From TechCrunch · 40 stories
MacBook Air Faces Significant Supply Shortages Due to AI-Driven Memory Demand
Apple's MacBook Air is experiencing significant supply shortages, with delivery estimates extending into late August or September, attributed to a global memory crisis driven by high demand from AI data centers. This shortage has led Apple to prioritize MacBook Pro production and encourage customers to consider the Pro model, despite recent price increases for the MacBook Air.
OpenAI Expands Daybreak Cybersecurity Initiative with New Tiers and GPT-5.6-Cyber Model
OpenAI has expanded its Daybreak cybersecurity initiative, introducing Daybreak Blue and Daybreak Red tiers to provide specialized access to its AI models for defensive security work. The expansion includes a new AI model, GPT-5.6-Cyber, designed for advanced security testing and vulnerability research, addressing evolving AI-driven cyber threats.
X Replaces Revenue Sharing with New Original Content Rewards Program
X has launched a new Original Content Rewards Program, replacing its previous revenue-sharing model, which ceased accepting applications and will fully shut down after September 7. The new program, effective September 8, will compensate creators for original content based on qualified impressions, shifting focus to unique contributions rather than general engagement.
Framework Customer Data Exposed in Metabase Zero-Day Breach
Framework, a modular computer manufacturer, notified all customers that their names, email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, and login IPs were exposed in a data breach. The incident stemmed from a zero-day vulnerability in Metabase, a business intelligence provider used by Framework, which allowed unauthorized access to customer databases.
US Pays RWE $1.2 Billion to Cancel Offshore Wind Projects, Funds Redirected to Gas
The US Department of the Interior has paid German energy company RWE $1.2 billion to terminate its offshore wind projects off the coasts of California, Louisiana, and New York. RWE will reinvest $900 million into a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal in Louisiana and use the remaining funds for natural gas turbines, marking a shift from offshore wind to fossil fuel investments.
X Settles Legal Dispute with World Federation of Advertisers, Continues Suit Against Brands
X Corp. and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) have settled their multiyear legal dispute, which X initiated in 2024, accusing the WFA of orchestrating an illegal boycott. The settlement resets the relationship between the two organizations and includes the WFA discontinuing its Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) initiative. Despite this settlement, X is appealing a district court's dismissal of its lawsuit against other advertisers, seeking to revive claims of an illegal boycott.
Nikita Bier Steps Down as X's Head of Product After One Year
Nikita Bier has resigned as X's head of product after serving for just over a year, transitioning to an advisory role. During his tenure, Bier oversaw the launch of 30 new products and significant rebuilds across the platform, including the timeline, Android app, chat, and notifications, as well as the recent launch of X Money.
OpenAI Settles DOJ Discrimination Claims for $3.2 Million Over Hiring Practices
OpenAI and its subsidiary Statsig will pay $3.2 million to settle allegations from the U.S. Department of Justice that they discriminated against U.S. workers by favoring temporary visa holders. The settlement addresses claims that the companies used specific tactics to deter U.S. applicants for certain roles and includes changes to hiring practices and a fund for affected individuals.
Uber and Waymo Clash Over Proposed Robotaxi Bill in Washington, D.C.
Uber and Waymo are in conflict over proposed legislation in Washington, D.C. affecting autonomous vehicle operations. Uber argues the bill could monopolize the market for Waymo while threatening existing human driver jobs. Waymo supports the bill, which aligns with their operational goals. This disagreement underscores the intense competition between the two companies in the robotaxi sector.
Open Secure AI Alliance Proposes SAFE Guidelines for AI Cybersecurity Incident Sharing
The Open Secure AI Alliance (OSAA), comprising over 120 organizations including NVIDIA, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Hugging Face, and Red Hat, has proposed Shared AI Findings Exchange (SAFE) guidelines. These guidelines, released for public comment by the Linux Foundation at the Black Hat conference, aim to standardize the confidential collection, analysis, and sharing of agentic AI cybersecurity incidents to reduce systemic risks across the industry.
Spotify Reaches 300 Million Premium Subscribers, Reports €4.8 Billion in Q2 Revenue
Spotify announced it has surpassed 300 million Premium subscribers, a 9% increase year-over-year, and reached 777 million monthly active users in the second quarter. The company reported €4.8 billion ($5.5 billion) in revenue and a 33.4% gross margin, driven by subscriber growth and diversification of content offerings.
Apple CEO hints at paid iCloud+ tiers for increased Siri AI usage
Apple CEO Tim Cook indicated that the company may introduce paid upgrade options within iCloud Plus to allow users to increase their usage limits for Siri AI. This suggests a monetization strategy for Apple's upcoming AI features, which rely on server models and have daily usage limits. The new Siri AI, launching with iOS 27, will offer features like on-screen interaction and a standalone AI app.
Apple Aims for Late 2027 Smart Glasses Launch, Prioritizing Privacy and Developer Tools
Apple is reportedly planning to unveil its first smart glasses at WWDC in June 2027, with a public release by the end of that year. The company is focusing on privacy features, including on-device processing and the absence of facial recognition, and will likely provide developers with tools to create third-party applications for the device.
