Oracle has issued a force majeure notification to the creator of Project Jupiter, a Stargate data center facility located in New Mexico, as first reported by Bloomberg on Thursday.

Force majeure provisions, often found in energy and commodities agreements, exempt a party from its contractual duties when unforeseen circumstances arise. According to sources from Bloomberg, Oracle is not looking to withdraw as the primary tenant of the campus. Rather, the notification would permit the company to postpone payments if the facility fails to meet its 2028 operational deadline.

This notification comes amid increasing scrutiny of AI data center development nationally, as developers face high costs to establish capacity for clients such as OpenAI.

Oracle asserts that it does not anticipate a delay. “Project Jupiter remains on our planned timeline,” Oracle stated in a message to CNBC. “We are fully dedicated to New Mexico and confident in our future direction.”

Blue Owl Capital, whose division received the notification, expressed in its own message to CNBC that “this notice does not alter the financial obligations associated with this multi-year initiative.”

Neither Oracle nor Blue Owl responded promptly to TechCrunch’s inquiries for remarks.

Nonetheless, the notification follows a series of challenges at the location, many related to its energy source. The campus, designed to support 2.45 gigawatts, is expected to operate using gas-powered fuel cells from Bloom Energy, making a steady gas supply crucial to its timeline.

An Energy Transfer pipeline meant to supply gas to the site has also been postponed by nearly six months, now set for February 1, 2027, due to regulatory setbacks in securing permits for the pipeline. In August, Bloomberg reported that the route of the pipeline was altered following those denials. Additionally, an air-quality permit for the fuel cell system intended to power the campus is still pending. The state’s environmental department has until November 23 to make a decision.

Project Jupiter is a key site within Stargate, the AI infrastructure venture Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank introduced with President Donald Trump early in his second term. The campus has faced opposition from local residents and environmental organizations, becoming a contentious issue leading up to the midterm elections. Oracle has countered with a public outreach effort within the state to win over the project’s detractors, as reported by Bloomberg.

Is Meta’s recently revealed Muse Charm a fun gadget designed to make AI more accessible to common users, or will it just be another failure among the myriad of AI hardware devices that flopped, like the Ai Pin, Rabbit, or Friend pendant? So far, the feedback has been varied. Nevertheless, what the Charm represents is very much in line with current trends.

Whether one likes it or not, the design could attract Gen Z users who, in this post-Labubu phase, have shown interest in a variety of dangling accessories attached to keychains and bags. This shift is part of a wider kitschy, retro-influenced movement in their style choices regarding fashion and technology.

Gen Z has already established a market for dangling items, from lip glosses to hand sanitizers to sun protection and fragrances, all transformed into bag charms, mainly aimed at women.

Hailey Bieber’s trending Rhode lip case, which attached lip gloss to a phone case, significantly influenced the notion that beauty items could also serve as fashion accessories, alongside other beauty-themed bag charms. (The brand recorded $212 million in annual net sales from a lineup of around 10 products, as Vogue reported last year when the company announced its billion-dollar sale to Elf Beauty.)

Additionally, the Labubu phenomenon led to the surge in sales of the so-ugly-it’s-cute fuzzy monster bag charm, pushing Pop Mart’s (the Chinese brand behind the product) revenue to $1.8 billion in 2024, which is a 7x increase from 2019. Even though the Labubu’s popularity has since waned, the notion of decorative bag charms remains strong. One research firm projects the global bag charm market will surpass $1 billion by 2030.

Currently, bag charms may take the form of characters, embellished beauty items, or other fanciful creations, such as Coach’s sought-after cherry charms, a top choice among Gen Z. Their popularity lies in the fact that they allow for personal expression, similar to how people have long done through their fashion selections, cosmetics, and adornments.

In a similar vein, Meta’s Muse is a customizable figure; you create your own avatar, which makes the AI agent a representation of yourself as well.

Moreover, as many have observed, the Muse Charm’s design brings to mind a Tamagotchi, the portable digital pet that became a significant toy craze in the late 90s and again in the mid-2000s.

However, the Tamagotchi is not the most recent example. The Muse Charm appears to be an adaptation of what some younger individuals are already doing with their Apple Watch. Frequently intended as a method to repurpose an older gadget, the idea of the Apple Watch keychain or charm is gaining traction, spurred on by TikTok videos showcasing various ways to utilize the watch when it’s not worn on the wrist.

On platforms like Amazon and Walmart, as well as marketplaces like eBay and Etsy, thousands of Apple Watch keychains, bands, pendants, lanyards, clips, and bag charm cases are now available in nearly every imaginable style. Unsurprisingly, these keychain watches are often embraced by younger women primarily as fashion pieces, rather than merely technological devices.

