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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened an investigation into Waymo after its robotaxis have been spotted illegally passing stopped school buses numerous times in at least two states. The NTSB is specifically focusing on the more than 20 incidents that have occurred in Austin, Texas, it said in a post on X on Friday. “Investigators will travel to Austin to gather information on a series of incidents in which the automated vehicles failed to stop for loading or unloading students,” the NTSB said in a statement to TechCrunch. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, and the…
Brian Barrett: Zoë, can you add Chatham House Rules to your list of words that you want to get out of here too?Zoë Schiffer: Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. In fact, I can. The number of frameworks that people were using to assess certain ideas, and then when I asked what said framework was, you would get a whole other explanation that was based on a different framework.Leah Feiger: Awful.Zoë Schiffer: It was a lot. And I think WIRED is short declarative sentences, which is also the best writing advice I have ever received, shout out to Casey Newton.…
The Department of Justice has reportedly opened a criminal investigation into HR and payroll startup Deel over allegations that it hired a corporate spy to leak information on its biggest rival, Rippling, reports The Wall Street Journal. In an emailed statement to TechCrunch, Deel says that it is “not aware of any investigation. We will always cooperate with the relevant authorities and provide any necessary information in response to valid inquiries.” Deel’s statement then makes its own allegations against Rippling. It points to its own lawsuit that alleges its rival has been on a “smear campaign,” claiming it’s beating the…
When TikTok users in the US opened the app today, they were greeted with a pop-up asking them to agree to the social media platform’s new terms of service and privacy policy before they could resume scrolling.These changes are part of TikTok’s transition to new ownership. In order to continue operating in the US, TikTok was compelled by the US government to transition from Chinese control to a new, American-majority corporate entity. Called TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, the new entity is made up of a group of investors that includes the software company Oracle.It’s easy to tap “agree” and…
As TikTok gains new U.S. owners in Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX, the platform is moving quickly to centralize its marketplace. In an email to advertisers sent this week and reviewed by ADWEEK, TikTok announced it will soon require U.S. merchants to fulfill orders through the platform’s proprietary logistics services—effectively stripping brands of the ability to handle their own shipping.The mandate, which begins phasing in on Feb. 25, marks the end of ‘Seller Shipping’ on the platform. By the end of March, any business selling to TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users must hand over their logistics to the…
TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, has been at the center of controversy in the U.S. for years now due to concerns about user data potentially being accessed by the Chinese government. On Thursday, January 22, 2026, TikTok announced that the TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC had officially been established to comply with President Trump’s executive order that approved the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations to an American investor group. Now, ByteDance will own less than 20% of the new entity, with the rest of it falling into non-Chinese ownership. Over the years, U.S. users have often found themselves…
Governments worldwide are moving to limit children’s access to social media as lawmakers question whether platforms are capable of enforcing their own minimum age requirements. TikTok recently became the latest tech giant to give into regulatory pressure when it announced that it would implement a new age-detection system across Europe to keep kids under the age of 13 off the platform.The system, which follows a year-long pilot in the UK meant to proactively identify and remove underage users, relies on a combination of profile data, content analysis, and behavioral signals to evaluate if an account possibly belongs to a minor.…
It may be cold outside, but a determined group of Olympians is just getting warmed up. Ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Airbnb is rolling out a campaign that puts athlete stories front and center.The brand released a series of mini documentaries following athletes who are supported by its Travel Grant and Airbnb500 programs, which provide accommodations to help competitors focus on training rather than logistics. With the Games set to kick off in Italy next month, the films highlight how access to the right space can be a competitive advantage.The centerpiece is “Bring It Home,” a 15-minute…
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is planning to visit India in mid-February, his first visit to the country in nearly a year, TechCrunch has learned. The visit comes as New Delhi prepares to host a major AI summit expected to draw top executives from Meta, Google, and Anthropic. India is hosting its first major AI event — the India AI Impact Summit 2026 — in New Delhi between February 16 and 20, bringing together global technology leaders including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei alongside key Indian business figures like Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh…
Compare Our Top Pick Action CamerasThe B-RollAll those cheap cameras on Amazon: Readers often ask, why spend $400 on a GoPro when they can get a camera with 4K video for $100? It’s a fair question, and the answer comes down to software, primarily image stabilization. Action cameras are designed to be strapped to helmets or clipped to your chest while you skydive, rock climb, and race through the city on a scooter. Without stabilization, the results are something even your closest friends won’t sit through. So yes, you’ll get 4K footage with the cheaper cams, but it’ll be footage…
This week has been another revolving door of hires and promotions at brands, from CMO appointments to high-profile exits.We’re rounding up the U.S. and global marketing leadership moves you should know about for the week ending Jan. 23. – Microsoft AI (MAI) has named Andréa Mallard as chief marketing officer (CMO). The exec, who left Pinterest in January after seven years, confirmed her new role in a LinkedIn post. MAI is Microsoft’s dedicated AI research lab, established in 2024. It’s led by DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman as CEO.– Meanwhile, over at Pinterest, Amazon’s former global brand and marketing vp, Claudine Cheever, will assume the role…
It’s going to be more difficult to fake or manipulate Ring camera video footage going forward. On Thursday, the Amazon-owned device maker introduced Ring Verify, a new video authenticity feature that will allow anyone to determine whether a video has been altered in any way. The company says this could be useful when you come across shared videos, like those sent to you by a neighbor or those purporting to show some sort of incident. While you may not be able to instantly identify whether some TikTok video was AI-generated — like bunnies jumping on a trampoline, for instance —…
Is there such a thing as the best notebook? Probably not. Notebooks are not a one-size-fits-all commodity. If none of these quite tilt your pen, here are some general things to look for in a paper notebook.Paper quality: High-quality paper will improve your writing experience. That said, what constitutes high-quality paper depends a lot on your writing device. For example, heavy ink pens, like fountain pens, will require thicker paper to avoid ghosting (when the ink soaks through), while coarser paper might be better for sketching with a soft pencil. (Much of this depends on personal preference too.) If you’re…
Bad Bunny smashed records in 2020 when El Último Tour del Mundo became the first fully Spanish-language album to top the Billboard 200. Now, the Super Bowl 60 headliner is set to make history again as he performs the halftime show entirely in Spanish.That’s why, ahead of the big game, language learning app Duolingo wants fans to brush up on their language skills.In a campaign fronted by its unhinged owl mascot Duo, set to air during the AFC and NFC championship games from Saturday, Jan. 24, the platform is encouraging its 50 million daily users to learn “Bad Bunny 101.”A…
Tesla has discontinued Autopilot, its basic driver-assistance system, as the company tries to boost adoption of a more advanced version of the technology that it calls Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The decision comes as the company faces a 30-day suspension of its manufacturing and dealer licenses in its largest U.S. market, California. A judge ruled in December that Tesla engaged in deceptive marketing by overstating the capabilities of Autopilot and FSD for years. The California DMV, which originally brought the case and has a say over the licenses, stayed the ruling for 60 days to allow Tesla to comply by dropping…
I’m always on the hunt for cheap gaming laptops that don’t suck, but let’s be real—many of them do. The Nvidia RTX 5060 graphics card at least guarantees you’ll get decent performance at 1080p resolution, as long as the system receives the full 115 watts of power, and that’s exactly what Lenovo’s LOQ 15 laptop delivers.It’s not the prettiest laptop in the world, nor is it the most powerful. But for a gaming laptop under $1,000, it doesn’t get better than this.It’s Not FlashyPhotograph: Luke LarsenThe Lenovo LOQ 15 looks generic, but I appreciate that it’s fairly mellow. Nothing overly…