Technology
Big Tech companies and upcoming startups want to use generative AI to build software and hardware for kids. A lot of those experiences are limited to text or voice, and kids might not find that captivating. Three former Google employees want to get over that hurdle with their generative AI-powered interactive app, Sparkli. Sparkli was…
Apple’s iPhone is gaining ground fast in India, shipping about 14 million units in 2025, based on market data shared exclusively with TechCrunch. Yet the country’s overall smartphone market stayed largely flat at around 152–153 million devices. That means that across the full-year of 2025, Apple’s market share of shipments rose to a record 9%….
Harvey, the high-flying legal AI startup, has acquired Hexus — a two-year-old startup that builds tools for creating product demos, videos, and guides — as the company continues its aggressive expansion amid fierce competition in the legal tech market. Hexus founder and CEO Sakshi Pratap, who previously held engineering roles at Walmart, Oracle, and Google,…
Yann LeCun’s new venture, AMI Labs, has drawn intense attention since the AI scientist left Meta to found it. This week, the startup finally confirmed what it’s building — and several key details have been hiding in plain sight. On its newly launched website, the startup disclosed its plans to develop “world models” in order…
If you thought 2025 couldn’t get any crazier, the streaming world had one more surprise up its sleeve before the year ended. Netflix, already the largest streaming platform with over 325 million subscribers, took a bold step by acquiring Warner Bros.’ film and television studios, as well as HBO, HBO Max, and other assets. The…
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is planning to visit India in mid-February, his first visit to the country in nearly a year, TechCrunch has learned. The visit comes as New Delhi prepares to host a major AI summit expected to draw top executives from Meta, Google, and Anthropic. India is hosting its first major AI event…
Defense tech company Anduril on Thursday announced its plans to expand its Southern California presence with a major campus in Long Beach, the coastal town where founder Palmer Luckey grew up. The expanded campus will eventually support about 5,500 jobs. Luckey told TechCrunch that these will be new jobs, not transfers from other operations. Anduril’s…
Kais Khimji has spent most of his professional career as a venture investor, including six years as a partner at the prominent VC firm Sequoia Capital. But just like several other former Sequoia partners — including David Vélez, who founded the Brazilian digital bank Nubank — Khimji (pictured left) has always wanted to be a…
LiveKit, a developer of infrastructure software for real-time AI voice and video applications, has announced the raise of $100 million in funding at a $1 billion valuation. The round, which comes 10 months after LiveKit’s previous fundraise, was led by Index Ventures with participation from existing investors, including Altimeter Capital Management, Hanabi Capital, and Redpoint…
Last year, fusion power startup General Fusion was struggling to raise funds, laying off at least 25% of its staff before receiving a $22 million lifeline investment while it figured out how to keep the company afloat. Today, General Fusion revealed its survival plan: it will go public through a reverse merger with an special…
