Sam Altman has proposed gifting 5% of OpenAI’s equity to a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, a move intended to buffer the company against political volatility. The plan, which aligns with broader discussions on public partnerships, envisions a model where citizens share directly in the growth of the artificial intelligence sector.
Chief Financial Officer Taoufiq Boussaid is exiting Lucid Motors, the latest move in a radical leadership restructuring under new CEO Silvio Napoli. Following a wave of layoffs and stagnant delivery numbers, the company is stripping back its management layers to streamline operations and salvage its market position.
With over 26 million lifetime installs, the popular television-tracking app TV Time is closing its doors. The platform will cease operations on July 15, 2026, as its parent company, Whip Media, abandons consumer-facing services to concentrate resources on its AI-powered automation and workflow management tools.
The Department of Homeland Security is currently investigating a sophisticated cyberattack on its Homeland Security Information Network, a critical platform used by federal, state, and local agencies to coordinate intelligence and emergency response, raising urgent concerns about the security of sensitive government data.
Microsoft is launching a dedicated business unit to scale enterprise AI, committing $2.5 billion and 6,000 specialists to the project. The company aims to move beyond traditional consulting models by embedding engineers directly into client operations to ensure the practical, outcome-driven implementation of its existing AI tools.
Delivering over 480,000 vehicles between April and June, Tesla outperformed Wall Street forecasts and marked a significant rebound from the first quarter. This jump of 120,000 units suggests the automaker retains a strong pull with buyers, effectively countering broader cooling trends currently affecting the wider U.S. electric vehicle market.
Bucking the trend of a cooling American electric vehicle market, Rivian has revised its 2024 delivery projections upward. The manufacturer now expects to ship between 65,000 and 70,000 vehicles, signaling stronger-than-anticipated momentum following a productive second quarter that saw output figures comfortably beat internal estimates.
Ben Guez has secured over 200 DMs and a million views by using an automated AI script to troll World Cup fans on Instagram. The startup founder employs the agent OpenClaw to track match results and instantly deploy standardized reels, turning heartbreak into a funnel for his personal language-learning app.
“If you want to build an iPhone, you can’t take the parts of a Nokia and somehow convert it into an iPhone.” With this philosophy, Indian serial entrepreneur Bhavin Turakhia is investing $30 million of his own capital into Neo, an enterprise platform designed to replace legacy workplace suites with AI-native architecture.
Four upcoming iPad Pro variants and an entry-level MacBook Pro are currently in development, with Apple targeting a release window in the first half of next year. The push includes the debut of the M7 processor, marking a significant hardware refresh as the company navigates ongoing supply chain volatility.
Shares of Milan-based Bending Spoons climbed 40% during their market debut on Wednesday, closing at $40.50. The jump defied a broader cooling trend in the software-as-a-service sector, pushing the 13-year-old firm to a market capitalization of $25.7 billion, more than double its previous $11 billion private valuation.
Milan-based Bending Spoons debuted on the Nasdaq today, opening at an $18 billion valuation before shares climbed 40% by the closing bell. The 13-year-old firm, known for acquiring legacy internet brands like Evernote and Vimeo, is positioning itself as a tech-driven operator rather than a traditional private equity flipper.
WhatsApp’s transition from phone-number-based identification to usernames has ignited a confrontation with Indian regulators. As the platform begins testing handles, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has demanded a halt to the rollout, citing fears that the feature will provide a new vector for phishing and digital impersonation.
A vulnerability in Apple’s Hide My Email service allows the exposure of private addresses, undermining the privacy tool’s core function. Researcher Tyler Murphy, who discovered the flaw, claims he notified the company more than a year ago, yet the security gap remains unpatched and fully exploitable.
SpaceX has reportedly showcased a handset-like AI device to investors, sparking speculation about Elon Musk’s ambitions in the consumer hardware market. While the prototype is currently in its early stages and subject to design shifts, the project signals a potential pivot toward integrated hardware for his AI ventures.
