TechCrunch

Yann LeCun, a chief AI scientist at Meta, is planning to leave the company to build his own startup, which will focus on continuing his work on world models.

Robyn wants to position it self as an empathetic chatbot and not as a companion or a therapy app

The platform has attracted an eclectic user base. More than half of Fortune 500 companies are using Lovable to "supercharge creativity," according to Osika, who insisted retention remains strong.

SoftBank and OpenAI announced a new 50-50 joint venture this week to sell enterprise AI tools in Japan under the brand “Crystal Intelligence.” On paper, it’s a straightforward international expansion deal. But SoftBank’s role as a major investor in OpenAI is raising questions about whether AI’s biggest deals are creating real economic value or just moving money in circles.  […]

AI isn't all or nothing, and even good bets can turn sour if you aren't careful about how you make them. 

Seattle-based Rad Power has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs over the last few years coming out of the pandemic. However, the company is "still fighting to find ways to continue" according to an email viewed by TechCrunch.

Kaltura acquires AI avatar startup eSelf to integrate generative AI into enterprise video and learning tools.

The tech giant says the change will enable users to use their voice more naturally to access content and more.

Gamma is growing quickly, and profitably, its co-founder CEO Grant Lee says.

Wikipedia, the online nonprofit encyclopedia, laid out a simple plan to ensure its website continues to be supported in the AI era, despite its declining traffic.

Carbon Direct is buying Pachama as the voluntary carbon markets enter a period of uncertainty.

Google is debuting an agent that will generate code for you to build interactive Maps projects.

Venmo launches a cash back program for debit card users, as credit card use declines among Gen Z.

Mmotion is a new friendship app that combines elements of location sharing with social discovery features to find nearby users with shared interests.

Amazon Music now lets users in Canada create and join groups based on their favorite genres and artists.

The newly independent 359 Capital is halfway through investing from $181 million second fund.

Vay, a German startup offering remote-controlled rental cars, will get an investment of up to $410M from Singaporean super-app company Grab.

Government surveillance vendors want us to believe their spyware products are only used in limited and targeted operations against terrorists and serious criminals. That claim is increasingly difficult to justify, given the broad range of victims — journalists, activists, and now political consultants — that have come forward.

Scribe Optimize is the startup's next major offering to help organizations identify where AI will be most useful.

Amanda Kahlow has quietly been back in sales and marketing tech for about a year with agentic startup 1mind.