Tech

When people think about space, the first images that come to mind are usually rockets, satellites, and astronauts floating in orbit. But the future of space is just as much about algorithms and compute power as it is about propulsion systems and spacecraft. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, the Aerospace Corporation is pulling back the curtain on how artificial intelligence is …

Venmo and PayPal — two of the most popular apps for digitally sending money to friends, family, or businesses — have never been natively compatible. But according to Venmo, this is changing in November. “Venmo users and PayPal users will be able to pay each other in the U.S. and worldwide,” Venmo wrote in an email to customers. “That means …

TechCrunch Disrupt isn’t just another tech conference packed with 10,000+ tech leaders — it’s the launchpad for startups and innovators.  Disrupt is where companies meet their first investors, form game-changing partnerships, and spark the ideas that take them to the next level. Your exhibit table could be the launchpad for your next big breakthrough, but time is running out.  With less than a month until Disrupt takes place on October …

Amazon-owned Zoox will start mapping the streets of Washington D.C. as it ramps up to begin testing its self-driving vehicles in the nation’s capital this year. Zoox said in a blog post on Tuesday that it would begin by manually driving Toyota Highlanders equipped with its sensors and self-driving software to map the city. The company plans to start testing …

AI-powered app development is really taking off, and smartphone maker Nothing seems intent on capitalizing on the bandwagon: the company on Monday revealed Playground, an AI tool that lets users create apps with simple text prompts and deploy them to a platform of sorts known as Essential Apps. Currently all Playground lets you build are widgets, like a flight tracker, …

Browser maker Opera launched its AI-centric browser Neon Tuesday, with the ability to create apps through AI prompts and create repeatable prompts through a feature it calls cards. With this Opera joins a growing number of companies like Perplexity and The Browser Company that are trying to make agentic browsers happen. The company first announced that it was working on …

The lack of growth capital in Europe is such a persisting issue that some early-stage firms have taken the matter into their own hands. London-headquartered firm Notion Capital is one of them. In 2017, Notion Capital was one of the first in Europe to close an opportunities fund to provide its portfolio companies with follow-on capital. Now, it has closed …

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed SB 53, a first-in-the-nation bill that sets new transparency requirements on large AI companies. SB 53, which passed the state legislature two weeks ago, requires large AI labs – including OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Google DeepMind – to be transparent about safety protocols. It also ensures whistleblower protections for employees at those companies.   In addition, SB 53 creates a mechanism for AI companies and the …

Charlie Javice, founder of the financial aid startup Frank and Forbes 30 under 30 alumnus, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud. The fintech startup had been acquired by JPMorgan Chase in 2021 for $175 million. The bank later accused Javice of lying about its customer base; the founder claimed the company had 4 million customers, when …

DeepSeek has gone viral. Chinese AI lab DeepSeek broke into the mainstream consciousness this week after its chatbot app rose to the top of the Apple App Store charts (and Google Play, as well). DeepSeek’s AI models, which were trained using compute-efficient techniques, have led Wall Street analysts — and technologists — to question whether the U.S. can maintain its lead in the AI race …