Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxis experienced disruptions across Wuhan, China, with some passengers reportedly stranded for up to two hours, as outlined by several media sources along with a multitude of video and social media posts.

Baidu has yet to disclose the reason behind the extensive outage. Nevertheless, local police indicated it was a “system failure” impacting at least 100 robotaxis, as reported by Reuters. The unspecified technical malfunction led to robotaxis abruptly becoming unresponsive — and occasionally in perilous locations like the fast lane of highways, according to Wired. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the incident.

Baidu did not provide a response to TechCrunch’s emailed inquiry for comments.

Baidu is among the foremost robotaxi operators in China and has made strides into the Middle East. Last year, the firm announced its intention to roll out a fleet of over 1,000 autonomous vehicles in Dubai in the coming years.

The recent outage involving Baidu is the latest event to spark concerns about the safety of robotaxis and their effects on local populations. This issue extends beyond China as well; a significant power outage in California last December disabled traffic lights, causing Waymo vehicles to become immobilized.

The founders of Sonder were tired of coming across yet another dating app profile in which someone confidently stated that their most contentious opinion is their appreciation for pineapple on pizza. 

“We didn’t find out that people were frustrated through user interviews or calls or any such methods,” co-founder Mehedi Hassan mentioned to TechCrunch. “It was our own experiences that taught us — we just thought, this can’t be the end.” 

This realization — that dating apps feel like unending misery — is as unremarkable as flaunting on Hinge that you were Time Magazine’s Person of the Year back in 2006 (which we all were!). Consequently, Hassan and three friends, all in their mid-twenties, embarked on creating an app that would bring something better.

Through Sonder, the quartet of founders based in London — Mehedi Hassan, Helen Sun, Lenard Pratt, and Hannah Kin — aimed to fashion an app that resembled Pinterest or MySpace more than a standard job application. (They cite MySpace as a source of inspiration, even though they were too young to have experienced it during its heyday.)

“In the setup of current dating apps, the goal is to simplify entry and enhance access, making it easier for introverts to connect with numerous individuals,” co-founder Helen Sun stated to TechCrunch. “Those initial intentions were commendable, but as those apps have evolved, I think it has turned into a pretty tedious experience, leading to people feeling drained due to a drop in authenticity.” 

Sonder profiles are entirely flexible, motivating users to create something that resembles a mood board or a digital collage. Individuals can connect via the app, but they also have the opportunity to participate in quirky in-person events organized by Sonder, such as a “Speed Drawing” night, “Presentation Evening,” or a “Performative Male Contest” (it’s genuinely a thing, I assure you).  

Sonder can facilitate both platonic and romantic relationships, making its in-person gatherings feel less daunting — you’re not entering a room where everyone is seeking a partner.

“We host recurring events, as it’s pleasant when regular participants return,” Sun remarked. “It’s akin to running clubs in a sense, where there’s this consistent chance to meet people, but there’s no pressure to make it work on the first encounter.”

Running clubs have emerged as a popular means for people to meet face-to-face — the allure for “productivity-maximizers” is that even if you don’t forge a new connection, you at least achieve a workout. However, not everyone enjoys running, nor does everyone feel their most charming when they have visible perspiration.

“I despise running,” Hassan adds. “Not everyone’s going to be interested in running clubs… Helen enjoys book clubs, but you couldn’t pay me to attend one.”

Sonder is not the first startup to realize that individuals might want to meet in real life. Even Tinder, the epitome of dating apps, is introducing in-person activities. However, users are keen to venture into something fresh. For dating applications, early-stage startups often can gain from their lack of brand recognition — attending an IRL Tinder event seems as appealing as visiting the DMV, whereas trying out something novel feels more welcoming.

“I think our goal is to reintroduce that magic of bringing individuals together and meeting someone for the first time,” Sun explained. “It should feel special, not like swiping through job applications on LinkedIn.”

Established dating platforms are also rolling out flashy new features, such as Bumble’s AI-powered dating assistant and a tool Tinder is piloting that analyzes photos from users’ camera rolls to better understand them.

Sonder does not shy away from AI. Hassan works in product engineering at Granola, an AI note-taking app based in London that recently garnered $125 million at a valuation of $1.5 billion. However, he recognizes that Sonder’s users — around 6,500 in London, all acquired without paid advertising — generally express less enthusiasm for intrusive AI uses in their dating experiences.

Sonder does utilize AI, nonetheless. It’s just more understated about it compared to mainstream applications. The app recommends matches by using an LLM to assess screenshots of user profiles, identifying who the user may be interested in meeting. However, Hassan emphasizes that he refuses to implement any AI-based profile-creation tools.

“At that stage, it loses the human element,” he stated. “So even if we might be missing out on hundreds of users, and the process of setting up the profile is more cumbersome, we want to ensure it’s a real person putting in their own effort to create that profile, as that serves as an indicator of how invested they actually are in their connections.”

