Tech
AI Summary
- TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is set to host discussions on scaling startups and exploring the real-world applications of AI, featuring industry leaders like Nvidia and advancements in robotics.
- Google has managed to avoid a breakup of its lucrative ad business but will be required to make significant operational changes.
- OpenAI's latest AI reasoning technique has raised concerns among AI safety experts, while the company also received government backing on the issue of training LLMs on copyrighted material.
- Palo Alto Networks has reportedly acquired Console for $500 million, signaling consolidation in the cybersecurity sector.
- MapQuest has surprisingly reclaimed the top spot as the No. 1 US app, an unexpected development in the navigation app market.
Sources
TechCrunch
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The Builders Stage brings practical strategies for scaling startups to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
2 hours ago
by TechCrunch Events
AI, Biotech & Health, Climate, Crypto, Fintech, Fundraising, Media & Entertainment, Robotics, Startups, Transportation, TechCrunch Disrupt, TechCrunch Disrupt 2026The Builders Stage is returning to TechCrunch Disrupt, bringing together founders, startup operators, and investors for practical conversations on what it takes to build and scale.
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Palo Alto Networks paid $500M for Thrive-backed Console, sources say
2 hours ago
by Marina Temkin
AI, Enterprise, Startups, Mergers and Acquisitions, palo alto networks, Thrive CapitalThe acquisition also leaves Sequoia-backed Serval as the de facto startup leader in AI IT service automation, industry watchers believe.
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TechCrunch Disrupt 2026’s new Real World AI Stage features Nvidia, robots, and extinct animals
2 hours ago
by TechCrunch Events
AI, Colossal Biosciences, nvidia, TechCrunch DisruptOn our new Real World AI stage, we’ll be focusing on the intersection between the digital and physical, and all the ways we’ll continue to see a blending of the two.
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Google spared from ad-business breakup, but judge orders changes to how it operates
3 hours ago
by Lucas Ropek
Government & Policy, Google, SearchGoogle has dodged an effort to break up its ad business, but a judge said Wednesday that the company will need to adjust its business to benefit competitors.
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OpenAI’s new reasoning technique alarms AI safety experts
4 hours ago
by Russell Brandom
AI, ai safety, OpenAIOpenAI’s new Astra model will use “recurrent depth,” a technique that allows the model to operate outside of the sequential thinking that characterizes most reasoning models.
Hacker News
- Muse Spark 1.3 5 hours ago
- METR Report on OpenAI / Hugging Face Hacking Incident an hour ago
- Gemini 3.8 Flash and 3.8 Flash Cyber 9 hours ago
- Google avoids a breakup of its ad tech business 10 hours ago
- Uber shuts operations in Nigeria and Uganda with immediate effect 3 hours ago
The Verge
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Uber beats Waymo as first to launch robotaxis in London
2 hours ago
by Andrew J. Hawkins
Autonomous Cars, News, Ride-sharing, Transportation, UberUber beat out Waymo in launching a commercial robotaxi service in London, the city's first. The vehicles use autonomous driving tech developed by Wayve , a UK-based startup, and will initially feature safety drivers behind the wheel. The launch is a milestone for Uber, which has been plotting a UK launch with Wayve for several years . In beating Waymo to the punch, it allows Uber to set the standard for the robotaxi experience for thousands of Londoners. It's also an early test of whether there's appetite for driverless ridehailing beyond the US and China, where most of the world's
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Google says its new Gemini 3.8 Flash model ‘works harder’ but might cost more
4 hours ago
by Stevie Bonifield
AI, Google, News, TechGoogle launched Gemini 3.8 Flash , arriving just a few weeks after its predecessor . The company claims the new model "works harder" than Gemini 3.7 Flash by performing more reasoning steps on complex tasks and "calling tools iteratively." It has the same introductory pricing as 3.7 Flash, $0.75 per million input tokens and $3.75 per million output tokens, but could still end up costing users more. Google warns that "the model might use more tokens to maximize performance, especially at higher effort levels." Developers can keep using Gemini 3.7 Flash if they want to minimize token usage. Gemini 3.8
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Here are some of REI’s best Labor Day sale deals
6 hours ago
by Brad Bourque
Deals, Gadgets, Verge ShoppingThe discounted Garmin InReach 3 Mini can help you stay in touch when you’re out in the wilderness. | Image: Garmin Summer is winding down, but REI’s Labor Day sale is here to help save you some bucks on gear that’ll let you get the most out of your upcoming outdoor expeditions. There are many, many discounts, from men’s and women’s clothing and REI Co-op gear to equipment for camping and hiking and more. The sale runs through September 7th, 2026. In case you weren’t aware, REI members can take an extra 20 percent off a single outlet item with
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1Password wades into a right-wing mess after funding a Linux project
6 hours ago
TechDavid Faugno, CEO at 1Password, at the Web Summit conference in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 11th, 2025. | Photo: Zed Jameson / Bloomberg via Getty Image 1Password faced immediate backlash from customers this week over a $300,000 pledge in support of a Linux distro created by David Heinemeier Hansson, who has regularly published overtly racist blog posts that include comments calling for deportation of ethnic minorities in Europe. The popular password manager is now a " distinguished corporate patron " of Omacom, the nonprofit foundation that oversees a popular Linux distribution known as Omarchy. One viral blog post declared that
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Amazon’s AI assistant can now spot fake emails from the company
7 hours ago
by Emma Roth
AI, Amazon, Amazon Alexa, News, TechAmazon is trying to combat impersonation scams with a new feature that allows you to use its AI assistant to determine whether an email, text message, or phone call actually came from the company. With the update, you can ask Alexa for Shopping about a message you received, and it will use AI to compare it "against a record of every message Amazon has sent," while also analyzing its contents, formatting, and the sender. As noted by Amazon, the assistant will only confirm that a message is real if it's "completely certain." An example shared by Amazon shows a customer
Wired
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Amazon’s 2026 Holiday Deals Are About to Look Better Than They Are
2 hours ago
by Nena Farrell
Gear, Gear / Gear News and Events, Gear / Products / Home Office, Price, ProblemsAmazon just hiked prices on Kindles, Echo speakers, Eero routers, and Fire TV devices ahead of the holiday shopping season.
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Democrats Have a Plan to Force Trump’s Associates to Cooperate With Investigations
4 hours ago
by Hugo Lowell
Politics, Politics / Politics News, Inner, LoopDonald Trump’s West Wing renovations and DC arch could be on the chopping block, should Democrats win the midterms—they could also be leverage.
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Trump Administration Sides With OpenAI in New York Times Copyright Lawsuit
6 hours ago
by Kate Knibbs, Maxwell Zeff
Business, Business / Artificial Intelligence, Fair, Use, FightThe US government wrote a letter in support of OpenAI’s argument that training AI on others' intellectual property is fair use.
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ICE Plans to Pay $5 Million to Create National Voting Database
6 hours ago
by David Gilbert
Politics, ICEd, OutAs part of a broader DHS surge to investigate alleged voter fraud, ICE has announced it plans to pay up to $5 million to create what amounts to a federal voter database.
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These Russian Mathematicians Taught AI Models How to Talk to Each Other Without Using Words
6 hours ago
by Will Knight
Business, Business / Artificial Intelligence, AI, LabA startup called Mostik has a wild new approach to combining the capabilities of AI models.