Security researchers say Chinese authorities are using a new type of malware to extract data from seized phones, allowing them to obtain text messages — including from chat apps such as Signal — images, location histories, audio recordings, contacts, and more. On Wednesday, mobile cybersecurity company Lookout published a new report — shared exclusively with … Read more
Mantis Ventures, the venture capital firm co-founded by Alex Pall and Drew Taggart of the electronic DJ group The Chainsmokers, has raised $100 million in commitments for its third fund. At $100 million, the firm’s newest fund is 25% larger than Mantis’ previous $80 million fund, a notable achievement at a time when many venture … Read more
Elon Musk is a man who named a government agency after a memecoin, designed a robotaxi test network in the shape of a phallus, and once went to court for tweeting weed jokes in relation to Tesla stock. So it’s not surprising that his company xAI’s first AI companions on the Grok app are a … Read more
The Venn diagram of engineers that know a little bit about AI, self driving, and mining has a small intersection. Pronto.ai CEO Anthony Levandowski wants as many of those people as possible. And an acquisition is helping him achieve that goal. The San Francisco-based startup, which has developed a self-driving system designed for haulage trucks … Read more
From tariffs to the recent reconciliation bill, climate tech startups have been grappling with a rapidly changing landscape. Brooklyn-based startup Amogy has managed to avoid turbulence induced by U.S. politics by keeping its sights on more promising foreign markets. Amogy’s ammonia-to-power tech and its focus on Asian markets, including Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, has … Read more
Meta and Mark Zuckerberg are in a hurry to build their superintelligence tech. The company has been poaching AI researchers, while CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Monday that Meta is building a 5-gigawatt data center called Hyperion. The urgency is palpable. As SemiAnalysis reported last week and Business Insider noted, Meta is so eager to … Read more
Former Founders Fund GP Brian Singerman and co-founder and managing partner of Quiet Capital, Lee Linden, are seeking over $500 million for a new fund called GPx, three people familiar with their strategy told TechCrunch. A significant portion of GPx’s fund, potentially as much as 50%, will come from Founders Fund co-founder Peter Thiel, these … Read more
Malaysia is taking on a bigger role in helping the U.S. prevent advanced AI chips from ending up in China. The Malaysian Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry announced new restrictions on exporting AI chips of U.S. origin out of its country on Monday. Individuals and companies are now required to notify Malaysian authorities at … Read more
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is on an app-building spree. After releasing a Bluetooth-based messaging app called Bitchat earlier this month, this weekend Dorsey revealed another app called Sun Day that ostensibly helps users track UV exposure and Vitamin D intake. The new app is available via TestFlight on iOS, and its code is on GitHub … Read more
Therapy chatbots powered by large language models may stigmatize users with mental health conditions and otherwise respond inappropriately or even dangerously, according to researchers at Stanford University. While recent coverage in The New York Times and elsewhere has highlighted the role that ChatGPT may play in reinforcing delusional or conspiratorial thinking, a new paper titled … Read more
