March 3, 2026

The Download: The startup that says it can stop lightning, and inside OpenAI’s Pentagon deal

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. This startup claims it can stop lightning and prevent catastrophic wildfires Startup Skyward Wildfire says it can prevent catastrophic fires by stopping the lightning strikes that ignite them. So far, it hasn’t publicly…

TopTechTrends

Announcing the Space Stage agenda at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023

August 1, 2023
We’re out-of-this-world excited to announce that we’ve added a dedicated Space Stage to TechCrunch Disrupt 2023. It joins six other brand-new industry-focused stages — all under one big roof. Plus, we’ve joined forces with the Aerospace Corporation to host the Space Domain Awareness Challenge Pitch-off for startups using AI to analyze satellite data streams. Learn […]

YouTube experiments with AI auto-generated video summaries

August 1, 2023
YouTube is running a new test to auto-generate video summaries with the use of AI. As noted on the support page, the summaries have begun appearing on the watch and search pages, however are only available for a limited number of English-language videos and viewers. The video platform explains that the AI auto-generated summaries provide […]

Researchers claim US-registered cloud host facilitated state-backed cyberattacks

August 1, 2023
A little-known cloud company provided web hosting and internet services to more than two dozen different state-sponsored hacking groups and commercial spyware operators, according to researchers at cybersecurity company Halcyon. In a report released on Tuesday, Halcyon said it had identified that the U.S.-registered company Cloudzy was “knowingly or unwittingly” acting as a command-and-control provider […]

Meta says it will offer Europeans a free choice to deny tracking

August 1, 2023
Meta is bowing to legal inevitability in the European Union: It’s just announced it will finally comply with regional privacy regulations by giving users a free choice to deny its behavioral advertising. The tech giant is subject to an ongoing regulatory procedure over the legal basis it claims to run microtargeted ads which had been […]