TechCrunch Top 3

Amazon denies report it's shutting down Wondery podcast studio: Despite securing big names in the business, the company is now shifting its strategy in an effort to better compete with rivals like Spotify and YouTube. Read More

Grok Imagine, xAI's new AI image and video generator, lets you make NSFW content: Elon Musk continues to position Grok as an unfiltered, boundary-pushing AI. Read More

Spotify raises subscription prices: Spotify is raising prices for users in some international markets after a rough quarterly earnings report. Read More

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Afternoon Must-Reads

Google says its AI-based bug hunter found 20 security vulnerabilities: The discoveries by an AI-based bug hunter are significant, as it shows these tools are starting to get real results, even if they still need a human. Read More

OpenMind wants to be the Android operating system of humanoid robots: OpenMind is building humanoid robot operating software designed for robots that interact with people and other robots. Read More

Tesla hands $29B comp package to Elon Musk amid 'AI talent war': The plan would be voided if the Delaware Supreme Court overturns the decision to spike Musk's $56B comp plan from 2018. A judge ruled in 2024 that plan was unfairly negotiated. Read More

North Korean spies posing as remote workers have infiltrated hundreds of companies, says CrowdStrike: North Korean IT workers are increasingly using generative AI to draft resumes and "deepfake" their appearances to make money for North Korea's sanctioned nuclear weapons program. Read More

Perplexity accused of scraping websites that explicitly blocked AI scraping: Internet giant Cloudflare says it detected Perplexity crawling and scraping websites, even after customers had added technical blocks telling Perplexity not to scrape their pages. Read More

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Last but Not Least

Joby Aviation to buy Blade Air Mobility's rideshare business: Joby is buying the Blade brand and the company's passenger business, which includes operations in the United States and Europe, for as much as $125 million. Read More