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Coby Adcock’s Scout AI raises $100 million to train its models for war. We visited its bootcamp.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/29/coby-adcocks-scout-ai-raises-100-million-to-train-models-for-war-we-visited-its-bootcamp/
Published: April 29, 2026 09:45
We visited Scout AI's training ground where it's working on AI agents that give individual soldiers control of fleets of autonomous vehicles.
At his OpenAI trial, Musk relitigates an old friendship
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/28/at-his-openai-trial-musk-relitigates-an-old-friendship/
Published: April 29, 2026 00:40
It's a story Musk has told before -- in interviews and to author Walter Isaacson for his bestselling biography of Musk -- but Tuesday was the first time he said it under oath.
Amazon is already offering new OpenAI products on AWS
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/28/amazon-is-already-offering-new-openai-products-on-aws/
Published: April 28, 2026 19:48
A day after OpenAI got Microsoft to agree to end exclusive rights, AWS announced a slate of OpenAI model offerings, including a new agent service.
Amazon launches an AI-powered audio Q&A experience on product pages
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/28/amazon-launches-an-ai-powered-audio-qa-experience-on-product-pages/
Published: April 28, 2026 18:49
Amazon's new "Join the chat" feature lets you ask questions about products and receive AI-powered audio responses.
Google expands Pentagon’s access to its AI after Anthropic’s refusal
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/28/google-expands-pentagons-access-to-its-ai-after-anthropics-refusal/
Published: April 28, 2026 18:15
After Anthropic refused to allow the DoD to use its AI for domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons, Google has signed a new contract with the department.
Lovable launches its vibe-coding app on iOS and Android
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/28/lovable-launches-its-vibe-coding-app-on-ios-and-android/
Published: April 28, 2026 16:09
The app allows developers to vibe code web apps and websites on the go.
YouTube is testing an AI-powered search feature that shows guided answers
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/28/youtube-is-testing-an-ai-powered-search-feature-that-shows-guided-answers/
Published: April 28, 2026 13:54
YouTube is rolling out the new AI search feature to Premium subscribers in the U.S. on an opt-in basis.
BCI startup Neurable looks to license its ‘mind-reading’ tech for consumer wearables
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/28/bci-startup-neurable-looks-to-license-its-mind-reading-tech-for-consumer-wearables/
Published: April 28, 2026 13:19
The startup specializes in "non-invasive" "mind-reading" tech—a kind of neural data collection that, its CEO hopes, will have all sorts of consumer applications.
Red Hat’s OpenClaw maintainer just made enterprise Claw deployments a lot safer
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/28/red-hats-openclaw-maintainer-just-made-enterprise-claw-deployments-a-lot-safer/
Published: April 28, 2026 13:00
Tank OS puts OpenClaw AI agents into a container that let's it run reliably and more safely, especially for those running fleets of them.
Otter’s new feature lets users search across their enterprise tools
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/28/otters-new-feature-lets-users-search-across-their-enterprise-tools/
Published: April 28, 2026 12:00
Otter is also releasing a new Windows app that can capture meeting notes without joining one
OpenAI ends Microsoft legal peril over its $50B Amazon deal
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/27/openai-ends-microsoft-legal-peril-over-its-50b-amazon-deal/
Published: April 27, 2026 17:40
OpenAI has won major concessions from its largest shareholder, Microsoft, that will allow it to sell products on AWS, while Microsoft get more cash in a revenue-share agreement.
DeepMind’s David Silver just raised $1.1B to build an AI that learns without human data
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/27/deepminds-david-silver-just-raised-1-1b-to-build-an-ai-that-learns-without-human-data/
Published: April 27, 2026 17:24
Ineffable Intelligence, a British AI lab founded a mere few months ago by former DeepMind researcher David Silver, has raised $1.1 billion in funding at a valuation of $5.1 billion.
Investors back Skye’s AI home screen app for iPhone ahead of launch
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/27/investors-back-skye-signull-labs-ai-home-screen-app-for-iphone-ahead-of-launch/
Published: April 27, 2026 16:13
Skye's new AI app attracted investors before it even launched — a sign of interest in a more AI-aware iPhone.
