TechCrunch
Startup and Technology News
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Waymo’s Tekedra Mawakana on Scaling Self-Driving Beyond the Hype
Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana takes the Disrupt Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 (Oct 27–29, SF) to share the realities of scaling autonomous vehicles — from safety to regulation to the road ahead.
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Figure reaches $39B valuation in latest funding round
Figure raised more than $1 billion in a Series C round led by Parkway Venture Capital in addition to numerous other investors.
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Waymo approved to start testing autonomous vehicles at San Francisco International Airport
Waymo has spent years locked in back-and-forth negotiations with SFO, the biggest airport serving its home base of Silicon Valley.
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OpenAI will apply new restrictions to ChatGPT users under 18
Under the new policy, ChatGPT will be trained to no longer engage in "flirtatious talk" with underage users, and additional guardrails will be placed around discussions of suicide.
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Samsung patches zero-day security flaw used to hack into its customers’ phones
The Galaxy phone maker said it was notified in August that hackers are actively exploiting the security flaw to target Samsung customers.
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Fourth Power’s sci-fi thermal batteries could be cheaper than pricey natural gas power plants
Fourth Power has raised $20 million to build a demonstration version of its thermal batteries, which ultimately could store electricity at $25 per kWh.
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D-ID acquires Berlin-based video startup Simpleshow
Both companies are seeing a strong future of digital avatars for different kinds of videos, including training, marketing, and sales.
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Tesla probed for potentially faulty door handles
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received nine reports from owners who couldn't access their cars, including from parents whose children were stuck inside.
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YouTube to use AI to help podcasters promote themselves with clips and Shorts
YouTube teases new AI-powered tools for turning podcasts into video clips, even if they're audio-only.
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YouTube Music launches new tools for artists to reward fans with exclusive merch and videos
YouTube Music users will soon be able to pre-save songs, see a countdown for album releases, get exclusive merch, and more.
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YouTube announces new generative AI tools for Shorts creators
YouTube is bringing a custom version of Google's text-to-video generative AI model, Veo 3, to Shorts, along with a new remixing tool, an 'Edit with AI' feature, and more.
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YouTube rolls out Studio updates, ‘likeness’ detection, lip synced dubs, creator collabs, and more
YouTube launches a handful of updates for creators, including lip syncing features for dubbed videos, likeness detection, collabs, an AI chatbot and more.
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YouTube unveils new ways for creators to earn with brand deals, YouTube Shopping program
The new flexible approach to brand sponsorships will allow creators to dynamically insert brand segments directly into swappable slots in longer videos.
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YouTube Live gets a major update, introduces dual-format streaming, minigames, and more
YouTube announced new features for livestreaming, such as letting creators play mini-games, AI-powered highlights, and more.
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Salesforce launches ‘Missionforce,’ a national security-focused business unit
Salesforce's Missionforce will help modernize national defense workflows across areas including personnel, logistics and decision making.
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This $30M startup built a dog crate-sized robot factory that learns by watching humans
MicroFactory has more than 100 preorders for its general purpose tabletop robotic factory which it hopes to start shipping in two months.
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Google launches new protocol for agent-driven purchases
Called the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), the system is meant to be interoperable between AI platforms, payment systems and vendors.
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Calm launches standalone iOS app for sleep support
The new Calm Sleep app is designed to help people wind down, sleep deeply, and wake up refreshed.
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Y Combinator-backed Rulebase wants to be the AI coworker for fintech
Y Combinator-alum Rulebase is betting that the next wave of automation in financial services will be the unglamorous tasks.
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Kayak co-founder takes on Calendly with new Supercal scheduling platform
The entrepreneur has launched Supercal, a free scheduling platform that’s designed to make booking meetings more efficient and simple.
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