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TechCrunch

• Hugging Face releases a free Operator-like agentic AI tool 2025-05-06
  A team at Hugging Face has released a freely available, cloud-hosted computer-using AI “agent.” But be forewarned: It’s quite sluggish and occasionally makes mistakes. Hugging Face’s agent, called Open Computer Agent, is accessible via the web and can use a Linux virtual machine preloaded with several applications, including Firefox. Similar to OpenAI’s Operator, you can […]
  Kyle Wiggers
• Rivian earnings: EV maker cuts delivery guidance because of Trump’s tariffs and trade wars 2025-05-06
  Rivian said in its earnings report Tuesday it will likely deliver fewer vehicles this year than previously forecasted due to President Trump’s tariffs and other regulatory changes, making it the latest automaker to be affected by the new administration’s chaotic economic policies. The company said Tuesday it expects to deliver between 40,000 and 46,000 EVs […]
  Sean O'Kane
• NSO Group must pay more than $167 million in damages to WhatsApp for spyware campaign 2025-05-06
  The five-year legal battle between the Meta-owned company and the most notorious spyware maker in the world ends with a huge win for WhatsApp.
  Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
• Substack launches audio-only livestream feature 2025-05-06
  If you’re a Substack publisher who prefers not to turn on your camera while livestreaming, you’re in luck.  Substack announced on Tuesday that it’s launching an audio-only livestream feature for publishers who want a lower-pressure way to connect with their followers. This is also ideal for those who wish to remain anonymous.  To use the […]
  Lauren Forristal
• IBM CEO urges the Trump administration to increase — not cut — federal AI R&D funding 2025-05-06
  Like many leaders in tech, Arvind Krishna, the CEO of IBM, thinks federal R&D funding for AI and related technologies should be increased — not the other way around. “We have been an extremely strong advocate — and this is both the company and me personally — on that federally funded R&D should be increased,” […]
  Kyle Wiggers
• Reddit will tighten verification to keep out human-like AI bots 2025-05-06
  Redditors around the world were scandalized last week after learning that a team of researchers released a swarm of AI-powered, human-impersonating bots on the “Change My View” subreddit. The large-scale experiment was designed to explore just how persuasive AI can be. The bots posted over 1,700 comments, adopting personas like abuse survivors or controversial identities […]
  Rebecca Bellan
• Patreon’s app can now accept web payments after US App Store changes 2025-05-06
  Creator platform Patreon has rolled out an updated version of its app that now allows users to make purchases via the web, in the wake of the Apple-Epic court ruling that forced Apple to allow app developers to include links to alternative forms of payment without being subject to Apple’s commission. Previously, on version 125.4.1 […]
  Sarah Perez
• Amazon-owned Zoox issues recall following robotaxi crash 2025-05-06
  Zoox, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Amazon, paused its driverless testing program for more than a week and issued a voluntary recall of its software following a crash in Las Vegas, according to the company and a filing with federal safety regulators. The April 8 crash, which involved an unoccupied Zoox vehicle and a […]
  Kirsten Korosec
• TechCrunch Sessions: AI welcomes Tanka CEO Kisson Lin to talk AI-native startups 2025-05-06
  We’re ecstatic to announce that Kisson Lin, founder and CEO of Tanka, will be joining us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI for a provocative — and instructive — interview titled “Your Next Co-Founder Will Be AI.” She’s among the many excellent speakers joining the event June 5 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall, and there’s still plenty […]
  TechCrunch Events
• FutureHouse previews an AI tool for ‘data-driven’ biology discovery 2025-05-06
  FutureHouse, an Eric Schmidt-backed nonprofit that aims to build an “AI scientist” within the next decade, has released a new tool that it claims can help support “data-driven discovery” in biology. The new tool comes just a week after FutureHouse launched its API and platform. The tool, called Finch, takes in biology data (primarily in the […]
  Kyle Wiggers
• Amazon Kindle’s iOS app adds new ‘Get Book’ button following Apple payments ruling 2025-05-06
