This generative AI startup is strapping cameras to people’s backs

A startup is training an AI system that it claims will enable creators to generate cinematic worlds, with complete control over the scenery, characters, lighting, and motion. How? By having humans strap cameras to their backs and hike around the world. Odyssey, founded by self-driving pioneers Oli

Stepful raises $31.5M to address healthcare staffing shortage with AI-powered training

Carl Madi spent a chunk of the last decade working for Uber and Handy, an online marketplace for cleaners. “I spent a lot of time convincing drivers, handyman, and cleaners to join the gig economy,” he told technewss. But when the pandemic struck, he saw many people lose their jobs ove

Spotify teases a ‘super premium’ tier for superfans and upcoming video expansion in Q3 earnings call

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has once again teased the company’s long-delayed HiFi or “super premium” tier, a higher-qualify subscription offering the streaming service first announced in 2021 and then failed to roll out. In the company’s third-quarter earnings call with investor

This Week in AI: Anthropic’s CEO talks scaling up AI and Google predicts floods

Hiya, folks, welcome to technewss's regular AI newsletter. If you want this in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. On Monday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei sat in for a five-hour podcast interview with AI influencer Lex Fridman. The two covered a range of topics, from timelines for su

Ever wanted to rent a food delivery robot? Now you can.

Good news for anyone who's ever wanted to rent a delivery robot. Kiwibot this week announced a new “rent a robot” offering, making it possible for companies to use its army of autonomous delivery systems for a finite amount of time. The robot-as-a-service (RaaS) approach follows the startu

AMD lays off 4% of its workforce

AMD has confirmed that it’s laying off 4% of its workforce to focus on “large growth opportunities.” It’s unclear how many workers have been impacted by the reduction — and which divisions. AMD had roughly 26,000 employees as of last year, according to the company's

Starfish Space raises $29M to launch satellite-servicing spacecraft missions

Starfish Space has closed a new tranche of funding led by a major defense tech investor as it looks to launch three full-size satellite servicing and inspection spacecraft in 2026.  The Washington-based startup's Otter spacecraft is designed for two primary missions: extending the operational

Lyten buys battery manufacturing assets from beleaguered Northvolt

Lyten, a Silicon Valley battery startup, announced today that it's acquiring manufacturing assets from Northvolt, a Swedish battery manufacturer that's facing a cash crunch. As part of the deal, Northvolt is selling manufacturing equipment the company inherited in its 2021 acquisition of C

Almost all of this year's top 40 startups at Station F use AI

Every year, more than 1,000 startups join Station F, the iconic startup campus in Paris. As it can be hard to sift through 1,000 startup descriptions, Station F selects the 40 most promising startups and shares a list of what it calls the “Future 40.” The campus also invests in 10 of th

Apple now lets app developers apply to be featured on the App Store

App developers now have a new way to promote their app launches, updates, and other new features on Apple’s App Store. First announced at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Apple this week introduced a “Featuring Nominations” option in App Store Connect,

Amazon takes on Temu and Shein with discount ‘Amazon Haul’ store

Amazon has rolled out its answer to the discounted, low-cost storefronts of Temu and Shein. The Amazon Haul store, currently available on the mobile app or mobile web browser exclusively, offers similar mass-produced, discounted items, most of which ship from China. It’s a departure from Amaz

Hot Topic data breach exposed personal data of 57 million customers

Millions of customers of Hot Topic have been informed that their personal data was compromised during an October data breach at the American retailer. Have I Been Pwned (HIBP), the breach notification service, said this week that it alerted 57 million Hot Topic customers that their data had been

Nokia acquires Rapid, the API company once valued at $1B

Nokia, once the world’s biggest mobile phone company but now mainly a provider of infrastructure and services to carriers, has made an acquisition in its bid to be a bridge between the worlds of tech and telecoms. It’s acquiring Rapid, formerly known as RapidAPI, a startup that operates

Leland lands $12 million to grow its coaching platform

Coaching platform Leland has raised $12 million in Series A funding led by Forerunner Ventures with participation from GSV ventures to grow its platform geared toward matching coaches and aspirants to fulfill goals ranging from getting into a university to passing an entrance exam and excelling at