Tuesday, February 4, 2025 | | | Welcome to TechCrunch AM! This morning, we've got the yo-yo effect of Trump's Canadian tariffs, Meta's new policy to not release AI that will enact biowarfare, and a fresh hack at Grubhub. We've also got an Indian AI startup throwing its hat in the ring, OpenAI's South Korean deal, sustainable fast fashion, moves in autonomous trucking, Elon Musk's government overreach, a profile of The Sims creator, Opera's mindful browser, and more. Let's jump in. — Rebecca | | | Image Credits: Scott Olson / Getty Images | Whiplash: After Trump announced a 25% tariff on Canadian goods, Doug Ford, Ontario's premier, said the government would "rip up" its $68 million contract with Elon Musk's Starlink. The plans were halted after Trump chose to delay imposing tariffs on Canada, following some diplomatic maneuvering between the countries' two leaders. Read More I feel better already: Meta wants to make AGI openly available one day, but in a new policy document, the company says it won't release highly capable systems if it deems them to be "high risk" or "critical risk" — like if they figure out how to proliferate high-impact biological weapons, for example. Read More Would you like data with those fries? Hackers have breached Grubhub's internal systems, accessing the personal details of customers, merchants, and drivers who interacted with its customer care service. Certain Campus Diners were also affected. Read More | | | 🇮🇳 India's entry into AI: TechCrunch got the scoop that Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal is investing $230 million into Krutrim, an AI startup he founded. To help India become competitive in the world of AI, he hopes to raise $1.15 billion by 2026. Read More 🚚 The year of autonomous trucking: Waabi has teamed up with Volvo Autonomous Solutions to build its self-driving trucks, with all the sensors and software built in on the assembly line. It's an important step on the road to a driverless launch on public roads later this year. Read More 🇰🇷 Hitting DeepSeek where it hurts: OpenAI has unveiled a strategic collaboration with South Korean tech giant Kakao, right in DeepSeek's backyard. The two will develop a Korean-language assistant to be integrated into Kakao's popular messaging app, KakaoTalk. Read More 👠Reduce, reuse, resale: Archive wants to address fast fashion pollution with software that helps global brands and merchants resell used clothes. The startup's customers already include big names like New Balance and Oscar de la Renta. Read More 🇨🇦 Oh Canada: Canadian programmatic advertising startup StackAdept has raised $235 million, a round that's significant both for its size and its source. The funding was led by homegrown VC, including Teachers' Venture Growth, and Intrepid Growth Partners, and it's a sign that while deals are down in Canada overall, anything related to AI can still pull dollars. Read More | | | 👪 The sandbox for the American Dream: The New York Times profiled Will Wright, the game designer behind the popular game The Sims, which just turned 25. He talks about the nostalgia and satire of American consumerism, the applied psychology of role-playing, and the phenomenon of digital community. Read More 🥊 Trade war, continued: China has retaliated against Trump's opening trade war tariffs by targeting a handful of American companies and levying some U.S. goods, Bloomberg reports. Among those actions is a new antitrust investigation into Google, even though Google Search hasn't been available in China since 2010. Read More ⛔ Treating government like a tech company: Elon Musk has created major upheaval as his team sweeps through federal agencies, shuttering programs and even an entire agency that has come into Musk's crosshairs. The NYT reports that Musk, a private citizen, is waging "a largely unchecked war against the federal bureaucracy." Read More | | | 🧘 Take a breather: Opera's new web browser, "Opera Air," centers on mental well-being and mindfulness. In the floating sidebar, the company has placed a break reminder tool that also includes features like soothing soundscapes, breathing exercises, and binaural beats to help you stay focused. Read More | | | Featured jobs from CrunchBoard | | | Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. | | | Update your preferences here at any time | | Copyright © 2024 TechCrunch, All rights reserved.Yahoo Inc. 110 5th St,San Francisco,CA | | | | |
