July 14, 2025

Meta acquires voice startup Play AI: Meta has acquired Play AI, a startup that uses AI to generate human-sounding voices. Read More

Study warns of ‘significant risks’ in using AI therapy chatbots: Therapy chatbots powered by large language models may stigmatize users with mental health conditions and otherwise respond inappropriately, according to researchers at Stanford University. Read More

Elmo’s X account hacked to publish racist and antisemetic posts: A hacker compromised Elmo's X account on Sunday and published abusive posts. Read More

Fake users drain your growth. Whether you're launching a dating app, marketplace, or fintech platform, identity verification is mission-critical. Persona provides seamless identity verification that feels invisible to real users and inspects the ones that aren't, so you can ship quickly, verify users with confidence, and focus on building what actually matters.

Discord’s virtual reward, ‘Orbs,’ launches out of beta: According to Discord, Orbs have been popular among testers, with millions earned and spent during the seven-week beta period. Read More

Jack Dorsey’s latest app tracks sun exposure: Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey's new app, called Sun Day, ostensibly helps users track UV exposure and Vitamin D intake. Read More

UK launches £500 package to support diverse, underrepresented investors and founders: The British Business Bank, owned by the UK government, is creating a £500 million (around $674 million) economic package to help support diverse and underrepresented fund managers and founders in the country.  Fifty million pounds will be set aside for female-led venture funds, which means the BBB has now committed at least £100 million (around […] Read More

Sequoia bets on silence: There is a time-honored crisis management strategy, wherein one says nothing and waits for the outrage to pass. For Sequoia Capital, the strategy worked pretty well this week. While partner Shaun Maguire initially weathered criticism over an inflammatory social media post, that initial indignation cooled quickly. Now, some seem to think that Maguire’s defiant stance […] Read More

The votes are in: TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 Audience Choice winners revealed for roundtables and breakouts: You voted — they made it onto the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 agenda! After reviewing hundreds of standout Call for Content submissions and opening the vote to the TechCrunch audience, we’ve locked in the top five roundtables and top five breakout sessions. Without further ado, meet the exceptional tech voices — and the sessions they’ll lead […] Read More

TechCrunch All Stage kicks off tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. ET — and that’s when $475 in ticket savings disappear! Don’t miss Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), Jahanvi Sardana (Index Ventures) & more as they share tactical tips to scale smarter, fund faster, and grow stronger. Plus, connect through curated 1:1 and small-group networking.

Marc Andreessen reportedly told group chat that universities will ‘pay the price’ for DEI: Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen sharply criticized universities including Stanford and MIT, along with the National Science Foundation, in a group chat with AI scientists and Trump administration officials, according to screenshots viewed by the Washington Post. Read More

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