TechCrunch Mobility: Toyota makes a $1.5B bet on the startup ecosystem
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation.
The US is set to cancel funding for two major direct-air capture plants
The Department of Energy appears poised to terminate funding for a pair of large carbon sucking factories that were originally set to receive more than $1 billion in government grants, according to a department issued list of projects obtained by MIT Technology Review and circulating among federal agencies. The projects include the South Texas Direct…
The Reinforcement Gap — or why some AI skills improve faster than others
AI tasks that work well with reinforcement learning are getting better fast — and threatening to leave the rest of the industry behind.
The Young Minds App wants to protect and educate children online and will show its tech at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
Young Minds gives parents control over what their kids do on the internet, while also protecting their children’s privacy and teaching them good online habits.
AI Is Changing How We Start Businesses — Here’s What You Need to Know
You no longer need coding skills or funding to launch a product or business; AI is making it easier than ever.
Every Entrepreneur Needs This Helpful PDF Tool
You can edit, convert, and do more with PDFs with just a few clicks.
Newsom signs bill giving Uber and Lyft drivers in California the right to unionize
Drivers for ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft will soon have the right to unionize in California as independent contractors, thanks to a bill signed Friday by Governor Gavin Newsom.
If you’re not an AI startup, good luck raising money from VCs
New PitchBook data illustrates how dramatically AI is dominating startup investment, with 2025 on-track to become the first year when AI accounts for more than half of all VC money invested.
Startups and the U.S. government: It’s getting complicated
Equity co-hosts Anthony Ha, Kirsten Korosec, and Max Zeff explore the how startups are navigating a topsy-turvy relationship with the U.S. government.
Instacrops will demo its water-saving, crop-boosting AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
Agriculture consumes a vast amount of water, and some countries are under more stress than others. Instacrops pivoted to AI to help farmers cut water use by 30%.
Sam Altman says Sora will add ‘granular,’ opt-in copyright controls
OpenAI may be reversing course on how it approaches copyright and intellectual property in its new video app Sora.