TechCrunch Top 3

Tesla starts testing robotaxis in Austin with no safety driver: It's one of the last big steps before the company can truly claim it's operating a robotaxi service, and start to take on Waymo. Read More

Snapchat rolls out its end-of-year Recaps: The Recap is a short video that offers a personalized look at highlights from Snaps, Stories, and Chats, showing how users connected and expressed themselves throughout the year. Read More

Mirelo raises $41M from Index and a16z to solve AI video's silent problem: Mirelo, a German startup that is building AI to add synced sound effects to videos, has raised a $41 million seed round led by Index Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. Read More

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Morning Must-Reads

WhatsApp's biggest market is becoming its toughest test: Meta has three months to comply with Indian government directions that could affect how WhatsApp operates in the country. Read More

Mesa shuts down credit card that rewarded cardholders for paying their mortgages: Fintech startup Mesa has shut down its Homeowners Card, which awarded points to cardholders for paying their mortgages. Read More

DoorDash driver faces felony charges after allegedly spraying customers' food: A woman is facing felony charges in Evansville, Indiana over a DoorDash delivery in which she allegedly sprayed the food with a substance that made the customers vomit. Read More

Grok got crucial facts wrong about Bondi Beach shooting: Grok, the chatbot built by Elon Musk's xAI and popularized on his social media platform X, appears to have repeatedly spread misinformation about today's mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia. Read More

Nvidia reportedly weighs ramping up H200 production to meet surging demand in China: After successfully lobbying the Trump administration to approve the sales of its H200 chips to China, Nvidia is now thinking of adding capacity to produce more of the chips. 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

How iRobot lost its way home: iRobot survived three decades of competition, but couldn't survive European regulators killing its Amazon buyout. Now it's being taken over by its own supplier in bankruptcy court. Read More