This scenario intertwines with the wider retro-tech movement, which has witnessed the resurgence of older technologies such as digital cameras, flip phones, iPods, CDs, cassette tapes, home phones, and wired headphones.

This shift in technology comes at a time when young individuals express that the addictive, algorithm-dominated feeds and the “soulless” nature of tech make them feel increasingly disconnected, which has also contributed to the trend of seeking tactile technology. (One startup, Clicks, is even reviving the physical phone keyboard in a BlackBerry-alike device, for example.)

For Gen Z, these tangible items help them feel more connected to the technology they engage with and provide a sense of agency in a realm where technology has become so deeply woven into daily life that using it feels more like an obligation than a choice.

Young women have once again been leading this movement, with some even creating their own portable, mini computers, referred to as “cyberdecks,” which they fit into clamshell bags or specialty cases and adorn with gems, flowers, stickers, pearls, and other elements to give them a more personalized touch.

This brings us back to the Muse Charm. While it’s evidently crafted with the tech-as-fashion accessory trend in mind, its success is not guaranteed.

Meta has significantly undermined consumer trust over the years, perhaps to an extent that full recovery may be impossible.

For instance, the tech behemoth had to resolve issues with the FTC regarding allegations of misleading consumers by making their private information public without consent, and has faced penalties from the FTC for numerous privacy infractions. In 2023, the FTC accused Meta of breaching a privacy order established after the 2019 settlement. It has repeatedly appeared before Congress due to its impact on minors, has either lost or settled several lawsuits regarding similar issues, and has faced numerous whistleblower revelations of its misdeeds.

Such reckless privacy practices may ultimately result in Meta failing to become the preferred consumer AI… unless, of course, consumers conclude that the “known devil” is preferable to the one that remains unfamiliar. (Especially when the alternative warns that AI could endanger humanity.)

Meta’s ultimate aim is, after all, targeted and personalized advertisements. If accessing free AI comes at the cost of privacy — Meta intends to make money from Muse by imposing a nominal fee on transactions — consumers might be open to taking the risk.

On Thursday, Databricks revealed its acquisition of an emerging spreadsheet startup named Row Zero.

According to reports, Databricks’ finance team became enamored with Row Zero due to its capability as a cloud tool that can handle over 1 million live spreadsheet rows. They sought to integrate Row Zero with Databricks’ proprietary AI agent known as Genie. This integration allows Databricks users to utilize natural-language prompts for complex business inquiries about their data in Databricks systems, including analyzing profit margins or assessing the status of sales prospects.

When the executive team inquired about the cloud tool favored by the finance team, a realization occurred.

“Spreadsheets are a beloved interface among business analysts. Therefore, it is logical to combine Business Intelligence (BI), Agents, and Spreadsheets!” Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi shared on X regarding the acquisition process.

Thus, an organization’s secure data resides in Databricks’ cloud storage, allowing AI agents and humans to interact with it via the familiar spreadsheet format and formulas, instead of adopting and learning different business intelligence software. By merging Row Zero with Databricks, data can be handled in a spreadsheet format while remaining secure, instead of being converted to an insecure spreadsheet that is circulated broadly.

The specifics of the deal have not been revealed. Row Zero, started by ex-AWS and Tableau engineers, secured $10 million in May 2025, with an estimated valuation of $40 million at that time, as per PitchBook.

Databricks, which secured another $5 billion in funding in August and achieved a $7 billion annualized revenue run rate, has been actively acquiring in 2026 and plans to continue this trend. “We plan to undertake many more acquisitions similar to this in the future,” Ghodsi informed TechCrunch.

In March, Databricks acquired two startups: Quotient AI, focusing on evaluation and reinforcement learning for AI agents, and the early-stage interactive notebook SiftD.ai. In June, the company purchased AI security operations center startup Panther, which had a valuation of $1.4 billion in 2021. Last month, it acquired Electric, creators of a compact, lightweight Postgres database called PGlite, beneficial for agents operating locally on devices.

Google has introduced a new AI-driven capability that transforms pictures of your clothing into a virtual wardrobe — a feature seemingly inspired by Cher’s legendary digital closet app showcased in the film “Clueless” — which is now accessible to all users in the U.S., Brazil, and India, on both iOS and Android platforms.

The tech giant revealed this feature earlier in the year, aiming to initiate the rollout during the summer. Android users were the first to access it, beginning in June, and now all Android and iOS users in the designated regions can utilize the virtual closet.

The concept of a virtual closet in “Clueless” was intended to showcase Cher’s affluent lifestyle, where her extensive collection of outfits necessitated a digital solution for selecting attire and maintaining organization. Now, this technology is available for everyone, without needing to be a wealthy teenager from Beverly Hills.

