Mecka AI nears $500M valuation in Sequoia-led deal amid rush for robot training data
The round for the two-year-old startup is coming together months after Mecka announced its Series A.
The Download: weight-loss drugs slowing aging and carbon dioxide batteries
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. Weight-loss drugs show signs of slowing biological aging, say drugmakers Popular weight-loss drugs may do more than help people shed pounds. They might also slow the aging process. Drugmakers Eli Lilly…
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Khosla Ventures is opening a New York office this fall — its first outpost outside Sand Hill Road
“It’s actually allegedly being built out now,” said Rabois, who has clearly dealt with a missed construction timeline or two.
This Self-Proclaimed ‘Weird Kid’ Became a Millionaire at 19. Here’s How He Grew His Net Worth to $35 Million By 23.
Emil Barr says his goal is to become a billionaire by age 30.
Y Combinator’s Garry Tan wants U.S. open-weight AI labs to ‘distill’ frontier models, too
Tan argues that frontier models themselves trained on public human knowledge so access to capable AI should be “a form of public good.”
OpenAI’s feud with mathematicians is only escalating
Twenty-five leading mathematicians signed an open letter arguing that AI labs are threatening their intellectual work.
One week left to book your exhibit table at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Only one week left to secure your exhibit table. Tables are limited and can sell out before the September 18 deadline.
Roundtables: Will AI really kill us all?
Employees at the world’s leading AI labs are saying there’s a real possibility that advanced AI could destroy humanity. Are they right? Or is this more scaremongering and hype? Join MIT Technology Review executive editor Niall Firth for a conversation with senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven and AI reporter Grace Huckins unpacking AI extinction…
Final, final, final call for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Side Events
The absolute last chance to apply to host an official Side Event during TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is tonight, September 11, at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Kimi-maker Moonshot AI targets $2 billion in annual revenue
While K3’s usage figures have declined slightly in recent months, OpenRouter data currently shows as many as 300 billion tokens being generated each day by K3 models on the system.
As a Company Grows, the CEO’s Role Must Change. Here’s What That Requires.
As a company grows, the CEO’s role must evolve. Instead of managing every detail, the CEO must delegate, develop strong leaders and focus more on long-term strategy.