DeepL, a translation firm primarily recognized for its text-based tools, introduced a voice-to-voice translation suite today, catering to applications such as meetings, mobile and online conversations, and group discussions for frontline personnel via customized applications. The company is also launching an API that enables external developers and businesses to leverage DeepL’s technology for tailored use cases, including call centers.

“Having dedicated so many years to text translation, moving to voice felt like a logical evolution for us,” DeepL CEO Jarek Kutylowski stated in an interview with TechCrunch. “We have made significant progress in both text translation and document translation. However, we sensed there was a gap in the market for effective real-time voice translation.”

Kutylowski mentioned that the difficulties in developing a real-time translation tool revolve around finding the right balance between minimizing latency — the interval between a person speaking and the translated audio being played — and ensuring accuracy in the results.

DeepL is introducing extensions for platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, where participants can either receive real-time translation while others speak in their native tongues or view real-time translated text on their screens. This initiative is currently in early access, with the company encouraging organizations to sign up for a waitlist. Additionally, the company offers a solution for mobile and web-based conversations that can occur either in person or remotely.

DeepL also allows users to engage in a group conversation in environments such as training sessions or workshops, enabling attendees to join via a QR code.

DeepL announced that its voice-to-voice technology is capable of learning and adapting to specific vocabulary, including industry-related terms and names of companies and individuals.

Kutylowski remarked that AI is transforming the future landscape of customer service. He pointed out that a translation component assists companies in providing support in languages where qualified personnel are rare and costly to recruit.

The company stated that it oversees the complete voice-to-voice stack. However, the existing system transcribes speech to text, executes translation, and then converts it back to speech. DeepL believes that, due to its long-standing focus on text translation, it possesses an advantage in translation quality. Moving forward, the company aims to create an end-to-end voice translation model that eliminates the text stage altogether.

DeepL is contending with several well-funded startups operating in related sectors. Sanas, which raised $65 million last year from Quadrille Capital and Teleperformance, utilizes AI to alter a speaker’s accent in real time — primarily targeting call center representatives.

Dubai-based Camb.AI specializes in speech synthesis and translation for media and entertainment firms such as Amazon Web Services, assisting them in dubbing and localizing video content on a large scale.

Palabra, supported by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s firm Seven Seven Six, is developing a real-time speech translation system designed to maintain both the meaning and the speaker’s original voice, placing it in closer competition with what DeepL is now creating.

Nuclear startup X-energy launched its investor roadshow on Wednesday as it prepares for its IPO, aiming for a pricing range between $16 and $19 per share, based on filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. If it lists at the upper limit, the startup stands to raise approximately $814 million.

X-energy and its counterparts have benefitted from a renewed interest in fission energy as the demand for electricity has escalated due to AI data centers and widespread electrification.

Amazon ranks among X-energy’s primary supporters, having led a $500 million Series C-1 funding round and committed to purchasing up to 5 gigawatts of nuclear energy from the firm by 2039.

The IPO will likely come as a welcome development for X-energy’s investors, who have invested nearly $1.8 billion in the startup, according to PitchBook. The company previously sought to go public through a reverse merger with a special purpose acquisition corporation, but the agreement was aborted in 2023 as the SPAC trend subsided.

X-energy’s reactor is classified as a high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor. Within it, uranium encapsulated in ceramic and carbon spheres is cooled using helium gas, which then transmits heat to a steam turbine loop to produce electricity. The TRISO fuel design is anticipated to be safer than earlier fuel configurations, although its current usage is limited.

The startup mentioned in its SEC filing that it is currently involved in a patent dispute with another firm that recently declared bankruptcy. Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) went bankrupt in 2024, with its assets acquired during the bankruptcy process to establish Standard Nuclear. X-energy claims that USNC violated its fuel fabrication patents and that the issue has not been satisfactorily resolved during the bankruptcy proceedings.

Outside of China, the advancement of new nuclear reactors has nearly come to a halt, hindered by delays and budget overruns. A new generation of startups believes that by reducing the size of reactors, they can tackle some of the challenges that traditional designs face.