  Thanks to a recent ruling that ordered Apple to stop charging a 27% commission on purchases through iPhone apps, Amazon’s Kindle iOS app now has a “Get Book” button that makes it easier to buy titles. “We regularly make improvements to our apps to help ensure we are providing customers the most convenient experience possible,” Amazon […]
  Aisha Malik
• Uber turns to Chinese companies to snap up robotaxi market share in Europe, Middle East 2025-05-06
  Uber announced its third partnership with a Chinese autonomous vehicle company this week, revealing the ride-hail and delivery giant’s appetite for global domination in the emerging robotaxi sector. Uber said Tuesday it would work with Guangzhou-based Pony AI, which late last year went public on the Nasdaq at a $5.25 billion valuation, to launch robotaxis […]
  Rebecca Bellan
• What OpenAI’s restructuring plan means for its corporate future 2025-05-06
  OpenAI said on Monday it is pursuing a new restructuring plan after conversations with Delaware’s and California’s attorneys general, both of whom were closely watching as OpenAI tried to break free of its odd corporate structure. Currently, OpenAI’s nonprofit board governs the organization’s for-profit operations. Under the new plan, OpenAI’s for-profit arm will become a […]
  Maxwell Zeff
• Can the Cadillac Celestiq EV make GM’s luxury brand great again? Don’t rule it out 2025-05-06
  Nearly three years after unveiling the concept version of the flagship Cadillac Celestiq EV, GM has finally released the real thing: a “mid-$300,000” electric vehicle that oozes luxury and a come-gawk-at-me exterior designed to lure in passersby. But is this bespoke EV enough for Cadillac to regain its position as the “Standard of the World”? […]
  Emme Hall
• Particle brings its AI-powered news reader to the web 2025-05-06
  Particle, the startup behind an AI-powered newsreader that aims to help publishers, not just steal their work, is bringing its product to the web. On Tuesday, the company announced the launch of the new Particle.news website that connects news consumers with headlines and AI summaries from a variety of sources, plus the ability to delve […]
  Sarah Perez
• Google’s new ‘Simplify’ feature for iOS uses AI to make dense text easier to understand  2025-05-06
  Google’s iOS app is getting a new “Simplify” feature that uses AI to make complex or technical text on the web easier to understand, all without leaving a web page. Simplify features a prompt refinement approach developed by Google Research and uses Gemini to make complicated text more digestible, without losing key details. Google says […]
  Aisha Malik
• Finom, a challenger bank aimed at SMBs, lands $105M in growth funding from General Catalyst 2025-05-06
  Finom, an Amsterdam-based digital bank for small- and medium-sized businesses, has raised €92.7 million (roughly $105 million) in a growth investment from General Catalyst’s Customer Value Fund, the company tells TechCrunch exclusively. The capital infusion “will be used exclusively and only for growth” and not for operational expenses or product development, Kos Stiskin, Finom’s chairman […]
  Mary Ann Azevedo
• Google debuts an updated Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model ahead of I/O 2025-05-06
  Google on Tuesday announced the launch of Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition), an updated version of its flagship Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model that the company claims tops a number of widely used benchmarks. Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition) is available via the Gemini API and Google’s Vertex AI and AI Studio platforms, […]
  Kyle Wiggers
• NewLimit, founded by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, raises $130M to develop age-reversing treatments 2025-05-06
  NewLimit, a startup that aims to increase how long people can live a healthy life by genetically programming their cells, has raised $130M.
  Marina Temkin
• Unblocked raises $20M for AI to help devs understand codebases 2025-05-06
  Every developer has their own unique style of writing code. Despite companies establishing best practices and drawing up documentation, it can be hard for developers to understand someone else’s codebase. To solve this problem, Dennis Pilarinos built a tool called Unblocked — an AI-powered assistant that answers contextual questions about lines of code. Pilarinos is […]
  Ivan Mehta