Friday, July 12, 2024

Welcome to TechCrunch AM! This morning, we’re looking at a massive AT&T data breach, all the ways X doesn't comply with the EU’s digital laws, and SoftBank’s latest chip acquisition. We’ve also got robotaxi vandalism, AI regulation in Europe, downvotes coming to X, how you can fight climate change by helping plumbers, and more. Let’s go! — Rebecca

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Mark Makela / Getty Images

1. Do you use AT&T? If so, my condolences. The phone giant said a data breach resulted in the compromise of “nearly all” its customers’ phone records — all 110 million of them. Huge yikes. Apparently, the leak was linked to a spate of data thefts at cloud data provider Snowflake. Read More

2. Not everything is cool with X in the EU: X has become the first so-called “very large online platform” to fall out of line with the EU’s Digital Services Act. The EU found that the blue check X uses for its paying subscribers is deceptive and confusing, that its ads platform doesn’t comply with DSA requirements, and that X did not facilitate data access for researchers. Yeah, firing all the people in charge of making sure you comply with regulations will do that. Read More

3. SoftBank dives into AI hardware: The Japanese investment firm has acquired U.K.-based Graphcore, which builds "intelligence processing units" — essentially chips meant for AI use. Graphcore really needed this lifeline after a series of setbacks, and SoftBank is no stranger to chips, being the previous owner of ARM. Read More

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Morning must-reads

Image Credits: Allen J. Schaben / Getty Images

What did the poor robots do to you, dude? A man in San Francisco was charged with allegedly slashing the tires of 17 Waymo robotaxis in the city last month. Maybe he didn’t notice the TWENTY NINE CAMERAS around the body of the car, but those easily led to his arrest. Read More

The EU’s AI Act will come into force on August 1, which means all the AI firms’ lobbyists are going to have their hands full as they try to make sure laws align with their various agendas. Currently, the Act is a mishmash of legislation ranging from banning certain AI uses cases to establishing codes of practices for AI developers, but we have until 2026 for them to fully apply. Let the lobbying be Read More

There are many ways to fight climate change, and one of them is to help plumbers. No, really: The trades are responsible for a huge amount of carbon emissions, so a grassroots movement that helps tradespeople more easily do things like install heat pumps and solar power is really not a bad idea. That’s roughly what HERO Software is pitching, and the German startup just raised €40 million to sell its workflow software across Europe. Read More

Boston VCs don’t want HubSpot to get bought: Following months of rumors that Google was in talks to buy HubSpot, the companies have reportedly parted ways. And Boston-based investors are happy their local darling is still sailing with its own engines — the CRM and marketing company has been “a great anchor in the Boston ecosystem, spinning out a lot of startups and driving a lot of activity in the local tech scene,” one founder and investor told TechCrunch. Read More

The nuclear fusion sector is maturing: In a way. Commonwealth Fusion Systems has shipped a pair of specialized magnets to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Yes, it’s just a couple of magnets and a functional reactor is still ages away, but this deal suggests the fusion sector has matured to the point that it supports supply agreements, not just R&D. Baby steps, y’all. Read More

Around the web

The Biden administration wants to get climate money out the door before it’s not allowed to anymore. The Department of Energy has unveiled $1.7 billion for retooling 11 auto factories to make EVs and their components, The Washington Post reports. If Trump wins the U.S. presidential elections, his government may scrap the billions of federal spending aimed at shifting the U.S. to EVs and clean energy, and automakers really need that incentive to make it happen. Read More

No one wants Apple’s $3.5k VR headset because it’s just too expensive right now, and there’s not enough content to make people go for it, the Financial Times reports. Apple said recently that there are more than 2,000 apps available for the device, but that’s a tiny marketplace for such a niche product, especially when you can build two full-fledged gaming PCs with that budget. Read More

OpenAI ranks its own progress towards AGI: OpenAI has come up with five levels to track its progress toward building an AI that can outperform humans generally (lol), and it thinks it’s close to Level 2 already, which enables human-level problem solving and reasoning, according to Bloomberg. Anyone else getting too hyped on their own supply? Read More

Before you go

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

How dare you downvote my laugh-cry emoji!? Elon Musk is apparently determined to clone Reddit, as it appears X is continuing to develop a downvoting feature that will help people rank replies to posts. X hasn’t yet officially announced the feature or any plans, but from what we can tell, that downvote might look more like a dislike button. Read More