MapQuest’s app surges to No. 1 in Navigation after refusing to rename Lake Ontario
MapQuest is getting an unexpected boost from its decision to defy President Trump’s renaming of Lake Ontario.
People really hate AI, so why can’t they get enough?
Over the summer I talked to the CEO of Springboards, a startup building an LLM that’s designed to come up with a wider variety of responses than its mainstream rivals do. At the start of the call, he said something that’s been stuck in my head since: “We often say that we’re a self-loathing AI…
Meeting notetaker Circleback adds a free tier to attract more customers
Circleback is also introducing new pricing plans starting from $14 per month
The U.S. is building barriers around drones and robots, but China has scale to get around them
The U.S. is shutting out more foreign-made drones and robots. China’s scale means the global competition may simply move elsewhere.
Grindr wants to be the everything app for gay men; investors are still deciding whether it can pull it off
George Arison is done letting Wall Street’s “Grindr discount” go unchallenged — in a wide-ranging Q&A, the CEO walks us through how AI, a controversial $350-plus EDGE tier, and a bet on healthcare and long-distance matchmaking are turning Grindr into the “gayborhood in your pocket” he’s been promising since 2022.
Trust Is the ‘Moat’ Everyone Needs — and the One Most Founders Ignore
After spending the last several years in one of America’s least trusted, most opaque industries, the most competitive advantage is trust.
Liux’s Big microcar bets on sustainability to take on Chinese rivals
The Liux Big microcar is made in Spain. The startup thinks it can compete in a crowded market with its tiny electric car built around sustainability.
Musk’s faster path to more gas turbines comes with pollution problem
Elon Musk says a secretive new SpaceX foundry will let him cast his own turbine blades and get gas power online 18 months faster than anyone else — but it’s a bet on a fuel source that’s already triggering lawsuits and health studies everywhere his (and others’) turbines have gone in.
TechCrunch Mobility: The hidden human cost of robotaxis
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, the role AI is playing in it.
Caterpillar is bringing to AI deployment what it learned from automating mining
Caterpillar has spent decades putting autonomous machines to work at remote mining sites. It’s now bringing that experience to AI deployment.
How a Brain Tumor and Piling Medical Bills Forced My Career Change — and Now I’m a Verified 7-Figure Day Trader
After being diagnosed with a brain tumor at 25 and with medical bills piling up, I had to make a career change. Here’s how.