WildforTech Framework is addressing reports that a BIOS update rendered some Ryzen 7040-powered laptops non-functional, with the company offering mainboard replacements for certain affected customers even outside the standard warranty window. The incident raises questions about firmware safety testing for the modular laptop maker.
Rillet, an AI-powered accounting startup, has crossed the unicorn threshold after closing a $100 million Series C round led by ICONIQ Growth. The milestone arrives just two years after the company exited stealth, fueled by a reported tripling of its annual recurring revenue over a single quarter.
Spirit Airlines flight attendants and labor groups are raising alarms over the bankrupt carrier's reported deal to sell large volumes of employee personal data to Google. Critics argue the financially struggling airline is effectively monetizing its workforce's private information without meaningful consent during bankruptcy proceedings.
Gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly planning a dinner to celebrate OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, a gesture connected to her venture capital firm Kinship Ventures holding an investment stake in OpenAI. The event highlights how celebrity capital and Silicon Valley's AI elite are increasingly mingling in high-profile social circles.
Sports betting has reached a troubling new low, with gamblers reportedly placing wagers on the Little League World Series — a youth baseball tournament featuring child athletes. The trend has sparked widespread concern about the unchecked expansion of legalized sports gambling into spaces involving minors, raising urgent ethical and regulatory questions.
Nielsen is expanding its use of smartwatch-style wearable devices to capture more accurate TV viewership data, incorporating readings from these gadgets into its co-viewing measurements starting August 31st. The move aims to help the ratings giant better track audience behavior in an increasingly fragmented streaming landscape.
The FCC has dropped its gigabit broadband speed benchmark, arguing the target unfairly disadvantages technologies that can't reach those thresholds. Critics worry the move effectively lowers the bar for what counts as adequate internet service in the United States, potentially slowing infrastructure investment.
Despite being embedded into countless products and services, artificial intelligence has failed to win over the general public. Consumer skepticism is rising even as AI becomes more ubiquitous, suggesting that tech industry assumptions about adoption automatically translating into enthusiasm were fundamentally mistaken.
Google is launching a dedicated student hub inside Gemini just in time for back-to-school season, offering tools like flashcard creation, practice quizzes, syllabus-based calendar reminders, and enhanced study notebooks that now support graphs and images — positioning the AI assistant as an all-in-one academic companion.
Google has rolled out a suite of AI-powered study features across Search and its Gemini assistant, positioning the tools as go-to resources for students. The move intensifies Google's rivalry with OpenAI as both companies compete to become the dominant AI learning companion for education.
Valve accidentally published setup and unboxing videos for its upcoming Steam Frame VR headset through an ARM Steam client update before swiftly removing them. The brief leak still gave enthusiasts a practical look at how the standalone/PC-streaming headset will be assembled and what accessories to expect.
The smartwatch industry is caught between what devices can do today and an ambitious vision for tomorrow. Testing the Google Pixel Watch 5 highlights how wearables are promising AI coaching and proactive health alerts, but the technology hasn't yet delivered on those lofty goals in any meaningful, reliable way.
Early-bird pricing for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is ending soon, with attendees able to save $300 on passes before August 21. The annual startup-focused conference returns to San Francisco's Moscone West on October 13–15, bringing together founders, investors, and tech industry figures.
Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold arrives with minimal design changes at a moment when rivals like Samsung are radically reinventing foldable phones. With a visible crease and unchanged form factor, the device risks looking dated as Apple prepares its own foldable debut.
Google's Pixel Watch 5 arrives with minimal hardware changes — slightly improved chips and battery, plus a new finish — while its most compelling health features, including blood pressure monitoring and insulin resistance tracking, remain unavailable at launch, making it a difficult device to fully evaluate right now.
Google's Pixel 11 Pro leans heavily on AI-driven software features — like automated restaurant bookings and smarter video editing — to justify its existence, but reviewers note the underlying hardware barely advances over last year's models and may even regress in some areas.
Bill Gates-backed TerraPower is positioning its next-generation nuclear reactor technology as a uniquely compelling power source for AI data centers, leveraging a design advantage that sets it apart from rival clean energy providers competing for the same high-demand contracts.
Also, a startup that originated within Rivian, has secured an additional $150 million in funding led by Prysm Capital. The fresh capital will help the company move beyond its current lineup of electric bikes and cargo delivery quads into the more ambitious territory of autonomous last-mile delivery vehicles.
Indian fintech Navi, co-founded by Flipkart veteran Sachin Bansal, has secured $100 million from global technology investor Prosus — marking the first time the company has accepted outside funding. The capital infusion arrives as Navi prepares to pursue a public market listing.
Amazon is rolling out its upgraded AI assistant, Alexa+, to all compatible Fire TV devices in the United States at no charge, removing the Prime membership requirement. The move brings more advanced conversational AI capabilities to millions of living room screens without an additional subscription barrier.