China vetoes Meta’s $2B Manus deal after months-long probe
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/27/china-vetoes-metas-2b-manus-deal-after-months-long-probe/
Published: April 27, 2026 13:16
China has ordered Meta to unwind its multibillion-dollar Manus acquisition, dealing a potential setback to Zuckerberg’s push into AI agents.
OpenAI could be making a phone with AI agents replacing apps
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/27/openai-could-be-making-a-phone-with-ai-agents-replacing-apps/
Published: April 27, 2026 13:08
The phone could go in mass production in 2028, an analyst says.
Meta inks deal for solar power at night, beamed from space
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/27/meta-inks-deal-for-solar-power-at-night-beamed-from-space/
Published: April 27, 2026 10:00
Overview Energy's first contract with Meta is a small step toward a future of space-based solar power.
To buy this Bay Area home, you’ll need Anthropic equity
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/26/to-buy-this-bay-area-home-youll-need-anthropic-equity/
Published: April 26, 2026 15:30
Someone’s offering an unusual deal for a 13-acre property in Mill Valley, just north of South Francisco.
Anthropic created a test marketplace for agent-on-agent commerce
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/25/anthropic-created-a-test-marketplace-for-agent-on-agent-commerce/
Published: April 25, 2026 21:43
In a recent experiment, Anthropic created a classified marketplace where AI agents represented both buyers and sellers, striking real deals for real goods and real money.
Maine’s governor vetoes data center moratorium
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/25/maines-governor-vetoes-data-center-moratorium/
Published: April 25, 2026 20:57
L.D. 307 would have imposed the country’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers — lasting, in this case, until November 1, 2027.
OpenAI CEO apologizes to Tumbler Ridge community
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/25/openai-ceo-apologizes-to-tumbler-ridge-community/
Published: April 25, 2026 17:17
In a letter to the residents of Tumbler Ridge, Canada, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he is “deeply sorry” that his company failed to alert law enforcement about the suspect in a recent mass shooting.
Why Cohere is merging with Aleph Alpha
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/25/why-cohere-is-merging-with-aleph-alpha/
Published: April 25, 2026 16:00
Canadian AI startup Cohere is taking over Germany-based Aleph Alpha with support from Lidl’s owner, Schwarz Group. With the blessing of their governments, the companies intend to offer a sovereign alternative to enterprises in an AI landscape dominated by…
Why Tokyo is the most important tech destination of 2026
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/25/why-tokyo-is-the-most-important-tech-destination-of-2026/
Published: April 25, 2026 15:03
SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 has four tightly defined technology domains, each backed by live demonstrations, dedicated exhibit floors, and sessions featuring the people actually building and funding these technologies globally.
Apple under Ternus: what comes next for the tech giant’s hardware strategy
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/25/apple-under-ternus-what-comes-next-for-the-tech-giants-hardware-strategy/
Published: April 25, 2026 15:00
John Ternus, Apple's incoming CEO, is a hardware guy, signaling Apple may be putting devices back at the center of its strategy.
Meta’s loss is Thinking Machines’ gain
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/24/metas-loss-is-thinking-machines-gain/
Published: April 24, 2026 20:52
Meta has been poaching talent from Thinking Machines Lab. But it's a two-way street.
ComfyUI hits $500M valuation as creators seek more control over AI-generated media
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/24/comfyui-hits-500m-valuation-as-creators-seek-more-control-over-ai-generated-media/
Published: April 24, 2026 19:49
ComfyUI, whose tools give creators more control over AI image, video, and audio generation, just raised $30 million.
Google to invest up to $40B in Anthropic in cash and compute
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/24/google-to-invest-up-to-40b-in-anthropic-in-cash-and-compute/
Published: April 24, 2026 18:00
Google plans up to $40B investment in Anthropic as AI rivals race to secure massive compute capacity, following the limited release of its powerful, cybersecurity-focused Mythos model.