Sonder has not yet secured funding, and its founders are working on the app part-time, alongside their regular jobs. Nevertheless, Hassan aspires for Sonder to obtain funding and evolve into a full-time initiative while remaining based in London.

“Our lives are quite exhausting for us, to be fair. We work nine to five, and then we host events at the end of the day,” he mentioned. “But the following day, when I review the videos, it’s genuinely uplifting to see people smiling and engaging in meaningful conversations.”

Investment in global startups reached $297 billion in Q1 2026, setting a new record, as per the latest data from Crunchbase. This marks a staggering 2.5x growth from the $118 billion secured in the preceding quarter. This quarterly total exceeds the entire annual global VC investments recorded before 2019.

This extraordinary surge was driven by just four colossal deals, each establishing its own record.

Last month, OpenAI revealed its valuation at $852 billion following a $122 billion funding round, breaking the previous record for the largest funding round ever, which was also set by OpenAI when it raised $40 billion last year.

The quarter also witnessed Anthropic, its primary competitor, garnering $30 billion at a valuation of $380 billion. This funding round became the third-largest VC round on record. The other two significant deals of the quarter included a $20 billion fundraising by xAI and Waymo securing $16 billion.

These four rounds together amassed $188 billion, comprising over 63% of the total funding for the quarter.

Although it may seem that fundraising is following a more conventional path without these deals, anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. Investors and founders indicate, for instance, that seed-phase AI startups are attracting larger investments and achieving higher valuations at earlier stages than ever before.

Apple has rolled out a security update for older iPhones and iPads aimed at safeguarding against a leaked collection of advanced hacking tools capable of extracting data from a user’s device.

On Wednesday, the tech giant announced the release of iOS 18.7.7 and iPadOS 18.7.7 to enable a wider range of devices to “obtain crucial security defenses against web threats dubbed DarkSword.”

DarkSword is a hacking framework that can infiltrate Apple devices operating on iOS 18.4 to 18.7 simply by a user accessing a website that contains the malicious code, including trusted sites that have themselves suffered breaches. The exploits capture a user’s device data, encompassing their messages, web browsing histories, location information, and cryptocurrency, and transmit the data to a server managed by the attackers.

These tools have already been observed in specific attacks targeting individuals in China, Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine. However, with the tools now available online, security experts caution that anyone can utilize these hacking tools to target users with older versions of Apple’s mobile operating system.

Apple states that users on its latest software, iOS 26, were safeguarded weeks prior. Furthermore, the company has issued a new update for iOS 18 users with iPhones and iPads that cannot operate on the iOS 26 software.

With Wednesday’s update, Apple has now delivered DarkSword countermeasures for the millions of users with unpatched devices that can update to iOS 26 but have opted not to. Some users have chosen to refrain from updating to evade the software’s new “liquid glass” interface that has received user criticism.

Wired reported earlier on Wednesday that Apple was preparing to announce the update.

Apple users who have enabled automatic software updates should obtain the new software. Apple mentioned that its optional security feature, Lockdown Mode, also protects against DarkSword attacks. The company informed TechCrunch last week that it is unaware of any successful government spyware attempts against an Apple device utilizing Lockdown Mode.

Data centers have expanded to such an extent that their energy requirements now match those of entire U.S. states. Consider the Hyperion AI data center by Meta. Once finished, this data center will consume as much power as South Dakota.

Recently, Meta revealed plans to finance seven natural gas power facilities — in addition to the three previously pledged — to sustain the $27 billion data center. Together, these 10 power plants in Louisiana are expected to produce approximately 7.5 gigawatts of electricity, a bit more than what the entire Mount Rushmore State can generate. 

Like several tech firms, Meta has promoted its climate and environmental credentials over time. The company regularly issues sustainability reports and often boasts about its renewable energy acquisitions. It effectively secured a nuclear power facility for two decades.

The Hyperion data center location in Louisiana will evaluate the firm’s commitments.

Natural gas has been praised as a “bridge fuel” — construct a few natural gas power plants now while renewables, batteries, and nuclear energy develop further. This is likely how Meta rationalizes the decision internally. 

However, the bridge fuel argument has been around for decades, and it’s becoming less convincing. Prices for renewables and batteries have drastically decreased, while costs for gas turbines have surged. Meta has emerged as a significant buyer of solar, batteries, and nuclear energy in recent years, making its choice to heavily invest in natural gas all the more puzzling.

TechCrunch reached out to Meta. The company did not respond to several requests for comments.

The enormous turbines in Louisiana are projected to release 12.4 million metric tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere annually, based on TechCrunch’s calculations, which utilize data from the Department of Energy. This amount is 50% higher than Meta’s total carbon footprint in 2024, the latest year for which such statistics are available. 

