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Science/Tech / TechCrunch

FutureHouse previews an AI tool for data-driven biology discovery

FutureHouse, an Eric Schmidt-backed nonprofit that aims to build an AI scientist within the next decade,has released a new tool that it claims can help support data-driven discovery in biology. The new tool comes just a week after FutureHouse launched its API and platform. The tool, called Finch, takes in biology data (primarily in the []

6 May 2025 11:11 pm
Amazon Kindles iOS app adds new Get Book button following Apple payments ruling

Thanks to a recent ruling that ordered Appleto stop charging a 27% commission on purchases through iPhone apps, Amazons Kindle iOS app now has a Get book button that makes it easier to buy titles. We regularly make improvements to our apps to help ensure we are providing customers the most convenient experience possible, Amazon []

6 May 2025 11:04 pm
Uber turns to Chinese companies to snap up robotaxi market share in Europe, Middle East

Uber announced its third partnership with a Chinese autonomous vehicle company this week, revealing the ride-hail and delivery giants appetite for global domination in the emerging robotaxi sector. Uber said Tuesday it would work with Guangzhou-based Pony AI, which late last year went public on the Nasdaq at a $5.25 billion valuation, to launch robotaxis []

6 May 2025 10:17 pm
What OpenAIs restructuring plan means for its corporate future

OpenAI said on Monday it is pursuing a new restructuring plan after conversations with Delaware and Californias attorneys general, both of whom were closely watching as OpenAI tried to break free of its odd corporate structure. Currently, OpenAIs nonprofit board governs the organizations for-profit operations. Under the new plan, OpenAIs for-profit arm will become a []

6 May 2025 10:00 pm
Can the Cadillac Celestiq EV make GMs luxury brand great again? Dont rule it out

Nearly three years after unveiling the concept version of the flagship Cadillac Celestiq EV, GM has finally released the real thing: a $360,000 electric vehicle that oozes luxury and a come-gawk-at-me exterior designed to lure in passersby. But is this bespoke EV enough for Cadillac to regain its position as the Standard of the World? []

6 May 2025 9:57 pm
Particle brings its AI-powered news reader to the web

Particle, the startup behind an AI-powered newsreader that aims to help publishers, not just steal their work, is bringing its product to the web. On Tuesday, the company announced the launch of the new Particle.news website that connects news consumers with headlines and AI summaries from a variety of sources, plus the ability to delve []

6 May 2025 9:38 pm
Googles newSimplify feature for iOS uses AI to make dense text easier to understand

Googles iOS app is getting a new Simplify feature that uses AI to make complex or technical text on the web easier to understand, all without leaving a web page. Simplify features a prompt refinement approach developed by Google Research, and uses Gemini to make complicated text more digestible, without losing key details. Google says []

6 May 2025 9:30 pm
Finom, a challenger bank aimed at SMBs, lands $105M in growth funding from General Catalyst

Finom, an Amsterdam-based digital bank for small- and medium-sized businesses, has raised 92.7 million (roughly $105 million) in a growth investment from General Catalysts Customer Value Fund, the company tells TechCrunch exclusively. The capital infusion will be used exclusively and only for growth and not for operational expenses or product development, Kos Stiskin, Finoms chairman []

6 May 2025 9:30 pm
Google debuts an updated Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model ahead of I/O

Google on Tuesday announced the launch of Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition), an updated version of its flagship Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model that the company claims tops a number of widely used benchmarks. Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition) is available via the Gemini API and Googles Vertex AI and AI Studio platforms, []

6 May 2025 9:04 pm
Unblocked raises $20M for AI to help devs understand codebases

Every developer has their own unique style of writing code. Despite companies establishing best practices and drawing up documentation, it can be hard for developers to understand someone elses codebase. To solve this problem, Dennis Pilarinos built a tool called Unblocked an AI-powered assistant that answers contextual questions about lines of code. Pilarinos is []

6 May 2025 8:30 pm
NewLimit, founded by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, raises $130M to develop age-reversing treatments

NewLimit, a startup that aims to increase how long people can live a healthy life by genetically programming their cells, has raised $130M.

