A proposed $7.85 million settlement in Caccuri v. Sony Interactive Entertainment has won preliminary court approval after being rejected twice, most recently in July 2025 over unclear recovery estimates. The suit accused Sony of monopolizing digital game sales by ending game-specific vouchers that once let PlayStation owners buy titles from rival retailers, forcing them toward the PlayStation Store. Sony denies wrongdoing, and no court has ruled it broke any law, but a final approval hearing is set for Oct. 15.
OpenAI announced that ChatGPT Health now integrates with Epic's electronic health record system, covering data on over 325 million patients, letting clinicians pull in records to summarize notes, lab results, medications and specialist documentation. Access is read-only, and the company also introduced a Healthcare Public Data plugin drawing from sources like ClinicalTrials.gov, RxNorm and PubMed to help with tasks such as trial eligibility checks and coverage policy lookups.
GoPro announced a merger with optical-photonics company Starman Optical, a deal valued at $285 million that will pay off GoPro's roughly $92 million in outstanding debt. Existing GoPro shareholders will retain about 10 percent ownership of the combined, still publicly traded company, which expects the deal to close by the end of 2026 pending shareholder and regulatory approval. Beyond its camera and subscription business, GoPro plans to expand into optical transceivers for AI infrastructure, along with defense, government, robotics and aerospace markets.
Startup Fambot has unveiled an 'AI chief of staff' designed to help parents track children's school events, activities, and communications across email, calendars, and WhatsApp groups. The company was founded by former Instagram engineer Greg Karlin and ex-Uber Transit head David Reich, who built the tool after struggling to manage his own family's daily logistics while working full-time.
Apple updated its leadership page to reflect John Ternus's new role as CEO, adding an entirely new paragraph to his official bio. The addition emphasizes his work on product reliability, durability, and materials innovation, including recycled aluminum and 3D-printed titanium components, as well as improvements to product repairability and lifespan.
Lionel Messi, who this week announced his retirement from Argentina's national team, has for years operated a venture capital fund called Play Time HoldCo, co-founded with Razmig Hovaghimian in October 2022 with an initial target of about $200 million. The fund holds stakes in AI startups including World Labs, Field AI, Fish Audio, Perceptron, Intangible and SuperAnnotate, and Messi separately holds equity in Sorare, KRÜ Esports, and Inter Miami, now valued at $1.45 billion.
Waymo has started offering driverless rides to the public in San Diego, Tampa and Denver, marking its first commercial operations in Colorado, while Amazon's Zoox announced plans to begin testing its vehicles with human safety drivers in Houston and San Diego. Zoox says it will operate in 12 U.S. markets once those two cities launch, though its only paid service remains in Las Vegas.
CNET is inviting readers to complete a short survey rating their laptops on battery life, performance, software and value. The results, collected through September, will be used to compile a roundup of top reader-recommended laptops.
Mozilla has launched a native Ad Blocker feature for Firefox on iOS that blocks many third-party ads and ad-related trackers before they load. The feature relies on Apple's WebKit Content Blocker technology and the EasyList filter list, and is disabled by default, requiring users to enable it through Settings > Browsing > Ad Blocker.
Several startups, including one called Fambot, are building AI tools designed to handle household logistics such as school emails, sports schedules, and meal planning. The pitch targets parents overwhelmed by constant notifications, group chats, and app pings from activities like scouting and soccer.
Federal investigators say Daejon Labrayae Love, posing as an injured San Francisco 49ers receiver or a wealthy Swiss developer, and 18-year-old accomplice Taylor Jamie Chan, who claimed to be his financial advisor, met victims on dating apps and convinced them to invest in fake opportunities. The FBI alleges the two swindled at least 26 women across four states out of roughly $1.3 million, with some victims taking out loans to fund the fake investments. When suspicious victims searched online, Google's AI Overviews reportedly echoed Love's fabricated social media claims, lending false credibility to his identity.
GoPro has been bought by Starman Holding, a diversified holding company with ties to phone case brands like Incipio and Incase, in a $285 million cash deal characterized as a merger. GoPro CEO Nick Woodman is now positioning the company as an imaging and optics business serving national security, AI infrastructure, and aerospace markets rather than just consumer action cameras. The deal follows closely on the heels of YouTuber Markiplier becoming GoPro's largest shareholder without disclosing it in a sponsored review.