That estimate likely underrepresents the climate effects, as it does not account for leaks from the natural gas supply chain. 

Methane, the primary constituent of natural gas, has a global warming potential 84 times greater than that of carbon dioxide. Leakage rates of just 0.2% along the supply chain can render the climate impact of natural gas worse than that of coal. In the U.S., natural gas extraction and transportation lose methane at a rate closer to 3%. This is hardly considered clean energy.

The company’s most recent sustainability report makes no reference to methane leaks. It does not mention methane or natural gas at all. Yet, this fuel is set to become one of the largest factors contributing to Meta’s carbon footprint in the upcoming years.

The company may indeed adhere to its climate commitments and devise methods to negate those emissions through carbon removal credits. However, it will now require significantly more of those credits, alongside a transparent assessment of the actual methane leakage entering the atmosphere to support its new power facilities.

In an attempt to reclaim its former fame, the celebrity greeting application Cameo has introduced a new integration with TikTok, enabling U.S. creators to provide customized Cameo videos directly to their supporters through the short-video platform.

This fresh collaboration intends to assist creators in boosting their income while making it easier for fans to request Cameo videos. Creators now have the option to register and deliver personalized messages within TikTok, streamlining the process for their followers to enjoy this service right alongside the content they already consume. For those who are already present on Cameo, this integration allows them to connect with a more extensive audience.

This integration represents a strategic initiative for Cameo as it leverages the millions of creators on TikTok and their vast fan bases. TikTok creators form one of the rapidly expanding segments on the platform, with famous figures like Ash Trevino, Alex Dougherty, and Smooth Papi currently leading Cameo’s rankings.

Cameo’s CEO Steven Galanis emphasized in the announcement that “Cameo videos frequently go viral on TikTok” and remarked, “TikTok talent had its most successful year yet on Cameo in 2025.”

At its peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cameo was valued at $1 billion, offering fans the chance to connect with their beloved celebrities through personalized video messages. Nonetheless, the company faced a dramatic decline in 2024, seeing its valuation diminish by more than 90%. It has also struggled to fulfill its financial responsibilities, including a significant $600,000 penalty from the Federal Trade Commission. To regain visibility last year, Cameo introduced a birthday planning app called Candl.

The alliance also mirrors wider trends in the media environment, where businesses increasingly acknowledge the importance of influencers to enrich their services. Streaming platforms such as Tubi and Peacock have recently collaborated with well-known creators to develop original content.

TikTok currently features various tools that foster engagement between fans and creators, including the ability to send tips and virtual gifts, subscribe, and a newly launched “bulletin board” for creators to communicate public messages to their followers. 

The new Cameo integration also coincides with recent announcements regarding new advertising formats and a concealed emoji game accessible in direct messages.

WhatsApp has informed approximately 200 users who were deceived into downloading a rogue version of the chat application that included spyware. 

WhatsApp has accused the Italian spyware company SIO of developing a counterfeit version of its messaging application for iPhones, as per an announcement the company released to TechCrunch.  

“Our security team proactively identified about 200 users mainly in Italy whom we suspect may have installed this malicious unofficial client,” WhatsApp stated in its announcement. “We have logged them out, warned [them] of the privacy and security risks associated with downloading fake unofficial clients, and urged them to uninstall it and acquire the official WhatsApp app.”

WhatsApp representative Margarita Franklin informed TechCrunch that the company currently cannot disclose further details about the users it informed, such as whether they were journalists or civil society members. 

“Our focus has been on safeguarding the users who may have been misled into downloading this counterfeit iOS application,” Franklin stated. 

In its announcement, WhatsApp also mentioned plans to “issue a formal legal demand to cease any such malicious actions against this spyware entity.”

The news was first reported by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica and the news agency ANSA.

Last year, TechCrunch uncovered that SIO was responsible for a range of malicious Android applications containing its spyware, including counterfeit versions of WhatsApp, as well as bogus customer support tools for mobile networks. SIO’s spyware was recognized by the name Spyrtacus, a term found in the spyware’s coding.

Utilizing counterfeit applications against surveillance targets is a well-established strategy employed by authorities in Italy, who frequently receive cooperation from mobile network providers, sending phishing links to their clientele on behalf of law enforcement.

SIO develops government spyware through its subsidiary ASIGINT. 

Apple and SIO did not respond to a request for comments. 

WhatsApp’s recent announcement follows a year after the company warned approximately 90 users that they had been targeted with spyware developed by the U.S.-Israeli surveillance technology firm Paragon Solutions. WhatsApp sent those alerts to journalists and pro-immigration advocates, among others, igniting a significant scandal throughout Italy. 

