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Prominent Al Jazeera journalist killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza

A prominent Al Jazeera journalist who had raised concerns about being killed has died in an Israeli airstrike. Anas al-Sharif, known for documenting the release of hostages and for removing his body armour after a ceasefire, was killed while inside a tent for journalists outside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City along with three colleagues. “Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report that journalists Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh were killed along with camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Moh

Stanford sticks with legacy admissions

Stanford University has confirmed its admissions policies for fall 2026 will continue considering legacy status, a decision that could influence access to one of Silicon Valley’s most important talent pipelines. Stanford is also ending its test-optional policy, requiring SAT or ACT scores for the first time since 2021. According to the Stanford Daily, the university is so committed to keeping legacy preferences that it’s withdrawing from California’s Cal Grant program, forgoing state financial

Impersonators are targeting companies with fake TechCrunch outreach

Hi, thanks as always for reading TechCrunch. We want to talk with you quickly about something important. We’ve discovered that scammers are impersonating TechCrunch reporters and event leads and reaching out to companies, pretending to be our staff when they absolutely are not. These bad actors are using our name and reputation to try to dupe unsuspecting businesses. It drives us crazy and infuriates us on your behalf. Anecdotally, this isn’t just happening to us; fraudsters are exploiting the

Sam Altman addresses ‘bumpy’ GPT-5 rollout, bringing 4o back, and the ‘chart crime’

During a Reddit ask-me-anything session on Friday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and key members of the GPT-5 team were peppered with questions about the new model and requests to bring back its previous model, GPT-4o. They also asked Altman about the most embarrassing — and perhaps funniest — snafu in the presentation, the “chart crime.” One of the new features that GPT-5 rolled out is a real-time router that decides which model to use for a particular prompt, either responding quickly or taking addi

RIP, Microsoft Lens, a simple little app that’s getting replaced by AI

Sometimes, it’s nice to have a simple app that does one thing well without a lot of fuss. Microsoft Lens was that type of app: a mobile document scanner that turned paper documents, business cards, receipts, and anything else into easily readable digital files. Now, that app is being discontinued, Microsoft says, as it directs its users to its Copilot AI chat app instead. According to a new support document, Lens will be retired from iOS and Android devices starting on September 15, 2025, then

NASA and Google are building an AI medical assistant to keep Mars-bound astronauts healthy

As human-spaceflight missions grow longer and travel farther from Earth, keeping crews healthy gets more challenging. Astronauts on the International Space Station can depend on real-time calls to Houston, regular cargo deliveries of medicines, and a quick ride home after six months. All of that may soon change as NASA and its commercial partners, like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, look to conduct longer-duration missions that would take humans to the Moon and Mars. That looming reality is pushing NASA

Don’t let your competitor steal the brand spotlight — secure your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

TechCrunch Disrupt isn’t just a tech conference — it’s a launchpad. For 20 years, startups have come to TechCrunch Disrupt to meet their first investors, land their biggest partnerships, and spark the idea that takes them to the next level. In 2025, that launchpad could be your exhibit table. With tables selling fast, now is your moment to get in front of 10,000+ founders, VCs, and tech innovators from October 27-29 in San Francisco’s Moscone West. If you wait, your competitor will grab the s

Pinterest CEO says agentic shopping is still a long way out

Pinterest CEO Bill Ready told investors on the company’s second-quarter earnings call that the social app and inspirational bookmarking site could be considered an “AI-enabled shopping assistant.” However, he thinks that the agentic web, where AI agents shop on users’ behalf, is still far in the future. The remarks were made in response to a question about the agentic web, which could impact the search funnel and businesses like Pinterest, which positions itself at the early stages of the shopp

What founders need to know before choosing their exit — straight from Jai Das and Roseanne Wincek — at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

Startups face more exit options — and more uncertainty — than ever before. That’s why we’re bringing this essential conversation to the Going Public Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, happening October 27–29 in San Francisco’s Moscone West. Whether you’re already eyeing a liquidity event or just starting to scale, this is your chance to hear what top VCs are looking for and how to set your company up for long-term success. Two of the best in the business — Roseanne Wincek of Renegade Partners an

Openvibe combines news and social media in one app

Openvibe, an app that allows you to follow open social networks like Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, and Nostr in one place, is now expanding its functionality so you can follow your favorite news sites and blogs, too. To do so, the startup is adding support for RSS (aka Really Simple Syndication or news feeds), an open standard that allows you to subscribe to automatic updates from websites, like new articles or blog posts. The addition makes Openvibe more useful for keeping up with your interests

xAI’s legal chief steps down after whirlwind year

Robert Keele said this week that he has stepped down as xAI’s head of legal after just over a year, saying he wants to spend more time with his children. In his announcement, Keele also acknowledged “daylight between our worldviews” with boss Elon Musk, who hasn’t commented on Keele’s exit. “I love my two toddlers and I don’t get to see them enough,” Keele wrote, posting the news on both X and LinkedIn. Despite calling his time at the AI startup “incredible” and working with Musk “the adventure