Apple’s new CEO, and why Elon Musk wants to buy Cursor for $60B
https://techcrunch.com/podcast/apples-new-ceo-and-why-elon-musk-wants-to-buy-cursor-for-60b/
Published: April 24, 2026 17:45
A new era is on the way for Apple as Tim Cook plans to step down from his CEO role in September, handing the reins to hardware chief John Ternus. Ternus may be inheriting one of the most durable businesses in tech, but he’s also stepping into a very…
Marked-up Mac minis flood eBay amid shortages driven by AI
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/24/mac-mini-price-expensive-ebay-shortage-ai-memory/
Published: April 24, 2026 16:42
Apple’s sold-out Mac mini is spawning marked-up eBay listings as demand surges for the compact desktop, now favored for running local AI models and tools.
Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga joins stacked StrictlyVC SF lineup for April 30 event
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/24/uber-cto-praveen-neppalli-naga-joins-stacked-strictlyvc-sf-lineup-for-april-30-event/
Published: April 24, 2026 14:00
Surprise! StrictlyVC San Francisco, which will kick off this year’s events lineup for TechCrunch on April 30 at the Sentro Filipino Cultural Center, is getting a new addition to its increasingly stacked lineup of speakers. Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga…
Nothing introduces an AI-powered dictation tool
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/24/nothing-introduces-an-ai-powered-dictation-tool/
Published: April 24, 2026 13:41
Nothing's new on-device dictation tool supports over 100 languages.
DeepSeek previews new AI model that ‘closes the gap’ with frontier models
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/24/deepseek-previews-new-ai-model-that-closes-the-gap-with-frontier-models/
Published: April 24, 2026 13:30
DeepSeek says both models are more efficient and performant than DeepSeek V3.2 due to architectural improvements, and have almost "closed the gap" with current leading models, both open and closed, on reasoning benchmarks.
In another wild turn for AI chips, Meta signs deal for millions of Amazon AI CPUs
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/24/in-another-wild-turn-for-ai-chips-meta-signs-deal-for-millions-of-amazon-ai-cpus/
Published: April 24, 2026 12:00
Meta has commandeered a big chunk of Amazon's homegrown CPUs (not GPUs) for AI agentic workloads, signaling that a new kind of chip race has begun.
Bret Taylor’s Sierra buys YC-backed AI startup Fragment
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/23/bret-taylors-sierra-buys-yc-backed-ai-startup-fragment/
Published: April 23, 2026 21:00
Sierra, the AI customer service agent startup founded by technologist Bret Taylor, announced today that it has acquired the YC-backed French startup Fragment.
Meet Noscroll, an AI bot that does your doomscrolling for you
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/23/meet-noscroll-an-ai-bot-that-does-your-doomscrolling-for-you/
Published: April 23, 2026 19:38
Noscroll wants to cure doomscrolling with an AI bot that reads the internet for you.
OpenAI releases GPT-5.5, bringing company one step closer to an AI ‘superapp’
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/23/openai-chatgpt-gpt-5-5-ai-model-superapp/
Published: April 23, 2026 18:29
OpenAI says its latest model offers increased capabilities across a broad variety of categories.
Era raises $11M to build a software platform for AI gadgets
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/23/era-computer-raises-11m-to-build-a-software-platform-for-ai-gadgets/
Published: April 23, 2026 16:00
Era thinks that we will see many form factors of AI hardware, including glasses, rings, and pendants
Grab a ticket today: The first StrictlyVC of 2026 kicks off in just a week in San Francisco
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/23/grab-a-ticket-today-the-first-strictlyvc-of-2026-kicks-off-in-just-a-week-in-san-francisco/
Published: April 23, 2026 14:00
StrictlyVC San Francisco is in just a week. Now’s the time to grab yourself a ticket. Join VCs and founders at Sentro Filipino Cultural Center on April 30.
AI galaxy hunters are adding to the global GPU crunch
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/23/ai-galaxy-hunters-are-adding-to-the-global-gpu-crunch/
Published: April 23, 2026 13:00
Astronomers are turning to GPUs to find needles in the galactic haystack.
Beehiiv rolls out new creator tools, including webinars and customizable paywalls
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/23/beehiiv-rolls-out-new-creator-tools-including-webinars-and-customizable-paywalls/
Published: April 23, 2026 12:00
Beehiiv is clearly done being just a newsletter platform based on today's launch of a new webinar feature, customizable paywalls, and more.