Google employs AI to replicate your wardrobe, pulling from the clothing depicted in your photos. The app allows you to filter items by categories such as tops, bottoms, jewelry, and more, enabling you to mix and match for outfit creation.

According to Google, the feature is crafted to support users, and information regarding your dressing habits or clothing choices is not shared with external parties, including retailers.

The extensive launch of the virtual closet feature is accompanied by several other enhancements to Google Photos, including a method to select, brighten, and share images with a single command in Gemini Spark, an improved markup tool, and additional Remix templates that use AI for photo transformations. (The Gemini Spark feature necessitates a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription in the U.S.)

With the Markup feature, users can utilize a redacting pen to obscure sensitive data like license plates, access specific thickness adjustments for custom sketches, and choose from various fonts when adding text to images.

For those on Android, there are also fresh photo filters named “Moods,” enabling you to apply various aesthetics to your pictures, such as 35mm film, 2000s digital camera styles, and more.

The TechCrunch Founder Summit is a day-long event occurring in Boston on November 4, where founders at various stages come together with leading VCs and seasoned entrepreneurs to acquire practical knowledge on establishing and expanding their businesses. This event is the latest in our extensive series of founder-focused gatherings, which are more intimate and engaging than Disrupt.

For those interested in a diverse array of speakers from Anthropic, Nvidia, OpenAI, and Benchmark, tickets for Disrupt are still available here. However, for founders eager to delve deeply in a one-day intense experience, the Founder Summit is the perfect setting to kickstart your plans for 2027.

Before you immerse yourself in the event specifics, you can find details on all ticket options, which are currently offered at a $200 discount for investors and founders, right here.

Who is TechCrunch Founder Summit aimed at? 

Every founder encounters the intricate, challenging aspects of creating a company from scratch. This includes securing funding, recruitment, legal matters, marketing, public relations, and leadership, alongside investors who require the capacity to assess, invest in, and nurture founders as they enhance their abilities.

The Founder Summit serves as the best venue to tackle all the tough questions with peers who’ve experienced both constructive failure and substantial success.

When and where will the TechCrunch Founder Summit take place? 

The event is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at the SoWa Power Station in Boston. It’s reachable via public transit and a brief walk from the Back Bay and Tufts Medical Center stops on the Orange Line, or the Broadway stop on the Red Line.

What’s on the agenda for the TechCrunch Founder Summit? 

To fulfill the commitment of preparing founders for success, this year’s agenda and speakers emphasize fundraising, AI-driven building, and leadership. The sessions include:

• The New Guidelines for Raising Capital: Brian Devaney, partner at Underscore, explaining what investors currently seek and where founders might unintentionally lose leverage. 
• The CEO Role Never Becomes Easier: HubSpot co-founder and Sequoia partner Brian Halligan discussing how the CEO role evolves at each growth phase. 
• Engineered for AI From the Beginning: 7AI co-founder and CEO Lior Div exploring the changes that occur when AI is integrated as the core of a business rather than as an additional feature. 

• Identifying the ‘King of the Hill’ Company: TDK Ventures investment director Tina Tosukhowong providing a framework for assessing startups based on economics, scalability, and timing. 

• Your Business Reflects Your Hires: NEA partner Melissa Taunton on the primary hiring choices that influence a startup’s culture and execution. 

• The Boston Founder Strategy: HqO co-founder and CEO Chase Garbarino on how to establish a defining category company outside Silicon Valley, having successfully raised $200 million and expanded into over 30 countries.   

Was this event previously known by another name? 

Indeed. The Founder Summit was previously titled Early Stage and All Stage. This year, we maintain the same objective but with a refreshed name. Keep this in mind if you plan to conduct further research prior to attending.

Is the TechCrunch Founder Summit solely composed of panels, or is there more? 

The Founder Summit extends beyond merely panels; while the agenda offers a wealth of insights for founders and investors, the event also features breakout sessions where more intimate panels delve into critical topics for the community.

Additionally, there’s networking facilitated by the Braindate app, which helps connect investors with founders, or enables founders facing similar challenges to collaborate and develop collective solutions. This time is also ideal for students to enhance their emerging networks.

Furthermore, Founder Summit week occurs from November 1-7, during which all Side Events take place, enhancing the chances for community interactions. And if you’re particularly enthusiastic about participating, you can apply to host your own Side Event right here.

What is the cost of a ticket, and how can I secure the best deal? 

