culled from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: […]
This weekend’s two big movies were both directed by YouTubers
The pipeline from YouTube to premium horror is looking very strong this weekend. The No. 1 spot at the box office went to Backrooms, a feature film adaptation of Kane Parsons’ series of YouTube videos featuring creepy found footage of mysterious, physics-defying office spaces (taken from 4chan threads). Parsons’ “Backrooms” grossed $38 million on Friday […]
“What a joke”: Github Copilot’s new token-based billing causes confusion among developers
The golden age of Microsoft’s Github Copilot appears to be over, at least for this little guy. The company is switching its pricing structure from a flat subscription fee to a token-based system that could potentially charge users significantly higher fees. While large businesses may still have that extra headroom, small businesses and their employees […]
Meta is reportedly developing an AI pendant.
Meta is developing an AI-powered pendant and plans to begin testing it next year, according to a memo seen by The Information. The device will likely build on the work of Limitless, an AI device startup acquired by Meta in late 2025. The startup has developed an AI pendant that allows users to record conversations […]
I put Google’s 24/7 AI assistant Gemini Spark to work, and it’s actually quite useful.
Gemini Spark is Google’s new 24/7 agent assistant designed to help you “navigate your digital life.” That means finishing things you need to do online, summarizing things you don’t have time to read (like your entire inbox), and organizing things that take up screen time and are too manual, like spreadsheets for your personal expenses. […]