Tech

The Department of Energy said Thursday that it had finalized a $1.6 billion loan guarantee to upgrade around 5,000 miles of transmission lines. The grid upgrades would ease the flow of electricity in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. The project, which will address lines owned by American Electric Power, won’t add any new routes, but it will help …

Silicon Valley’s rule? It’s not cool to be cautious. As OpenAI removes guardrails and VCs criticize companies like Anthropic for supporting AI safety regulations, it’s becoming clearer who the industry thinks should shape AI development.  On this episode of Equity, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Max Zeff discuss how the line between innovation and responsibility is getting blurrier, plus what …

A Facebook feature that gives Meta AI the ability to suggest edits to photos stored on your phone’s camera roll, but haven’t yet been shared, is now rolling out to all users in the U.S. and Canada. The company announced on Friday that users can choose to opt in to receive these sharing suggestions, which will then prompt them to …

ChatGPT’s mobile app growth may have hit its peak, according to a new analysis of download trends and daily active users provided by the third-party app intelligence Apptopia. Its estimates indicate that new user growth, measured by percentage changes in new global downloads, slowed after April. In addition, global daily active user growth has stopped and plateaued in more recent …

The tech layoff wave is still kicking in 2025. Last year saw more than 150,000 job cuts across 549 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. So far this year, more than 22,000 workers have been the victim of reductions across the tech industry, with a staggering 16,084 cuts taking place in February alone. We’re tracking layoffs in the tech …

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm since its launch in November 2022. What started as a tool to supercharge productivity through writing essays and code with short text prompts has evolved into a behemoth with 300 million weekly active users. 2024 was a big year for OpenAI, from its partnership with Apple for its generative …

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 wouldn’t be what it is without the incredible companies that power the innovation behind the scenes. From headline partners to emerging collaborators, our sponsors help make Disrupt the ultimate destination for founders, investors, and visionaries shaping the future of tech. Their insights, technologies, and support bring each stage, session, and startup moment to life — turning bold …

Automaker Stellantis and Chinese autonomous vehicle company Pony.ai have signed a non-binding agreement to build robotaxis for deployment in Europe.   The collaboration will integrate Pony’s self-driving software into Stellantis’s electric medium-size van platform, which is built with advanced sensors to support autonomous vehicles. The companies plan to first deploy test vehicles based on the Peugeot e-Traveller model. Testing will …

I recently vacationed in Italy. As one does these days, I ran my itinerary past GPT-5 for sightseeing suggestions and restaurant recommendations. The bot reported that the top choice for dinner near our hotel in Rome was a short walk down Via Margutta. It turned out to be one of the best meals I can remember. When I got home, …

Solana Labs CEO and Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko takes the Disrupt Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, happening October 27–29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, to chart where crypto goes next — from the meme coin frenzy to real-world finance and everything in between. This is one fintech conversation you will not want to miss. Save up to $624 on your …