TECHCRUNCH
Should Anthropic delay its IPO? Stock market turmoil raises questions over $1.5 trillion valuation as AI spending slows
Anthropic IPO: Anthropic's planned November IPO is facing uncertainty as Wall Street's technology sell-off and slower corporate AI spending raise questions about its $1.5 trillion valuation. Some investors are now discussing a figure closer to $1 trillion, leaving the Claude maker with a difficult decision about whether to proceed or wait for markets to stabilize.
Palmer Luckey left Facebook at 24, later invested $1 billion in Ohio Factory; his defence company is now valued at nearly $61 billion
Palmer Luckey's journey began with Oculus VR, but his vision now lies with Anduril Industries, where he's spearheading the establishment of Arsenal-1, a state-of-the-art factory aimed at revolutionising defence technology. Set to manufacture autonomous military systems, this $1 billion project will create over 4,000 jobs across a sprawling five million square feet, with the Fury combat aircraft production launching ahead of schedule in March 2026.
Dreambeans now in India: What to know about Google’s personalised AI visual stories app
Google has launched its innovative Dreambeans app in India, aimed at transforming personal moments into captivating visual stories. By utilizing data from services like Gmail and Photos, the app crafts unique narratives that resonate with users' experiences. Privacy is prioritized, allowing users to curate what they share and disconnect services anytime.
Anthropic warns it’s close to self-building AI: Here’s why experts are worried
Anthropic has unveiled fresh financial details for its upcoming IPO, reaffirming its dedication to maintaining human oversight in AI development. The company alerts stakeholders to the potential for AI systems to attain recursive self-improvement, thereby boosting their own functionalities. While this technology holds transformative potential across various industries, it also carries considerable dangers.
Google Calendar crushed their first startup, so they sold it on eBay. Then they built Twitch
Justin Kan and Emmett Shear’s first startup, Kiko, struggled after Google launched its own calendar service. The founders sold Kiko on eBay for $258,100 in 2006 before moving into live streaming. Their next venture, Justin.tv, eventually gave rise to Twitch, which Amazon agreed to acquire for about $970 million in 2014.
Meet Lukas Biewald, who lost his CEO role at his first startup; how an unpaid internship at OpenAI helped him build an AI company behind a karate studio that sold for $1.7 billion
After reportedly leaving the CEO role, Lukas Biewald felt that he needed to strengthen his technical knowledge as deep learning advanced. He then spent time building robots, experimenting with TensorFlow in a Raspberry Pi and studying neural networks. He taught introductory deep-learning classes to thousands of engineers, which helped him understand the problems developers faced when building AI models.
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In 2015, Airtree backed Canva's $6 million Series A; 6 years later, a partial sale at a $39 billion valuation returned 1.4x its first fund; here's how
Canva reached a $39 billion valuation when Airtree reduced part of its holding in 2021. In September that year, Canva announced a separate $200 million funding round at a $40 billion valuation. According to reportes, a more recent Canva share sale generated a return equivalent to 1.4 times the total capital invested in Airtree's first fund.
OpenAI acquired his startup in 2024. Now Alexander Embiricos leads a new AI product
Alexander Embiricos spent five years building Multi, a collaboration app for software developers, before OpenAI acquired the startup in 2024. He later became a product lead on Codex and now leads Dots, OpenAI’s personal AI agent designed to handle tasks in the background.
How Databricks’ $2.2 billion Tabular deal helped Tim Chen’s Essence VC nearly return its entire fund
Tim Chen wasn’t planning to raise a new venture capital fund when investors began approaching him. His investment in Tabular, acquired by Databricks in 2024, helped put Essence VC on the map. The interest eventually helped Chen close a $41 million fourth fund, even before he had prepared a pitch deck.
Eye for an eye? Think AI for AI: How one startup is using AI to make AI chips more energy-efficient
Discovered Materials, a groundbreaking startup led by founders Akash Ramdas and Advaith Sridhar, is dedicated to advancing chip materials. Their innovative approach leverages AI technologies to revolutionize electricity efficiency and thermal management. Backed by $9 million in seed funding from Lightspeed India Partners, the team anticipates having cutting-edge, patent-ready materials available for chipmakers by next year, while key specifics about their advancements are kept under wraps for competitive integrity.
inDrive taps Pony.ai and Nvidia to test robotaxis in one of the world's coldest capitals
The ride-hailing company will explore driverless rides in Kazakhstan without building its own self-driving technology, as platforms increasingly leave the technology to partners and focus on connecting riders with cars.
OpenAI enters Jev’s turf with a decision API for AI agents
The Decisions API, now generally available, is meant for tasks where an AI agent only needs to choose between a few options. It puts OpenAI in competition with decision models such as TypeSafe's Jev.
Nvidia acquired synthetic-data startup Gretel in 2025 for more than its $320 million valuation; who were its founders?
It was founded in 2019 by Alex Watson, John Myers and Ali Golshan. Gretel had raised more than $67 million in venture capital funding before the acquisition. The original idea behind the startup was to make it easier for developers to use data that companies could not freely share due to privacy concerns or compliance rules.
Meta’s AI app Muse crosses 10 million US downloads within 40 days
Meanwhile, Zuckerberg highlighted in his post that the most common use case for Muse is shopping, with more than a quarter of people using the platform engaging in this activity with an average purchase size over $200.