AI agents aren’t the ‘new Google,’ says Airbnb CEO

After a second-quarter earnings beat, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky shared his thoughts on the company’s AI strategy, cautioning investors that AI chatbots can’t yet be thought of as the “new Google.” That is, AI chatbots, while potentially driving new leads to the travel and services business, aren’t entirely a replacement for the referrals that the dominant search engine brings. At least not at this time. “I think we’re still kind of feeling out the space,” the exec told investors on the Q2 earnin

Elad Gil — one of tech’s sharpest minds — on early bets, breakout growth, and what’s coming next at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

Elad Gil isn’t just ahead of the curve — he practically lives there. Before most of the world had even asked ChatGPT its first question, Gil was writing early checks into companies like Perplexity, Character.AI, and Harvey. And that’s just a slice of the story. His track record includes seed or Series A investments in more than 30 unicorns and involvement with some of the most iconic names in tech — Stripe, Airbnb, Coinbase, Instacart, Notion, Figma, Flexport, Gitlab, and many more. This Octobe

Hubble Network plans massive satellite upgrade to create global Bluetooth layer

Hubble Network’s satellite-powered Bluetooth network is getting a big upgrade. The Seattle-based startup, which aims to bring to enterprises what Apple’s Find My has brought to consumers, has built a powerful new phased-array receiver that will enable what Hubble CEO Alex Haro calls a “true Bluetooth layer around the Earth.” This advanced payload will fly on two massive new satellites from four-year-old Muon Space, called MuSat XL, which are slated to launch in 2027. The first two MuSat XL spa

States and cities decimated SROs, Americans' lowest-cost housing option

Overview Low-cost micro-units, often called single-room occupancies, or SROs, were once a reliable form of housing for the United States’ poorest residents of, and newcomers to, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and many other major U.S. cities. Well into the 20th century, SROs were the least expensive option on the housing market, providing a small room with a shared bathroom and sometimes a shared kitchen for a price that is unimaginable today—as little as $100 to $300 a month (in 2025 dollar

Upwork is buying its way into corporate staffing beyond freelancers

Upwork, a platform that connects companies with freelancers, announced two acquisitions to help build out a new stand-alone enterprise-focused business that could expand its market reach. The San Francisco-based company announced it has acquired Bubty, a workforce management platform, and has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ascen, a global compliance and EOR (employer of record) company, ahead of its second-quarter earnings call on August 6. Upwork will integrate these two companies i

States and Cities Decimated Americans' Lowest-Cost Housing Option

Overview Low-cost micro-units, often called single-room occupancies, or SROs, were once a reliable form of housing for the United States’ poorest residents of, and newcomers to, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and many other major U.S. cities. Well into the 20th century, SROs were the least expensive option on the housing market, providing a small room with a shared bathroom and sometimes a shared kitchen for a price that is unimaginable today—as little as $100 to $300 a month (in 2025 dollar

Federal regulators give Zoox an exemption for its custom-built robotaxis

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has given Zoox an exemption to demonstrate its custom-built robotaxis on public roads and closed a related investigation into whether the Amazon-owned company had sidestepped federal regulations. The decision, which was announced Wednesday, clears up a long-standing debate over whether Zoox’s custom-built autonomous vehicles complied with federal motor vehicle safety standards, which place requirements on vehicles such as having a steering wh

Google takes on ChatGPT’s Study Mode with new ‘Guided Learning’ tool in Gemini

As the new school year approaches, Google announced on Wednesday that it’s launching a new tool called Guided Learning within Gemini. The tool sort of functions like an AI tutor, as it’s designed to help users build a deep understanding instead of just getting answers. The launch follows just over a week after OpenAI rolled out Study Mode for ChatGPT, which is also designed to go beyond simply obtaining answers to questions by actually helping users develop critical thinking skills. Both compa

Israel is reportedly storing millions of Palestinian phone calls on Microsoft servers

Israel has allegedly been recording and storing millions of phone calls made by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank as part of a large surveillance effort dating back to 2022, according to reporting by The Guardian , +972 Magazine and Local Call . The report suggests that the country has been shuttling these recordings to Microsoft Azure cloud servers. Company CEO Satya Nadella allegedly okayed the effort personally after meeting with a commander from Israel’s military surveillance agency, U