Ticket prices increase in phases, with the next adjustment occurring after October 16. The current pricing tiers are Investor for $399, Founder for $199, and students for $149. Purchasing a second ticket for a co-founder or colleague grants you a 50% discount on their entry. Additionally, group bundles for four or more provide further savings.

Is there a way to attend for free? 

Absolutely! We’re seeking volunteers to assist with event operations, and they will receive a behind-the-scenes experience in addition to complimentary access to programming beyond their shifts. Get further details about our program, which closes to new applicants on October 19, right here.

Where can I sign up and find additional information? 

You can explore the complete details of the event, including the latest speaker updates, full agenda, logistics, and more right here. Ticket information for all three tiers is accessible here. Remember, our current discounts conclude on October 16—act quickly before they vanish.

Meta’s personal AI assistant, Muse, has just emerged a few weeks ago, and the social media behemoth is quick to enhance what might be its most significant investment in consumer AI yet. 

CEO Mark Zuckerberg inaugurated the company’s yearly Connect event in Menlo Park on Wednesday with a keynote that underscored one clear message: Meta is fully committed to Muse. 

The Muse agent (known as Jolly in its physical avatar form, as per Zuckerberg) is engineered to manage daily tasks by linking to users’ applications and services, such as email and calendars. During Connect, Zuckerberg unveiled an array of new features and integrations aimed at making Muse more beneficial and seamlessly integrated into users’ everyday routines. Muse will be ubiquitous, if the user opts for it, including on their Meta AI spectacles. 

Muse, which made its debut in early September, interacts across a user’s devices and digital platforms. The agent runs on Muse Spark, Meta’s multimodal AI model tailored for agentic activities. Meta has promoted it as a more approachable assistant compared to those from rivals — an AI companion that, right from the start, empowers users to eliminate the tedious tasks in their lives. 

“The core of our vision for what we aim to create is Muse,” Zuckerberg stated as he commenced his keynote, dressed in khakis and a black T-shirt sporting the phrase “Building is My love Language.” “In the years ahead, I anticipate that Muse will evolve into the personal superintelligence that billions of individuals worldwide will utilize to achieve their ambitions and enhance their lives.”

Zuckerberg also envisions that Muse will generate revenue for its users — and eventually for Meta.

“We support this by offering Muse free for a substantial number of tokens, with the expectation that we will earn money by charging a small fee from transactions over time,” he stated.

Here are the fresh features and functionalities that captured our interest …

Muse receives its own digital avatar

Among the more entertaining announcements made on Wednesday is that Muse users will soon have the capability to create a personal digital avatar for their agent and then engage in real-time video chats with it. A novel AI model, Muse Realtime Avatar, has been created to enable this feature, according to the company.

The concept is that Meta’s formerly faceless AI software will be given a persona, complete with a face, body, and voice, enhancing its approachability. There’s definitely a touch of Metaverse vibes to this functionality, which was showcased live during Connect. Users will have the ability to engage in live discussions with this avatar, assigning it tasks and posing inquiries. 

Muse will also be integrated with Meta’s line of smart glasses, as announced by the company. This implies that users can interact with their agent simply by speaking to their glasses. The agent will activate in response to a wake word, and it will assist users in personalized workouts, meal logging, scheduling appointments, and aiding them in purchasing items they encounter. 

Meta indicated that Muse will operate in the background and will check back with users once it completes its tasks.

It remains uncertain exactly when this function will be accessible, although Meta claims it is expected to launch within “the coming months.” 

Shortly, you’ll be able to allow Muse to manage your Mac

Meta has announced that it is bringing Muse capabilities to Mac computers. The firm had previously mentioned Muse’s arrival on Mac and dedicated more time on Wednesday to elaborate on additional specifics. This means users will have the ability to assign tasks to the agent, and — similar to other well-known AI assistants from OpenAI and Anthropic — Muse will be capable of operating any application on a user’s desktop.

“You can have it assist in managing your small business, or simply handle work on your behalf,” said Meta’s chief AI officer Alexandr Wang during the keynote on Wednesday. “You can step away from your computer and it continues to handle all the tasks you have queued up.”

Muse will acquire its own email address

As Muse will consistently operate in the background, it will inevitably require its own email address. Meta’s Wang revealed that development on this feature is underway and will be rolled out “soon,” although no exact timeline was provided.

Users will also have the option to include Muse in an email thread or forward emails to the agent for it to manage on their behalf.

Meta has secured collaborations with businesses like Stripe and Shopify, indicating that the company views Muse as a vital e-commerce tool.

According to Wang, Muse can agentically access the entire Shopify product catalog and utilize Lync and now Shop Pay to purchase nearly anything online, noting that Meta has also enhanced payment support with PayPal.