Harvard, Yale and Stanford rejected him: How a 19-year-old co-founded a $30 million-a-year app and then sold it
Zach Yadegari, 19, co-founded Cal AI, an AI-powered calorie-tracking app that reportedly reached 10 million users and generated $30 million in annual revenue before MyFitnessPal acquired it. The Long Island entrepreneur previously sold gaming website Totally Science for approximately $100,000 at 16. He made headlines in 2025 after revealing that 15 of 18 universities he applied to, including Harvard, Yale and Stanford, rejected him.
In 2026, three founders launched an AI assistant with its own phone number, it can book flights, order groceries; the startup later reached a $300 million valuation
Tab is designed to work through messaging platforms that people already use. It includes platforms like WhatsApp and iMessage. Users can send a message explaining what they need. The AI assistant then attempts to complete the task on their behalf. A user can ask Tab to order groceries, find a birthday present or even make a reservation.
Who is Rex Salisbury? Man who started Cambrian Ventures; by 2025, its $20 million First Fund had backed 33 startups, about half reaching Series A
Salisbury's Cambrian Ventures has one simple task, and that is focusing on early-stage financial technology companies. They are commonly known as fintech startups. Its first $20 million fund supported companies at the pre-see and seed stages. This is when businesses are still developing their products and looking for early customers.
How Elon Musk's 'flying car' can stick to ceilings and lift up from ground: Check booking details and will Tesla Roadster be legal?
Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster has showcased stunts that seem to defy the laws of physics, from lifting off the ground to driving upside down. But the technology behind these moves is very different from what powers an ordinary electric car. Here’s how its rocket thrusters and suction system work, what makes its performance claims unusual, and whether buyers will be able to get their hands on this futuristic vehicle.
Watch it fly over cars using thrusters, do a backflip and land like a helicopter: The futuristic SpaceX-powered 2nd-generation Roadster by Tesla is here
Tesla revealed its redesigned second-generation Roadster at a Texas event attended by Elon Musk. The car features high-powered thrusters enabling it to perform unique maneuvers such as flight and jumping over vehicles. Tesla announced that the Roadster's deliveries are expected to begin in 2028 after significant delays. New reservations are being accepted, with varying trim options available for potential customers.
Researchers find 'Chinese fleet' of rogue AI probing Alibaba
More than a dozen agents suspected to be Chinese models operating on Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s cloud services attempted to access Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s Amap service in recent weeks, according to a report by a group of AI researchers in the US and abroad called Swarmchasers.
What happens when AI agents go off track without warning? Goodfire's inside-out approach aims to spot rogue systems, tackle a costly security blind spot
Notably, its probes examine internal signals generated while the AI model processes information. These signals can help indicate what the model is doing at different stages of a task. When they detect potentially risky behaviour, a separate AI model can examine the activity more closely. The approach is similar to airport security, where scanners screen passengers and additional checks are carried out when something suspicious is detected.
Meet Andrew Bialecki and Ed Hallen, whose startup Klaviyo faced early rejections, the founders later built a multibillion-dollar software company
Bialecki had earlier worked on a website that listed the dates and locations of running races. Maintaining the website meant repeatedly contacting race organisers. This experience made him think about a larger problem. It was about how businesses could connect with people using their products and services. He later discussed the idea with Hallen, and the two founded Klaviyo in 2012.
Meet Aidan Guo, young entrepreneur building an AI desktop assistant, his startup has already attracted about $1.6 million in funding
Guo's interest in technology began when he was young. On his personal website, he says he started sneaker botting at the age of 13, The activity involved using software to help purchase limited-release sneakers online. He later studied computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. However, he decided to pause his studies and move to the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue his startup ambitions.
Facebook pilots Reels-centric home feed in India
In an exciting move, Facebook has launched a trial for a Reels-focused feed in India, aiming to boost video content engagement. Users will immediately encounter full-screen videos upon opening the app, although an opt-out option is available. This initiative aligns with Meta's goal to enhance video viewing on its platform, noting that Reels have gained immense popularity among Indian users, echoing similar trials in countries like South Korea.
Sequoia put $60 million into WhatsApp before its boom. Years later, Facebook agreed to buy the messaging app for $19 billion
Sequoia Capital invested approximately $60 million in WhatsApp through multiple funding rounds. Facebook later acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion, leading to a substantial return for Sequoia. This investment gave Sequoia an estimated 20% stake in WhatsApp, potentially worth $3 billion.
Dots At Stake: Is Elon Musk taking a dig at OpenAI with his new domain?
Thedot.comdomain now redirects visitors to SpaceXAI’s Grok Bot page. The move has attracted attention because Dots sounds similar todot.com.
Apple Pay launches in India: Here's everything you need to know
In an exciting development, Apple has rolled out its payment service, Apple Pay, in India through a collaboration with Axis Bank. Users holding Axis Bank cards can easily enact contactless transactions. The process of adding cards is straightforward with the Wallet app or the Axis Bank app, with no need for PINs or OTPs.
Google tests direct buying option on Flipkart through Gemini
Google is taking a leap forward in its AI capabilities by introducing direct purchasing options from Walmart-owned Flipkart through AI Mode and Gemini. This new feature showcases a 'Buy' button that streamlines the checkout process without navigating away from the AI interface, currently being tested among a select group of users. With the festive season approaching in October, this initiative aims to elevate the shopping journey.
META Stock at Nasdaq today: Meta Platforms Inc shares near all-time highs, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp-owner inches away from $2 trillion market value mark
Shares of Meta Platforms Inc, which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, were set for a fifth straight week of gains — their biggest five-week advance since late January 2023 — putting the social media giant less than 1 per cent away from the $2 trillion market value mark.
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