Author: Editor-in-Chief

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 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through this new exemption process. An NHTSA spokesperson told TechCrunch that Zoox applied for a temporary exemption from eight Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards applicable to its passenger car equipped with an automated driving…

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 much as 10% equity in Lithium Americas, a company in which GM is a major investor. Reuters first reported the news Tuesday. “President Trump supports this project. He wants it to succeed and also be fair to taxpayers,” a White…

Microsoft is leaning into its new partnership with OpenAI’s chief rival, Anthropic. Starting Wednesday, the software giant will incorporate Anthropic’s AI models into its AI assistant Copilot, which has previously been fueled mainly by OpenAI. The deal signals yet another step toward the slow disentangling between the erstwhile exclusive partners, and comes a couple of weeks after Microsoft inked a deal to use Anthropic’s AI in Office 365 apps like Word, Excel, and Outlook. Copilot business users will be able to choose between OpenAI’s deep reasoning models and Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.1 and Claude Sonnet 4 for help with certain…

Oracle is reportedly looking to raise funds just weeks after the company inked a historic AI infrastructure deal with OpenAI. Cloud infrastructure giant Oracle is looking to raise $15 billion through corporate bond sales, according to reporting from Bloomberg, citing sources. The sale could include up to seven different parts, with the potential for one said part to be an uncommon 40-year bond, Bloomberg reported. TechCrunch reached out to Oracle for more information. This report comes just a few weeks after Oracle reportedly signed a sizable deal with OpenAI to supply the AI research lab with $300 billion worth of compute. Questions of how either side was going to pay for such a deal came shortly after. The company is also reportedly in talks with…

The AI Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, happening October 27-29 in San Francisco, is officially locked and loaded, featuring the powerhouses shaping the future of artificial intelligence. Join the leaders from Character.AI, Hugging Face, Mercor, Runway, Wayve, and many more top tech voices as they tackle everything from generative AI and developer tools to autonomous vehicles, creative machines, and national security. Founders will get a first look at the technologies defining the next wave of innovation and will hear the strategies, lessons, and insights directly from the teams building them. Want a front-row seat to the future of AI in…

The U.K.’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Wednesday that a man was arrested in connection to the ransomware attack that has caused delays and disruptions at several European airports since the weekend. The hack, which began Friday, targeted check-in systems provided by Collins Aerospace, causing delays at Brussels, Berlin, and Dublin airports, as well as London’s Heathrow, which lasted until yesterday. While the NCA did not name the arrested man, the agency said he is “in his forties” and that he was arrested in the southern county of West Sussex on Tuesday under the country’s Computer Misuse Act “as…

Former vice president Al Gore’s latest project gives polluters nowhere to hide. The nonprofit Climate Trace, which Gore co-founded, on Wednesday launched a tool that uses AI to track fine particulate pollution from more than 660 million sources worldwide. Many people are aware that burning fossil fuels warms the planet, but fewer know that burning them creates fine particulate matter that kills as many as 10 million people every year. “For some time, I’ve been trying to bring more attention to the global public health crisis that’s related to what some refer to as conventional air pollution, or PM2.5,” Gore…

This is not California state senate first attempt at addressing the dangers of AI. In 2024, Silicon Valley mounted a fierce campaign against his controversial AI safety bill, SB 1047, which would have made tech companies liable for the potential harms of their AI systems. Tech leaders warned that it would stifle America’s AI boom. Governor Gavin Newsom ultimately vetoed the bill, echoing similar concerns, and a popular AI hacker house promptly threw an “SB 1047 Veto Party.” One attendee told me, “Thank god, AI is still legal.” Now Wiener has returned with a new AI safety bill, SB 53,…

Protein sources, iron deficiencies and a loss of favourite recipes are common concerns for rookie vegans. Are you thinking about going vegan? You don’t have to worry about any of the above, but sometimes it takes a solid resource to convince you otherwise. Check out this guide from the Victoria Vegan to help ease your worries and provide information and tips for transitioning into a vegan lifestyle. From debunking myths to great recipes, this resource is a really comprehensive look at the benefits of removing animal products from your diet and home. Some of the opening information is a little bit dense…

Disney is raising the price of Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions once again. Starting October 21, many of the streaming services’ standalone plans and bundles will see price increases. The Disney+ standalone plan with ads will increase by $2 to $11.99 per month, while the no-ads Disney+ Premium plan is increasing by $3 to $18.99 per month. The Disney+ Premium annual plan is increasing by $30 to $189.99 per year. The Hulu standalone plan with ads is increasing from $9.99 per month to $11.99. However, the premium version of Hulu with no ads will remain at $18.99 per month. Additionally, the…