Y Combinator hosted its Summer 2025 Demo Day last week, showcasing the latest batch of over 160 startups. As with recent batches, the majority of startups presented AI-centric solutions. However, a clear evolution was evident. Instead of “AI-powered” products, many companies are now building AI agents or the infrastructure and tools needed to develop them. […]
The 9 most sought-after startups from YC Demo Day Read More »
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, October 27–29 in San Francisco, industry leaders will explore how founders can build lasting companies while navigating rapid shifts in AI, markets, and consumer behavior. Catch this dynamic panel on the Going Public Stage, where three seasoned leaders will explore how AI is transforming go-to-market (GTM) strategies from the inside out.
Learn how AI is forcing startups to rewire GTM at Disrupt 2025 Read More »
OpenAI announced Monday that it’s releasing a new version of GPT-5 to its AI coding agent, Codex. The company says its new model, called GPT-5-Codex, spends its “thinking” time more dynamically than previous models, and could spend anywhere from a few seconds to seven hours on a coding task. As a result, it performs better
OpenAI upgrades Codex with a new version of GPT-5 Read More »
When Mark Lee was a law student at Harvard, a trademark class exposed him to the staggering scale of counterfeiting, an illicit industry worth more than $3 trillion annually, and set him on an unexpected path to entrepreneurship. “I was always broadly interested in technology and startups, but I never really thought I’d be an
Harvard Law to AI: MarqVision lands $48M to combat brand abuse Read More »
Bret Taylor, board chair at OpenAI and CEO of AI agent startup Sierra, was asked in a recent interview with The Verge whether he agreed with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s declaration that “someone is going to lose a phenomenal amount of money in AI.” Taylor echoed Altman’s sentiments, suggesting that we are indeed in an
OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor says we’re in an AI bubble (but that’s okay) Read More »
Carla Rover once spent 30 minutes sobbing after having to restart a project she vibe coded. Rover has been in the industry for 15 years, mainly working as a web developer. She’s now building a startup, alongside her son, that creates custom machine learning models for marketplaces. She called vibe coding a beautiful, endless cocktail
Vibe coding has turned senior devs into ‘AI babysitters,’ but they say it’s worth it Read More »
AI-powered chatbots play a growing role in spiritual life, according to a New York Times story that examines the popularity of religious chatbots and apps. The Times notes that an app called Bible Chat has been downloaded more than 30 million times, while another app, Hallow, reached the number one spot in Apple’s App Store
Users turn to chatbots for spiritual guidance Read More »
At the center of every empire is an ideology, a belief system that propels the system forward and justifies expansion – even if the cost of that expansion directly defies the ideology’s stated mission. For European colonial powers, it was Christianity and the promise of saving souls while extracting resources. For today’s AI empire, it’s
Karen Hao on the Empire of AI, AGI evangelists, and the cost of belief Read More »
Google faces a new lawsuit accusing the company of illegally using news publishers’ content to create AI summaries that damage their business. The lawsuit comes from Penske Media (PMC), which owns industry publications such as Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Vibe, and Artforum. While Penske’s suit is the first targeting Google and its
Rolling Stone owner Penske Media sues Google over AI summaries Read More »
How much do foundation models matter? It might seem like a silly question, but it’s come up a lot in my conversations with AI startups, which are increasingly comfortable with businesses that used to be dismissed as “GPT wrappers,” or companies that build interfaces on top of existing AI models like ChatGPT. These days, startup
