April 17, 2026

The case for fixing everything

The handsome new book Maintenance: Of Everything, Part One, by the tech industry legend Stewart Brand, promises to be the first in a series offering “a comprehensive overview of the civilizational importance of maintenance.” One of Brand’s several biographers described him as a mainstay of both counterculture and cyberculture, and with Maintenance, Brand wants us…

Congress probes Ford’s big battery deal with China’s CATL

July 21, 2023
In a public letter addressed to Ford boss Jim Farley, House Republicans Mike Gallagher and Jason Smith announced that two congressional committees are investigating the automaker’s licensing deal with Chinese battery maker CATL. The probe centers on Ford’s efforts to put CATL’s battery cell technology to use at an upcoming, $3.5 billion battery cell plant […]

AOC will stream on Twitch again this weekend

July 21, 2023
Three years after her big streaming moment, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will make her return to Twitch. The lawmaker and cultural icon turned occasional Twitch personality announced on Twitter that she would be streaming again on Saturday, July 22 at 7:30PM (likely ET) on her channel. It’s official 👾👾👾 Make plans to stay in this Saturday […]

Investor opportunities abound at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023

July 21, 2023
Like Audrey II in “Little Shop of Horrors,” deal flow is an insatiable beast — but without the bloodshed. Investors need to keep their pipelines primed, and the best place to find early-stage startups with promising portfolio potential is, you guessed it, TechCrunch Disrupt 2023, taking place on September 19–21 in San Francisco. Investors, we’re […]

Goodbye VR, hello AR, and can AI be more human, plz?

July 21, 2023
Welcome to Startups Weekly. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. It seems like the fizzle has gone out of the VR conversation altogether, as every manufacturer and conversation is refocusing its attention on AR. That wasn’t particularly new, but Apple’s flagship headset is a huge leap away from virtual reality, […]