TechCrunch Headlines

World’s first enhanced geothermal power plant completed in just 23 months

Fervo Energy completed its first power plant in less than two years. The next phases promise to connect to the grid even quicker.

OpenAI cuts ties with three safety researchers, WSJ reports

OpenAI has parted ways with three safety researchers after an internal investigation found they mishandled sensitive company information, report says.

Opus 5.5 loves to tell you ‘this matters’ (and other AI writing tells)

Opus 5.5’s biggest tell is the word “dependable,” which pops up 23 times more often than in human samples.

TechCrunchBusiness

This startup wants to turn idle user car inventory into rental revenue

When Igor Dobrianskyi looks at a car dealership lot, he doesn't see rows of cars — he sees millions of dollars just sitting there, depreciating, while people who only need a car for a few months are s…

Amazon releases its own Jev clone as decision models flood the web

Amazon Web Services' Strand Labs has released the latest Jevalike decision model, Strands Decider 2B.

Shopify debuts Canvas, a way to build online stores by chatting with AI

Shopify’s new Canvas site builder lets merchants create and customize their online stores by chatting with its AI agent Sidekick, while watching the changes happen in real time.

California governor vetoes bill banning use of ‘pervert glasses’ to secretly record people

The California state bill would have penalized people who secretly recorded people in public with wearables equipped with cameras and microphones.

One year later, Tesla and Musk still don’t have a good definition of ‘abundance’

The CEO promised to get more specific about his vision. But the details are still absent.

Brian Chesky interview: AI agents need their own operating system

Brian Chesky on making Airbnb agent-friendly, the state of consumer AI, and why the world needs an AI-native operating system.

Photon held a funeral for mobile apps. Now it has $4.5M to help replace them with agents

The startup helps developers build AI agents that work over iMessage, SMS/RCS, email, and other messaging platforms. It's a bet that consumers will increasingly use agents instead of downloading apps.

Amazon introduces Kindle Click, a $35 remote for turning pages

The compact Bluetooth remote is designed to let readers turn pages without touching their Kindle.

The new Kindle ditches the bezel in a push toward a smaller, lighter e-reader

The new Kindle lineup features its lightest and thinnest designs yet, with a sleek, front-flush display that eliminates bezels for good.

Audible’s new features let you explore book worlds — and use AI to talk to characters

Audible is rolling out new features that help listeners keep track of characters, explore places and imagery mentioned in books, and even interact with characters using generative AI.

Hearing tech startup Legato launches its AI hearing glasses

The glasses stem from the startup’s goal of making hearing care more accessible by addressing the cost, comfort, and stigma associated with traditional hearing aids.

Satlyt, founded by a former Google and SpaceX product manager, raises $8M to run AI on satellites

Satlyt wants to be the Android of orbital computing, offering open software that works on many companies' satellites, versus SpaceX's closed, all-in-one iPhone-style approach.

Google releases Gemini 4 Argon, called its most powerful model yet

Google has released its latest Gemini model, marketing it as a workhorse for coding and cybersecurity work.

techcrunch.com·21d ago

The Pentagon taps Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey to help decide what the military should do next

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just launched a 120-day study on the future of warfare, led by Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and Newt Gingrich, and while it makes sense given their ties to the administrati…

techcrunch.com·21d ago