OpenAI is on the cusp of potentially boosting its worth to $100 billion. Talks are underway with Nvidia and Apple for their involvement in the firm’s forthcoming funding round, with Thrive Capital poised to spearhead the investment if it materializes, says The New York Times. Early this year, OpenAI’s yearly revenue surpassed $3.4 billion, yet projections suggest it may face a $5 billion deficit by the end of the year due to ramped-up AI development and recruitment drives.
X has started flagging NPR’s website links as “unsafe.” Clicking on these links to access the latest report on a dispute between a Trump campaign worker and an Arlington National Cemetery staff member triggers a warning typical of harmful links. The rationale behind X’s alert for NPR’s site remains puzzling, sparking debates over X’s intent to hinder the spread of the news story.
Lyft initiates a new trial scheme to authenticate riders’ identities, enhancing its safety protocols. A verification badge will now appear next to riders’ profiles to show that Lyft has confirmed their use of real names. This initiative is being introduced across Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Phoenix, and Seattle.
This is the TechCrunch Week in Review, summarizing the week’s top stories. For direct delivery to your email every Saturday, subscribe here.
News

Don’t expect ChatGPT to ace a spelling contest anytime soon: It mistakenly claims the letter “r” appears only twice in “strawberry.” This is because the underlying LLMs do not truly “read” the data they process. Read more
Apple announces further workforce reductions: About 100 positions within its digital services division are being eliminated, impacting teams behind the Apple Books and Apple News apps. Read more
A new AI innovation from Plaud: The AI-driven NotePin by Plaud specializes in note-taking. Wearable as either a necklace or wristband, it lets users record and transcribe meetings or notes using OpenAI’s GPT-4o technology. Read more
Spotify accuses Apple: Spotify alleges Apple could be breaching the Digital Markets Act once more, following Apple’s discontinuation of a feature enabling Spotify listeners to adjust volume on linked devices through iPhone’s physical controls. Read more
Tesla embarks on a digital cleanse: The automaker has scrubbed all its blog content prior to 2019 from the web, obliterating part of its online chronicle. Although archives remain on archive.org, neither Tesla nor Elon Musk have provided reasons for the deletion. Read more
Join us for the revealing of iPhone 16: After a mixed summer, Apple is all set to dazzle with its iPhone 16 debut. The launch event is scheduled for September 9 at 10 a.m. PT, and here’s how you can stream it live. Read more
Tumblr transitions to WordPress: Post its acquisition by Automattic in 2019, Tumblr will migrate its backend to WordPress. Fear not, bloggers; Tumblr’s essence will remain, now powered by WordPress. Read more
Introducing the AI health expert: Google’s Gemini AI has been trained on 300 million samples of coughs, sniffles, and breath sounds to spot health issues and predict disease early signs. Read more
Analysis

Experiencing the repercussions of a cyber breach at Seattle’s airport: Days following the Port of Seattle’s acknowledgment of a “potential” cybersecurity threat, operations at Seattle-Tacoma Airport have faced major disruptions, throwing travelers into disarray. This real-world scenario, faced by TechCrunch’s Devin Coldewey, underscores the critical importance of robust cybersecurity protocols. Read more
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