Netflix acquires gaming avatar maker Ready Player Me
The gaming startup will allow Netflix subscribers to create avatars that can extend across gaming titles.
AI agents are not your “coworkers”
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. Imagine coming in to work to learn that a new underling will report to you. The worker is not a person but an AI tool—one that your company nonetheless calls Alex, an…
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Restaurant Franchisees Predict 2026 Will Be the ‘Year of Stability’ After a Turbulent 2025
After missing growth targets in 2025 due to economic uncertainty, restaurant franchise operators says they’re optimistic about the future.
Meta is developing a new image and video model for a 2026 release, report says
The company is working on an image and video model and new text-based model, which aids with coding.
Why Using Your Home Address for Your Business Can Be a Costly Mistake
One early decision many founders overlook can quietly affect their privacy, credibility and ability to scale.
The NCAA Kicked Him Out for Monetizing His Platform. So He Turned It Into a Career
Years before NIL, the NCAA punished this college athlete for building a personal brand on YouTube. That decision helped launch his career.
Krafton hikes India bet with new $670M fund
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.
Hacks, thefts and disruption: The worst data breaches of 2025
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.
Right Now You Can Get a Dell Laptop Plus Lifetime Access to Microsoft Office Pro for Just $275
Everything you need with a single purchase.
The Download: China’s dying EV batteries, and why AI doomers are doubling down
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. China figured out how to sell EVs. Now it has to bury their batteries. In the past decade, China has seen an EV boom, thanks in part to government support. Buying an electric…
OpenAI is reportedly trying to raise $100B at an $830B valuation
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.