GoKawiil
Tech News
The RIAA's latest report shows CDs generated $171.1 million in the first half of 2026, up 58.6% from the same period in 2025, with unit sales rising 45.7% to 17.5 million. That growth reverses a decline seen throughout 2025, when full-year CD revenue and units both fell versus 2024.
Fusion startup Realta Fusion signed a deal with utility Madison Gas and Electric to explore building a 200-megawatt fusion power plant in Wisconsin by the mid-2030s. The utility also made an undisclosed equity investment in Realta, which is converting a former Oscar Mayer factory in Madison into its research facility.
A startup investor who has backed nearly 20 companies argues that after hundreds of pitches, the idea itself rarely determines success. Instead, founders who combine humility, adaptability and decisive action under uncertainty are the ones who push through predictable problems like execution gaps, cash shortages and weak teams.
TechCrunch has announced that Anthropic's Head of Applied AI, Cat de Jong, and a senior OpenAI productivity executive will speak on the AI Stage at Disrupt 2026, running October 13-15 at San Francisco's Moscone Center. The sessions, sponsored by Google for Startups, will address enterprise AI deployment lessons, pricing strategy amid model commoditization, and rebuilding security for autonomous agents.
TechCrunch is inviting companies, investors and community organizers to apply to host official Side Events around Disrupt 2026, which runs October 13-15 in San Francisco. Approved events can take place anytime from October 10-16 and will be promoted to Disrupt's more than 10,000 attendees through official marketing channels. Applications close September 4.
A curated reading list spotlights nonfiction works exploring how cults, scams, and manipulative schemes operate, with particular praise for a book by Amanda that treats cultism as existing on a spectrum rather than a fixed category. The book examines how specific language patterns used by communities and organizations create undue influence over members, extending the analysis beyond traditional cults to startups, skincare brands, and fitness programs.