TechCrunch

Nothing on Monday revealed Playground, an AI tool that lets users create apps with simple text prompts and deploy them to a platform of sorts known as Essential Apps.

The company is replacing Daniel Ek with two co-CEOs: Gustav Söderström, currently co-president, and chief product and technology officer; and Alex Norström, co-president and chief business officer.

Hinge won’t kick you off the app if just one thing on your profile breaks the rules but remove the content and prompt you to change it.

Whoop Advanced Labs marries subscription blood tests with its fitness device monitoring for tech-powered wellness advice.

Neon will write code snippets, includes an agent that will do tasks for you, and handles repeatable prompts.

The growth fund is nearly twice the size of its previous one.

SB 53 requires large AI labs – including OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google DeepMind – to be transparent about safety protocols. It also ensures whistleblower protections for employees at those companies.  

The fintech startup had been acquired by JPMorgan Chase in 2021 for $175 million. The bank later accused Frank of lying about its customer base.

There were no injuries, but the building has been deemed unfit for occupation. Faraday’s landlord is currently trying to find a new tenant as the EV startup’s lease is expiring.

The Y Combinator startup, raised a Series A led by Peak XV Partners.

These updates show us that Meta wants fans to take Facebook more seriously as a place to engage with creators.

Researchers at DeepSeek released a new experimental model designed to have dramatically lower inference costs when used in long-context operations.

This type of frictionless experience has the potential to spark a new movement in how people shop online – one that moves away from search engines like Google and e-commerce platforms like Amazon towards conversational agents with curated recommendations, comparisons, and easy checkout experiences. 

Venture capital is filled with investors who claim they’ve got inside access to the next big thing. Meanwhile, Gabriel Jarrosson, a French engineer-turned-YouTuber-turned-investor, has built his VC firm around a single filter: if it isn’t a Y Combinator company, he won’t invest in it. That discipline pushed Jarrosson from filming scrappy venture explainers in Paris … Read more

Anything raised an $11 million funding round at a $100 million valuation.

Anthropic says its new AI model is robust enough to build production-ready applications, rather than just prototypes.

Brave is debuting a new detailed answer feature for its AI-powered search

A Trump appointee emailed Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy employees last week with a long list of banned words.

If you’ve been thinking about applying to volunteer at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, this is it — applications close tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT. Only accepting local Bay Area applicants.

The new safety features come after numerous incidents of ChatGPT validating users’ delusional thinking instead of redirecting harmful conversations — including the death of a teenage boy by suicide.

The social media giant announced that free access to the feature will be limited to 5GB.

Users in Ohio will have to verify their age to use Bluesky’s social network as of Monday.

Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of Robinhood and founder of Aetherflux, shares insights on building transformative companies in fintech and aerospace at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.

From today through October 3, we’re offering an exclusive deal just for founders and investors at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.

The startup uses an LLM tailored to helping people arrive at a consensus. Is it enough to help bridge our differences?

The Indian-owned carmaking giant will be bailed out after a cyberattack stalled car production and its downstream supply chain. Critics argue that the bailout sends the wrong message to hackers and crime groups.

The Disrupt Stage is where tech’s biggest bets get made — live and unfiltered. It’s where startup dreams turn into $100,000 wins in Startup Battlefield, and where the industry’s power players reveal what’s next. Register to save up to $444 on your pass.

Polars, the Amsterdam-based company behind the popular open source project by the same name, has raised an €18 million Series A led by Accel.

Honda is partnering with Astrobotic to study whether their tech could provide continuous power on the moon.

Instagram is testing a new Reels-first UI in India and South Korea to give short videos more prominence in the app.