6 May 2025 8:30 pm
Uber Eats comes to Turkey via $700M Trendyol Go acquisition

Uber is expanding its presence in Turkey with its latest acquisition. The ride-hail and delivery giant has acquired an 85% controlling stake in Trendyol Go, the online meal and grocery delivery business based in Istanbul, for about $700 million in cash. The deal gives Uber instant market share for Uber Eats in the country, where []

6 May 2025 7:54 pm
Can the Celestiq EV make Cadillac great again? Dont rule it out

Nearly three years after unveiling the concept version of its flagship Celestiq EV, Cadillac has finally released the real thing: a $300,000 electric vehicle that oozes luxury and a come-gawk-at-me exterior designed to lure in passersby. But is this bespoke EV enough for Cadillac to regain its position as the Standard of the World? I []

6 May 2025 7:46 pm
Cnaught wants to make carbon credits easy for businesses small and large

Cnaught is a market maker seeking to ease the pain of buying carbon credits for companies without dedicated teams.

6 May 2025 7:45 pm
Agree.com raises $7.2M to take on Docusign, Bill.com with AI

Agree.com says its AI-powered e-signature platform is different from competitors because it includes invoicing and payment processing. Thats why the company might have a shot at tackling the industry goliath, Docusign. Because the startup makes its money from transaction fees for any money movement facilitated by its platform, Agree.com has made e-signatures free to all []

6 May 2025 7:32 pm
Spotify now shows how many times people listened to podcast episodes

YouTube continues to dominate the podcasting space, but Spotify is actively working to close the gap. The latest development: a new feature that lets users see how many times an audio-only or video podcast episode has been actively listened to or watched. The streaming giant revealed its new podcast metric called plays on Tuesday, making []

6 May 2025 6:30 pm
Meet Posha, a countertop robot that cooks your meals for you

In 2017, Raghav Gupta set out to solve a personal problem: he wanted easy access to the home-cooked meals he grew up eating without having to spend time cooking or spend money on takeout or hiring a private chef. He turned to robotics, which led him to found the startup Posha. Posha, a former TechCrunch []

6 May 2025 6:30 pm
Instacart launches Fizz, a new app for ordering drinks and snacks for parties

Instacart has launched a new drinks and snack delivery app called Fizz, the company announced on Tuesday. The 21+ app is built for friends and family and is designed to make it easier to stock up for a party or get-together. The host of a party can invite guests into their Fizz cart to allow []

6 May 2025 6:30 pm
Relevance AI raises $24M to help businesses build AI agents

Individuals may work closely with AI agents as they become increasingly prevalent in the workplace. According to a report by Boston Consulting Group, the market for AI agents is expected to grow at a 45% compound annual growth rate over the next five years. Just like human employees, AI agents could be onboarded to learn []

6 May 2025 6:30 pm
Boosted by defense and Starlink, Orca AI pulls in $72.5M for its autonomous shipping platform

The autonomous navigation market where ships, guided by AI, steer themselves, resulting in fuel and time savings is projected to sail past $11 billion by 2028. As a result, companies in this space are pushing on an open door. The latest is Orca AI, which closed a Series B funding round of $72.5million []

6 May 2025 4:30 pm
US DoJ wants Google to sell two of its ad products

The U.S. Department of Justice is proposing that Google sell two of its advertising products to restore competition in the ad tech space, according to a new filing. The proposal comes after a judge found Google guilty of willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power in the digital ad space last month. The DOJs filing notes []

6 May 2025 3:15 pm
Blinq lands $25M to further its mission to make business cards pass

Its 2025, but business cards are still in vogue just visit any conference or industry expo and youll end up with a pile thats likely to be discarded sooner than later. But as smartphones have become our repositories of information and contacts, people are understandably keen to try out digital alternatives to business cards. []

6 May 2025 2:30 pm
DoorDash to buy UKs Deliveroo for $3.86B

DoorDash said on Tuesday it has agreed to buy its U.K. rival Deliveroo for about 2.9 billion (around $3.85 billion).

6 May 2025 1:29 pm
Musk clashes with neighbors in exclusive Austin suburb

Elon Musk may have a sizable fan base, but residents of the upscale Austin suburb of West Lake Hills, Texas, are unimpressed by their celebrity neighbor, reports the New York Times. Instead, a $6 million home Musk purchased in 2022 has become the center of a battle after his team erected an unauthorized 16-foot chain-link []

6 May 2025 8:32 am
Employer.com scoops up another fintech in purchase of MainStreet.com

Employer.com has acquired MainStreet.com for an undisclosed amount, the latest fintech startup to get snapped up by the workforce management company. In a post on X, Employer.com Chairman and co-founder Jesse Tinsley said the two companies were merging forces to simplify business back office solutions into one powerhouse platform. Tinsley confirmed the acquisition to TechCrunch. []

