Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni reportedly knew Phia was ‘cookie stuffing’ for months
Phia, the shopping startup co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, is once again under fire for its alleged business practices.
The Download: dead robot friends and the “censorship-industrial complex”
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. What happens when a kid’s robot best friend dies? When Xander first met Moxie, she taught him how to calm down when he was anxious or mad. Six years later, she…
August 2026
Accel closes oversubscribed $550M India fund within weeks, 19 months after its last
The U.S. VC firm still has more than 55% of its previous $650 million India fund available for deployment.
Uber surprised robotics company Serve by selling its entire stake
The divesture comes comes as the two once-tight companies have started to diverge on the business side.
FBI says cybercriminals are hacking into victims’ online accounts to steal their intimate pictures
In a new alert, the FBI said cybercriminals are targeting adults and minors in an attempt to steal their personal and intimate pictures in extortion campaigns.
OpenAI launches ChatGPT desktop app for Linux
OpenAI is finally bringing a dedicated ChatGPT desktop app to Linux operating systems.
Google’s Gemini app surges to one billion users
Gemini is keeping pace with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which hit 1 billion monthly active users back in June.
4 Lessons I Learned Building a Sustainable Business From the Ground Up
Building a sustainable business isn’t the same as a conventional startup. Here’s what I learned while building mine.
You Could Be Competing Against 250 People for Your Next Role. Here’s How to Stand Out, According to a Hiring Platform CEO.
This CEO has a solution to job-hunting blues.
How the “censorship-industrial complex” is changing the Internet and US policy
I first heard the term “censorship-industrial complex” on April 15, 2025. That’s when I got the tip that a small office in the U.S. State Department, which focused on monitoring and countering foreign disinformation from the likes of Russia, Iran, and China, was facing imminent shutdown—the next day. And the reason? R/FIMI, as the office…
What Every Founder Needs to Know About the Dark Side of a Successful Exit
I spent months interviewing founders who had successful exits and was surprised by what I found.