Two arrested for smuggling AI chips to China — Nvidia says no to kill switches

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday that two Chinese nationals have been arrested for their alleged involvement in illegally shipping tens of millions of dollars’ worth of high-performance AI chips to China. The DOJ said Chuan Geng and Shiwei Yang were arrested in California on August 2 and charged with violating the Export Control Reform Act, a felony that carries a statutory penalty of a maximum of 20 years in prison. Geng and Yang are accused of knowing and willfully shippi

Tavily raises $25M to connect AI agents to the web

Companies across many industries are implementing AI agents for internal use, automating a wide range of tasks. In the financial sector, AI agents are critical for fraud detection. They can analyze vast amounts of transaction data in real time. Meanwhile, sales organizations are using AI agents to gather data on potential customers. These AI sales agents can scour the web and social media for information. To be effective, these agents need to access the internet and find information from relev

Key sections of the US Constitution deleted from government’s website

Several sections of Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution appear to have been removed from the official U.S. government website, as pointed out by sleuths on the internet and as seen by TechCrunch. The changes were made in the past month, according to the Wayback Machine, which shows the full original text on Congress’ website as of July 17. Several Reddit threads identified the changes in Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution: large parts of Section 8 have been removed, and Sections 9 and 10 have b

Final call: TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 ticket savings end tonight

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 marks 20 years of shaping the startup world — and tonight’s your last chance to save up to $675 on your ticket. From October 27–29, Disrupt returns to Moscone West in San Francisco. Join 10,000+ tech innovators, founders, VCs, and ecosystem builders for three days of high-impact programming, networking, and startup energy. But first: your savings. You have until 11:59 p.m. PT tonight to save up to $675. Once the clock strikes midnight, prices jump. Register now. Why yo

Photo-sharing app Locket is banking on a new celebrity-focused feature to fuel its growth

Locket, the photo-sharing app that allows users to share images with friends that are then displayed on their home screens as widgets, wants to stay on your radar, and it’s enlisting the help of celebrities. Locket emerged as a competitor to BeReal when it launched in 2022, offering a more authentic way to connect with others. The app places a widget on iPhone home screens that updates with the latest pictures added by friends. Users can select up to 20 close friends, creating an intimate space

Qwant and Ecosia debut Staan, a European search index that aims to take on Big Tech

European search engines Qwant and Ecosia said on Wednesday that they have both started serving search queries through an index they developed together, Staan, which aims to be a cheaper, more privacy-focused alternative to Google and Bing. Last year, French privacy-focused search engine Qwant struck a joint venture with German non-profit search engine Ecosia, to develop a European search index. Called European Search Perspective (EUSP), the JV now aims to serve around 50% of French queries and

Substack rival Ghost connects to the open social web with its latest public release

After months of beta testing, newsletter platform Ghost has shipped a new version of its software, Ghost 6, that allows its publishers to share their long-form content natively with the broader open social web. That means in addition to publishing their newsletters to the web, RSS, and sending them out via email, Ghost’s users can also natively connect with services like the decentralized X rival Mastodon; Meta’s Threads; Flipboard; WordPress sites that have integrated with ActivityPub, Surf, an

Trump says he’ll announce semiconductor and chip tariffs

The semiconductor industry’s rollercoaster year continues with another major development. President Donald Trump said on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Tuesday that his administration is planning to announce tariffs on semiconductors and chips as soon as next week. However, the specifics of these tariffs remain unclear. Such tariffs could cause quite a disruption for U.S. hardware and AI companies. When the U.S. CHIPs and Science Act was signed in 2022 — providing $52 billion in subsidies to boost domes

Only 2 days left to save $675 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 ticket

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 marks 20 years of driving the startup world forward — and you’ve got just two days left to join the movement and save up to $675 on your ticket. From October 27–29, Moscone West becomes the home base for over 10,000 movers and makers in the tech world. Join us in San Francisco as we celebrate two decades of startup breakthroughs, VC connections, and industry-shifting ideas. The deadline to lock in savings is August 6 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Don’t wait — register now to save b

Crack the code to startup traction with insights from Chef Robotics, NEA, and ICONIQ at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

Finding product-market fit isn’t a milestone — it’s a messy, make-or-break journey. And at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, a founder who’s been through the fire and two investors who’ve helped startups hit escape velocity will break down how to do it right. On the Builders Stage, Rajat Bhageria (Founder & CEO, Chef Robotics), Ann Bordetsky (Partner, NEA), and Murali Joshi (Partner, ICONIQ) join forces to unpack the most critical — and elusive — phase in a startup’s life cycle. They’ll dive into smart