6 May 2025 6:51 am
Waymo ramps up robotaxi production at new Arizona factory

Waymo has played coy for years about exactly how many Jaguar I-Pace EVs are in its autonomous fleet a figure that covers vehicles used in testing and commercial robotaxi operations. On Monday, the Alphabet company finally provided a peek at the commercial side of the fleet. Waymo said Monday, as part of a larger []

6 May 2025 5:01 am
Uber and WeRide set their robotaxi sights on 15 more cities

Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle technology company WeRide plan to expand a commercial robotaxi partnership and bring the service to another 15 cities over the next five years. The expansion comes five months after the two companies launched a commercialrobotaxi service in Abu Dhabi. The companies said the expansion will include cities in Europe. Under []

6 May 2025 3:30 am
FTC bans hidden fees for live events and short-term rentals, effective May 12

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday released new documentation detailing its new Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees.The rule, set to take effect on May 12, prohibits hidden fees for live events, hotels, and short-term rentals. It also bans practices such as bait-and-switch pricing and any actions that conceal or misrepresent total prices []

6 May 2025 2:47 am
People struggle to get useful health advice from chatbots, study finds

With long waiting lists and rising costs in overburdened healthcare systems, many people are turning to AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT for medical self-diagnosis. About 1 in 6 American adults already use chatbots for health advice at least monthly, according to one recent survey. But placing too much trust in chatbots outputs can be risky, in []

6 May 2025 2:43 am
A stealth AI model beat DALL-E and Midjourney on a popular benchmark. Its creator just landed $30M.

Recraft, the startup behind a mysterious image model that beat OpenAIs DALL-E and Midjourney on a respected industry benchmark last year, has raised a $30 million Series B round led by Accel, it exclusively told TechCrunch. Other investors in the round include Khosla Ventures and Madrona. Based in San Francisco, Recraft previously raised a $12 []

6 May 2025 2:42 am
Google accidentally reveals details about its new Android design language, Material 3 Expressive

Google will unveil a new version of its Android design language at its upcoming Google I/O developer conference, according to an event schedule posted to its website as well as an accidentally published Google blog post. The I/O session title hints at significant changes in store for Androids design system, which will evolve from Material []

6 May 2025 2:41 am
Meet the companies racing to build quantum chips

Quantum computing has long been announced as just around the corner, but several companies are now determined to make this a commercial reality, with the promise of solving complex problems beyond classical computers reach. The problems in question are wide-ranging, from medicine and cybersecurity to materials science and chemistry. But first, there are very practical []

6 May 2025 2:24 am
Here are Latin Americas biggest startups based on valuation

Not so long ago, the idea of public tech companies emerging from Latin America seemed far-fetched, and Mercado Libre once appeared as rare and mythical as a true unicorn. Today, however, the region is home to several startups that have reached billion-dollar valuations. Some of these startups, propelled into the spotlight by cross-border expansion, are []

6 May 2025 2:02 am
Anduril is working on the difficult AI-related task of real-time edge computing

Anduril announced its ninth acquisition on Monday with the purchase of Dublins Klas, makers of ruggedized edge computing equipment for the military and first-responders. Anduril wouldnt reveal financial details of the deal, and the purchase is subject to regulatory approval, but the company did say that Klas employs 150 people. Relatedly, on Monday Anduril also []

6 May 2025 2:00 am
What is Mistral AI? Everything to know about the OpenAI competitor

Mistral AI, the French company behind AI assistant Le Chat and several foundational models, is officially regarded as one of Frances most promising tech startups and is arguably the only European company that could compete with OpenAI. But compared to its $6 billion valuation, its global market share is still relatively low. However, the recent []

6 May 2025 1:41 am
Layoffs hit General Fusion as the fusion power startup runs short on cash

CEO Greg Twiney posted an open letter on the companys website today pleading for money.

