Impersonators are targeting companies with fake TechCrunch outreach

Impersonators are targeting companies with fake TechCrunch outreach

Hi, thanks as always for reading TechCrunch. We want to talk with you quickly about something important. We’ve discovered that scammers are impersonating TechCrunch reporters and event leads and reaching out to companies, pretending to be our staff when they absolutely are not. These bad actors are using our name and reputation to try to…

NASA and Google are building an AI medical assistant to keep Mars-bound astronauts healthy

NASA and Google are building an AI medical assistant to keep Mars-bound astronauts healthy

As human-spaceflight missions grow longer and travel farther from Earth, keeping crews healthy gets more challenging. Astronauts on the International Space Station can depend on real-time calls to Houston, regular cargo deliveries of medicines, and a quick ride home after six months. All of that may soon change as NASA and its commercial partners, like…

Former Googlers’ AI startup OpenArt now creates ‘brain rot’ videos in just one click

Former Googlers’ AI startup OpenArt now creates ‘brain rot’ videos in just one click

AI-generated “brain rot” videos are popping up all over the internet and getting a lot of attention. Currently gaining traction among younger users, these clips feature wild characters, like a shark wearing sneakers and a ballerina with a cappuccino for a head. One startup driving this trend is OpenArt, founded by two former Google employees…

Sam Altman addresses ‘bumpy’ GPT-5 rollout, bringing 4o back, and the ‘chart crime’

Sam Altman addresses ‘bumpy’ GPT-5 rollout, bringing 4o back, and the ‘chart crime’

During a Reddit ask-me-anything session on Friday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and key members of the GPT-5 team were peppered with questions about the new model and requests to bring back its previous model, GPT-4o. They also asked Altman about the most embarrassing – and perhaps funniest – snafu in the presentation, the “chart crime.”…

RIP Microsoft Lens, a simple little app that’s getting replaced by AI

RIP Microsoft Lens, a simple little app that’s getting replaced by AI

Sometimes, it’s nice to have a simple app that does one thing well without a lot of fuss. Microsoft Lens was that type of app: a mobile document scanner that turned paper documents, business cards, receipts, and anything else into easily readable digital files. Now, that app is being discontinued, Microsoft says, as it directs…

Book your exhibit table before your competitor does at Disrupt 2025

Book your exhibit table before your competitor does at Disrupt 2025

TechCrunch Disrupt isn’t just a tech conference — it’s a launchpad. For 20 years, startups have come to TechCrunch Disrupt to meet their first investors, land their biggest partnerships, and spark the idea that takes them to the next level. In 2025, that launchpad could be your exhibit table. With tables selling fast, now is…

Meta acquires AI audio startup WaveForms

Meta acquires AI audio startup WaveForms

Meta has acquired AI voice startup WaveForms for an undisclosed sum, The Information reports. It’s the company’s latest buy to strengthen its new AI unit, Superintelligence Labs, and Meta’s second major AI audio acquisition in the last month after it bought PlayAI.  WaveForms, founded just eight months ago, raised $40 million from Andreessen Horowitz in…

What founders need to know before choosing their exit at Disrupt 2025

What founders need to know before choosing their exit at Disrupt 2025

Startups face more exit options — and more uncertainty — than ever before. That’s why we’re bringing this essential conversation to the Going Public Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, happening October 27–29 in San Francisco’s Moscone West. Whether you’re already eyeing a liquidity event or just starting to scale, this is your chance to hear…

Microsoft rolls out GPT-5 across its Copilot suite – here’s where you’ll find it

Microsoft rolls out GPT-5 across its Copilot suite – here’s where you’ll find it

Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images ZDNET’s key takeaways Microsoft is rolling out GPT-5 to all its AI offerings, Thursday. The Copilot chatbot will provide GPT-5, even to free users. GPT-5 will also be available to coding and enterprise tools. OpenAI released its much-anticipated upgrade to the engine that powers ChatGPT and many other AI implementations,…