TechCrunch

Last 48 hours to save before the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 flash sale ends. Save up to $624 on your ticket and join 10,000 tech leaders. Register here.

Spotify has announced new partnerships with major record labels — including Sony, Universal, Warner, and Merlin — to build “responsible AI” tools that protect artists’ rights and ensure fair compensation. The initiative will let artists opt in or out of AI use.

Jack & Jill uses conversational AI to sidestep the listing and resumé shuffle. With $20 million in seed funding, the company is plotting its US expansion.

In less than a decade AAF has backed startups with exits totaling $2 billion, it says and is doing so through an unusual VC model.

Indian quick commerce startup Zepto said it has raised $400 million in a funding round led by a new investor, California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), a U.S.-based pension fund. The round, which is a mix of primary and secondary investment, also has participation from existing investors, including Avenir, Avra, Lightspeed, Glade Brook, The Stepstone … Read more

Kuku plans to expand beyond India with a U.S. launch slated for next year.

PicSee is a new app that detects your friends’ photos on device and allows you to send it to them.

South Korea weighs granting Google and Apple access to high-resolution map data amid lingering security and regulatory concerns.

If the company attracts investors at the top of its announced range, it will have a valuation of about $7.2 billion.

Backed by Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital, the Enhanced Games aims to disrupt the Olympics with a competition that allows athletes to dope. Launching in Las Vegas in May 2026, the games promise $1 million bounties for breaking world records and lean on a business model reminiscent of Red Bull’s, using the … Read more

Spotify is developing a new “SongDNA” feature that lets users explore music through the people behind it — from writers and producers to vocalists and engineers.

Apple is adding renewable power to offset customer charging and support its operations, including third-party manufacturing in China.

Viven’s seed funding was led by Khosla Ventures and Foundation Capital.

Anthropic has released Claude Haiku 4.5, the newest version of its smallest model, billed as offering similar performance to Sonnet 4 “at one-third the cost and more than twice the speed.”

Liberate’s AI agents automate tasks for P&C insurers, working across sales, service, and claims.

The Chinese AV companies are already traded on the Nasdaq.

Semiconductor firm Arm is partnering with Meta to enhance the social media company’s AI systems amid an unprecedented infrastructure buildout.

Nscale plans to deploy the chips over the next few years to three data centers in Europe and a fourth in the U.S.

Google launched its new video model Veo 3.1 with improved audio output, granular editing controls, and better output for image to video. It said that Veo 3.1 builds on May’s Veo 3 release and generates more realistic clips and adheres to prompts better. The model allows users to add an object to the video and … Read more

Google now lets you recover your accounts using your phone number or trusted contacts

The company, which provides cybersecurity defenses to most of the Fortune 500, said the DOJ allowed it to delay notifying the public on national security grounds.

X is working on new transparency features to help users identify who they’re interacting with, such as account creation date, location, username change history, and how each account uses the service.

Apple announced its new M5 chip along with the new iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, and Vision Pro.

Instagram Threads is rolling out group messaging for up to 50 people and expanding its direct messaging features to users in the EU. The update lets users 18 and older share text, videos, GIFs, and emojis in group chats, though messages aren’t encrypted.

The Space Stage agenda is full at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025. Join 10,000 tech leaders to hear what’s next in space tech from top voices like Baiju Bhatt, Will Bruey, Bridgit Mendler, and more. Register now to save up to $624.

3 days left to book your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, October 27-29 in San Francisco’s Moscone West. Now is the moment to reserve your exhibit table before a competitor takes it.

Spotify’s AI DJ now takes text commands and accepts Spanish-language music requests by voice.

Only 3 days left to save up to $624 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 pass before prices rise Friday, October 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Join 10,000+ founders, investors, and operators for 200+ sessions, 250+ speakers, and Startup Battlefield 200. Register now to save up to $624, or save 15% to 30% on group passes.

Video editing app VSCO is adding a set of new AI image editing tools, support for high-resolution RAW files, non-destructive edits, and content-aware region detection.

Waymo already has ties to the UK, which began after the autonomous vehicle technology company acquired Latent Logic in 2019.