India’s app market is booming — but global platforms are capturing most of the gains
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/indias-app-market-is-booming-but-global-platforms-are-capturing-most-of-the-gains/
Published: April 23, 2026 04:38
Non-gaming apps, led by streaming and AI, are driving growth, even as India's spending per user lags global peers.
Tesla just increased its capex to $25B. Here’s where the money is going.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/tesla-just-increased-its-capex-to-25b-heres-where-the-money-is-going/
Published: April 22, 2026 23:56
Tesla's planned capex for 2026 is three times higher than what the company has historically spent. Its CFO said, as a result, Tesla will have a negative free cash flow the rest of the year.
Google updates Workspace to make AI your new office intern
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/google-updates-workspace-to-make-ai-your-new-office-intern/
Published: April 22, 2026 22:44
Google has introduced a host of new automated functions into Workspace, all of which are driven by Workspace Intelligence, its new AI system.
Hands on with X’s new AI-powered custom feeds
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/hands-on-with-xs-new-ai-powered-custom-feeds/
Published: April 22, 2026 22:25
X's AI-powered custom timelines are replacing Communities, with Grok-curated feeds...and new ad slots.
How SpaceX preempted a $2B fundraise with a $60B buyout offer
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/how-spacex-preempted-a-2b-fundraise-with-a-60b-buyout-offer/
Published: April 22, 2026 19:51
Cursor was on track to close a $2 billion funding round this week but chose to halt discussions after SpaceX offered a $10 billion "collaboration fee" and a path to a $60 billion acquisition.
Google Cloud launches two new AI chips to compete with Nvidia
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/google-cloud-next-new-tpu-ai-chips-compete-with-nvidia/
Published: April 22, 2026 18:39
Google's newest TPUs are faster and cheaper than the previous versions. But the company is still embracing Nvidia in its cloud — for now.
Google turns Chrome into an AI coworker for the workplace
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/google-turns-chrome-into-an-ai-coworker-for-the-workplace/
Published: April 22, 2026 17:30
Google brings Gemini-powered 'auto browse' capabilities to Chrome for enterprise users, letting workers automate tasks like research, data entry, and more.
Google makes an interesting choice with its new agent building tool for enterprises
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/google-makes-an-interesting-choice-with-its-new-agent-building-tool-for-enterprises/
Published: April 22, 2026 16:58
Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform takes an interesting approach: it is geared for IT and technical users.
AI Overviews are coming to your Gmail at work
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/ai-overviews-are-coming-to-your-gmail-at-work/
Published: April 22, 2026 16:46
The AI Overviews will offer instant summaries pulled from across multiple emails.
OpenAI teams up with Infosys to bring AI tools to more businesses
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/openai-teams-up-with-infosys-to-bring-ai-tools-to-more-businesses/
Published: April 22, 2026 14:22
Infosys said the integration will be used to help its clients modernize software development, automate workflows and deploy AI systems, initially focusing software engineering, legacy modernization, and DevOps.
AI is spitting out more potential drugs than ever. This start-up wants to figure out which ones matter.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/ai-is-spitting-out-more-potential-drugs-than-ever-this-start-up-wants-to-figure-out-which-ones-matter/
Published: April 22, 2026 13:00
10x Science has raised a $4.8 million seed round to help pharmaceutical researchers understand complex molecules.
Google Maps is about to get a big dose of AI
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/google-maps-is-about-to-get-a-big-dose-of-ai/
Published: April 22, 2026 12:00
Generative AI is being infused into Google's popular feature within Maps.
The most interesting startups showcased at Google Cloud Next 2026
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/the-most-interesting-startups-showcased-at-google-cloud-next-2026/
Published: April 22, 2026 12:00
Google wants AI startups on its cloud and has showcased a long list of them at its annual conference.
Exclusive: Google deepens Thinking Machines Lab ties with new multi-billion-dollar deal
https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/22/exclusive-google-deepens-thinking-machines-lab-ties-with-new-multi-billion-dollar-deal/
Published: April 22, 2026 12:00
Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab has signed a multi-billion-dollar deal with Google Cloud for AI infrastructure powered by Nvidia's latest GB300 chips, TechCrunch has exclusively learned.