Databricks hits $188B valuation, extending its run as AI's favorite second act | TechCrunch
Databricks has remade its image into an AI company and has published research on the cost savings of open-weight AI models for coding.
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Roblox launches an AI-powered game-creation feature in its mobile app | TechCrunch
Roblox's new "Build" feature lets users generate basic games using a single text prompt.
Uber's $14.8B Delivery Hero deal would nearly double its global footprint | TechCrunch
Uber has agreed to acquire Delivery Hero in a $14.8 billion all-stock deal that would nearly double the company’s global footprint and create one of the world’s largest food-delivery platforms outside China.
Daniel Ek’s body-scanning startup Neko Health raises another $700M
Neko Health has developed proprietary body-scanning technology, which it couples with bloodwork, to assess a person's health.
Apple bans home services from its upcoming Maps ads | TechCrunch
Apple has published the policies governing its upcoming Maps advertising business, revealing a strategy that differs from Google’s. The new rules prohibit home services businesses like plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, and roofers from advertising on Apple Maps, along with several other sensitive categories, suggesting Apple is taking a more curated approach to these ads.
Whatnot acquires Shaped to power real-time live shopping recommendations | TechCrunch
Livestream shopping platform Whatnot has acquired AI startup Shaped, a machine learning company focused on real-time recommendations and search. The deal will bolster Whatnot’s personalization and discovery features as it expands into new product categories.
Stripe and Advent reportedly offered to buy PayPal for around $53.4B
If completed, the acquisition would unite two of the biggest names in digital payments.
Backed by $60M in funding, Oak steps out of stealth to fix the identity mess that AI agents are making worse | TechCrunch
Co-founded by serial entrepreneur Shai Morag, Israeli identity management startup Oak is emerging out of stealth with $60 million in seed funding.
Reflection inks $1B compute deal with Nebius
Reflection AI has signed a $1 billion deal to access Nebius' compute. Reflection was founded in 2024 and is developing open source AI technology.
The real AI race may no longer be at the frontier | TechCrunch
Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue says enterprises increasingly want open models, due to cost, accessibility, and ownership. Do frontier models still matter if most production AI ends up running on open models?
Satya Nadella has issued a shocking warning to companies using AI | TechCrunch
Of all the debates raging about the potential downsides of AI, there is one worry causing the most hand-wringing among AI enthusiasts in Silicon Valley — that the giant AI labs that sell proprietary models are somehow acting like Trojan horses.
Reed Jobs would rather talk about curing cancer than his last name | TechCrunch
When we last sat down with Jobs at TechCrunch Disrupt nearly three years ago, his firm Yosemite was brand new and biotech was still reeling from its post-pandemic crash. Now, the venture outfit has a team of 17; a cluster of blockbuster drugs are all losing patent protection in roughly the same window, creating all kinds of new opportunities; and AI has gone from a curiosity to, in Jobs' words, a huge part of what Yosemite does. "I didn't expect Yosemite to be moving this fast," he said.
EU threatens Meta with fines over addictive features on Facebook and Instagram | TechCrunch
The tech giant is in breach of the Digital Services Act by focusing on features like infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and the highly personalized recommendation algorithms, the European Commission said.
Don’t want to invest in Elon Musk? Two new ETFs explicitly exclude him
The new exchange-traded funds exclude companies that are founded, controlled, or led by Elon Musk. That means no SpaceX or Tesla.
Slate Auto teams up with Crayola to color its EV truck
Slate has an answer for owners who have always want to drive a truck with bright crayon colors.
Instagram users: Here’s how to stop Meta’s AI from using your photos | TechCrunch
Muse Image allows users to generate AI images using photos from public Instagram accounts. As long as a person's profile is public, another user can tag that account and use their images as part of an AI-generated creation.
Apple brings back card payments for Apple Account purchases in India after a four-year hiatus | TechCrunch
Apple has started a phased rollout of card payments for Apple Account purchases in India after adapting to the country's payments framework.
Uber’s European expansion plans may have hit a speed bump | TechCrunch
Back in February, Uber announced ambitious plans to launch in seven new European markets in 2026 — but now five of those launches are reportedly on hold.