Timef 02/14/2025

Government tech experts say Elon Musk’s team could have seized the moment to make Washington work better.

Zepp’s upcoming try-before-you-buy plan wants to encourage greater hearing aid adoption. Unfortunately, the hardware on offer still needs work.

Airbnb is planning to first introduce AI to its customer support system. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

ICON, which builds homes using 3D printing, has closed on $56 million in Series C funding co-led by Norwest Venture Partners and Tiger Global, the company has confirmed to TechCrunch exclusively. The raise represents a first close for the Austin-based ICON, according to a spokesperson. Existing backers CAZ Investments, LENX, Moderne Ventures, Oakhouse Partners and […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Set the right mood with these tried-and-tested candles.

Enhance your reading experience and protect your device with cases, sleeves, stands, and more.

To understand how filters and editing apps are altering our perception of what real people look like, I put AI photos on my Hinge dating profile.

People on dating apps are using AI to craft their opening lines and their conversation replies. Why?

These noise-canceling headphones sound surprisingly great but don't quite shut out the world.

Elon Musk's DOGE.gov U.S. federal government website can apparently be edited by anyone, as database access has been left open.

The National Park Service has removed all mentions of transgender and queer people from its page dedicated to the Stonewall National Monument.

Get your fix of tech, true crime, pop culture, or comedy with these audio adventures.

It’s a Valentine’s Day Special!

Spurned fanfic shippers, political protests, and a Black superhero long sidelined by fans and Marvel alike: What the release of Captain America: Brave New World says about the MCU in 2025.

Ready to cut the cord? These are our favorite buds that will never, ever get tangled.

The European Union has denied that recent moves to row back on some planned tech regulation — principally by ditching the AI Liability Directive, a 2022 draft law which had been aimed at making it easier for consumers to sue over harms caused by AI-enabled products and services — were made in response to pressure […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

A humanoid robot training center has opened in Shanghai, a big step in China's efforts to become a global leader in robotics and artificial intelligence.

Post-pandemic, fitness clubs have emerged as the best place to find romance IRL. No profile required.

Reverend Paul Anthony Daniels believes love is everywhere—even on Jack’d.

'Yellowjackets' Melanie Lynskey and Sophie Nélisse reveal the depths of Shauna's rage and how much deeper it gets in Season 3.

Tinder recently added an AI tool called Photo Selector. Privacy experts had questions.

Answers to each clue for the February 14, 2025 edition of NYT's The Mini crossword puzzle.

Staggering sales drops, swastika-daubed EVs, companies culling fleet models, and fan-forum owners selling their cars—Elon Musk's alt-right antics are seriously impacting his electric car business.

Alessio Figalli studies optimal transport, a field of math that ranges from the movements of clouds to the workings of chatbots.

Mashable tech reporters Christianna Silva and Cecily Mauran sat down to debate the age old question: Is dating an AI chatbot considered cheating?

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander, which is carrying NASA experiments, will attempt to touch down on the moon on March 2.

'Paddington in Peru' review: Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas bring wacky thrills to lovable bear's latest romp.

Get 18 expert-led ethical hacking courses and 132 hours of hands-on cybersecurity training with this All-in-One Super-Sized Ethical Hacking Bundle for just $34.97.

Get the Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro for just $99.99 (reg. $159.99) with free shipping and enjoy 70,000+ classic games and built-in streaming.

Get the six-foot Statik 360 Pro 100W Universal Magnetic Charging Cable for just $21.99 (reg. $24.99) with free shipping.

Get a Sam's Club membership with auto-renew for just $20 (reg. $50) through Feb. 26.

"Flow" is an animated animal adventure unlike anything you've seen before. TIFF review.

I've tested 25+ cordless stick and automatic robot vacuums at home to build a list of the top 4 vacuum cleaners for carpet, rugs, and hard floors.

From Thanos to Loki to Kang, Dar-Benn, and some truly disappointing "Iron Man" villains, we rank all the big bads of the Marvel Cinematic Universe... even Malekith (who??).

Since 2008's "Iron Man," there have been dozens of movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The latest? "Captain America: Brave New World." We rank the best to worst of the MCU.

Chargers funded through the program were due to be just a small share of those opening this year. The longer-term effects aren’t yet clear.

I spent two weeks with the Echelon Stride 6 to see if it's a good option for anyone looking for a folding treadmill.

There's a new theory on how the iPhone 17 Pro might look like, and this one appears to have some legs.

Internal customer support platforms are moving from platforms like email ticketing systems and chat to channels like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and even Discord. But with Slack, for instance, able to host hundreds of channels, the whole thing can become quite unwieldy.  Plain, out of the UK, thinks it has the answer. Its API-first platform consolidates […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

TikTok is available for download in the U.S. again, with Apple and Google restoring it to the Apple App and Google Play stores.

Season 3 of "Yellowjackets" leads us back to the pit from Season 1, where the mysterious Pit Girl meets her doom.

"Yellowjackets" Season 3 takes us into the team's new wilderness base. But who brought the architecture book to build them?

