Writer claims SBF wanted to pay Trump $5B not to run for re-election

Just when you think you know all there is to know about Sam Bankman-Fried, a new interview comes out that shows us that we don’t know anything. In today’s top story, we bring some highlights of SBF’s interview with “60 Minutes” and why people are not amused. Wait, there’s more: All eyes will be on his impending trial this week. So let’s take a look at how he — and FTX — got here.

Meanwhile, spend management is a hot topic right now because of how much of a pain point it is for big and small companies alike. Meet Pivot, a French company that wants to simplify it. Find out how.

And it’s time to get your hands on the new Chromebook Plus, which will set you back $399. Get the scoop on this new category. Meanwhile, if you love all things Google Pixel (it’s personally my phone of choice), here’s how to stream the Pixel 8 reveal happening October 4.

More top reads

Cars and quarterly earnings: Tesla is pointing the finger at some factory upgrades that resulted in downtime that caused it to miss on Q3 delivery expectations. Meanwhile, Rivian faced the opposite problem with its third-quarter deliveries beating expectations. It was also a 23% jump from the previous quarter.

AI, it’s everywhere: Spotify was spotted developing AI-generated playlists created with prompts. Learn more.

Obsessing over PDFs: Reading can be such a drag. Fortunately, Humata AI developed a program that summarizes and answers questions about your PDFs. Research is suddenly fun again.

New fund alert: Alpaca VC unveils two new investment vehicles, including one that taps into its real estate roots. It doesn’t just invest in real estate, though.

Robots on the farm: Eyeing vision-based autonomy for farm equipment, Bonsai Robotics raises $10.5 million. Find out what it is doing to help farmers.

Testing, testing . . . Is this ad on?: Are ads getting in the way of your daily scroll through TikTok? Is $4.99 burning a hole in your digital wallet each month? Well, TikTok can help you with both. The streaming giant started testing a $4.99, ad-free subscription tier. Learn more.

Data spill: India’s national logistics portal exposed sensitive personal data and trade records. Find out how.

Streaming the day away: X, formerly known as Twitter, is set to test livestream shopping in a partnership with Paris Hilton. Get the scoop. Meanwhile, amid all that Twitter chaos, Mastodon grew donations 488% in 2022 and reached 1.8 million monthly active users. Read on.

We don’t like to MOVEit, MOVEit: There’s more relief from the MOVEit hack in the way of a patch for new actively exploited security flaws. Read more.

Brrrr, it’s cold in here: There must be more of that crypto winter — web3 funding is down again. (TC+)

Weekend warriors you may have missed:

A tale of two research institutes

How much can artists make from generative AI? Vendors won’t say

Humane’s ‘AI Pin’ debuts on the Paris runway

TC Opinion: We need to break Big Tech’s data broker industry

Could a new, decentralized social networking protocol protect personal privacy, spark innovation and give consumers greater control?

“Democracy is under siege. Our digital fingerprints are being sold,” writes Martina Larkin, CEO of Project Liberty. “And digital ownership is being crushed by the small group of tech giants who control the internet as we know it.”

If you’d like to submit an opinion column to TechCrunch, please read our new editorial guidelines.

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How to raise a Series A in today’s market

Follow-on financing has become harder to raise, which leaves startups striving for a Series A in a real bind.

Pre-downturn, companies with a good narrative could reach the next level, but today’s investors are looking for hard numbers that demonstrate future potential.

At TechCrunch Disrupt, Tim DeChant interviewed three VCs to get their advice for founders who believe they’ve achieved product-market fit:

• Maren Bannon, co-founder and managing partner, January Ventures
• James Currier, general partner, NFX
• Loren Straub, general partner, Bowery Capital

TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code “DC” for a 15% discount on an annual subscription.

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On the pods

Equity‘s kicking off Q4 2023 with a look at the global stock market, what’s ahead for SBF, Amazon and the FTC, and why we’re seeing so many seed-stage fintech deals. Listen here.

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• Research Software Developer - Advanced Radar Techniques Team at University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK, USA)
• Global IT Business Relationship Specialist at Novo Holdings (San Francisco, CA, USA)
• Senior Full Stack Developer at Nylon Technology (New York, NY, USA)
• Lead Software Engineer at Industrial Data Labs (Houston, TX, USA)
• Senior Analyst, IT at Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies (New York, NY, USA)

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