Engram is a sampler that turns broken AI hallucinations into music
Music startup Thoughtful Things has just launched the Kickstarter campaign for its first instrument, Engram. It's a sampler and groovebox that uses AI to mangle…
Anthropic’s CEO is about to have dinner with President Trump
This will be the first one-on-one meeting between Dario Amodei and Donald Trump
Can Muse overcome Meta’s trust issues?
On Equity, we discussed how Meta's AI announcement managed to steal the spotlight from OpenAI and Anthropic.
OpenAI agents tried to ‘bruteforce’ a UN website
Security researcher Rowan Howard-Jones says that OpenAI agents scanned the UN Conference on Trade and Development's (UNCTAD) statistics site over 16,000 times b…
Anthropic’s Dario Amodei gets the SNL treatment
"AI is the devil and I its maker."
TechCrunch Mobility: AV companies pick their lanes
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, the role AI is playing in it.
Sennheiser Momentum 5 review: Great sound, incredible battery life, and few compromises
I spent the last few weeks with the Sennheiser Momentum 5 to determine if this pair actually stands out, testing everything from sound quality and noise cancell…
Why OLPC’s $100 laptop never stood a chance
The idea was big, exciting, and inspiring: What if we could get every kid in the world access to a computer? For a bunch of thinkers and executives in Silicon V…
Googlebooks might be the real deal
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 145, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, I'm happy to be done travelin…
The smart home graveyard is getting crowded
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the fragile state of your connected devices, follow…
Best Party Speakers (2026): JBL, Sony, Marshall, and More
These speakers combine serious volume, big bass, portability, and the occasional karaoke session to bring the party anywhere.
What’s the Best Pet DNA Test? We Tested the Most Popular Ones
I sent my cats’ saliva to the lab to get health and genetic insights sent to my inbox—with very different results.
How the Smithsonian became the latest front in Trump’s culture war
The Smithsonian has faced withering pressure from the Trump administration.
You Don’t Need to Pay for Distraction-Blocking Software
These free iOS and Android apps create the physical friction you need to put down your phone.
The Data Center Backlash Should Also Be a Climate Reckoning. It Isn’t Yet
Climate groups are latching onto the data center opposition movement, but it remains to be seen if they can get people to care about the facilities’ impact on t…
Nicotine Is Mounting a Comeback in the Wellness Movement
Improving mood and increasing longevity are just some of the unfounded claims about this substance circling around the “natural” medicine corners of the interne…
Some Pancreatic Cells Are Just One Genetic Tweak Away From Treating Diabetes
By deactivating a gene, researchers were able to cause cells in the pancreatic ducts to produce insulin to regulate blood sugar.
PNOE’s new face mask wants to make lab-grade breath testing a self-serve affair
PNOĒ, the Malden, Mass.-based startup whose breath-analyzing mask used to bear an unfortunate resemblance to Bane's, is launching a sleeker self-serve version o…
Google tests buying from Walmart-owned Flipkart through Gemini and AI Mode in India
The limited test covers select products and users, with a broader rollout planned for later in October.
Apple hit with $5.7 billion in damages over haptic patents
Haptics tech company Taction sued Apple in 2021, alleging it infringed two of its patents. Now a federal jury in San Diego has awarded Taction over $5.7 billion…
Insurers claim AI is already increasing healthcare costs
Blue Cross Blue Shield says hospital use of AI tools led to an additional $942M in healthcare spending over a two-year period.
TikTok agrees to pay at least $100M in Alabama settlement
TikTok will pay Alabama at least $100 million in a settlement tied to allegations that the short-form video platform misled users about safety and was designed …
Decap is the man behind the drums behind your favorite song
I don't think I'm going to hurt anyone's feelings by pointing out that Decap doesn't have the name recognition of Kendrick Lamar, Olivia Rodrigo, or Charli XCX.…
Meta and YouTube say they will run ads for ‘Musk’ documentary after all
Two companies now say they will accept advertising for director Alex Gibney’s upcoming documentary about Elon Musk, following earlier reporting that a number of…
Kids turned the comment section of an NPR podcast into a group chat
Middle schoolers, likely blocked from other apps and social networks, apparently turned the Spotify comment section under an episode of NPR's Wild Card into an …
Levoit’s new air purifier is for the pet odors that have taken over your apartment
This $189.99 air purifier is specifically designed to tackle pet odors, removing up to 70% in one hour.
OpenAI pauses training of its ‘most capable models’
As reports of OpenAI's models breaking containment, hacking sites, and generally getting out of control pile up, the company has made the decision to pause trai…
I created an interactive digital avatar of myself — and you can talk to it
After obtaining an interactive avatar and training it to discuss venture fraud, I have mixed feelings about making AI clones of ourselves.
Can Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince save the web from AI?
Today, I’m talking with Matthew Prince, who is CEO of Cloudflare. This episode is part of a two-part series on the future of business. Matthew last joined us on…
Old-School Credit Card Scams Are Far From Dead
In an era of increasingly sophisticated AI-fueled scams, a retro threat may be lurking in your mailbox.
12 Best White Elephant Gifts, Plus a Prank Box to Put Them In (2026)
Bring the gift everyone will want to win from this year’s holiday party, from a cute jacket for a beer can to magnets they’ll wish they could eat.
Best Mesh Wi-Fi Systems (2026): I Tested Them All
Forget about patchy internet connections and dead spots in the house. These WIRED-tested, multi-room mesh Wi-Fi systems will keep your whole house online.
Tesla’s big electric truck faces an even bigger infrastructure challenge
The 500-mile Semi arrives as charging gaps still limit electric trucking.
Meta’s Muse Is Adults-Only. Why Does It Look Like a Kids’ Toy?
Meta says Muse is just for adults, though its cuddly, Labubu-like mascot—and upcoming Tamagotchi-style AI device—may be disarming for users of all ages.
This Browser Extension Lets You Snooze Open Tabs Until Later
The free add-on Tuck brings one of the best features of modern email—the ability to hide something for a bit—to that tangle of tabs in your browser.
A Gravitational Battle Within the Earth Is Changing the Length of Days
A competition between the gravity of the inner core and other forces in the mantle is altering the Earth's rotation.
The Best Early Prime Day Deals Ahead of Amazon’s Second Sale (2026)
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days officially begin on October 6 and 7, but I’ve already spotted early discounts on gear our team recommends.
This Comically Dark PSA Pushes Back Against Big Tech Enshittification
Cory Doctorow and the Norwegian Consumer Council are behind a hilarious and insightful ad campaign about how everything’s getting worse.
At Meta Connect, the company’s smart glasses were everywhere
The company behind Facebook and Instagram wants to keep consumers connected to the digital world via its ever-growing line of smart glasses.
Leaks Show That Meta’s New AI Agent Relied on Real People to Make Calls
Reports indicate Muse was routing calls the AI was supposedly making to humans in call centers.