Saudi satirist hacked with Pegasus spyware wins damages in court battle
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/saudi-satirist-hacked-with-pegasus-spyware-wins-damages-in-court-battle/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/saudi-satirist-hacked-with-pegasus-spyware-wins-damages-in-court-battle/
TechCrunch
Saudi satirist hacked with Pegasus spyware wins damages in court battle | TechCrunch
The London High Court awarded the London-based satirist and human rights activist Ghanem Al-Masarir more than £3 million, after finding the Saudi government hacked his phone and was likely behind a physical attack targeting him in London.
VC firm 2150 raises €210M fund to solve cities’ climate challenges
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/vc-firm-2150-raises-e210m-fund-to-solve-cities-climate-challenges/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/vc-firm-2150-raises-e210m-fund-to-solve-cities-climate-challenges/
TechCrunch
Exclusive: VC firm 2150 raises €210M fund to solve cities’ climate challenges | TechCrunch
Europe-based venture fund 2150 raised the money to invest in climate tech startups that help solve cities' carbon footprint.
VC firm 2150 raises €210M fund to solve cities’ climate challenges
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/vc-firm-2150-raises-e210m-fund-to-solve-cities-climate-challenges/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/vc-firm-2150-raises-e210m-fund-to-solve-cities-climate-challenges/
TechCrunch
Exclusive: VC firm 2150 raises €210M fund to solve cities’ climate challenges | TechCrunch
Europe-based venture fund 2150 raised the money to invest in climate tech startups that help solve cities' carbon footprint.
TikTok attributes recent glitches to a power outage at a U.S. data center
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/tiktok-attributes-recent-glitches-to-a-power-outage-at-a-u-s-data-center/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/tiktok-attributes-recent-glitches-to-a-power-outage-at-a-u-s-data-center/
TechCrunch
TikTok attributes recent glitches to a power outage at a US data center | TechCrunch
The timing of these outages lines up with the long-awaited creation of a separate U.S. TikTok entity last week.
Anthropic launches interactive Claude apps, including Slack and other workplace tools
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/anthropic-launches-interactive-claude-apps-including-slack-and-other-workplace-tools/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/anthropic-launches-interactive-claude-apps-including-slack-and-other-workplace-tools/
TechCrunch
Anthropic launches interactive Claude apps, including Slack and other workplace tools | TechCrunch
Claude users will now be able to call up interactive apps inside the chatbot interface, with Cowork integration coming soon.
Obvious Ventures lands fund five with a 360-degree view of planetary, human, economic health
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/obvious-ventures-lands-fund-five-with-a-360-degree-view-of-planetary-human-economic-health/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/obvious-ventures-lands-fund-five-with-a-360-degree-view-of-planetary-human-economic-health/
TechCrunch
Obvious Ventures lands fund five with a 360-degree view of planetary, human, economic health | TechCrunch
The 12-year-old firm raised $360,360,360 for its fifth fund. And there's a reason for that number.
TikTok alternative Skylight soars to 380K+ users after TikTok U.S. deal finalized
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/tiktok-alternative-skylight-soars-to-380k-users-after-tiktok-u-s-deal-finalized/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/tiktok-alternative-skylight-soars-to-380k-users-after-tiktok-u-s-deal-finalized/
TechCrunch
TikTok alternative Skylight soars to 380K+ users after TikTok US deal finalized | TechCrunch
Skylight, co-founded by CEO Tori White and CTO Reed Harmeyer, offers a built-in video editor; user profiles; support for likes, commenting, and sharing; and the ability for community curators to create custom feeds for others to follow.
AI startup CVector raises $5M for its industrial ‘nervous system’
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/ai-startup-cvector-raises-5m-for-its-industrial-nervous-system/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/ai-startup-cvector-raises-5m-for-its-industrial-nervous-system/
TechCrunch
AI startup CVector raises $5M for its industrial 'nervous system' | TechCrunch
Industrial AI startup CVector built a brain and nervous system for big industry. Now, founders Richard Zhang and Tyler Ruggles are tasked with a bigger
Here’s the tech powering ICE’s deportation crackdown
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/heres-the-tech-powering-ices-deportation-crackdown/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/heres-the-tech-powering-ices-deportation-crackdown/
TechCrunch
Here's the tech powering ICE's deportation crackdown | TechCrunch
From phone spyware and facial recognition to phone unlocking technology and databases and more, this tech powers Trump's deportation machine.
YouTubers sue Snap for alleged copyright infringement in training its AI models
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/youtubers-sue-snap-for-alleged-copyright-infringement-in-training-its-ai-models/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/youtubers-sue-snap-for-alleged-copyright-infringement-in-training-its-ai-models/
TechCrunch
YouTubers sue Snap for alleged copyright infringement in training its AI models | TechCrunch
The YouTubers claim Snap, like others, used AI datasets meant for research and academic use to train its AI models.
Vinod Khosla publicly disavows Keith Rabois’ comments on ICE shooting
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/vinod-khosla-publicly-disavows-keith-rabois-comments-on-ice-shooting/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/vinod-khosla-publicly-disavows-keith-rabois-comments-on-ice-shooting/
TechCrunch
Vinod Khosla publicly disavows Keith Rabois' comments on ICE shooting | TechCrunch
Unwavering Trump loyalist and VC Keith Rabois caused his colleague and his firm's founder to distance themseves from his comments on ICE.
