Nicolas Sauvage is betting on the boring parts of AI
The portfolio he has assembled since 2019 is dotted with technologies that have become more widely interesting to VCs over the last year:
The Download: failed social media bans, and extending pets’ lives
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. Kids are outsmarting social media bans. That’s not a problem we need to solve. —Michal Luria, Aliya Bhatia, and Danah Boyd Social media bans are stacking up. In July, France joined…
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We’ll take it: a TikToker rallies pledges to buy Spirit Airlines after its abrupt weekend collapse
Within hours he’d thrown up a website — a janky, one-hour job, by his own admission — and by Sunday, 36,000 “founding patrons” had pledged nearly $23 million, crashing his servers in the process.
‘This is fine’ creator says AI startup stole his art
The ad comes from Artisan, the AI startup behind billboards urging businesses to “stop hiring humans.”
In Harvard study, AI offered more accurate diagnoses than emergency room doctors
A new study examines how large language models perform in a variety of medical contexts, including real emergency room cases — where at least one model seemed to be more accurate than human doctors.
TechCrunch Mobility: How do you issue a ticket to a robotaxi?
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation.
This tiny, magnetic e-reader could stop you from doomscrolling
The Xteink X3 is a delightfully tiny, MagSafe-compatible e-ink reader that attaches to the back of your phone like a Pop Socket.
AI-generated actors and scripts are now ineligible for Oscars
Bad news for Tilly Norwood.
Farewell, Jeeves: Ask.com shuts down
Owner IAC says it’s discontinuing its search business.
Netflix delays Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ movie for big theatrical push in 2027
“The Magician’s Nephew” looks like a big next step in Netflix’s thawing relationship with movie theaters.
Beyond Lovable and Mistral: 21 European startups to watch
It is not that European startups never get attention — Lovable and Mistral AI are proof of that. But there are many more that insiders are tracking.