Hackers who exposed North Korean government hacker explain why they did it

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  August 21, 2025 TechCrunch Top 3 Hackers who exposed North Korean government hacker explain why they did it: The two self-described hacktivists said they had access to the North Korean spy's computer for around four months before deciding what they had found should be made public. Read More iPhone 17, the 'thinnest iPhone ever,' and everything else we're expecting out of Apple's hardware event: From a new slim iPhone Air model to redesigned AirPods, here's what to expect from this year's Apple event. Read More Microsoft AI chief says it's 'dangerous' to study AI consciousness: As AI chatbots surge in popularity, Mustafa Suleyman argues that it's dangerous to consider how these systems could be conscious. Read More A message from Silicon Valley Bank SVB helps you scale to and through Series A With deep industry expertise and a commitment to innovation, SVB is the partner you need to help you get to A, B, and beyond. Scale with confidence with SVB by your side. Learn More Complete our survey, (maybe) win a prize We want to get to know our audience even better and get your feedback on our coverage and events. Fill out this survey to give us your thoughts, and get the chance to win a prize in return. Take the survey! Afternoon Must-Reads Elon Musk's X may finally settle $500M severance lawsuit: Elon Musk's X is settling a severance lawsuit with former Twitter employees. Read More Report: Meta is hitting pause on AI hiring after its poaching spree: The freeze went into effect last week, and it's not clear how long it will last, The Journal's sources say. Meta is still likely working through its reorg, which split its AI unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs, into four new groups: TBD Labs, run by former Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang, and three groups focused on research, product integration, and infrastructure, respectively.  Read More StrictlyVC at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025: Inside the LP Track: In an era of extended exit timelines, slowed distributions, and increasingly selective LPs, the conversations behind closed doors matter more than ever. Read More YouTube Music celebrates 10 years with new features that help it compete with Spotify: YouTube Music is rolling out taste match playlists, comments, badges and more. Read More Gas power plants approved for Meta's $10B data center, and not everyone is happy: Meta's massive data center will draw power from three gas-fired power plants producing 2.25 gigawatts. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events Hear from Netflix, Wayve, a16z, and more at Disrupt 2025 Disrupt 2025 gathers 250+ industry trailblazers and 10,000+ attendees in San Francisco on October 27–29. Explore 200+ sessions on scaling, exits, and the evolving tech landscape. Hear from Elad Gil (Gil & Co), Astro Teller (X, The Moonshot Factory), Tekedra Mawakana (Waymo), May Habib (Writer), and more. Register now to save $600+ before prices climb. Register Now Last but Not Least Google's AI Mode expands globally, adds new agentic features: As part of the expansion, Google is bringing AI Mode to 180 new countries in English. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2025 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107