AI data center boom fuels Redwood’s energy storage business
A year ago, Redwood Materials had no energy storage business. The company is currently the fastest growing sector of battery recycling and materials startups, reflecting the AI data center construction boom. The company says evidence of that growth can be seen at its research and development lab in San Francisco. The institute has quadrupled to […]
SpaceX spacebase city gets its own courthouse
SpaceX’s corporate city Starbase in Texas is less than a year old, but it already has its own volunteer fire department and is working on creating a police department. Now it wants its own court as well. Starbase city managers presented a proposed ordinance to the City Commission at Wednesday’s meeting that would create a […]
Chrome adds new productivity features as browser wars heat up
Google Chrome, the world’s largest browser, is rolling out several new features as AI companies and startups move into the web browser market. The company on Thursday announced the official release of three options designed to more deeply integrate Chrome with one of Google’s other online services, including Split View, PDF annotation, and a “Save […]
Reddit testing new AI search feature for shopping
Reddit announced Thursday that it is testing a new AI search tool that takes community recommendations and matches them to products from some of the company’s shopping and advertising partners. A small number of users in the United States will now see search results that include an interactive product carousel with prices, images, and direct […]
Meta shuts down Messenger standalone website
Meta announced on its help page that it is shutting down its standalone Messenger website. After April 2026, the website will no longer be available. If users want to send and receive messages on the web, they can do so while logged in to Facebook. “When messenger.com is retired, you will be automatically redirected to […]
New York City puts brakes on robotaxi expansion plans
Waymo’s big chance to bring robotaxis to New York state has been blocked for now. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has withdrawn a proposal to amend vehicle and traffic laws that would have effectively legalized robotaxis in states other than New York City. Hochul spokesperson Sean Butler confirmed to TechCrunch that the proposal has been […]
Zuckerberg accused in court of harming teens on social media
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in court Wednesday in a landmark trial aimed at determining whether the company’s social media applications are addictive and harmful to teens. The case, held in Los Angeles Superior Court, already found that Mehta’s own research shows that parental supervision does not prevent compulsive social media use among teens, and […]
A bug in the student admissions website leaks children’s personal information
A student admissions website that families use to enroll their children in schools has fixed a security flaw that exposed personal information. Ravenna Hub, a website where parents can apply and track the status of their children’s applications at thousands of schools, allowed logged-in users to access personally identifiable data associated with other users, including […]
Reload wants to provide shared memory to AI agents
Newton Asare realized that AI agents are no longer just tools. “They were acting like teammates,” he told TechCrunch. This realization crystallized when Serial founders Asare and Kiran Das realized they were using AI agents to perform tasks they would normally do themselves. Asare said he has come to believe that the future lies in […]
AI coding tools have many benefits for open source programs
In a world run by increasingly powerful AI coding tools, creating software will become cheaper, leaving little room for traditional software companies. One analyst report states, “Vibe coding allows startups to replicate the functionality of complex SaaS platforms.” Clues include wringing your hands and declaring that software companies are doomed. Open source software projects that […]