TechCrunch Daily Crunch

They cast the wrong lead in “Good Will Hunting,” apparently, because it’s Ben Affleck who is the secret genius, as it turns out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - President Trump awards Big Tech donors with nation’s highest science prizes; Automattic loses its interim CFO just weeks after boardroom shakeup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Anthropic changes usage policy to ban model abuse and election interference; OpenAI’s revenue is reportedly $20 billion less than previously projected Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple is reportedly partnering with LG to launch a smart lock, thermostat, and doorbell; How to find out if Amazon thinks you have ‘flat buttocks’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Anthropic is giving startups a free year of Claude Team and $1,000 in credits; Pinterest’s AI now turns beauty Pins into action plans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Hot Girl Hotline is like ‘Dear Abby’ for the AI era; OpenAI launches visual ads that appear alongside image generation results Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery to become Skydance Shopify debuts Canvas, a way to build online stores by chatting with AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Amazon introduces Kindle Click; Audible’s new features let you explore book worlds — and use AI to talk to characters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Tinder adapts to a social, IRL dating future with ‘Group Hangouts’ feature; OpenAI reportedly in talks to raise $30B round at $1.4T valuation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - OpenAI reportedly ditches model over safety concerns; Google is killing off Gemini’s Gems in favor of ‘skills’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Meta launches enterprise AI platform; ElevenLabs’ new v4 speech model supports more expression control and 90 languages Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Tesla finally moves to electrify trucking after a decade of work and delays; Anthropic’s founders seek voting control ahead of IPO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Google tests letting Gemini call businesses for you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

YouTube releases new AI features for creators within its Studio app; YouTube’s new ‘Short Series’ feature brings episodic viewing to Shorts; YouTube adds new creator tools like video A/B testing, dynamic thumbnails, and live dubbing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Anthropic releases Opus 5.5 with lower prices and Fable-level performance; TikTok’s US arm joins Lantern, a cross-platform child safety initiative Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - A new California law will penalize influencers who don’t disclose political ads; ScrollEd wants to turn textbooks into TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As companies hand off longer and more complex tasks to AI agents, they are running into an oversight problem: Agents can act faster, longer, and at greater volume than humans can realistically review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spotify expands its partner program for podcasts to 35 new countries; After accusations of selling ‘perv glasses,’ Meta prepares to sell a pair without a camera Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Amazon gives its workers a raise of $1 per hour; Threads’ new features let podcasters promote shows and reach listeners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Former TikTok execs built an app that uses AI to teach you how to pose for a photo; AI agents now have a place to snitch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - Larry Ellison cancels $7.5 billion sale of Oracle stock; OpenAI’s Sam Altman says it would be ‘ill-advised’ to go public in 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - OpenAI puts Pro subscriptions on hold due to Astra demand; Anthropic details distillation campaigns from Alibaba, Moonshot AI, and DeepSeek Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - There are new shiny iPhones, so Apple is making you pay more for older models Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus - White House takes down ‘Build the Wall’ game Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple’s annual iPhone release events are always interesting in one way or another, but this year’s presentation is one of the most anticipated in a while. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices