β¨ Check out this must-read post from TechCrunch π π **Category**: Startups,Build Mode,Build Mode Video,Bland AI,Isaiah Granet π‘ **What Youβll Learn**: When you're building at breakneck speed, hiring a reliable team is crucial to an early-stage startup. In this episode of Build Mode, Isabel Johansen sits down with Isaiah Granit, CEO and co-founder of Bland, a voice AI company that has grown from pre-seed to Series B in just 10 months. Their team has swelled to 75 people, and Granit has tactical advice on how the company can find hidden talent in unexpected places. With a founding team fresh out…
π₯ Explore this must-read post from TechCrunch π π **Category**: Apps,Search,Google,AI,Search Live β
**What Youβll Learn**: Google announced Thursday that it is expanding its AI-powered conversational search feature, Search Live, globally to include all languages ββand locations where AI mode is available. With this expansion, people in more than 200 countries and regions will be able to access this feature, Google says. First launched in July 2025, Search Live allows users to point their phone's camera at objects for real-time help, enabling back-and-forth conversations based on visual context from the camera feed. Before this global expansion, Search Live was only…
β¨ Discover this must-read post from TechCrunch π π **Category**: Startups,TC,Transportation,drones,defense tech,anduril,autonomous aircraft,shield ai,In Brief π **What Youβll Learn**: Autonomous military aircraft maker Shield AI has raised $1.5 billion in Series G funding at a post-money valuation of $12.7 billion, the company announced Tuesday. The deal was led by private equity firm Advent (which has a $1 billion budget to invest in defense technology, it says) and investment group JPMorganChase. In addition, Shield AI sold $500 million worth of preferred stock to funds managed by Blackstone (and also created a $250 million loan it could draw on later). This capital…
π₯ Discover this trending post from TechCrunch π π **Category**: AI,sam altman,OpenAI,ChatGPT β
**What Youβll Learn**: OpenAI has put the kibosh on another project, at least for now. On Thursday, the Financial Times reported that the AI ββcompany would pause its plans βindefinitelyβ to develop an βexcitingβ mode for ChatGPT. The proposed βadult mode,β which was first floated by CEO Sam Altman in October, has sparked significant controversy from technology watchdog groups as well as from OpenAI employees. In January, a meeting between the company's executives and its board of advisors became heated, with one advisor warning that OpenAI may…
π₯ Discover this trending post from TechCrunch π π **Category**: AI,TC,Anthropic,defense,pete hegseth,Trump π **What Youβll Learn**: A federal judge has sided with Anthropic in its twisty legal battle with the Trump administration, granting the tech company an injunction against a recent government order that labeled it a "supply chain risk," the Wall Street Journal reported. On Thursday, Judge Rita F. Lin of the Northern District of California ordered the Trump administration to rescind its recent designation of Anthropic as a security risk, as well as rescinding its order that federal agencies cut ties with the company. βIt appears to be…
π₯ Check out this trending post from TechCrunch π π **Category**: Government & Policy,TC,david sacks π **What Youβll Learn**: David Sachs spent his days as an AI and cryptocurrency official under Donald Trump. Speaking with Bloomberg on Thursday, the entrepreneur, investor and longtime podcast host confirmed that his 130-day non-consecutive stint as a special government employee has ended and that he will move on to chair the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) alongside White House senior technology adviser Michael Kratsios. βI believe that by moving forward as co-chair of PCAST, I can now make recommendations not…
π₯ Read this insightful post from TechCrunch π π **Category**: AI,artificial intelligence,gemini,Google β
**What Youβll Learn**: When it comes to AI-powered chatbots, there is currently a war for consumer attention. All the big chatbot providers are looking to grow their number of users, and in a bit of a coup for itself, Google has made it easier for other chatbot users to defect to Gemini. The company on Thursday announced what it calls "switchers," new tools designed to let users transfer "memories" (basically pieces of personal information) and even entire chat histories from other chatbots directly to Gemini. The company…
β¨ Read this trending post from TechCrunch π π **Category**: Apps,Media & Entertainment,Netflix,streaming β
**What Youβll Learn**: Netflix has quietly raised its prices again. The streaming giant's affordable ad-supported tier now costs $8.99 per month, up from the previous monthly subscription fee of $7.99, Netflix confirmed to TechCrunch in an email. The Standard plan without ads now costs $19.99 per month, an increase of $2 from the previous subscription fee of $17.99, while the Premium plan also goes up by $2 and will now cost $26.99 per month. Adding additional viewers outside your household also becomes more expensive. To add…
β¨ Explore this trending post from TechCrunch π π **Category**: AI,In Brief,Wikipedia β
**What Youβll Learn**: With the success of artificial intelligence in the world of editorial and media, websites are scrambling to establish ground rules for its use. Wikipedia this week banned its editors from using AI-generated text, though it stopped short of completely banning AI from the site's editorial operations. In a recent policy change, the site now states that βusing LLMs to create or rewrite article content is prohibited.β This new language updates and clarifies previous, more ambiguous language that stated that LLMs should not be used…
π₯ Explore this awesome post from TechCrunch π π **Category**: Apps,Social,decentralized,decentralized social network,Mastodon,social media,X β
**What Youβll Learn**: Mastodon is making changes in hopes of making its social networking service more attractive and easier to use, especially for casual users looking for an alternative to X or Threads. The decentralized social networking software maker said Thursday it is redesigning a key part of its platform by giving people's user profiles a new look, which it hopes will appeal to organizations, as well as individuals. Mastodon is built on the ActivityPub protocol, and became better known after Elon Musk acquired Twitter,…
