TechCrunch Top 3

HBO Max embraces vertical video with a new 'Shorts' feed: HBO Max, like other streaming platforms, is rethinking content discovery as large libraries are making it hard for viewers to find something to watch and as audiences become accustomed to short-form content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Read More

DoorDash is building its own drone delivery business: DoorDash has received FAA approval to operate a commercial drone delivery service in the United States. Read More

Saudi prince buys 5% stake in Lucid Motors: The investment comes after speculation that Saudi Arabia may take Lucid Motors private -- which the EV maker has denied. Read More

A message from General Compute

General Compute is making a $300m bet against the GPU

General Compute raised $15m to build the world's first ASIC cloud. By removing the GPU bottleneck, it runs frontier LLMs up to 16x faster than standard GPU clouds. ASIC silicon is also far more energy efficient, so it deploys in air-cooled data centers, making growth and expansion dramatically easier.

Learn more here

Morning Must-Reads

These App Store hidden gems prove there’s still room for great software in the AI era: Despite predictions that AI agents could make traditional apps obsolete, developers are shipping new software faster than ever. From smarter bookmarking tools and neighborhood marketplaces to digital pen pals and nature journals, here are the latest App Store finds worth adding to your Home Screen. Read More

Fast Metals is treating waste with more waste to extract critical minerals: Aluminum production has saddled the world with billions of tons of caustic waste. One startup has a plan to clean it up and turn a profit. Read More

Sam Altman is ready to decelerate: His change of position comes after "the first security incident that I have felt very viscerally." Read More

Spotify adds a running mode to its app: Running Mode will be available to Premium users on iOS in select countries Read More

The robot NASA hired to lift a orbital telescope tumbled out of control: According to NASA, two of the three reaction wheels that control the spacecraft's alignment have failed, and there are problems with one of the spacecraft's thruster systems. Read More

Last but Not Least

Encore AI raises $30M to build AI agents that learn from customer calls: The startup analyzes calls, messages and CRM data to identify effective sales techniques and turn them into playbooks for AI agents. Read More