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January 09, 2026

 

TechCrunch Top 3

X restricts Grok's image generation to paying subscribers only after drawing the world's ire

X restricts Grok's image generation to paying subscribers only after drawing the world's ire: Elon Musk's AI company has restricted Grok's controversial AI image-generation feature to only paying subscribers on X, after the tool invited heated criticism from across the world for letting users generate sexualized images of women and children. Read More

The venture firm that ate Silicon Valley just raised another $15 billion: In a blog post published Friday morning, Ben Horowitz writes that "as the American leader in Venture Capital, the fate of new technology in the United States rests partly on our shoulders." It's the kind of statement certain to cause agita at rival firms. Read More

CES 2026: Everything revealed, from Nvidia’s debuts to AMD’s new chips to Razer’s AI oddities : CES 2026 is in full swing in Las Vegas, with the show floor open to the public after a packed couple of days occupied by press conferences from the likes of Nvidia, Sony, and AMD and previews from Sunday’s Unveiled event.  Read More

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Morning Must-Reads

Data security startup Cyera hits $9B valuation six months after being valued at $6B

Data security startup Cyera hits $9B valuation six months after being valued at $6B: Cyera raised another $400 million just six months after its last huge round. Read More

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You missed these chats from Disrupt:

Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens.

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Last but Not Least

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