In response, Paragon severed its connections with Italy’s intelligence agencies, which had been its customers.

The most cutting-edge silicon chips have propelled the evolution of artificial intelligence. Can AI now reciprocate?

Cognichip is creating a deep learning model designed to aid engineers in the creation of new computer chips. The challenge it aims to address is one that the industry has grappled with for decades: Chip design is incredibly intricate, prohibitively costly, and time-consuming. High-end chips require three to five years to transition from idea to mass production; the design stage itself can take up to two years before physical layout commences. Consider that Nvidia’s latest GPU line, Blackwell, comprises 104 billion transistors — that’s a significant number to organize.

According to Cognichip CEO and founder Faraj Aalaei, the market can shift during the time taken to develop a new chip, rendering substantial investments futile. Aalaei aims to introduce the types of AI tools that software engineers have utilized to expedite their tasks into the semiconductor design realm. 

“These systems have reached a level of intelligence where, by merely directing them and specifying the desired outcome, they can generate excellent code,” Aalaei shared with TechCrunch.

He asserts that the company’s technology has the potential to lower chip development costs by over 75% and drastically shorten timelines by more than half. 

The company emerged from stealth mode last year and announced Wednesday that it secured $60 million in new funding led by Seligman Ventures, with significant contributions from Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who invested through his venture firm Walden Catalyst Ventures and will join Cognichip’s board. Umesh Padval, a managing partner at Seligman, will also become a board member. In total, Cognichip has raised $93 million since its inception in 2024.

However, Cognichip has not yet revealed a new chip that has been designed using its system and did not disclose any customer collaborations it claims to have engaged in since September. 

The company claims its advantage lies in employing its own model trained on chip design data, rather than utilizing a general-purpose LLM. This required the acquisition of domain-specific training data, which is a significant challenge. Distinct from software developers, who openly share large volumes of code, chip designers closely protect their intellectual property, making the type of open-source dataset that usually trains AI coding assistants largely inaccessible.

Cognichip has had to create its own datasets, including synthetic data, and obtain licenses for data from partners. The company has also devised processes that enable chip manufacturers to securely train Cognichip’s models on their proprietary data without revealing it.

In instances where proprietary data is unavailable, Cognichip has relied on open-source alternatives. In one demonstration last year, Cognichip invited electrical engineering students from San Jose State University to experiment with the model during a hackathon. The teams managed to utilize the model to create CPUs based on the RISC-V open-source chip architecture — a design that is freely accessible for anyone to build upon.

Cognichip is up against established competitors like Synopsys and Cadence Design Systems, as well as well-funded newcomers like ChipAgents, which completed a $74 million extended Series A in February, and Ricursive, which secured a $300 million Series A round in January.

Padval noted that the current influx of capital into AI infrastructure is the largest he has observed in his 40 years of investing.

“If it’s a super cycle for semiconductors and hardware, it’s a super cycle for companies like [Cognichip],” he stated.

SpaceX, the tech enterprise established by Elon Musk, has reportedly submitted confidential disclosures to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in anticipation of an initial public offering. Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, suggests that SpaceX may target a valuation of $1.75 trillion.

As outlined by SEC regulations, a private firm is permitted to submit its IPO registration statement confidentially 15 days prior to initiating share marketing to public investors, enabling it to gather feedback from the regulator privately. Furthermore, the company has assembled an unusually large roster of 21 banks to oversee the massive IPO, internally referred to as “Project Apex,” as reported by Reuters on Tuesday.

The firm aims to secure $75 billion, which would establish it as the largest IPO in history, eclipsing the record set by Saudi Aramco’s $29 billion listing in 2019. SpaceX has raised around $10 billion while operating as a private entity.

Established in 2002, SpaceX stands as the premier space company globally, operating a fleet of reusable rockets and spacecraft, alongside managing a 10,000-satellite communications network, Starlink. Musk introduced Silicon Valley’s ethos to the conventional realm of space contracting, transforming the industry and instigating a surge in private technology ventures and space startups.

In February, SpaceX acquired Musk’s xAI for a deal that valued the entity at $1.25 trillion. The conglomerate now encompasses xAI, Musk’s advanced generative AI lab, and X, the social media platform formerly recognized as Twitter.

Musk has stated for years that SpaceX would remain private until its spacecraft reached Mars, but a heightened demand for funding has altered that perspective, even as the company has readjusted its goals to target the moon. Recently, Musk indicated that the firm plans to deploy a network consisting of up to a million data center satellites in space, constructed and launched from Earth’s closest celestial body.

SpaceX requires substantial funds to develop Starship, the fully reusable heavy-lift rocket critical to its future business strategy and NASA’s quest to outpace China to the moon; to acquire spectrum and replenish its Starlink satellites as they age; and to finance the computing necessary for building and running xAI’s deep learning models.