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GM to end Chevy Bolt EV production next year, move China-made Buick to U.S. factory
TechCrunch· 2026-01-22 23:55
Core Insights - General Motors is shifting vehicle production from China and Mexico to a factory in Kansas, ending the production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV at the Fairfax Assembly Plant [1][4] - The economic and political landscape, influenced by the Trump administration's tariff policies and the cessation of the federal EV tax credit, has increased production costs for vehicles made in China and Mexico [2] - The production of the 2027 Chevy Bolt EV is expected to conclude in approximately 18 months, with its price set at $29,990, making it one of the most affordable EVs in the U.S. market [3] Production Changes - The next-generation Buick Envision will be produced at the Kansas facility starting in 2028, while the gas-powered Chevrolet Equinox will transition from Mexico to Kansas by mid-2027 [4] - GM has indicated that the Bolt will have a limited production run, with plans already in place for the Equinox to replace it at the Fairfax plant [5] Future Investments - GM has committed to future investments in the Fairfax Assembly Plant for the development of new affordable EVs, although the timeline for these investments remains uncertain [5]
Capital One acquires Brex for steep discount to its peak valuation, but early believers are laughing all the way to the bank
TechCrunch· 2026-01-22 23:46
There’s a feeling of schadenfreude in Silicon Valley when a unicorn stumbles. So when the WSJ broke the news Thursday afternoon that Capital One will acquire Brex for $5.15 billion in cash and stock (Capital One issued an official release confirming the details thirty minutes later), you could practically hear the collective snickering from Sand Hill Road to San Francisco’s South Park. That figure represents less than half of Brex’s last private-market valuation of $12.3 billion from its 2022 Series D-2 rou ...
Microsoft 365 hit by outage, preventing access to emails and files
TechCrunch· 2026-01-22 21:31
Core Insights - Microsoft is experiencing an outage affecting enterprise customers' access to various cloud services, including email, files, and meetings [1][2] - The outage is attributed to a malfunction in a portion of the service infrastructure located in North America, which is not processing traffic as expected [1] - Microsoft is actively working to restore the affected infrastructure to ensure recovery [1] Service Impact - The outage specifically impacts Exchange Online email service, file searching in SharePoint Online and OneDrive, and functionalities in Teams such as creating chats, meetings, and adding members [1] - Administrators are also unable to access Microsoft Purview and Defender XDR security dashboards, as well as their admin centers [2]
Tesla launches robotaxi rides in Austin with no human safety driver
TechCrunch· 2026-01-22 18:51
Core Insights - Tesla has initiated robotaxi rides in Austin without a human safety driver, marking a significant step in its autonomous vehicle strategy [1] - CEO Elon Musk announced this development on social media, celebrating the Tesla AI team's efforts and inviting engineers to join the team [1] - The robotaxi service in Austin began with limited deployment last June, initially requiring a safety operator, and transitioned to testing without a driver in December [2] Deployment Details - The current fleet in Austin will not be entirely driverless; a mix of supervised and unsupervised vehicles will operate, with plans to increase the ratio of unsupervised vehicles over time [3] - It remains unclear whether Tesla is charging for these rides, as competitors like Zoox and Waymo did not charge for their initial driverless rides [3]
Meta seeks to limit evidence in child safety case
TechCrunch· 2026-01-22 18:40
Core Viewpoint - Meta is facing a trial in New Mexico for allegedly failing to protect minors from sexual exploitation on its platforms, with the trial set to begin on February 2, 2024 [3]. Group 1: Lawsuit Details - The lawsuit, filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez in late 2023, accuses Meta of allowing explicit material to reach minors and not implementing adequate child safety measures [3]. - This case is notable as it is the first trial of its kind at the state level [3]. Group 2: Legal Strategies - Meta's legal team is attempting to limit the evidence presented in court, seeking to block research on social media's impact on youth mental health, stories linking teen suicides to social media, and any mention of the company's finances or past privacy violations [2][4]. - The company has also requested to exclude discussions about CEO Mark Zuckerberg's college years and a public health warning from former US surgeon general Vivek Murthy regarding social media's effects on youth mental health [5]. Group 3: Expert Opinions - Legal experts have noted that Meta's efforts to restrict information are unusually broad, particularly its requests to exclude mentions of its AI chatbots [4].
