iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes were very different companies, but they faced some similar challenges.

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for all things “future of transportation.” 

Amazon will reportedly invest up to $10B in OpenAI...who will use that money to buy Amazon's products. And the Equity Podcast team asks: How do we even define real revenue with all these circular deals? Listen here: https://tcrn.ch/494ilVl

Waymo suspended its SF robotaxi service on Saturday evening after a massive blackout appeared to leave many of its vehicles stalled on city streets.

The future may be electric, but that future is being postponed. The European Commission, citing the need for flexibility, has softened its ambitious plan

In perhaps the last public interview of one Israel's most famous VCs, Jon Medved tells TechCrunch how tech will enhance his life.

Law firms representing Google and Apple have reportedly warned that employees who need a visa stamp to re-enter the United States should avoid leaving the country due to longer-than-usual visa processing times.

The iRobot founder opens up about the 18-month regulatory process that he says doomed the Roomba maker -- and what it means for American innovation.

ChatGPT users can now tweak the chatbot’s warmth, enthusiasm, and emoji use.

The bill will require large AI developers to publish information about their safety protocols and report safety incidents to the state within 72 hours.

iRobot joins the latest string of hardware companies filing for bankruptcy, exposing an impossible problem: build overseas to survive, but risk getting copied. The new episode of Equity breaks it down. Listen here: https://tcrn.ch/494ilVl

The newest episode raises questions about whether Sequoia's new leadership -- managing partners Alfred Lin and Pat Grady, who took over last month -- can or will rein in Maguire's social media activity.

Amazon will reportedly invest up to $10B in OpenAI...who will use that money to buy Amazon's products. And the Equity Podcast team asks: How do we even define real revenue with all these circular deals? Listen here: https://tcrn.ch/494ilVl

The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, according to people familiar with the deal.

This week on Build Mode, Startup Battlefield editor Isabelle Johannessen spoke to two founders who are working to make progress in industries ripe for disruption, despite the regulatory headaches that might have deterred many other people.

The $816 million contract follows a separate $515 million — both awarded by the U.S. Space Development Agency.

Marcario joined the board in 2021, and will maintain her position as chair overseeing the Rivian Foundation, which made its first grants last year.

Investors at TechCrunch Disrupt explained their focus on artificial intelligence and offered advice to founders on how to stand out in a crowded AI field.

The decision brings to a close a years-long court battle that irked Musk so much he moved Tesla's incorporation from Delaware to Texas.

Graphite is an AI code review assistant that was last valued at $290 million.

Given NGL's track record of dubious growth hacking, this partnership with Mode Mobile like a good match.

Cisco warned that Chinese government hackers are exploiting a zero-day in some of its products. Researchers now say there are hundreds of vulnerable Cisco customers.

Watch as Equity discusses what went wrong for iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes, plus Amazon's massive OpenAI bet and Trump's new approach to AI regulation.

Renowned AI scientist Yann LeCun confirmed on Thursday the worst-kept secret in the tech world: that he had indeed launched a new startup. Although he did say he will not be running the new company as its CEO.

Netflix is making exclusive deals with podcast studios to compete with YouTube, but podcasters have mixed feelings.

OpenAI updated its guidelines for how its AI models should behave with users under 18, and published new AI literacy resources for teens and parents. Still, questions remain about how well policies translate into practice.

Known has raised $9.7 million from investors, including Forerunner and NFX, along with PearVC and Coelius Capital.

The gaming startup will allow Netflix subscribers to create avatars that can extend across gaming titles.

The company is working on an image and video model and new text-based model, which aids with coding.

Called the Unicorn Growth Fund, the investment vehicle is a collaboration between Krafton and South Korean internet conglomerate Naver, and investor Mirae Asset. It aims to deploy around $669.3 million over four years.

TechCrunch looks back at the biggest data breaches, disruptive cyberattacks, and damaging hacks of 2025, from the raiding of U.S. government databases to a hack every month in South Korea.

The ChatGPT maker is aiming to raise the funding by the end of the first quarter in 2026, and the company may ask sovereign wealth funds to invest in the round.

The deal closes a long-running drama in which U.S. authorities have sought to compel ByteDance to divest.

Apple says it can now collect any money a developer owes the tech giant at any time.

The federal agency alleged Instacart misled consumers with unlawful tactics, causing them to pay higher fees while also denying refunds.

OpenAI is looking to populate its flagship chatbot with a host of new user experiences.

Jeff Evanson recently joined Pickle Robot as the company's first CFO as the startup has allegedly expanded its partnership with UPS.

ChatGPT has reached $3B in lifetime mobile consumer spending in just 31 months, faster than TikTok and major streaming apps.

Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has joined OpenAI as managing director and head of OpenAI for Countries. He will run also Coinbase's internal advisory council.

LinkedIn profile verification adoption in India has risen about 80% in the past 12 months.

YC-backed Givefront is building a fintech designed specifically for nonprofits, including food banks, churches, and homeowner associations.

EtherealX aims to take on SpaceX's Falcon 9 with its fully reusable rocket.

U.K.-based healthcare tech provider DXS International said it discovered and contained a data breach on Sunday. A ransomware gang took credit for the breach.

Impactful talks and connections happen at StrictlyVC. Read the full 2025 recap and join the 2026 waitlist to get early bird tickets.

The startup has raised a $3.6 million seed round led by Khosla Ventures.

The driver assistance software is available on Rivian's for Gen 2 R1 cars and works on 3.5 million miles of North American roads. But it doesn't slow or stop for traffic lights or stop signs.

The merger would broaden Trump Media’s holdings into the nascent fusion power space while data centers clamor for more electricity amid the ongoing AI boom.

Epic Games CEO says Fortnite won't return to Japan, though, because the new rules still require high fees.

Luma AI's new model is available through the company's Dream Machine platform.

Lovable has seen its valuation more than triple just five months after the company's last funding round in July.