Author: GT

Software might be eating the world, but it’s taking some industries longer than others to realize its full potential. From iPhones to Teslas, people have grown accustomed to software updates improving the stuff they already own. But outside consumer electronics and automobiles, over-the-air updates aren’t commonplace yet. Yet that’s beginning to change, starting with an unlikely product: heat pumps. Last week, heat pump startup Quilt said that it pushed an update last week to heat pumps already installed in customers’ homes. It wasn’t just a bug fix either: The new software and firmware boosted the units’ heating and cooling capacities…

The countdown is on: The application to host a Side Event at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 closes tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT. If you’ve been considering a way to amplify your brand during the week’s tech epicenter, now is the time to lock it in. Your Side Event could be the dinner everyone’s still talking about, the panel that sparks a deal, or the happy hour that launches a new collaboration. With 10,000+ Disrupt attendees in San Francisco — plus the global spotlight of TechCrunch promotion — your event won’t just happen. It will resonate. Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography Today’s deadline is…

Leading AI labs like OpenAI and Google DeepMind cut ties with Scale AI after Meta invested $14 billion in the data vendor and hired its CEO. But AI labs still need data — leaving an opening for other startups that can supply it.  The key players and factors in the AI data market are changing. Lately, it seems like Mercor — an AI hiring platform that sells data services to AI labs — may be one of the biggest benefactors of this shift. Today on Equity, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and I (Max Zeff) dive deeper into how the AI…

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 hits Moscone West in San Francisco on October 27–29, and if you’re aiming for big funding goals, then leaning in on this session on October 29 at the Builders Stage is essential. Three powerhouse voices in venture and AI-driven innovation will share what it really takes to close major rounds — long before you’re in the room with investors. Why this session matters Raising late-stage capital goes beyond hitting revenue targets. It’s about telling the right story, tracking the right metrics, and building relationships that compound over time. Expect sharp insights, candid reflections, and actionable frameworks that…

Mastodon, an open source, decentralized alternative to X, is rolling out a somewhat controversial feature by adding quote posts, which will launch next week. The feature, which allows a user to quote someone else’s post and reshare it with their own response or commentary, has contributed to a culture of “dunking” on X, where users often deride other people by responding with snark or insulting humor. To address this concern, Mastodon says it’s implementing quote posts with safety controls. These protections are designed to allow quote posts to be used responsibly, to “expand discussions, make new connections, and amplify underrepresented…

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced a new pilot program that will let electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) startups test some operations before they receive full regulatory certification. It’s a potentially big change for these companies, as they’ve spent the last few years performing limited test flights of their aircraft while working toward FAA approval. But the program has its limits. Companies will have to partner with state, local, tribal, or territorial governments to apply to the program. The FAA says it will approve at least five projects that can run for up to three years, covering short-range…

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — With the explosive growth of Big Tech’s data centers threatening to overload U.S. electricity grids, policymakers are taking a hard look at a tough-love solution: bumping the energy-hungry data centers off grids during power emergencies.Texas moved first, as state lawmakers try to protect residents in the data-center hotspot from another deadly blackout, like the winter storm in 2021 when dozens died.Now the concept is emerging in the 13-state mid-Atlantic grid and elsewhere as massive data centers are coming online faster than power plants can be built and connected to grids. That has elicited pushback from data…

Micro1, a three-year-old startup that helps AI companies find and manage human contractors for data labeling and training, has raised a $35 million Series A funding round that values the company at $500 million. The round was led by 01 Advisors, a venture capital firm co-founded by Dick Costolo and Adam Bain, the former CEO and COO of Twitter. The startup is one of many companies looking to fill the gap in the data market created by recent changes involving Scale AI. After Meta invested $14 billion in Scale AI and hired its CEO, AI labs, including OpenAI and Google,…

Apple on Tuesday announced its iPhone 17 lineup, which consists of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. All four of the devices will be available to preorder on Friday and will be available on September 19. iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air Differential specs Display: iPhone 17: 6.3″ Super Retina XDR display iPhone 17 Air: 6.5″ Super Retina XDR display Size (L x W x H) and weight: iPhone 17: 5.89 in. (149.6 mm) x 2.81 in. (71.5 mm) x 0.31 in. (7.95 mm); 6.24 oz (177 grams) iPhone 17 Air: 6.15…

The CEO of the largest digital and print publisher in the U.S. has accused Google of being a bad actor for crawling its websites to support the search giant’s AI products. Neil Vogel, CEO of People, Inc. (formerly Dotdash Meredith), a publisher that operates over 40 brands, including People, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, Southern Living, Allrecipes, and others, said that Google is not playing fair because it uses the same bot to crawl websites to index them for the Google search engine as it does to support its AI features. “Google has…