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Simply the latest news, updated on the hour.

Sat, Apr 18, 2026, 9:33 PM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • The AI arms race continues with Anthropic launching Claude Design for visual creation and enhancements to Gemini's image generation, while OpenAI sheds 'side quests' and sees key personnel depart.
  • Autonomous vehicle technology is advancing, with Tesla expanding its robotaxi service to new cities, signaling a push towards broader adoption.
  • The venture capital landscape is experiencing shifts, with prominent figures like Ron Conway facing health challenges and AI chip startups like Cerebras preparing for IPOs amidst evolving market dynamics.
  • Platform economies are seeing new developments, from the App Store's resurgence possibly driven by AI, to evolving competitive landscapes like Stripe and Airwallex, and new verification methods like Sam Altman's World impacting services like Tinder and Zoom.
  • Cybersecurity remains a critical concern, with hackers exploiting unpatched Windows flaws and ongoing debates surrounding government surveillance laws, while companies like Bluesky face significant DDoS attacks.

TechCrunch

  • Tesla brings its robotaxi service to Dallas and Houston 5 hours ago by Anthony Ha
    AI, Transportation, Houston, robotaxi, Tesla

    Tesla is expanding its robotaxi service to Dallas and Houston, according to a social media post from the company. The post says simply that “Robotaxi is now rolling out in Dallas & Houston 🤠” and includes a 14-second video showing Tesla vehicles driving without human monitors or drivers in the front seat. The company now […]

  • VC Ron Conway says he has a ‘rare form of cancer’ 6 hours ago by Anthony Ha
    Venture, Ron Conway, sv angel

    Conway wrote that he “will be stepping back from some of my usual activities,” but he will “continue to support” founders backed by his firm SV Angel.

  • AI chip startup Cerebras files for IPO 7 hours ago by Anthony Ha
    AI, Startups, andrew feldman, cerebras systems

    In recent months, the company announced an agreement with Amazon Web Services to use Cerebras chips in Amazon data centers, as well as a deal with OpenAI reportedly worth more than $10 billion.

  • Anthropic’s relationship with the Trump administration seems to be thawing 11 hours ago by Anthony Ha
    AI, Government & Policy, Anthropic, dario amodei, susie wiles

    Despite recently being designated a supply-chain risk by the Pentagon, Anthropic is still talking to high-level members of the Trump administration.

  • The App Store is booming again, and AI may be why 13 hours ago by Sarah Perez
    AI, Apps, Apple, Google, developers, Mobile, app store, ai coding

    New data from Appfigures shows a swell of new app launches in 2026, suggesting AI tools could be fueling a mobile software boom.


Hacker News


Engadget

  • SNK's Neo Geo console remake works with original cartridges and HDMI 6 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Video Games, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    Not everyone had the money for the original Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System when it released in the '90s, but there's still a chance to experience it as an adult with disposable income. SNK and Plaion Replai, who is also behind the all-black remake of the Commodore 64, announced a faithful remake of the high-end retro console, called the Neo Geo AES+. To bring the original console into the modern day, the collaborating companies added HDMI compatibility for resolutions up to 1080p and DIP switches on the bottom of the console to allow for language selection, overclocking and switching display modes.

  • Judge sides with creators of banned ICE trackers who allege DHS and DOJ violated their First Amendment rights 7 hours ago by Cheyenne MacDonald
    Politics & Government, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald

    A judge has granted the makers of the "ICE Sightings - Chicagoland" Facebook group and the Eyes Up app a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump administration from coercing platforms to take these projects down. Judge Jorge L. Alonso of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois found that the plaintiffs, Kassandra Rosado and Kreisau Group, are likely to succeed in their case, which alleges that the government suppressed protected speech under the First Amendment by strong-arming Facebook and Apple into removing ICE monitoring efforts.  Both Eyes Up and ICE Sightings - Chicagoland use publicly available information

  • Apple avoids a second import ban for its redesigned smartwatches in latest court ruling 8 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Company Legal & Law Matters, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    Apple has secured a major victory for its redesigned smartwatches as per the latest decision from the US International Trade Commission. The federal agency ruled against reinstating an import ban on Apple Watches, allowing the tech giant to continue selling its devices with a reworked blood-oxygen monitoring technology. The ITC decided to terminate the case and refer to a preliminary ruling from one of its judges in March that claimed that Apple's redesigned smartwatches don't infringe on patents held by Masimo, the medical tech company that has long been embroiled in lawsuits surrounding the Apple Watch. Apple thanked the ITC in