"Yellowjackets" Season 3, streaming Feb. 14 on Paramount+ with Showtime, gets off to a slow, unsatisfying start.

"Yellowjackets" Season 3's opening credits has some new shots. Here are the clues you may have missed.

In "Severance" Season 2, episode 5, Dylan (Zach Cherry) finds a note at the memorial for Irving (John Turturro). Here's what it says.

In February 2025, Max is offering bundle deals with its service so you can stream excellent shows and movies at a discounted price.

Get the free Lego Magazine for kids. Sign up to receive four free issues a year.

Master ethical hacking and cybersecurity skills with lifetime access to 18 expert-led courses for just £27.85 (reg. £874.33).

Find the best free online courses from Stanford University.

How to get free books on Stuff Your Kindle Day. Download free monster romance books on Monster Stuff Your Kindle Day.

On Feb. 14, get a free small Slurpee at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes stores. How to get free Slurpees on Valentine's Day.

After more than 25 days, Apple and Google restored TikTok in the U.S Thrusday evening. Both companies removed the app from the App Store and the Play Store on January 18 in response to a national security law. Other ByteDance apps such as video editor CapCut and social app Lemon8 were also restored on these […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The social media company is attracting investor interest because of Elon Musk’s close ties to President Trump and a recent jump in revenue.

Connections: Sports Edition is a New York Times word game about finding common sports threads between words. How to solve the puzzle.

The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.

Connections is a New York Times word game that's all about finding the "common threads between words." How to solve the puzzle.

Here's the answer for "Wordle" #1336 on February 14, as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.

The move reportedly comes after US Attorney General Pam Bondi reassured Apple and Google they would not be fined for hosting TikTok.

The end-credits scene for "Captain America: Brave New World" once again sets up the multiverse.

With its mention of adamantium, "Captain America: Brave New World" lays the groundwork for the MCU's take on Wolverine.

Hotstar and JioCinema, two widely used video streaming apps in India, have merged into JioHotstar. JioStar, a joint venture between Reliance-owned Viacom18 and Star India, said Friday it had integrated JioCinema’s content into a revamped version of Disney’s Hotstar platform. The merged service will feature movies and TV shows from Disney, Warner Bros, NBCUniversal and […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Turo on Thursday withdrew its plans for an IPO, ending a three-year wait to bring the online car-sharing network to the public marketplace, according to a regulatory filing. Turo, which was founded in 2010, allows private car owners to rent out their vehicles through the startup’s website or app. The company — sometimes described as […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The U.K. government wants to make a hard pivot into boosting its economy and industry with AI, and as part of that, it’s pivoting an institution that it founded a little over a year ago for a very different purpose. Today the Department of Science, Industry and Technology announced that it would be renaming the […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Meta's CTO said staff unhappy with the tech giant's latest policies should work somewhere else, an internal chat reveals. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Google’s Gemini AI chatbot can now tailor answers based on the contents of previous conversations, the company announced in a blog post on Thursday. Gemini can summarize a previous conversation you’ve had with it, or recall info you shared in another conversation thread. This means you won’t have to repeat information you’ve already shared with […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Public semiconductor company Arm will start making its own chips this year after landing a high-profile enterprise customer. Arm, which is majorly owned by SoftBank, will start making its own chips now that Meta has signed on as a customer, according to the Financial Times. The chip is expected to be a CPU for servers […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

OpenAI says it has removed the “warning” messages in its AI-powered chatbot platform, ChatGPT, that indicated when content might violate its terms of service. Laurentia Romaniuk, a member of OpenAI’s AI model behavior team, said in a post on X that the change was intended to cut down on “gratuitous/unexplainable denials.” Nick Turley, head of […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Apple has resumed advertising on Elon Musk's social media platform X for the first time in more than a year.

In an email to employees, the company’s chief executive said the company had become bloated during its growth in recent years.

A group led by Elon Musk's x.AI wants to buy OpenAI. Read five key takeaways from its offer letter. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

New Family Link design aims to make Google's parent controls easier to use.

Fly Me to the Moon, The Gorge, and Blitz are just a few of the movies you should be watching on Apple TV+ this month.

Apple CEO Tim Cook took to X Thursday to tease “the newest member of the family,” set to arrive February 19. The safe money is on a fourth generation iPhone SE. The budget-minded handset had previously been tipped for a potential release a week prior, but we got new Beats headphones instead. It’s been three […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

AI startup Anthropic is gearing up to release its next major AI model, according to a report Thursday from The Information. The report describes Anthropic’s upcoming model as a “hybrid” model that can switch between “deep reasoning” and fast responses. The company will reportedly introduce a “sliding scale” alongside the model to allow developers to […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Startup Canaery is partnering with a US Department of Energy lab to develop neural implants for rats and dogs that are capable of decoding what they smell.

UX and UI designers work closely with engineers throughout product development to build and implement design concepts and wireframes for functional user interfaces. Regular communication, feedback and testing are required for the collaboration to work smoothly and deliver a user experience that aligns with the intended design goals. Nick Budden, a serial entrepreneur who used […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The source code for the new Department of Government Efficiency’s “official US government website” points to X as its primary source of authority, while sharing links to the site sends users to x.com.

The source code for the new Department for Government Efficiency’s “official US government website” points to X as its primary source of authority while sharing links to the site sends users to x.com.

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Raise your hand if you’re exhausted by the firehose of information coming from every direction. Yeah, me too.  At TechCrunch, we’re focused on helping readers (that’s you!) […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

When EJ Cho started his first company in 2018, he was exposed to what it takes to market a product. He was surprised to find a market filled with different single-use tools. “It was a very frustrating experience,” Cho told TechCrunch. “I had to learn and juggle all these different tools. It felt like a […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

OpenAI has eliminated a page on its website that used to express its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The URL “https://openai.com/commitment-to-dei/” now redirects to “https://openai.com/building-dynamic-teams/,” a page that talks about people with “different backgrounds” with no use of the word diversity. The previous page stated that the company’s “investment in diversity, equity and inclusion” […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The Markup published a damning investigation into Match Group, which owns dating apps like Tinder and Hinge.

Seagate, the data storage company, has announced its intent to acquire Intevac, a hard drive equipment producer, in an all-cash deal worth $119 million. Seagate said on Thursday that it’ll pay $4 per share in a tender offer for Intevac, which is publicly traded. Seagate will initially purchase a minimum of “at least one share […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

As of Feb. 13, get the 8BitDo Pro 2 Controller for under $40 at Amazon, its lowest price yet.

As of Feb. 13, My Best Buy members can save $100 on the Dyson Airwrap and Dyson Supersonic. My Best Buy Total members can save $120 on the Dyson Airwrap. The best part? My Best Buyis free to join.

Tim Cook confirmed a new Apple launch next Wednesday. Here's what we're expecting.

On this week's episode of Uncanny Valley, we asses the state of swiping.

On this special episode of Uncanny Valley, WIRED's politics editor and global editorial director catch us up on Elon Musk's involvement in the Trump Administration.

Elon Musk's takeover of US government agencies has happened at remarkable speeds. That's the point.

A complete list of all the known layoffs in tech, from Big Tech to startups, broken down by month throughout 2024. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

"The Gorge," starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller, premieres Feb. 14 on Apple TV+. Review.

The gaming giant told affected users: "Consider fully reformatting your operating system" © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

After OpenAI CEO Sam Altman rejected Elon Musk's unsolicited bid to buy OpenAI, Musk is now saying he'll withdraw the offer if the ChatGPT maker stays a nonprofit.

Google is adding the ability to get reports of weather-related road issues, such as unplowed snow or floods.

As of Feb. 13, you can pre-order all three versions of 'Elden Ring Nightreign.' Here's what they offer and how to get them.

Ahead of President's Day, shop savings on Amazon Echo devices. Save up to 36% on the Echo Auto, while getting other great deals on the Pop and Dot.

We had bartenders try a “GABA-enhancing” drink called Sentia to see if it mimicked the nicest parts of drinking alcohol without the hangover.

The best Amazon deals on Feb. 13 include the Apple Pencil Pro, Google Pixel Buds A-Series, Echo Dot Kids, Fire HD 8 tablet, and Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones.

The Marshall Middleton portable Bluetooth speaker (black and brass) is on sale at Amazon for $175.25, down from the list price of $299.99. That's a 42% discount.

Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz are back behind the wheel in "Twisted Metal" Season 2. Trailer.

Alibaba on Thursday confirmed recent reports of a partnership with Apple that’s set to bring AI features to iPhones sold in China. The deal is an important one for Apple, as iPhone sales have dropped precipitously in the world’s largest smartphone market. The handset experienced an 11% year-over-year (YoY) drop in China, according to Apple’s […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have developed a new kind of soft robot inspired by the natural flexibility of octopus arms and elephant trunks.

YouTube TV customers will be without CBS channels for the foreseeable future, thanks to messy contract negotiatons.

Is your pre-Series A startup solving big problems with game-changing potential? Do you have the drive to compete against the world’s top early-stage startups? Or know a founder whose vision deserves to be seen? TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield 200 is where the most innovative early-stage startups battle it out in front of world-renowned VC judges in […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Staying on the right side of the European Union’s online rulebook when it comes to the slippery topic of disinformation is set to get easier for platforms that commit to the bloc’s long-standing Code of Practice on Disinformation. You know, the voluntary Code that Elon Musk pulled X (formerly Twitter) out of back in 2023. […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Amazon has savings on gift cards at retailers like Lyft, Ulta, Bath & Body Works, Google Play, and more as of Feb. 13. Grab a last-minute Valentine's Day gift.

As of Feb. 13, get the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE smartphone at Amazon for $150 off.

Bose QuietComfort headphones have dipped down to $249 at Amazon. Shop these headphones for $100 off ahead of Presidents' Day.

The sequel to Gavin O'Connor's 2016 action-thriller, "The Accountant 2" sees Ben Affleck back in the lead. Trailer.