An Entrepreneur contributor recounts learning a growth strategy not from business school but from observing an advertising creative director, who sat silently with a blank page before generating ideas. The author argues that unconventional questions and unexpected connections, not conventional market research or AI-generated summaries, produce genuine innovation. The piece frames this quiet, unstructured thinking as a discipline entrepreneurs should adopt.
Meta has settled requirements forcing Instagram and Facebook to add new teen safeguards, including a non-personalized feed option, stricter age verification, a combined two-hour daily usage cap across both apps, and recurring prompts urging teens to stop scrolling. The changes must roll out within four months and apply across alternate accounts Meta detects belonging to the same teen user.
Stockholm's Lovable recently raised $400 million at a $13.3 billion valuation, nearly doubling its worth in just eight months, while fellow Swedish startups Legora and Neko Health are also posting strong growth. TechCrunch's Equity podcast spoke with Cherry Ventures partner Sophia Bendz about the factors fueling this Nordic startup momentum.
Tim Curry, the actor best known for originating the role of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the stage and film versions of The Rocky Horror Show, has died. Curry rose to prominence in London's original cast of Hair before collaborating with Richard O'Brien to shape the iconic transvestite mad-scientist character, ultimately performing it across London, Los Angeles and New York.
Microsoft is rolling out a feature that lets Xbox owners register their physical game discs so they play as digital titles tied to their account. The program will reportedly cover thousands of games, giving players disc-free access without needing to keep swapping media.
Pioneer, known for its CarPlay head units, has entered the iPhone accessories market with a new product line designed for in-car use. The collection includes a MagSafe wireless charger, a phone mount, and USB-C charging options, now available for purchase on Amazon.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to block an FCC Media Bureau notice that would have let political parties and joint fundraising committees, not just individual candidates, claim the discounted 'lowest unit charge' broadcast ad rate ahead of the election. Four Democratic candidates had sued, arguing federal law reserves that discount for candidates alone, while national Republican committees backed the FCC's broader interpretation.
Julia Collins, who became the first Black woman to co-found a unicorn company after Zume Pizza hit a $1 billion valuation in 2018, later left to launch Planet FWD, a platform helping brands track and cut their carbon footprint. In an interview, she reflected on her entrepreneurial upbringing, her early career as the first hire at food chain Mexicue, and her approach to leadership across the more than $500 million she has raised in venture capital.
Public opposition to AI data centers has grown sharply since ChatGPT's 2022 launch sparked a computing boom, with communities pushing back against projects backed by Oracle, Meta, Google, Amazon and Microsoft, who plan to invest over $700 billion in U.S. data centers this year. The backlash has become significant enough to shape 2026 midterm election dynamics and prompted President Trump to publicly defend the industry.
Deep Cogito, a startup founded by former Google AI search employees, has raised $43 million in funding. The capital will support the company's mission of helping businesses develop their own specialized AI models rather than relying solely on third-party systems.
Google's Pixel Watch 5 introduced exclusive Weave and Chronograph watch faces, plus custom face creation tools. A Reddit user found a workaround letting Pixel Watch 4 owners access these same faces by sideloading a newer version of the Pixel Watch Faces app using the GeminiMan WearOS Manager tool over wireless ADB debugging.
Rockstar Games officially confirmed that recently circulated Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay clips are genuine, describing their unauthorized release as heartbreaking for its team. The company apologized for the long wait for information and said development is nearly complete, though it plans years of post-launch updates. Rockstar will show an extended official look at the game via Netflix on August 27, followed by a YouTube release.