SpaceX to Remove Unpermitted xAI Data Center Turbines by July 2027
SpaceX announced it will remove 69 unpermitted gas turbines powering its xAI data centers near Memphis by July 2027. This follows lawsuits from groups like the NAACP and Southern Environmental Law Center regarding the turbines' operation without federal permits, and the company will transition to a permanent 1.2 gigawatt natural gas power plant.
Katalyst Space's LINK Satellite Experiences Failures, Jeopardizing NASA Swift Observatory Reboost
The Katalyst Space LINK satellite, launched on July 3 to reboost NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, is tumbling out of control due to the failure of two of its three reaction wheels and partial loss of its cold gas thruster system. This incident jeopardizes NASA's first mission to contract a private company for orbital reboosting services, which aimed to extend the Swift Observatory's operational lifespan.
DoorDash Launches In-House Drone Delivery Service, DoorDash Air, After FAA Approval
DoorDash has established DoorDash Air, its own drone delivery business, after receiving Part 135 air carrier certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. This certification allows DoorDash to operate commercial drone delivery services in the United States using its internally developed aircraft and infrastructure. The company previously partnered with other drone delivery providers but will now deploy its own drones, designed specifically for food delivery.
Ransomware Payment Dilemma Intensifies Amid Sophisticated Threat Landscape
Ransomware attacks have surged, with nearly half of victims opting to pay attackers. Many jurisdictions, including the UK, are proposing bans on public sector ransom payments due to the inefficacy of negotiations and the risk of repeated attacks. Advanced AI tools and strategic targeting increase the threat level, complicating response strategies.
Apple Sued for $1.8M After Fake Crypto Wallet App Appears on App Store
Three individuals are suing Apple, alleging that a fraudulent Sparrow Wallet application downloaded from the App Store led to the theft of approximately $1.8 million in Bitcoin. The lawsuit, filed on July 24 in California, claims Apple failed to adequately review and monitor applications, despite promoting the App Store as a secure source for software.
White House Accuses Chinese AI Firm Moonshot of Siphoning Anthropic's Fable 5 Data
White House official Michael Kratsios accused Chinese AI startup Moonshot of deceptively extracting data from Anthropic's Fable 5 model to train its Kimi K3 system. This accusation signals a potential shift in US policy, framing large-scale model distillation as theft of American technology, which could lead to tighter API restrictions and expanded export controls on AI chips. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned of sanctions against Chinese AI companies for intellectual property theft.
WhatsApp Introduces Multitude of New Features Including iPad Sign-Up and CarPlay Integration
WhatsApp has released several updates, allowing iPad users to sign up without a phone number, enhancing integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and enabling music sharing from Apple Music and Spotify. These changes improve multi-device usability and align WhatsApp more closely with social media features.
Block Launches Buzz: Open-Source Team Chat Integrating AI Agents and Git Hosting
Jack Dorsey and Block have launched Buzz, an open-source collaboration platform that merges team communication, AI agents, and Git hosting, built on the Nostr messaging protocol. Buzz provides a Slack-like interface where AI agents and humans interact, offering customizable workflows and cryptographic identities for all participants. This release potentially reduces reliance on multiple existing tools like Slack and GitHub.
Zoox Recalls Software in Robotaxis Due to Smoke Detection Issues
Zoox recalled software in 105 robotaxis following an incident where a vehicle struggled with heavy smoke at a fire scene in June. No injuries occurred, and a new update has been deployed to address the issue. This highlights ongoing safety challenges in autonomous vehicle operation and regulatory focus on their interaction with emergency situations.
China Joins SpaceX in Rocket Reuse with Long March 10B Recovery
China successfully recovered its Long March 10B rocket booster at sea, becoming the second country to achieve reusable rocket technology after SpaceX. This marks a significant milestone in China's space capabilities, potentially advancing its satellite services and global competitiveness.
Florida Man Arrested for Cryptocurrency Theft via Steam Game Malware
Zyaire Wilkins was arrested for allegedly using malware-laden games on Steam to steal $220,000 in cryptocurrency. The operation infected about 8,000 devices and targeted 80 crypto wallets from May 2024 to February 2026. This highlights security risks in digital distribution platforms like Steam.
AMI Labs Raises $1 Billion to Innovate AI Beyond ChatGPT and Contemporary Models
Yann LeCun, founder of AMI Labs, aims to revolutionize artificial intelligence by developing new models that understand complex real-world scenarios. Having raised over $1 billion, AMI Labs, led by LeCun and CEO Alexandre LeBrun, is not aligning with terms like 'AGI' but focuses on pragmatic AI advancements. The funding underscores a significant push to overcome the limitations of current AI technologies like ChatGPT and Claude.
Meta Launches AI Alert System for Teens' Self-Harm Conversations
Meta has introduced an AI-driven alert system to notify parents if their teens discuss self-harm or suicide with its chatbot on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. This measure addresses regulatory concerns and aims to enhance safety for young users. The system includes manual review of flagged conversations to minimize unnecessary alerts.