None of the emerging modular reactor startups have successfully constructed a power plant yet, although several are striving to meet a deadline of July 4 set by the Trump administration.

While many may not achieve the arbitrary deadline, they are still expected to reach criticality, the point at which fission reactions become self-sustaining.

However, the path from criticality to commercially viable power plants is anticipated to be lengthy. Mass production could help reduce costs, but generally, it takes about a decade for the manufacturing process to start yielding benefits. Furthermore, while the number of reactors these firms plan to construct may exceed previous attempts by other companies, it may not be sufficient to fully capitalize on the advantages of mass production.

X-energy anticipates that by the time its reactor manufacturing methods achieve maturity — referred to by experts as “Nth-of-a-kind” — it will be capable of lowering costs by 30% compared to the first-of-a-kind reactors. Investors should closely monitor the cost of that initial reactor, as it could significantly impact the company’s future.

Doug Field, the prominent executive responsible for shaping Ford’s electric vehicle (EV) and technology initiatives over the last five years, is departing from the automaker. Field’s exit was revealed on Wednesday as part of a larger restructuring of the company’s leadership.

Field joined Ford in 2021, equipped with an impressive background from Silicon Valley, which included leading Apple’s special projects team and working as senior vice president of engineering at Tesla. His recruitment was intended not just as a return to his professional beginnings. (Field started his career at Ford as a development engineer from 1987 to 1993.) The goal was to fulfill Ford CEO Jim Farley’s vision of transforming the traditional automaker into a frontrunner in software, EVs, and other innovative technologies.

Field reported directly to Farley and was initially in charge of the company’s embedded software and hardware operations, encompassing vehicle controls, enterprise connectivity, features, integration and validation, architecture and platform, driver assistance technology, and digital engineering tools. This role effectively made him accountable for the design, development, and implementation of the comprehensive tech stack utilized in Ford and Lincoln vehicles, which includes infotainment, navigation, driver-assist technology, connected services, and vehicle cybersecurity.

Field was a prominent presence at Ford, frequently commended by Farley during the company’s earnings calls. He played a pivotal role when the automaker segmented its operations into three divisions: the EV and digital services sector, the conventional internal combustion engine business, and the commercial vehicles division. Moreover, he was instrumental in Ford’s skunkworks initiative — a covert internal team — aimed at designing a low-cost electric vehicle.

Through the reorganization announced Wednesday, Ford has established what it refers to as a “product creation and industrialization” team that will be led by COO Kumar Galhotra. Ford’s electric vehicle and design division, which Field managed, will be integrated into this new entity.

This new structure comes with ambitious objectives, including an 8% adjusted profit margin for its Ford+ commercial operations by 2029. The team will also oversee Ford’s initiative to update 80% of its North American lineup by volume and 70% of its global portfolio by 2029. This will encompass the Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform, a mid-sized pickup, and the next-generation F-150 and F-Series Super Duty trucks.

The UEV platform is the product of the Ford skunkworks program — now designated as the Advanced Development Projects team. Alan Clarke, a former Tesla executive who has led that skunkworks program, is presently the vice president of Advanced Development Projects.

On Wednesday, a federal jury determined that Live Nation has been functioning as an unlawful monopoly — a ruling that may result in the disbanding of the entertainment behemoth along with its ticketing branch, Ticketmaster, and offer respite to concertgoers tired of dynamic pricing and confusing service charges.

This decision emerged as internal Slack exchanges were revealed during the trial, depicting Live Nation employees laughing about exploiting customers — including a discussion regarding parking fees that prosecutors claimed exposed the company’s genuine perspective on its clientele.

The ruling marks the latest progression in a series of legal actions initiated when the Department of Justice and 40 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Live Nation in 2024 for purported monopolistic behavior. The two entities merged in 2010 to create an entertainment powerhouse that came to dominate most ticket sales and venue reservations nationwide, making it harder for other firms to compete, as stated in the lawsuit. Lacking significant competition, consumers were compelled to accept Live Nation’s questionable pricing strategies, which critics argue serve the company’s interests over those of the artists.

Last month, the DOJ provisionally reached a settlement with Live Nation, while a separate state-level trial was already in progress. Yet, 34 attorneys general continued to pursue the case — culminating in the jury’s ruling on Wednesday.

