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Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang has resigned as CEO after leading the company for 33 years. Nvidia had been one of the most active investors in AI startups, participating in 105 funding rounds this year alone and often serving as the largest backer. Colette Kress has taken over as interim CEO, with investors describing her as more conservative than Huang when it comes to dealmaking.
Hackers infiltrated an AI startup that works with Uber, stealing personal information belonging to thousands of Uber drivers. Workplace software company Notion was also affected by the same breach.
A communications executive describes transitioning from a large Fortune 500 company to an AI startup, noting that the move required rethinking long-held corporate habits. At the Fortune 500 firm, executives traveling abroad for major speaking engagements were typically accompanied by a communications staffer, often the author themselves.
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has completed a second private funding round totaling $15 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The round came in at nearly double its original fundraising target, reflecting strong demand from investors.
A startup originally built around AI applications for climate work has received backing from Nvidia, reportedly after deprioritizing its climate-focused mission. The shift in focus preceded or accompanied the investment, according to reporting on the deal.
Laplace Intelligence, a one-year-old Ann Arbor startup founded by Howie Sun and Henry Liu out of the University of Michigan, is developing automated systems that stress-test robotics and physical AI before deployment. The company grew out of academic research on challenging autonomous driving AI in simulation, including a 2023 paper the pair published in Nature. Laplace is presenting at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield competition on October 13.
Character.AI, the chatbot-creation startup, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to facilitate a sale of its assets, listing liabilities between $50 million and $100 million. Disney has been named the lead 'stalking horse' bidder at $20 million, with higher offers still possible before a sale expected to close by early December. Character.AI's services will keep running during the process but could shut down if no buyer emerges.
Blueprints AI, a Santa Monica startup founded by Al Drams and Coco Cao, is showcasing a new version of its software that converts 2D sketches or PDFs into code-compliant, permit-ready construction blueprints within minutes. The company, incorporated in 2025, was selected for TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield 200 cohort, where it is presenting this week in San Francisco.
Amazon is reportedly negotiating to acquire Decart, a San Francisco-based AI startup, in a deal valued at roughly $7 billion. Decart builds software that helps developers switch between different AI chips, according to the report.
Sarina Virk Torrendell left a high-six-figure role at Amazon in September 2025, while pregnant with her third child, to found YouPop. The company builds an AI-powered 'intelligence layer' that pulls creators' cross-platform data together to help them decide what content, products or deals to pursue.
Hark, a startup led by a former Apple designer, has released Hark Pro, a software application that provides a graphical interface for interacting with AI. The company says dedicated hardware is planned but will arrive separately at a later date.
OpenAI has terminated two researchers after allegations that they shared confidential company information outside the organization. The departures come as the company is also addressing separate incidents involving its AI models behaving unexpectedly.