With an $800 million Series C injection, Together AI has cemented its position as a powerhouse in the GPU rental market, reaching an $8.3 billion valuation. The round, led by Aramco Ventures, signals a massive pivot toward open-source models as enterprises seek alternatives to costly proprietary AI services.
After eleven years as a co-founder of Sound Ventures, Ashton Kutcher is exiting the firm to launch a new venture capital outfit alongside former Meta executive Morgan Beller. The move marks a strategic shift for the actor-investor, who intends to pivot from established unicorns toward early-stage deep tech and energy infrastructure.
After nearly a decade of navigating hype cycles, pandemic lockdowns, and industry-wide bankruptcies, Lime has officially hit the Nasdaq. The micromobility company raised $167 million in its IPO, debuting at $25 per share and securing a valuation of approximately $1.66 billion as it seeks to stabilize its long-term financial future.
Starting September 15, 2026, Cloudflare will block mixed-use web crawlers from ad-supported sites by default. The move forces AI companies to distinguish between traditional search bots and those used for training or agentic services, aiming to protect publisher intellectual property from being scraped without compensation.
Three months after canceling its primary U.S. electric vehicle programs, Honda has launched production of batteries specifically for energy storage systems. By diverting cells originally intended for the Ohio joint venture with LG Energy Solution toward infrastructure projects, the automaker is recalibrating its strategy to capture a rapidly expanding stationary storage market.
After years of speculation and shifting timelines, micromobility leader Lime officially entered the public market on Wednesday. The company raised $167 million by selling 6.68 million shares at $25 each, hitting the midpoint of its target range and securing a valuation of approximately $1.66 billion for the nine-year-old operator.
Privacy-focused AI platform Venice AI has secured a $1 billion valuation following a $65 million Series A funding round. Led by Dragonfly, the investment signals growing market confidence in the startup’s model of providing uncensored access to artificial intelligence while maintaining strict user anonymity and data encryption.
Apple users can now access Gemini Spark directly on their desktops, as Google integrates its agentic AI into the existing Gemini app. Currently limited to U.S.-based AI Ultra subscribers, the beta launch positions the tool to compete directly with platforms like Claude Desktop and Microsoft Copilot by managing local files.
Sony will cease the production of physical game discs for all new PlayStation titles starting in January 2028, signaling a definitive shift toward a digital-only ecosystem. While existing physical libraries remain unaffected, the company is moving to consolidate its software distribution exclusively through the PlayStation Store and authorized online retailers.
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 returns to San Francisco’s Moscone Center on October 13-15, gathering over 10,000 founders and investors. The event’s Builders Stage will host a series of deep-dive sessions focused on the practical mechanics of scaling, from early-stage fundraising to navigating the complexities of an AI-saturated market.
Following the path of SpaceX, Meta is preparing to monetize its sprawling data center footprint by selling raw computing power and model access to third parties. This strategic shift aims to recoup a portion of the $182.9 billion the company has committed to its aggressive AI infrastructure expansion.
Vinton Cerf, the co-architect of the internet’s core protocols, is stepping down from his long-standing role as Google’s chief internet evangelist. The announcement, confirmed during the Open Frontier conference by UC Berkeley professor Dave Patterson, marks the end of a career that fundamentally shaped modern digital infrastructure.
The US government has rescinded a licensing requirement that effectively blocked global access to Anthropic’s advanced Mythos and Fable AI models. Following weeks of intense negotiations, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick confirmed the shift, allowing the lab to resume international distribution of its flagship technology starting Wednesday, July 1.
London-based autonomous driving startup Wayve is offering employees a chance to cash out on their vested equity, launching an $85 million tender offer. This secondary sale arrives at an $8.5 billion valuation, reflecting the company's aggressive growth trajectory and its strategy to retain top talent in a competitive AI market.
With the July 6 deadline just days away, Australian founders have a narrow window to secure a spot at the upcoming TechCrunch Startup Battlefield in Sydney. The event, returning August 19, 2026, offers a proven launchpad for local ventures to bypass traditional hurdles and reach global capital markets.