Throughout the widely publicized trial, Slack messages between two Live Nation staff members surfaced: Ben Baker, now the head of ticketing for Venue Nation, and Jeff Weinhold, currently serving as a senior director in the ticketing division.

“These individuals are so foolish,” Baker remarked during a discussion on increasing parking costs. “I nearly feel guilty for taking advantage of them BAHAHAHAHAHA.”

In a subsequent chat, also regarding parking fees, Baker stated, “Swindling them blind baby.”

Live Nation contended that these comments signified “casual joking, not policy, decision-making, or significant facts.”

As part of the DOJ settlement, Live Nation is expected to pay a $280 million penalty and divest at least 13 of its venues, mandating those venues to allow bookings from rival promoters. However, due to the jury’s conclusion that Live Nation operated as an illegal monopoly, the repercussions could potentially be more drastic.

What unfolds next remains uncertain. Judge Arun Subramanian still has to decide on remedies at a subsequent date. Yet, the chance of dismantling Live Nation and Ticketmaster continues to be a possibility.

Caterpillar, the construction powerhouse, has acquired the assets of Monarch Tractor, which faced difficulties in transitioning to a software services model, as per documents submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

This acquisition, initially reported by Bloomberg, marks the end of a challenging period for Monarch, which experienced several layoffs, faced lawsuits from three dealers, and lost a key manufacturing partner, Foxconn. This development follows shortly after co-founder Carlo Mondavi expressed that he felt “pushed out” for opposing CEO Praveen Penmetsa’s software-centric strategy.

Mondavi was unavailable for immediate comment. Penmetsa chose not to elaborate beyond a statement from Monarch last week, which mentioned that its technology had been acquired by an unidentified “large global equipment manufacturer.” Caterpillar also did not respond promptly to a request for comment.

Over the past eight years, Monarch secured over $200 million in funding. Founded in 2018 by Mondavi, Penmetsa, and ex-Tesla executive Mark Schwager, it aimed to develop “driver optional” electric tractors that could autonomously navigate wineries, fruit, and dairy farms.

Although Monarch initially intended to produce its small tractors at its Livermore, California facility, it later became one of four companies collaborating with Taiwanese electronics titan Foxconn to utilize a former General Motors manufacturing site in Lordstown, Ohio.

Foxconn’s goal included producing vehicles for EV startups like Fisker, Lordstown Motors, and IndiEV, alongside Monarch’s tractors. However, Foxconn only managed to manufacture a handful of electric trucks for Lordstown Motors (which it acquired the factory from) before that company declared bankruptcy. Both Fisker and IndiEV also became bankrupt before Foxconn could produce their future vehicles at the factory. While Foxconn manufactured several hundred Monarch tractors at the site, it sold the plant to SoftBank in August 2025, leaving Monarch without manufacturing capabilities.

By then, Monarch was already facing challenges. In early 2024, it laid off workers before finalizing a $133 million funding round. Just months later, more employees were let go, and the company announced a restructuring to concentrate on software and licensing its autonomous technology.

Dealers who bought Monarch tractors have alleged that the company’s autonomous technology was faulty from the start. A dealer who sued Monarch in September 2025 claimed the tractors were “defective” and “unable to function autonomously.” (Monarch refuted these allegations in a court document.) Two additional dealers have since lodged similar federal lawsuits against Monarch. In one instance, a former defense attorney for Monarch noted in a January filing that the company entered into an assignment for the benefit of creditors — an alternative to Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Last month, Mondavi discussed his exit in a comment on an Instagram post from a farmer who voiced concerns about Monarch’s tractors. The winemaker stated he “departed over a year ago due to fundamental approach discrepancies” after witnessing “reliability issues” with Monarch’s tractors at his and friends’ farms.

“I aimed to resolve them through hardware modifications, while the CEO thought software solutions were more effective. I held a strong belief in a different direction but was ultimately prevented and pushed out along with another co-founder,” he wrote.

Earlier this year, the company auctioned off the majority of its remaining tractors.