6 May 2025 1:38 am
Elon Musk took a chainsaw to the US government. Tesla is taking the hit.

Elon Musk has long been credited with turning Tesla into a beacon of innovation, the visionary who pushed the world into an era of electrification. But his slide into politics specifically his alignment with President Trump and activities within the federal government has dragged Tesla into uncertainty. For many would-be Tesla buyers, the []

6 May 2025 1:20 am
TeleMessage, a modified Signal clone used by US government officials, has been hacked

A hacker has exploited a vulnerability in TeleMessage, which provides modded versions of encrypted messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp, to extract archived messages and other data relating to U.S. government officials and companies who used the tool, 404 Media reported. TeleMessage came into the spotlight last week after it was reported that []

6 May 2025 12:59 am
YouTube is testing a discounted two-person Premium subscription tier

YouTube is testing a new two-person Premium subscription plan in select countries, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Monday. The tier is being piloted in India, France, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The news was first reported by Money Control. Were experimenting with new ways to provide greater flexibility and value to our YouTube Premium subscribers, []

6 May 2025 12:21 am
GlobalX, airline used for Trump deportations, gets hacked: report

Hackers claiming to be part of the hacktivist group Anonymous claimed the data breach.

6 May 2025 12:15 am
11x CEO Hasan Sukkar steps down

Hasan Sukkar, the founder of AI startup 11x, is stepping down from his role as CEO, Sukkar announced on LinkedIn this morning. Prabhav Jain, 11xs CTO, has been named the companys new CEO. Sukkar will move into a non-executive chairman position, where he will work with Jain on strategic direction, product vision, industry relationships, and []

6 May 2025 12:10 am
OpenAI reverses course, says its nonprofit will remain in control of its business operations

OpenAI has decided that its nonprofit division will retain control over its for-profit org, after the company initially announced that it planned to convert to a for-profit organization. According to the company, OpenAIs business wing, which has been under the nonprofit since 2019, will transition to a public benefit corporation (PBC). The nonprofit will control []

5 May 2025 11:35 pm
Over 250 CEOs sign open letter supporting K-12 AI and computer science education

More than 250 CEOs signed an open letter published in The New York Times on Monday calling for AI and computer science to be core components of K-12 curricula. The signatories, which include Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Etsy CEO Josh Silverman, and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, argue that computer science and AI education are essential []

5 May 2025 11:05 pm
Google is making TV and movies to convince you that tech is not evil

Google is reportedly spinning up a film and TV production project called 100 Zeroes. According to a report from Business Insider, this initiative is intended to make young audiences feel more positively about Googles products, as well as tech at large. Like Apples TV shows, where actors will use MacBooks and iPhones with clearly visible []

5 May 2025 10:26 pm
Anthropic launches a program to support scientific research

Anthropic is launching an AI for Science program to support researchers working on high-impact scientific projects, with a focus on biology and life sciences applications. The program, announced Monday, will offer up to $20,000 in Anthropic API credits over a six-month period to qualified researchers wholl be selected based on their contributions to science,the potential []

5 May 2025 10:24 pm
Apple appeals court decision that forced it to allow links to external payments in apps

As promised, Apple has now filed its appeal to the recent court ruling that required it to open up its App Store to external payment mechanisms. Last week, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers took the tech giant to task for defying the courts orders in its battle with Fortnite maker Epic Games by not freely allowing []

5 May 2025 10:14 pm
Skype shuts down after 23 years

After more than two decades, Skype is shutting down. The once-monolithic video calling platform wasnt able to keep pace with competitors like Zoom and FaceTime, so its parent company, Microsoft, is rolling the product into Microsoft Teams. In this video, were sending off the iconic platform and some other legendary apps.

5 May 2025 9:53 pm
Rorks founders were almost broke when a viral tweet led to $2.8M and a16z

Rork founders Levan Kvirkvelia and Daniel Dhawan are living a life that sounds like a plot for a movie. But it really happened. They went from broke, life savings spent, and in debt $15,000 apiece on credit cards Dhawan was even sleeping on a mattress at a friends apartment to $100,000 of revenue []

5 May 2025 9:32 pm
A new startup called Bono aims to modernize the way people donate to charities

Every year, donors contribute billions of dollars to charities, yet the donation process still feels outdated and cumbersome. Founders Dan Eblagon and Ron Levy believe there is an easier way to donate, leading to the creation of Bono, a platform designed to facilitate a more modern and streamlined approach to giving. The platform (named after []

5 May 2025 9:30 pm
Pinterest updates visual search with more AI-powered features

Pinterest is upgrading its visual search feature with a handful of new capabilities. On Monday, the company announced its rolling out new functionality to improve its feature that allows users to search using an image instead of text. This includes new tools to more precisely narrow and refine searches, as well as those that make []

5 May 2025 7:36 pm