July 29, 2025

The Download: how to store energy underground, and what you may not know about Trump’s AI Action Plan

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 wants to use the Earth as a massive battery Texas-based startup Quidnet Energy just completed a test showing it can store energy for up to six months by pumping water underground.…

Technology

YouTube is disabling links on Shorts to cut down on spam

August 10, 2023
YouTube Shorts is making a change to address the growing issues around spam on the short-form video platform. The company says that starting on August 31st, links that appear in the Shorts comments section, Shorts descriptions, and the vertical live feed will no longer be clickable. This new policy is meant to be a preventative […]

Ultrahuman Ring Air review

August 10, 2023
Indian fitness and nutrition tracking startup, Ultrahuman, has fast-followed its debut smart ring last year with a second generation of the device — which officially launched in June. The new smart ring whittles down what was a slightly chunky form factor, for its original sleep & fitness-tracker, into a more svelte matte black* band it’s […]

CEO claims X, formerly Twitter, is close to ‘break even’

August 10, 2023
X CEO Linda Yaccarino claims that the company formerly known as Twitter is almost breaking even. “I’ve been at the company eight weeks,” Yaccarino said in her first broadcast interview since taking on her new role. “The operational run rate right now… we’re pretty close to break even.” This is a surprising declaration, given the […]

Visa’s new head of fintech talks partnerships, venture and creators as an addressable market

August 10, 2023
The relationship between fintechs and incumbents has long been fraught with tension. But Marie-Elise Droga believes it doesn’t have to be this way. Droga joined payments giant Visa as SVP, head of global and NA fintech partnerships in December 2022 to lead the development, commercialization and implementation of all Visa products, new payment flow solutions […]

Human-plus-AI solutions mitigate security threats

August 10, 2023
Fifty years ago, the average business transaction was pretty straightforward. Shoppers handed purchases directly to cashiers, business partners shook hands in person, and people brought malfunctioning machines to a repair shop across the street. The proximity of all participating parties meant that both customers and businesses could verify authority and authenticity with their own eyes.…

The Download: medical ethics, and AI watermarks

August 10, 2023
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. Who gets to decide who receives experimental medical treatments? There has been a trend toward lowering the bar for new medicines, and it is becoming easier for people to access treatments that might…

Uber, Nvidia-backed delivery robot startup Serve Robotics to go public

August 10, 2023
Serve Robotics, the autonomous sidewalk delivery robot startup that spun out of Uber’s acquisition of Postmates, is going public via a reverse merger with a blank check company. The reverse merger with Patricia Acquisition Corp was completed this month, according to regulatory filings. Ahead of the merger, Serve raised $30 million in a round led […]