Agentic AI represents the latest triumph in the tech sector, with firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic competing to equip businesses with the resources necessary to develop these automated assistants. In this pursuit, OpenAI has updated its agent software development toolkit (SDK), unveiling several new features aimed at assisting enterprises in crafting their own agents that operate on OpenAI’s models.

Among the SDK’s latest features is a sandboxing function that enables agents to function within controlled computing environments. This is crucial as deploying agents without oversight can pose risks due to their occasionally erratic behavior.

Thanks to the sandbox feature, agents can function in a contained manner within a specific workspace, accessing files and code solely for designated tasks, all while preserving the overall system integrity.

Additionally, the updated SDK offers developers a harness tailored for frontier models, allowing agents to handle files and authorized tools within a workspace, as stated by the company. (In the context of agent development, a “harness” refers to the components of an agent apart from the model it operates on. A harness geared towards in-distribution typically enables firms to deploy and test agents utilizing frontier models, which are seen as the most advanced, versatile models available.)

“This launch fundamentally aims to adapt our existing Agents SDK to ensure compatibility with numerous sandbox providers,” remarked Karan Sharma, a member of OpenAI’s product team, to TechCrunch.

The goal is that this, combined with the new harness features, will empower users “to build these long-horizon agents using our harness and the infrastructure they possess,” he explained.

Tasks classified as “long-horizon” are typically viewed as more intricate and multi-step assignments.

OpenAI indicated its intention to progressively enhance the Agents SDK, but initially, the new harness and sandbox features will debut in Python, with TypeScript support anticipated for a future update. The firm also stated it is working on adding additional agent capabilities such as code mode and subagents to both Python and TypeScript.

The new capabilities of the Agents SDK are made available to all clients through the API, adhering to standard pricing.

Traditionally, marketers depended on designers and other creative talent to produce images and videos for tailored online advertising efforts.

In late 2024, the seven-year-old startup Hightouch introduced an AI-driven solution enabling marketing experts to generate bespoke content for brands like Domino’s, Chime, PetSmart, and Spotify without engaging brand design teams or advertising agencies.

The service has proven to be remarkably successful. Since launching its AI product 20 months ago, Hightouch has reported an increase of $70 million in annualized recurring revenue (ARR), according to TechCrunch, bringing the startup’s total to $100 million in ARR.

“Prior to GenAI, it was unfeasible for anyone lacking extensive design experience to produce consumer-grade assets,” stated Kashish Gupta, co-CEO of Hightouch. Co-CEO Tejas Manohar, a former engineering manager at Segment, a customer data platform purchased by Twilio for $3.2 billion in 2020, also leads the company.

Nevertheless, Hightouch’s methodology transcends the capabilities of typical AI models.

Hightouch asserts that many brands first tried to create advertising campaigns using general foundational models—broad AI systems that facilitate tools like chatbots but lack specific brand knowledge—only to discover that the images and videos produced did not conform to “on-brand” standards.

“Foundation models were unaware of particular consumer brands, be it colors, fonts, tone, or visuals,” Gupta explains. “The LLMs would fabricate products that didn’t exist, and you cannot conduct advertising and emails on products that aren’t real.”

To guarantee brand uniformity, Hightouch integrates directly with its clients’ pre-existing creative tools, such as the widely-used design platform Figma, image libraries, and content management systems (CMS).

By sourcing from these platforms, the system “absorbs” a company’s unique brand identity. Hightouch’s AI agents then leverage these visuals, designs, and customer information to empower marketers to autonomously create personalized advertising campaigns, eliminating the need to depend on designers or developers.

Hightouch’s AI aims to produce images and videos that appear as though crafted by professional designers, steering clear of the “inauthentic” or generic appearance frequently linked with AI.

“For instance, Domino’s will never create a pizza,” Gupta remarks. “They’ll always utilize existing images of pizza and incorporate it into an ad where the background might be generated, along with other elements.”

The company, which currently has about 380 employees, was valued at $1.2 billion in February 2025 when it secured an $80 million Series C funding round led by Sapphire Ventures.

Pictured above, left to right: Tejas Manohar, Josh Curl, and Kashish Gupta