Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter and Square, is actively pursuing several innovative projects that reflect his commitment to decentralized technology. His recent projects range from vibe-coding to a Bluetooth-enabled anonymous group messaging app to the Design Lab, his nonprofit hacker collective. On top of that, Dorsey’s own work with open social tools such as Nostr is foreshadowing a future where social media platforms are more user-centric and controlled.
As Twitter CEO, Dorsey fought for decentralization. This effort is especially timely as the tech industry finds itself under fire for the unsafe practices of artificial intelligence companies. Just last month, researchers from OpenAI and Anthropic publicly shamed Elon Musk’s new AI startup, xAI. They reported on the harmful impact of the company’s drastic and controversial safety measures. These worries came to a head after Grok’s recent controversies, which reopened discussions on the morality of AI technology.
Uber has announced a substantial investment in the future of transportation, committing hundreds of millions of dollars to premium robotaxis through partnerships with Lucid and Nuro. This initiative is the latest sign of the burgeoning recognition that driverless vehicles hold great promise for a new, more efficient mode of travel.
Mira Murati, former chief technology officer at OpenAI, has launched a new initiative, Thinking Machines Lab. She’s no ordinary dreamer, and she’s raised a stunning $2 billion in seed funding for it. This new, large investment raises the lab’s valuation to $12 billion and is further evidence of the growing interest in AI-powered technologies. Through this collaborative effort, the lab seeks to identify new and transformative applications in artificial intelligence while informing ethical and equitable usage.
Rebecca Bellan, a senior reporter at TechCrunch, covers developments related to Tesla and Elon Musk’s empire, including the regulatory scrutiny surrounding Big Tech. She has been the leading journalist covering the plight of AI companies and the potential impact that their technologies will wreak on society. Alongside her, Kirsten Korosec produces TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, where discussions about industry consolidation and capital flow increasingly dominate the conversation. Anthony Ha is TechCrunch’s weekend editor, which helps us cover the crazy fast-moving world of technology even better on a larger level. Theresa Loconsolo plays a key role as our audio producer, shining a light on critical conversations happening within the tech community.
Cognition, known for its AI coding agent Devin, pulled off a remarkable coup in the industry. They did it by buying Windsurf just as Google was poaching its management team. This acquisition is indicative of the dog eat dog world that’s developing in the AI space as companies try to strengthen their position.
