December 26, 2025

MIT Technology Review’s most popular stories of 2025

It’s been a busy and productive year here at MIT Technology Review. We published magazine issues on power, creativity, innovation, bodies, relationships, and security. We hosted 14 exclusive virtual conversations with our editors and outside experts in our subscriber-only series, Roundtables, and held two events on MIT’s campus. And we published hundreds of articles online,…

EU’s competition unit takes a deeper look at Amazon’s iRobot acquisition

July 7, 2023

Amazon’s planned acquisition of iRobot is now under in-depth antitrust scrutiny in the European Union. The $1.7BN deal for the ecommerce behemoth to pick up the robot vacuum maker, announced just under a year ago, was cleared by competition regulators in the UK last month. But EU regulators are now stepping in for their own […]

EU’s competition unit takes a deeper look at Amazon’s iRobot acquisition by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

Robotaxi haters in San Francisco are disabling the AVs with traffic cones

July 7, 2023

A decentralized group of safe streets activists in San Francisco realized they can disable Cruise and Waymo robotaxis by placing a traffic cone on a vehicle’s hood, and they’re encouraging others to do it, too. The “Week of Cone,” as the group is calling the now-viral prank on Twitter and TikTok, is a form of […]

Robotaxi haters in San Francisco are disabling the AVs with traffic cones by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Tesla to provide more info on its driver alert system amid Autopilot probe

July 7, 2023

U.S. regulators have requested more information from Tesla to assist in their ongoing investigation into 830,000 Tesla vehicles that include Autopilot, the automaker’s advanced driver assistance system. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sent Tesla a letter on July 3 seeking updated responses to questions it had asked in August 2022. Those were specifically […]

Tesla to provide more info on its driver alert system amid Autopilot probe by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

EV truck maker Nikola fails again to secure enough shareholder support to issue more shares

July 6, 2023

Nikola failed for the second time since June to get enough shareholders to vote on a proposal that would allow the EV truck maker to issue more shares in a bid to raise more capital. The company said Thursday it adjourned its annual meeting of shareholders until August 3 when it will try once more […]

EV truck maker Nikola fails again to secure enough shareholder support to issue more shares by Kirsten Korosec originally published on TechCrunch

Sony’s modular speaker system is a clever and portable take on the home theater

July 6, 2023

Here’s a dirty little secret: Consumer electronics can be boring sometimes. Hardware scaling is hard and people love the familiar, both things that have a tendency to disincentive adventurous product design. So it’s worth acknowledging when big companies try something a bit different. From a purely design perspective, there’s a lot to love about the […]

Sony’s modular speaker system is a clever and portable take on the home theater by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

In-space propulsion developer Benchmark Space Systems closes $33M in new funding

July 6, 2023

Benchmark Space Systems, a Vermont-based developer of in-space propulsion products, has raised $33.2 million in new funding, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Committee. The Series B capital will be used to help the company manufacture at-scale and deliver on the more than 220 propulsion systems in its backlog, Benchmark CEO […]

In-space propulsion developer Benchmark Space Systems closes $33M in new funding by Aria Alamalhodaei originally published on TechCrunch

Deel under fire for alleged questionable hiring practices, advice to other companies

July 6, 2023

A California Senator is urging the state’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency to conduct an investigation into the business practices of fintech turned HR startup Deel. Last week, Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) sent a letter to Stewart Knox, California Secretary of Labor, alleging that Deel has hired hundreds of employees but classified them as […]

Deel under fire for alleged questionable hiring practices, advice to other companies by Mary Ann Azevedo originally published on TechCrunch