Waymo continues robotaxi ramp up with Miami service now open to public
TechCrunch· 2026-01-22 16:59
Core Insights - Waymo has launched its robotaxi service for the public in Miami, initially available to nearly 10,000 residents on its waitlist within a 60-square-mile area [1][2] - The company plans to expand its service to Miami International Airport soon, although no specific timeline has been provided [2] - Waymo's phased approach to launching services is becoming more common, having previously opened its robotaxis to the public in Phoenix in 2020 and expanding to other cities [4] Expansion Plans - Waymo aims to bring its robotaxi service to nearly a dozen more cities within the next year, including Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Nashville, London, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. [6] - The company has started testing in some of these cities using a mix of all-electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles and newer Zeekr RT vans [6] - By the end of 2026, Waymo expects to offer 1 million trips per week [6] Operational Challenges - The expansion has faced challenges, including incidents in cities like San Francisco where Waymo vehicles have created traffic jams [6] - Federal safety regulators, specifically the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, have opened an investigation into Waymo's operations around stopped school buses [7] - Complaints have been raised in Austin regarding Waymo vehicles passing school buses with activated stop signs, leading to a voluntary software recall to address the issue [8]
Under Armour says it's ‘aware' of data breach claims after 72M customer records were posted online
TechCrunch· 2026-01-22 15:28
Core Insights - Under Armour is investigating claims of a data breach after millions of customer records were posted on a hacker forum [1][2] - The breach was reportedly linked to the Everest ransomware gang, which claimed responsibility for the incident [1] - The breach notification site Have I Been Pwned informed 72 million individuals that their information had been compromised [2] Data Compromised - The stolen dataset includes names, email addresses, genders, dates of birth, and approximate locations based on postcode or ZIP code, as well as purchase information [2] - A sample of the stolen data provided to TechCrunch matches the types of data reported by Have I Been Pwned, including email addresses of Under Armour employees [3] Company Response - Under Armour's spokesperson stated that the company is aware of the claims and is conducting an ongoing investigation with external cybersecurity experts [3] - The spokesperson emphasized that there is currently no evidence suggesting that UA.com or systems used for payment processing or storing customer passwords were affected [3] Customer Impact - The spokesperson indicated that the number of affected customers with sensitive information is a very small percentage, but did not specify what constitutes "sensitive" information [4] - Under Armour has not confirmed whether it will notify customers whose information was compromised or if it has received any ransom demands from the hackers [5]
Not to be outdone by OpenAI, Apple is reportedly developing an AI wearable
TechCrunch· 2026-01-22 00:20
Core Insights - Apple is reportedly developing an AI wearable device, described as a pin that can be worn on clothing, featuring two cameras and three microphones [1][2] - The AI hardware market is becoming increasingly competitive, with OpenAI also planning to launch its first AI hardware device, potentially a pair of earbuds, later this year [2] - Apple's device is designed to be a thin, flat, circular disc, similar in size to an AirTag but slightly thicker, and will include various features such as a physical button, a speaker, and a charging strip [3][4] Market Context - The potential release of Apple's AI pin could occur in 2027, with an estimated launch of 20 million units [4] - Previous attempts at similar products, such as the AI pin from Humane AI, faced challenges and ultimately led to the company's shutdown, raising questions about consumer interest in such devices [5]
Apple plans to make Siri an AI chatbot, report says
TechCrunch· 2026-01-21 22:12
Core Insights - Apple's upcoming Siri revamp aims to transform the smart assistant into a chatbot similar to ChatGPT, potentially becoming a highlight of the WWDC presentation in June [1] Group 1: Siri Revamp - The Siri chatbot, codenamed "Campos," will support both voice and text inputs, indicating a shift in strategy from Apple's previous stance against making Siri a chatbot [2] - Apple senior vice president Craig Federighi had previously expressed a desire for Siri to be integrated into the user experience rather than functioning as a standalone chatbot [2] Group 2: Competitive Landscape - Apple may perceive a threat from OpenAI's plans to enter the hardware market, led by former Apple design head Jony Ive [3] - The company has been lagging in the AI sector, having delayed the rollout of a more personalized Siri and explored partnerships with AI competitors before ultimately selecting Google's Gemini as its AI partner [4]
Netflix to redesign its app as it competes with social platforms for daily engagement
TechCrunch· 2026-01-21 00:47
As YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram continue to dominate mobile viewing, Netflix is rethinking how its app fits into a social-first video landscape. During its fourth-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, the company announced plans to revamp its mobile app and expand its short-form video feature, which it mentions could help promote the new slate of original video podcasts it unveiled last week.Set to launch later in 2026, Netflix’s redesigned mobile app is intended to “better serve the expansion of our business ...