TechCrunch Top 3

Hacking group says it's extorting Pornhub after stealing users' viewing data: The Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters hacking collective stole Pornhub premium users' data, including email addresses and viewing history. Read More

Databricks raises $4B at $134B valuation as its AI business heats up: The data intelligence company has just raised more than $4 billion in a Series L funding round at a $134 billion valuation — up 34% from the $100 billion valuation that it achieved just three months ago. Read More

Everbloom built an AI to turn chicken feathers into cashmere: Everbloom has also developed a chemical process to transform waste fibers and feathers into upcycled materials that resemble everything from polyester to cashmere. Read More

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Morning Must-Reads

Ford is starting a battery storage business to power data centers and the grid: Ford will invest about $2 billion into the new business over the next two years. Read More

VCs discuss why most consumer AI startups still lack staying power: The next consumer tech revolution may require an introduction of a new personal device. Read More

Nvidia bulks up open source offerings with an acquisition and new open AI models: Nvidia acquired SchedMD, the lead developer of Slurm, and launched the Nemotron 3 family of open source AI models. Read More

Apple TV adds support for Google Cast even as Netflix ditches the feature: The tech giant's adoption of Google Cast signals its interest in making Apple TV a more competitive streaming service at a time when the market is seeing increased consolidation. Read More

Adobe Firefly now supports prompt-based video editing, adds more third-party models: Adobe is updating its AI video-generation app, Firefly, with a new video editor that supports precise prompt-based edits, as well as adding new third-party models for image and video generation, including Black Forest Labs' FLUX.2 and Topaz Astra. Read More

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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.

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Last but Not Least

Nuclear startup Last Energy raises $100M for its steel-encased micro reactor: Last Energy will use the funds to build its 5 megawatt pilot reactor in Texas, which it hopes to turn on next year. Read More