Netflix acquires gaming avatar maker Ready Player Me

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  December 19, 2025 TechCrunch Top 3 Netflix acquires gaming avatar maker Ready Player Me: The gaming startup will allow Netflix subscribers to create avatars that can extend across gaming titles. Read More Meta is developing a new image and video model for a 2026 release, report says: Meta aims to make the text-based model better at coding while also exploring new world models that understand visual information and can reason, plan, and act without needing to be trained on every possibility. Read More Yann LeCun confirms his new 'world model' startup, reportedly seeks $5B+ valuation: Renowned AI scientist Yann LeCun confirmed on Thursday the worst-kept secret in the tech world: that he had indeed launched a new startup. Although he did say he will not be running the new company as its CEO. Read More Be the first to know when news breaks Subscribe to our News Alerts, and you won't miss a thing. Breaking news, exclusives, and special reports—straight to your inbox. Sign up for News Alerts! A message from Fidelity Don't let a spreadsheet cost you your next round. Managing your equity in a spreadsheet might work, until you're raising your next round, onboarding new hires, or navigating your first SAFE. Fidelity Private Shares' free cap table template can provide you with a clean start. And when you're ready to ditch the manual updates, we'll help you scale with confidence. Download Now Afternoon Must-Reads Hacks, thefts, and disruption: The worst data breaches of 2025: TechCrunch looks back at the biggest data breaches, disruptive cyberattacks, and damaging hacks of 2025, from the raiding of U.S. government databases to a hack every month in South Korea. Read More Elon Musk's $56B Tesla pay package restored by Delaware Supreme Court: The decision brings to a close a years-long court battle that irked Musk so much he moved Tesla's incorporation from Delaware to Texas. Read More Known uses voice AI to help you go on more in-person dates: In its test phase in San Francisco, Known said it observed 80% of its introductions led to physical dates, which is much higher than swipe-based dating apps. Read More OpenAI is reportedly trying to raise $100B at an $830B valuation: The ChatGPT maker is aiming to raise the funding by the end of the first quarter in 2026, and the company may ask sovereign wealth funds to invest in the round. Read More Cursor continues acquisition spree with Graphite deal: Graphite is an AI code review assistant that was last valued at $290 million. Read More A message from LILT Translation in 2026: Efficiency, Quality, and the AI Advantage Explore the 2026 AI Translation Survey, featuring input from over 400 professionals. See how top brands excel in multilingual quality, speed, and brand voice—and gain the insights you need to stay ahead in the fast-moving global translation market. Download the report to unlock practical strategies today. Download My Report  You missed these chats from Disrupt: Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens. Watch on Cheddar.com Watch on Streaming Last but Not Least Hundreds of Cisco customers are vulnerable to new Chinese hacking campaign, researchers say: Cisco warned that Chinese government hackers are exploiting a zero-day in some of its products. Researchers now say there are hundreds of vulnerable Cisco customers. 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

Known uses voice AI to help you go on more in-person dates

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories to start your morning

View this email online in your browser  December 19, 2025 TechCrunch Top 3 Known uses voice AI to help you go on more in-person dates: Known has raised $9.7 million from investors, including Forerunner and NFX, along with PearVC and Coelius Capital. Read More Krafton hikes India bet with new $670M fund: Called the Unicorn Growth Fund, the investment vehicle is a collaboration between Krafton and South Korean internet conglomerate Naver and investor Mirae Asset. It aims to deploy around $669.3 million over four years. Read More Hacks, thefts and disruption: The worst data breaches of 2025: TechCrunch looks back at the biggest data breaches, disruptive cyberattacks, and damaging hacks of 2025, from the raiding of U.S. government databases to a hack every month in South Korea. Read More Be the first to know when news breaks Subscribe to our News Alerts, and you won't miss a thing. Breaking news, exclusives, and special reports—straight to your inbox. Sign up for News Alerts! A message from Chevron New Energies  Chevron uses AI to bring reliable energy to data centers.  Data centers need power now. That's why we're working to build multi-gigawatt power stations that generate reliable electricity, with fewer delays and no additional strain on the existing grid. Learn More Morning Must-Reads Netflix acquires gaming avatar maker Ready Player Me: The gaming startup will allow Netflix subscribers to create avatars that can extend across gaming titles. Read More ChatGPT's mobile app hits new milestone of $3B in consumer spending: ChatGPT has reached $3B in lifetime mobile consumer spending in just 31 months, faster than TikTok and major streaming apps. Read More Apple becomes a debt collector with its new developer agreement: Apple says it can now collect any money a developer owes the tech giant at any time. Read More Meta is developing a new image and video model for a 2026 release, report says: Meta aims to make the text-based model better at coding while also exploring new world models that understand visual information and can reason, plan, and act without needing to be trained on every possibility. Read More TikTok agrees to deal to cede control of US business to American investor group: The deal closes a long-running drama in which U.S. authorities have sought to compel ByteDance to divest. Read More A message from Persona Bad user onboarding is costing you customers. Clunky verification flows kill conversion rates. Persona creates smooth onboarding that verifies real users in seconds while blocking fraud, so your business can maximize signups without sacrificing security. Our Startup Program offers 12 months free with 500 monthly verifications, helping thousands of startups optimize their onboarding from day one. Learn more You missed these chats from Disrupt: Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens. Watch on Cheddar.com Watch on Streaming Last but Not Least OpenAI is reportedly trying to raise $100B at an $830B valuation: The ChatGPT maker is aiming to raise the funding by the end of the first quarter in 2026, and the company may ask sovereign wealth funds to invest in the round. 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