  • DOJ refuses to help French authorities in criminal probe of X 10 hours ago by Jackson Chen
    Society & Culture, Crime & Justice, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Jackson Chen

    The US Department of Justice is siding with X, as the social media platform owned by Elon Musk navigates a criminal investigation unfolding in France. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the Justice Department characterized the French probe as "an effort to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding aimed at wrongfully regulating through prosecution the business activities of a social media platform.” France launched its investigation into X in July, accusing the platform of manipulating its algorithm and "fraudulent data extraction." Months later, French authorities raided X's office in Paris and issued summonses to Musk

  • A comet gets destroyed by the sun, data centers endanger the Potomac River, and more science news 10 hours ago by Cheyenne MacDonald
    Science, Space & Astronomy, Nature & Environment, site|engadget, provider_name|Engadget, region|US, language|en-US, author_name|Cheyenne MacDonald

    The Artemis II astronauts are settling back into life on Earth, but we're not quite tired yet of hearing about their amazing journey. There's a new PBS documentary now streaming on YouTube that dives into the Artemis program and the latest efforts to send humans to the moon again. Also this week, NASA shared some awesome images of a comet flying into the sun, the nonprofit American Rivers released its annual report on the most endangered rivers in the US and ESA posted a throwback image of Mars to highlight some interesting changes down on the surface. Here are the


The Verge

  • The RAM shortage could last years 5 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    AI, News, Tech

    According to Nikkei Asia, even as suppliers ramp up DRAM production, manufacturers are only expected to meet 60 percent of demand by the end of 2027. SK Group chairman has even said that shortages could last until 2030. The world's largest memory makers - Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron - are all working to add new fabrication capacity, but almost none of it will be online until at least 2027, if not 2028. SK opened a fab in Cheongju in February, but that is the only increase in production among the three for 2026. Nikkei says that production would need to increase

  • Judge rules Trump administration violated the First Amendment in fight against ICE-tracking 10 hours ago by Terrence O’Brien
    Law, News, Policy, Politics

    In some Minneapolis neighborhoods, nearly every house has an anti-ICE sign. | Photo by Jack Califano / The Verge Jorge L. Alonso, a federal district court judge for the Northern District of Illinois, said that the Trump Administration violated the First Amendment when it pressured Facebook and Apple to remove ICE-tracking groups and apps. Judge Alonso granted the plaintiffs, Kassandra Rosado, who runs the ICE Sightings - Chicagoland Facebook group, and Kreisau Group, the developers of Eyes Up, a preliminary injunction. Judge Alonso cited a unanimous Supreme Court decision from a 2024 case that pitted the NRA against the former superintendent of

  • Cheap stuff that doesn’t suck, take 3 11 hours ago by Sheena Vasani
    Deals, Gadgets, Tech, Verge Shopping

    From fancy OLED TVs to robot vacuums with arms, we tend to cover a lot of cool stuff here at The Verge that, unfortunately, often costs as much as a month’s rent (or more). But with the ongoing tariff situation in the US and a global memory shortage pushing up the cost of, well, everything, we’re well aware that not everyone can spend that kind of money right now. So, as we did last year, we asked The Verge staff to share some of their favorite gadgets under $50. These are the gizmos that don’t fall apart after a few weeks, as cheap stuff often does,

  • Dyson’s handheld fan is more powerful and louder than I expected 13 hours ago by Andrew Liszewski
    Deals, Gadgets, Hands-on, Reviews, Tech, Verge Shopping

    Two years ago I attended a picturesque outdoor wedding in August where the hot and humid weather had guests occasionally ducking into their cars to enjoy a blast of AC. Dyson’s new $99.99 handheld fan would have provided some much-needed relief then, although I’m not sure I would have been comfortable powering it up during the service or reception. The HushJet Mini Cool is as slim and sleek as Dyson’s recent thin vacuum and hair dryer, but it’s not quiet enough to earn the name “Hush.” That’s unfortunate because the HushJet Mini Cool is yet another product Dyson has redesigned to

  • There’s nothing like an RPG over vacation 14 hours ago by Jay Peters
    Entertainment, Games Review, Gaming

    With a vacation comes a big choice: What game should I focus on during the trip? I thought about grinding out the harder levels of Super Meat Boy 3D, but I was looking for something more chill. I could have dabbled more with Slay the Spire II, but I already know that's a game I'll be playing for a long time. I wanted something that I could really get lost in and finish in a little over a week. People of Note, a new music-focused RPG from Annapurna Interactive and Iridium Studios, turned out to be exactly what I needed. In


Wired


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