As crypto cools, a16z crypto raises a $2.2B fund

In a blog post that lays out a vision for crypto’s future, ranging from a “new financial system” to warnings about “opaque” AI, a16z crypto announced a new $2.2 billion fund. This is the VC firm’s fifth fund and brings the total raised to date to $9.8 billion, it says.…

Roku just added 15 more free live streaming channels to its lineup

With streaming costs continuing to climb, I’ve been trying really hard this year to cut back on my monthly streaming bill. At first, saying goodbye to services like Netflix and Disney+ wasn’t easy, but it became much easier once I started leaning into free streaming alternatives like The Roku Channel,…

ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet on his company’s monopoly: no one is coming for us

Every time you use AI, you are, in some small way, depending on a 42-year-old, 44,000-person Dutch company that spends €4.5 billion each year to advance its technology. ASML, headquartered in the Netherlands, makes the machines that make the chips that make AI possible. More specifically, it makes the only…

At $60 this Fire Stick replacement is selling out

Right now, more than at any time I can remember, there’s a real appetite for alternatives to Fire TV Sticks, and it’s not hard to see why. Last year, Amazon began cracking down on sideloaded apps on its Android-based Fire TV devices and introduced a new Linux-based operating system, Vega…

Airbnb co-founder taps Peter Arnell as first US chief brand architect

Airbnb billionaire co-founder Joe Gebbia is growing his team at the U.S. National Design Studio, the Trump initiative focused on improving the government’s online presence. On Monday, Gebbia announced that American designer Peter Arnell joined the team to become the first U.S. chief brand architect. Gebbia shared the news of…

Threads finally brings messaging to the web

Threads is rolling out messaging on the web, bringing one-on-one and group chats to desktop, the Meta-owned social network announced on Tuesday. By bringing messaging to the web, Threads is aligning its desktop experience more closely with competitors like X and Bluesky. Connor Hayes, Meta’s head of Threads, said in…

OpenAI releases GPT-5.5 Instant, a new default model for ChatGPT

On Monday, OpenAI released a new foundation model called GPT-5.5 Instant, which will replace GPT-5.3 Instant as the default ChatGPT model. The company said the model reduces hallucination in sensitive areas such as law, medicine, and finance, while maintaining the low latency of its predecessor. OpenAI released the latest GPT-5.5…

PayPal says it’s ‘becoming a technology company again.’ That means AI.

PayPal is looking towards the future, despite its falling stock and looming layoffs. In its first-quarter earnings call, CEO Enrique Lores told investors that PayPal needs to “recommit to the fundamentals,” which included “becoming a technology company again.” There was no need to read between the lines — PayPal was…

Pluto TV is turning into a premium streamer

The first free, ad-supported streaming platform I ever used was The Roku Channel, and it completely changed how I look at streaming. With streaming prices constantly on the rise (looking at you, Netflixand Disney+), it really opened my eyes to what free streaming can offer, and since then, I’ve been…

Etsy launches its app within ChatGPT as it continues its AI push

Etsy announced Tuesday the launch of its native app within ChatGPT, opening up a new way for shoppers to explore its catalog of over 100 million listings. The new experience is designed to move beyond the limitations of traditional keyword queries. Instead of typing something like “wooden coffee table,” then…