Tech

Smartphone maker Nothing to spin off its affordable CMF brand | TechCrunch

Smartphone maker Nothing to spin off its affordable CMF brand | TechCrunch

Hardware startup Nothing said Thursday that it plans to make its affordable device brand, CMF, into an independent subsidiary with India serving as its headquarters for manufacturing and R&D. The company first launched CMF in 2023 with a pair of earbuds and a smartwatch. Since then, it has introduced smartphones under the brand as well. Nothing said that it is …

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It isn’t your imagination; Google Cloud is flooding the zone | TechCrunch

It isn’t your imagination; Google Cloud is flooding the zone | TechCrunch

The $100 billion partnership between Nvidia and OpenAI, announced Monday, represents – for now – the latest mega-deal reshaping the AI infrastructure landscape. The agreement involves non-voting shares tied to massive chip purchases and enough computing power for more than 5 million U.S. households, deepening the relationship between two of AI’s most powerful players. Meanwhile, Google Cloud is placing a …

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Y Combinator launches “Early Decision” for students who want to graduate first, build later | TechCrunch

Y Combinator launches “Early Decision” for students who want to graduate first, build later | TechCrunch

For decades, Silicon Valley has valorized the college dropout. Founders like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg left school early to build companies and became billionaires.  That ethos was later institutionalized through initiatives like the Thiel Fellowship, which famously pays promising students $100,000 to leave college and start companies. For many years, the famed accelerator Y Combinator also quietly …

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India court rejects X’s “free speech” argument, backs government takedown powers | TechCrunch

India court rejects X’s “free speech” argument, backs government takedown powers | TechCrunch

An Indian court has dismissed an attempt by Elon Musk’s X to challenge the Indian government’s content takedown orders, ruling that the social media platform, as a foreign company, does not have a constitutional right to free speech under Indian law. The Karnataka High Court ruled Wednesday in favor of the Indian government’s use of a centralized online portal to …

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Billionaire VC Mike Moritz slams new H-1B visa fee as ‘brutish extortion scheme’ | TechCrunch

Billionaire VC Mike Moritz slams new H-1B visa fee as ‘brutish extortion scheme’ | TechCrunch

The Trump administration last Friday announced a new $100,000 annual levy on H-1B visas, which allow 85,000 skilled foreign workers to enter the U.S. each year. The fee applies to companies hiring these workers, primarily in tech. Veteran venture capitalist Michael Moritz isn’t having it. In a new, scathing Financial Times op-ed, the former Sequoia Capital honcho compares the White …

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Chipiron’s big idea: rethinking MRI access, not replacing old machines  | TechCrunch

Chipiron’s big idea: rethinking MRI access, not replacing old machines  | TechCrunch

Medical device funding is hitting levels we haven’t seen since 2021, with investors pouring billions into diagnostics and imaging companies. While innovation has raced ahead, a fundamental problem still hasn’t changed: Critical medical hardware like MRI machines cost millions of dollars and is limited to large hospitals. So how do you take one of the most expensive, hospital-bound technologies and …

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Neon, the No. 2 social app on the Apple App Store, pays users to record their phone calls and sells data to AI firms | TechCrunch

Neon, the No. 2 social app on the Apple App Store, pays users to record their phone calls and sells data to AI firms | TechCrunch

A new app offering to record your phone calls and pay you for the audio so it can sell the data to AI companies is, unbelievably, the No. 2 app in Apple’s U.S. App Store’s Social Networking section. The app, Neon Mobile, pitches itself as a moneymaking tool offering “hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year” for access to …

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Zoox asks federal regulators for exemption to launch a commercial robotaxi service | TechCrunch

Zoox asks federal regulators for exemption to launch a commercial robotaxi service | TechCrunch

Zoox has asked federal regulators for an exemption that would allow the Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company to commercially deploy its custom-built robotaxis, which lack traditional controls like pedals and a steering wheel. The exemption request was first reported by Bloomberg. A Zoox spokesperson confirmed that it has submitted a petition for a “555 exemption” and continues to work closely with …

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Trump admin wants 10% stake in American lithium miner that sells to GM | TechCrunch

Trump admin wants 10% stake in American lithium miner that sells to GM | TechCrunch

The Trump administration might be fond of calling the energy transition the “green new scam,” but that isn’t stopping it from seeking a significant stake in what promises to be the largest lithium mine in the Western Hemisphere. In exchange for renegotiating the repayment period of a $2.26 billion Department of Energy loan, the Trump administration is asking for as …

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Trump administration wants 10% stake in American lithium miner that sells to GM | TechCrunch

Trump admin wants 10% stake in American lithium miner that sells to GM | TechCrunch

The Trump administration might be fond of calling the energy transition the “green new scam,” but that isn’t stopping it from seeking a significant stake in what promises to be the largest lithium mine in the Western Hemisphere. In exchange for renegotiating the repayment period of a $2.26 billion Department of Energy loan, the Trump administration is asking for as …

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