Tech Daily News Update

1. OpenAI takes on Google, Amazon with new agentic shopping system

   This type of frictionless experience has the potential to spark a new movement in how people shop online – one that moves away from search engines like Google and e-commerce platforms like Amazon towards conversational agents with curated recommendations, comparisons, and easy checkout experiences. 

2. This French VC went from posting on YouTube to raising a $12M fund for Y Combinator startups

   Venture capital is filled with investors who claim they’ve got inside access to the next big thing. Meanwhile, Gabriel Jarrosson, a French engineer-turned-YouTuber-turned-investor, has built his VC firm around a single filter: if it isn’t a Y Combinator company, he won’t invest in it. That discipline pushed Jarrosson from filming scrappy venture explainers in Paris […]

3. Vibe coding Anything nabs a $100M valuation, after hitting $2M ARR in its first two weeks

   Anything raised an $11 million funding round led by Footwork.

4. Anthropic launches Claude Sonnet 4.5, its best AI model for coding

   Anthropic says its new AI model is robust enough to build production-ready applications, rather than just prototypes.

5. Brave updates its AI-powered search with a detailed answers feature

   Brave is debuting a new detailed answer feature for its AI-powered search

6. Trump’s Energy Department forbids staff from saying ‘climate change’ or ‘green’

   A Trump appointee emailed Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy employees last week with a long list of banned words.

7. Final day to apply: Volunteer at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

   If you’ve been thinking about applying to volunteer at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, this is it — applications close tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT. Only accepting local Bay Area applicants.

8. OpenAI rolls out safety routing system, parental controls on ChatGPT 

   The new safety features come after numerous incidents of ChatGPT validating users' delusional thinking instead of redirecting harmful conversations -- including the death of a teenage boy by suicide.

9. Snapchat caps free Memory storage, launches paid storage plans

   The social media giant announced that free access to the feature will be limited to 5GB.

10. Bluesky rolls out age verification for users in Ohio

    Users in Ohio will have to verify their age to use Bluesky's social network as of Monday.

11. From Robinhood to Aetherflux: Baiju Bhatt’s next frontier at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

    Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of Robinhood and founder of Aetherflux, shares insights on building transformative companies in fintech and aerospace at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.

12. This week’s bundle savings: Founder and Investor Pass deals for TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

    From today through October 3, we’re offering an exclusive deal just for founders and investors at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.

13. ComplexChaos thinks AI can help people find common ground

    The startup uses an LLM tailored to helping people arrive at a consensus. Is it enough to help bridge our differences?

14. UK government bails out Jaguar Land Rover with £1.5B loan after hack disrupts vehicle production for weeks

    The Indian-owned carmaking giant will be bailed out after a cyberattack stalled car production and its downstream supply chain. Critics argue that the bailout sends the wrong message to hackers and crime groups.

15. The TechCrunch Disrupt Stage revealed: Behold the first look 

    The Disrupt Stage is where tech’s biggest bets get made — live and unfiltered. It’s where startup dreams turn into $100,000 wins in Startup Battlefield, and where the industry’s power players reveal what’s next. Register to save up to $444 on your pass.

16. Marissa Mayer will close her old AI startup, sell assets to her new AI startup

    Former Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer is closing the doors on her consumer software startup Sunshine, and is selling the company's assets to her new AI startup, Dazzle, Wired reported, citing an email sent to Sunshine's shareholders.

17. The startup behind open source tool Polars raises $21M from Accel

    Polars, the Amsterdam-based company behind the popular open source project by the same name, has raised an €18 million Series A led by Accel.

18. Honda and Astrobotic team up to keep the lights on through the long lunar night

    Honda is partnering with Astrobotic to study whether their tech could provide continuous power on the moon.

19. Instagram is testing a Reels-first UI in India and South Korea

    Instagram is testing a new Reels-first UI in India and South Korea to give short videos more prominence in the app.

20. X says it will fight Indian court ruling on content takedown system

    X said last week's Indian court ruling allows millions of police officers to issue "arbitrary" content takedown orders.