Meta to test premium subscriptions on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/meta-to-test-premium-subscriptions-on-instagram-facebook-and-whatsapp/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/meta-to-test-premium-subscriptions-on-instagram-facebook-and-whatsapp/
TechCrunch
Meta to test premium subscriptions on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp | TechCrunch
In the coming months, Meta is going to explore a premium experience on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp that gives users access to special features and more control over how they share and connect, while keeping the core experiences free.
Google pays $68 million to settle claims its voice assistant spied on users
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/google-pays-68-million-to-settle-claims-its-voice-assistant-spied-on-users/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/google-pays-68-million-to-settle-claims-its-voice-assistant-spied-on-users/
TechCrunch
Google pays $68M to settle claims its voice assistant spied on users | TechCrunch
Google did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement of the class-action case, which accused the firm of "unlawful and intentional interception and recording of individuals’ confidential communications without their consent and subsequent unauthorized disclosure…
South Korea’s Edenlux set for U.S. debut of eye-strain wellness device
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/south-koreas-edenlux-set-for-u-s-debut-of-eye-strain-wellness-device/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/south-koreas-edenlux-set-for-u-s-debut-of-eye-strain-wellness-device/
TechCrunch
South Korea’s Edenlux set for U.S. debut of eye-strain wellness device | TechCrunch
Edenlux builds wearable tech to protect and train your eyes, inspired by its founder’s personal vision recovery.
Qualcomm backs SpotDraft to scale on-device contract AI with valuation doubling toward $400M
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/qualcomm-backs-spotdraft-to-scale-on-device-contract-ai-with-valuation-doubling-toward-400m/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/qualcomm-backs-spotdraft-to-scale-on-device-contract-ai-with-valuation-doubling-toward-400m/
TechCrunch
Qualcomm backs SpotDraft to scale on-device contract AI with valuation doubling toward $400M | TechCrunch
SpotDraft now processes over 1 million contracts annually using its AI tool, with contract volumes up 173% year-over-year.
‘Among the worst we’ve seen’: report slams xAI’s Grok over child safety failures
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/among-the-worst-weve-seen-report-slams-xais-grok-over-child-safety-failures/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/among-the-worst-weve-seen-report-slams-xais-grok-over-child-safety-failures/
TechCrunch
'Among the worst we've seen': report slams xAI's Grok over child safety failures | TechCrunch
“We assess a lot of AI chatbots at Common Sense Media, and they all have risks, but Grok is among the worst we’ve seen,” Robbie Torney of Common Sense Media said.
Northwood Space secures a $100M Series B and a $50M Space Force contract
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/northwood-space-secures-a-100m-series-b-and-a-50m-space-force-contract/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/northwood-space-secures-a-100m-series-b-and-a-50m-space-force-contract/
TechCrunch
Northwood Space secures a $100M Series B and a $50M Space Force contract | TechCrunch
This is the El Segundo, California-based startup's second raise in less than a year.
Uber launches an ‘AV Labs’ division to gather driving data for robotaxi partners
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/uber-launches-an-av-labs-division-to-gather-driving-data-for-robotaxi-partners/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/uber-launches-an-av-labs-division-to-gather-driving-data-for-robotaxi-partners/
TechCrunch
Exclusive: Uber launches an 'AV Labs' division to gather driving data for robotaxi partners | TechCrunch
Uber is not developing its own robotaxis again; instead it plans to collect and offer data. It's a bet that more volume will help autonomous vehicle partners solve the weirdest edge cases.
Luminar receives a larger $33 million bid for its lidar business
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/luminar-receives-a-larger-33-million-bid-for-its-lidar-business/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/luminar-receives-a-larger-33-million-bid-for-its-lidar-business/
TechCrunch
Luminar receives a larger $33 million bid for its lidar business | TechCrunch
A new leading bidder has appeared in the Luminar bankruptcy case: Redmond, Washington-based MicroVision, which beat out Quantum Computing Inc.'s bid by $5 million.
China’s Moonshot releases a new open-source model Kimi K2.5 and a coding agent
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/chinas-moonshot-releases-a-new-open-source-model-kimi-k2-5-and-a-coding-agent/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/chinas-moonshot-releases-a-new-open-source-model-kimi-k2-5-and-a-coding-agent/
TechCrunch
China's Moonshot releases a new open source model Kimi K2.5 and a coding agent | TechCrunch
The company said that the model was trained on 15 trillion mixed visual and text tokens.
Node-based design tool Flora raises $42M from Redpoint Ventures
https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/node-based-design-tool-flora-raises-42m-from-redpoint-ventures/
Source:https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/node-based-design-tool-flora-raises-42m-from-redpoint-ventures/
TechCrunch
Node-based design tool Flora raises $42M from Redpoint Ventures | TechCrunch
Flora lets customers use image, text, or video to create media assets, including images and video. Users can also use prompts to create modifications to build new nodes with multiple iterations. These generated versions are mapped with each other on a canvas…