Sequoia-incubated Empirik launches with $21M to predict outages before they happen
The startup wants to do for IT infrastructure what Cursor did for software engineering.
The Download: failed social media bans, and extending pets’ lives
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. Kids are outsmarting social media bans. That’s not a problem we need to solve. —Michal Luria, Aliya Bhatia, and Danah Boyd Social media bans are stacking up. In July, France joined…
I’ve Backed 20 Startups. Here’s What Actually Separates the Ones That Win From the Ones That Stall.
After investing in nearly 20 startups, I’ve learned the idea matters — but the founder decides how far it goes.
GoPro to be acquired for $285M, will remain a public company
GoPro is merging with a company that builds AI infrastructure, and will continue supporting existing consumer products.
Amazon Alexa can now alert you when something new might tempt you to shop
Amazon is adding a new Alexa-powered feature called “Update Me When” that can send personalized alerts about product launches, tours, books, shows, and other events that could trigger a purchase.
Researchers Studying AI Consciousness Are Getting Strange Emails — From AI Agents
One researcher said he’s received “quite a few” emails from autonomous agents.
3 Native YouTube SEO Tools Most Creators Don’t Leverage
Effective YouTube SEO demands streamlined tools. Here are three platform-native functionalities that most creators fail to leverage.
While Fans Mourn Messi’s Retirement, He’s Quietly Running a Venture Capital Fund
The soccer legend is stepping from one pitch onto another, with a Silicon Valley-style portfolio waiting for him.
AIR raises $50M to help companies vet the skills and add-ons AI agents use
AIR’s platform can discover agents running at a company, continuously vets any skills and add-ons they use, and blocks any unwanted behaviour.
Microsoft 365 outage drags on, but things are improving
Microsoft 365 and Outlook are still seeing service degradations on Tuesday, the company’s status page indicates.
Fambot introduces an ‘AI chief of staff’ for families
Fambot is building an AI “chief of staff” to help families manage the emails, calendars, school updates, sports schedules, and other logistics of raising kids.