TechCrunch Industry News

Latest Episodes:

xAI fired an engineer who raised alarms about Grok safety, new lawsuit claims; plus, Microsoft taps Alt Carbon for carbon removal Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

A former xAI engineer is suing the company and SpaceX, alleging he was fired for raising AI safety concerns about Grok days before SpaceX's historic IPO.

Also, Alt Carbon said the agreement followed more than a year of scientific review and due diligence, with Microsoft requiring additional verification and data-sharing measures.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cybersecurity researchers aren’t happy about the guardrails on Anthropic’s Fable; plus, how memory tools can make AI models worse Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

Cybersecurity researchers are complaining that Anthropic's new model Fable has guardrails that are too strict for any cybersecurity work.

Also, new research suggests that AI memory systems can degrade model performance and encourage sycophantic tendencies.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple says it may remove some apps from the App Store; Rivian started deliveries of its R2 SUV; and so long FAANG, hello MANGOS. Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

Apple may begin removing existing apps that it considers stale, low-value, or unable to attract users.

Also, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe has called it "maybe the most important thing we've launched to date."

And, with SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI all eyeing massive public debuts, the tech industry may soon have a new class of corporate overlords — and a new acronym to match. Say goodbye to FAANG and hello to MANGOS.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pentagon says Alibaba, Baidu, BYD, and Unitree support China’s military; plus, Apple bets cheaper AI will woo small developers; and OpenAI filed for IPO Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

The Trump administration released the updated version of the list four months ago and then quickly pulled it without explaining why

Also, as AI experimentation grows more expensive, Apple is waiving cloud API costs for developers with fewer than 2 million first-time App Store downloads.

And Tools for Humanity, Sam Altman's identify verification company, is reportedly struggling to generate revenue and will downsize its staff.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former cyber executive turned whistleblower accuses IBM of covering up several data breaches; plus, OpenAI is still working on that ‘super app’ Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

IBM and two of its subsidiary companies were allegedly breached during the mid-2010s, which a lawsuit filed by a former cybersecurity executive accuses IBM of not disclosing and actively covering up.

Also, "Chat is dead" — at least, according to a senior OpenAI employee.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chinese spies are using LinkedIn to lure Westerners into sharing sensitive information; Waymo as getaway vehicle, and Uber's data-collection vehicles Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

The advisory warns that Chinese spies are using public job search platforms to recruit people with access to non-public information.

Also, the incident helps shed some new light on how Waymo treats and stores the footage captured by its robotaxis.

And, the modified Ioniq 5 will be loaded with sensors to capture data for Uber's new AV Labs division.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The world’s largest privately owned laser just turned on; plus, Uber caps employee AI spending and Martin Scorsese becomes the latest Hollywood voice for AI Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

Fusion startup Xcimer fired up the world's largest privately owned laser.

Also, Uber's cutback has occurred after the company had reportedly encouraged staff to use AI as much as possible.

And, the world's most famous living directors is using AI solely for storyboarding.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple’s MacBook Neo is winning over a new generation of buyers; Meta tests ‘Series’ and X caters to creators with new ‘React with Video’ feature Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

The MacBook Neo shipped 1.1 million units in its first weeks on sale, IDC estimates, as Apple pushes deeper into the mainstream laptop market.

Also, Meta told TechCrunch that it's considering ways to monetize the new feature, but didn't share specifics on what that could look like.

And X will now let you 'react with video' to posts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Florida sues OpenAI in first-of-its-kind lawsuit over violent incidents; plus, Hackers hijacked Instagram accounts by tricking Meta AI support chatbot into granting access Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

The lawsuit partially revolves around a shooting at Florida State University last year, and ChatGPT's alleged role in the incident.

everal users on social media reported having their Instagram accounts hacked over the weekend. Meta's own support chatbot was blamed for allowing hackers to hijack accounts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The internet is being rebuilt for machines Jun 01, 2026

Show notes

As AI agents move from experiments to production, AWS, Cloudflare, and others are redesigning cloud infrastructure for a future dominated by machine-generated internet traffic instead of human users.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected