Timef 02/21/2025

Chinese AI lab DeepSeek plans to open-source portions of its online services’ code as part of an “open source week” event next week. DeepSeek will open-source five code repositories that have been “documented, deployed and battle-tested in production,” the company said in a post on X on Thursday. Code repositories are storage locations for software […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Get grass-fed beef, pastured pork, and free-range chicken delivered to your door no matter where you live.

A leaker allegedly published the leaked internal messages after the group allegedly targeted Russian banks © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

You read that headline correctly! The best deals for TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 tickets are about to end in just 7 days. Save up to $1,130 on individual passes and up to 30% on group tickets. Don’t wait — these offers end on February 28 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Join us in celebrating 20 years of […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

From idea to IPO — where are you on your startup journey? If any of that sounds like you — or if you’re in between stages and ready to level up — TechCrunch All Stage 2025 (formerly Early Stage) is the place to be. Join 1,200 founders to exchange ideas and meet the right VC […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Theater productions Doomers and McNeal tackle AI’s impact on humanity and the creative process.

YouTube is close to announcing a new lower-priced “premium lite” version of its subscription service, Bloomberg reports. The new tier is expected to launch in the United States, Australia, Germany, and Thailand “soon.” The tier will give users access to YouTube’s library of podcasts and how-to clips without ads, Bloomberg notes. Premium lite will be […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The company said a Chinese operation had built the tool to identify anti-Chinese posts on social media services in Western countries.

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is firing nearly half of a small government team that regulates autonomous vehicles, the Washington Post reported. The firings are part of a broader 10% reduction at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as a result of firings of probationary workers and buyout offers, the Post reported, citing […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Either way, it sucks. But at least there’s some fun physics to ponder while you’re sitting in the repair shop.

Several government departments are investigating TP-Link routers over Chinese cyberattack fears, but the company denies links.

Palm-cooling devices—designed to help humans bounce back quickly from exertion and heat stress by chilling their palms—are showing up on sidelines, in training camps, and wherever the heat is on.

These top picks are built to last, keeping your coffee (or tea) at the perfect temp and your mornings smooth—no leaks, no lukewarm lattes, no stress.

As companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon follow President Trump’s moves to roll back diversity initiatives, trans and genderqueer devs worry their already struggling industry could follow suit.

“Elon Musk is willing to spend a phenomenal amount of money and basically do everything he can to stay with the head of the pack on A.I. progress.”

The European company Reju may have developed the polyester recycling technology the textile industry needs. The question is whether the world is ready for it.

The Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen, GPS, 40mm) normally retails for $249, but Amazon has it on sale for $199 as of Feb. 21.

As of Feb. 21, LG 55-inch QNED 4K UHD Smart TV is on sale for $499.99 at Walmart. That’s $350 off its regular price of $849.99.

As of Feb. 21, the Samsung 75-inch Q60CB QLED 4K Smart TV is available for $828.15 at Walmart. That’s $569.84 off its original price of $1,397.99.

As of Feb 21, Apple AirTag 4-Pack is available for $69.99 at Best Buy, saving you $29 off its regular price of $99. Perfect for keeping track of your items.

The US government has increased the use of monitoring tools over the past decade. But President Donald Trump’s employee purges are making workers worry about how their data could be abused.

Apple's AirPods Pro 2 normally retail for $249. As of Feb. 21, they're on sale for $199 at Amazon.

As of Feb. 21, the Sony ULT WEAR headphones are on sale at Amazon for $148. Normally they retail for $199.99.

A new debate has emerged about whether airlines should charge passengers based on their weight to help reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions.

A handful of gifted young tech people set out to save the world. For years, WIRED has been tracking each twist and turn of their alleged descent into mayhem and death.

Answers to each clue for the February 21, 2025 edition of NYT's The Mini crossword puzzle.

Save 11% on the Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle at Amazon.

Job searchers and daters run into the same challenges, and both activities are dominated by a few apps.

Scientists with the Alaska Volcano Observatory filmed video of the steaming Mount Spurr, a volcano that has shown increased activity in recent months.

Relive the best of retro gaming and stream your favorite movies with the Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro, now $89.97 (reg. $159) and ships for free.

Get 1TB cloud storage for life with a subscription to Koofr Cloud Storage, now on sale for $119.97 with coupon code KOOFR.

Break into cybersecurity with 18 ethical hacking courses for just $35 — less than $2 per course! Learn hacking skills, prep for certifications, and start a new career.

The EliteDesk mini desktop may be compact, but it comes refurbished with Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD for $274.97 (reg. $379).

The launch of the Blue Ghost module, scheduled to land on the moon early next month, is a key step in creating an Earth–moon supply chain.

Tired of swiping with no results? Here are the best dating apps that actually work. We've done the research so you can find love (or something else) faster.

Apple's new C1 chip is easy to overlook, but it may lead to more battery life on future iPhones.

Save 24% on the Amazon Fire Stick 4K at Amazon.

Save 11% on the Breville Barista Express Impress at Amazon.

Looking for a 420-friendly date? We tested the best dating apps to find the ones that actually work.

OpenAI said on Friday that it is rolling out Operator, its so-called AI agent that can perform tasks on behalf of users, for ChatGPT Pro subscribers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the U.K., and more countries. OpenAI said Operator will be available in most places where ChatGPT is available, apart from […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

In "Severance" Season 2, episode 6, Lumon employee Mr. Drummond breaks into a house and finds a stash of documents. But what are they, and who do they belong to?

With two sex scenes involving Mark (Adam Scott) and Helly/Helena (Britt Lower), "Severance" raises major questions about consent.

Protect your family online for life with AdGuard's Family Plan, now just £12.64 (reg. £134.51). Block adverts, malware, and more across nine devices.

Digitise, organise, and share documents effortlessly with SwiftScan VIP's lifetime subscription for only £33.23.

On Feb. 22, Five Below is running a free Pokémon trading card event. Score a free Pikachu promo card with select purchases.

On Feb. 21, get a free small Slurpee at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes stores.

Live stream the 2025 NRL for free from anywhere in the world.

How to get free books on Stuff Your Kindle Day. Download free fantasy, romantasy, paranormal romance, and magical realism books.

Live stream Afghanistan vs. South Africa in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy for free from anywhere in the world.

Not an iPad fan? Check out these Android devices from top brands like Samsung and Huawei.

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

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

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" #1343 on February 21, as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.

Rivian said Thursday it plans to launch a hands-off version of its driver assistance system for highway driving “in a few weeks,” and said an “eyes-off” version in 2026. The hands-off system will let Rivian compete with companies like Ford and General Motors, which have both launched similar systems in the past few years. (Ford […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Solar and wind together now represent nearly a quarter of electricity demand and nearly 10% of all energy consumption in the U.S. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Despite a still tight venture capital market, new unicorns are still being created every month. Using data from Crunchbase and PitchBook, TechCrunch tracked down the newly VC-backed startup minted unicorns so far this year as of the end of January. Those include healthcare companies like Hippocratic AI and satellite space companies like Loft Orbital.  This […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Rivian’s cost–cutting measures have gotten it a lot closer to profitability, but the company is warning that 2025 could still be a challenging year – especially because of the whorl of uncertainty caused by the new Trump Administration. The company announced Thursday its fourth quarter and full-year 2024 financial results, and along with it, shared […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The CEO of controversial facial recognition startup Clearview AI has resigned, he confirms to TechCrunch. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

This simple guide helps you identify and remove common consumer-grade spyware apps from your Android phone. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

A study by the Pew Research Center found that Americans’ views of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg skew more negative than positive. While Zuckerberg has sparked chatter in Silicon Valley with his sudden interest in high fashion, the Meta CEO is less popular than President Trump’s right-hand man, Elon Musk, the report found. While about […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Using stalkerware is creepy, unethical, potentially illegal, and puts your data and that of your loved ones in danger. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Approximately 500 NIST staffers, including at least three lab directors, are expected to lose their jobs at the safety-standards agency as part of the ongoing DOGE purge, sources tell WIRED.

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos says the money will go toward projects like Alfonso Cuarón's film Roma, which was made in Mexico and went on to international acclaim.

Electric trucking startup Nikola is hoping to sell what remains of its whole business as early as April, lawyers for the company told a judge Thursday during the first hearing of its bankruptcy case in Delaware. The lawyers claimed Nikola already has at least three interested buyers (who they did not name) and that the […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

A bug in the Android and iPhone monitoring operations allows anyone to access private data exfiltrated from a victim's device. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

We Live in Time, Blue Velvet, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice are just a few of the movies you should be watching on Max this month.

Meta announced on Thursday that it’s now accepting sign-ups for its Community Notes program on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. The announcement follows Meta news last month that it’s going to end its third-party fact-checking program and is instead moving to a Community Notes model similar to the one at X. In a blog post, Meta […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Road rage has been around for a while. A newer phenomenon that’s cropping up is EV charging rage — the feeling when a fellow EV owner cuts the line to grab one of the only working charge ports. It’s common enough that people posted altercations between EV drivers on social media and forums. In at […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

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! Fifteen years ago, I started writing about a little EV startup that was trying to survive even as others failed in the clean tech boom-and-bust cycle. Back […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

On a cool morning last November, 800 people gathered before sunrise in a South Burlington hangar to witness the maiden flight of Beta Technologies’ first electric aircraft to be built on its new scaled production line. Kyle Clark, Beta’s enigmatic founder and CEO, piloted the Alia CX300 — one of the startup’s two aircraft models […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The Federal Trade Commission announced on Thursday that it will launch a public inquiry into “censorship by tech platforms,” soliciting comments from people who feel they have been demonetized, banned, or otherwise censored due to their speech or affiliations. “Tech firms should not be bullying their users,” said FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson in a statement. […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Watch the trailer for "The Life List," starring Sofia Carson and Connie Britton. The film hits Netflix March 28.

"Avatar" sequel series "Avatar: Seven Havens" introduces us to the Avatar after Korra — and her twin!

Amazon Chime, the tech giant’s underwhelming alternative to Zoom and Google Meet, is shutting down for good. The company on Wednesday confirmed it will end support for Chime, including its Business Calling features, on Feb. 20, 2026. As part of this transition, Amazon stopped accepting new Chime accounts as of Feb. 19, 2025. From now […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The blanket firing of Department of Agriculture scientists has thrown a host of climate science and crop projects into chaos.

Apple has brought the iPhone 16e to offer a more affordable option within the iPhone 16 lineup, targeting emerging markets including India. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Afore Capital, a firm that claims to be the largest dedicated pre-seed investor, was founded on the idea that the first check into a new startup should be larger than what most accelerators and early-stage investors were offering. When Afore raised its third $150 million fund in 2022, the firm wrote checks ranging from $1 […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Get Windows 11 Pro with AI-powered Copilot for just A$28. Upgrade your PC with advanced features like system setting changes, web page summaries, and more.

Researchers at Hanyang University are developing microbot swarms that connect, move and change shape when controlled by magnets,

The list included Elon Musk’s xAI, as well as a good number of other AI startups. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Google doesn't want you using Gemini on the Google app anymore.

Hours after the acquisition was announced, several Humane employees received job offers. Others were not so lucky. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

A new Android AI agent has been unveiled by Rabbit, the company behind the physical Rabbit R1 AI device.

The Ultimate Ears Megaboom 4 speaker is on sale at Amazon for $135.44, down from the usual price of $199.99. That's a 32% discount.

HP published a big list of laser printers that are potentially vulnerable to security flaws, but there's also a fix.

Cherryrock Capital, founded by ex-TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot, announced Wednesday the closing of its $172 million Fund I with an all-star limited partner list that includes JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, MassMutual, Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures, Reid Hoffman, Mellody Hobson, and Sheryl Sandberg.  Brown-Philpot told Bloomberg that the fund actually closed in January.  The firm launched […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

As of Feb. 20, get $350 off the Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 gaming monitor at B&H Photo.

This week, the Uncanny Valley hosts discuss the lawsuits, bidding wars, and power plays over OpenAI.

Here's how the 1974 Privacy Act is being used in legal battles against DOGE—and how you can protect yourself from government surveillance.

The restrictions are already in place at the General Services Administration along with several other agencies. Soon they'll roll out to most of the federal government, sources say.

Figure founder and CEO Brett Adcock Thursday revealed a new machine learning model for humanoid robots. The news, which arrives two weeks after Adcock announced the Bay Area robotics firm’s decision to step away from an OpenAI collaboration, is centered around Helix, a “generalist” Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model. VLAs are a new phenomenon for robotics, leveraging […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Camping gear from brands like The North Face, Coleman, Lifestraw and more are up to 50% off at REI and Amazon

Trump is floating the idea of sending $5,000 checks to taxpayers, paid out by DOGE spending cuts.

The best Amazon deals on Feb. 20 include the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 4, Apple Studio Display, Hisense U6N 4K TV, and Amazon Echo Frames.

As of Feb. 20, get a Kindle Paperwhite Kids for 22% off at Amazon.

Keep things smelling fresh with these handy home gadgets.

Instagram is introducing a new way for creators to work with brands to make money by recommending products. On Thursday, Meta introduced an addition to its Partnership Ads called Testimonials, which allows creators to get paid via written endorsements, shared as comments on the brand’s social media posts and advertisements. The new ad format is […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

On Thursday, Spotify announced that it now accepts audiobooks narrated using ElevenLabs’ AI voice technology. Given that ElevenLabs is currently among the most recognized AI audio providers, this new partnership is expected to boost the quantity of AI-narrated audiobooks on the platform. To upload an audiobook narrated by AI, authors need to download the file […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The California agency said National Public Data failed to register in the state as a data broker. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

As TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain, Substack tries to lure creators to its platform by doubling down on video. The company announced on Wednesday that it’s now allowing creators to monetize their videos on the platform, and letting them publish video posts directly from the Substack app. Previously, creators have been able to […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The AI observability platform has raised $70 million in Series C funding. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The Sunny Health & Fitness magnetic rowing machine is on sale at Amazon for $147.23, down from the normal price of $249.98. That's a 41% discount.