Google to Offset Data Center Emissions with Major Solar Project in Arkansas
Google's electricity use surged by 37% in 2025 due to AI data center expansions. To offset emissions, Google will purchase the entire output of a large solar and battery storage project in Arkansas, boosting the grid with up to 2.45GW of solar power by 2029. This initiative reflects Google's ongoing investment in clean energy.
Spotify Expands Free Child Accounts with Parental Controls to More Countries
Spotify has expanded its free child-friendly managed accounts to more countries, allowing parents to create and manage accounts with personalized content and controls, even without a Premium subscription. Initially available only to Premium Family subscribers, the service now extends to free tier users in the US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The expansion highlights Spotify's focus on offering safer listening experiences for children under 13.
Publishers and Author Sue Google for Using Copyrighted Works in AI Training
Hachette, Cengage, Elsevier, and author Scott Turow have filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging it used copyrighted books to train its Gemini AI without permission. The case, brought in federal court, claims Google removed copyright details to obscure its usage and breached copyright laws by training its commercial AI models with unauthorized texts. This lawsuit underscores ongoing legal tensions between AI development and copyright protection.
Google Uses User-Uploaded Search Media for AI Training, Opt-Out Available
Google has updated its privacy settings to include user-uploaded media, such as images and audio, in AI training. Users are automatically opted in unless they choose to opt out via new settings affecting various Google search services. This move reflects broader tech industry trends in utilizing personal data for AI development, raising privacy concerns.
TV Time App to Shut Down in July 2026, New App Bingers Announced
TV Time, a popular TV and movie-tracking app, is set to shut down on July 15, 2026, citing unsustainable operating costs. The app's co-founder, Antonio Pinto, is launching a new app named Bingers to serve the old community. The transition reflects a shift towards AI-focused business models.
Fidji Simo Steps Down from OpenAI Role Due to Health Issues; Greg Brockman Assumes Control
Fidji Simo has resigned from her position as OpenAI's AGI chief to focus on her health, transitioning to a part-time advisory role. Simo departs during a period of leadership changes within the company, as OpenAI prepares for a potential IPO. Her responsibilities have been taken over by OpenAI President Greg Brockman, indicating a strategic move amidst intensifying competition in the AI sector.
Disney+ Considers Free Streaming Tier Amid Competition
Disney+ is exploring a potential free streaming tier as a strategy to compete with platforms like YouTube and Tubi. Discussed at a Disney town hall by Chief Product and Technology Officer Adam Smith, the move aims to capture audiences amid rising popularity of free streaming options. Details on content and launch timing remain uncertain.
Google to Label AI-Generated Ads for Enhanced Transparency
Google is introducing a feature in its My Ad Center to disclose when ads are created or edited using AI. This update seeks to enhance transparency by informing users if AI tools were used in ad content creation on Google platforms, such as Search and YouTube.
Judge Approves Musk's $1.5M SEC Settlement Over Twitter Investment
A judge approved Elon Musk's $1.5 million settlement with the SEC concerning delayed disclosure of his Twitter stake. Despite questions regarding the fairness and potential corruption, the court ruled it couldn't block the deal. The SEC argued Musk saved $150 million by not disclosing his stake in time.
Blue Origin Raises $10 Billion in First External Funding Round for Space Ventures
Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000, is raising $10 billion in its first external funding round, valuing the company at $130 billion. Coatue Management leads with a $4 billion investment, with Bezos contributing $2 billion. This move aims to support operational readiness for its New Glenn rocket after a recent setback and to bolster its position against SpaceX.
Discord Bug Mistakenly Bans Over 8,000 Accounts for Harmless Images
Discord experienced a glitch in its AI moderation system that mistakenly banned over 8,000 users for posting harmless images since May 2026. The system inaccurately flagged grid-like images as harmful content, impacting accounts posting items like spreadsheets and game textures. Discord has resolved the issue and unbanned affected users.
Meta Launches Pocket for AI-Generated Interactive Games
Meta released a new app called Pocket, which allows users to create and share AI-generated interactive mini-games. Following the acquisition of Gizmo's development team, this app uses AI prompts to let users generate "gizmos" that are shared socially. Pocket is available on iOS and Android but not yet widely accessible.
Anthropic Releases Economical AI Model Claude Sonnet 5 for Enhanced Agentic Tasks
Anthropic has unveiled Claude Sonnet 5, an advanced AI model designed for agentic capabilities, available on AWS. This model provides substantial improvements in planning, tool use, and coding over previous versions at a lower cost, aiming to compete with top-tier AI models.
River AI, founded by xAI co-founder, secures $1.1B in seed/Series A funding
River AI, an AI startup co-founded by Igor Babuschkin, raised $1.1 billion in a seed/Series A funding round led by General Catalyst and AMP PBC, with participation from Nvidia and AMD Ventures. The company aims to rebuild the AI stack for personally trainable assistants and offers an API for fine-tuning open models using reinforcement learning and LoRA. This funding highlights significant investment in AI startups focused on custom model training and enterprise control over AI infrastructure.