Additionally, the company announced several new partnerships with retailers, including Best Buy, Gap, Sephora, Walmart, and Wayfair. Muse will be equipped to connect with these retail applications as well as with Expedia and soon, Instacart. Other integrations include GitHub, Granola, and Notion.

Wang highlighted that the company aims for Muse to link with small businesses as well. Meta has recently opened its platform to developers to create their own “connectors.” The firm received over 1,500 applications in under a week, he remarked, adding, “I believe this could represent a generational opportunity to start developing for a new platform as it gains traction, and the responses have been overwhelmingly positive so far.”

The AI charm has become somewhat of a stereotype in the tech world — items like Friend have reduced the concept of tangible AI to little more than a reason for eye-rolling among numerous consumers.

Nevertheless, Meta hasn’t refrained from entering the fray with its own AI accessory, named Muse Charm, which aims to offer consumers another method to remain connected to its newly introduced, and already well-received, personal AI assistant, Muse.

The gadget, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled in a “one more thing” highlight during the company’s annual Connect gathering, isn’t quite ready for release just yet. Zuckerberg mentioned that his team needed to “finalize the arrangement of the components” and assured that the devices would be “prepared to ship in time for the December holidays.”

The Muse assistant, which is presently represented by a charming digital character known internally as Jolly, resides within the palm-sized totem that users can carry in their pockets or attach to a keyring. The device features a small display that showcases the avatar symbolizing the assistant. Users can converse with the gadget, which can then presumably execute tasks on their behalf.

“We integrated the entire Muse experience, encompassing the full real-time voice and avatar system, into something that fits on a keychain and is always accessible for conversation,” Zuckerberg stated during Wednesday’s keynote. “You simply tap here on the fingerprint sensor in the corner, and you can start talking without the need to unlock a phone or launch an app.”

Zuckerberg added: “So if you’re not wearing glasses, this will be by far the quickest way to communicate with your Muse and to display what’s happening around you.”

Fittingly for what it represents, the device has a semi-Tamagotchi vibe to it — a lightweight, character-rich gadget crafted to keep users perpetually connected to Meta’s software. It also appears to be a relatively low-stakes chance for the social media titan to test out AI wearables while simultaneously providing yet another method to disseminate its AI assistant to the public.

Meta is revitalizing its efforts to establish virtual reality as a staple. During its Connect event on Wednesday, the firm revealed Meta VR Glasses, its latest advancement in the VR sector, which will be released next spring at a starting price of $1,299.99.

These glasses appear to hold considerable promise, owing to a distinctly lighter design and a variety of new entertainment integrations — including alleged compatibility with IMAX.

Just before showcasing them, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reminded attendees that the company had previously opted to shift its priorities away from the Metaverse and produce fewer VR gadgets until significant advancements were achieved.

“This is a significant advancement,” he asserted before demonstrating the glasses. “Many concur that augmented reality glasses featuring holograms will undoubtedly play a role in the future, but we’ve also learned that many are less keen on wearing a headset. Thus, we have developed a new type of VR device that provides the same enchanting sense of presence and immersion with high-definition displays and views of the surrounding world in a glasses form factor for the very first time.”

Meta claims that the glasses are five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3 — and they closely resemble standard eyewear rather than the hefty headsets previously released by the company. The frames are crafted from magnesium alloy, and the glasses are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Reality Elite processor. They connect to a computing puck that also serves as a battery, which users can conveniently slip into their pocket for on-the-go use.

The glasses are primarily designed for entertainment. Integrated micro-OLED panels within the lenses create what Meta refers to as a 5K Infinite Display with 37 pixels per degree, alongside support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos audio. Users will have the ability to download and view movies.

One of the more distinctive aspects of the glasses is that Meta is marketing them as an excellent means to enjoy films captured in IMAX.

Indeed, the company labels the glasses as the “first IMAX-enhanced certified VR device ever” and claims they will be one of the few avenues to experience the expanded aspect ratio that characterizes IMAX’s unique high-resolution viewing experience.

Additionally, the glasses support 3D content, including films that incorporate a user’s physical environment into their viewing experience. Meta states that it has partnered with Disney, and in November, Disney+ subscribers will be able to stream select movies — including certain Marvel titles — in 3D.

Meta indicates that users will have the opportunity to watch particular films and have their surroundings “transformed with immersive environments, dynamic effects, stunning 3D visuals, and spatial audio” — essentially converting the film into a VR gaming-like experience.

The glasses will also feature Meta AI — its automated virtual assistant — integrated, meaning users can converse with the glasses and automate various tasks through voice commands. For example, Meta states that you will be able to initiate a movie simply by asking your glasses to do so. Alternative command methods include hand gestures.