Also: This insurtech just raised a $120M Series D
Welcome to TechCrunch AM! This morning, we're looking at the feds raising questions about Tesla's self-driving tech; fresh funds for insurtech; and why AI companies might face a bigger struggle than they let on. We've also got notes on: another data breach; progress in fusion tech; All Trails' new subscription model; GM's new EV batteries, and more. Let's go! | | | Image Credits: Getty Images | 1. Doubt.gif: Federal safety investigators have sent Tesla a list of questions about its upcoming robotaxi service. They want to know how the company's "Full Self-Driving (Supervised)" software, which relies only on cameras for perception, operates in low-visibility conditions. Read More 2. Not all tech needs to be sexy: Bestow might be building tech some people might consider the opposite of sexy — helping people obtain life insurance. But there's nothing unsexy about the $120 million Series D the startup just raised from Goldman Sachs and Smith Point Capital. Read More 3. The inevitable plateau: An analysis by nonprofit AI research institute Epoch AI suggests the AI industry might not be able to maintain its current pace of performance gains with reasoning AI models. Progress could start to slow down as soon as this year, per the report. Read More | | | Image Credits: Mike Egerton / PA / Getty Images | 🛍️ Why I hate making accounts: U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer confirmed that hackers stole customers' personal information during a cyberattack last month. The compromised information might include names, dates of birth, home and email addresses, order histories and more. Read More 🧞 I dream of fusion: Realta Fusion has raised $36 million to finalize the design of its fusion-in-a-bottle prototype reactor. The University of Wisconsin spinout hopes to build power plants cheap enough to supply clean power at rates similar to natural gas power plants. Read More 🥾 Pay to hike: AllTrails is launching a new premium membership called "Peak." It's not cheap at $80-per-year, but customers get AI tools to build custom routes, see real-time trail condition forecasts, trail traffic heatmaps, and a feature that lets you identify trees and plants. Read More 🧠 Look out Neuralink: Apple is working on brain implant tech that would allow disabled people who can't use their hands to control their iPhones with neural signals. It's still years away, but Apple is working with Synchron, which makes a brain implant device, per The Wall Street Journal. Read More 🔋 Range anti-anxiety: General Motors revealed a new battery chemistry called lithium-manganese-rich (LMR), which, the automaker says, will slash costs and deliver driving range of more than 400 miles. Lower costs and higher range sounds like the holy grail of EVs. Read More | | | 🐢 The tortoise and the hare: Business Insider contrasts the way two tech business leaders, Bill Gates and Elon Musk, try to achieve change. As Gates ramps up his foundation's charitable giving, Musk uses DOGE to halt the flow of U.S. foreign aid spending; Gates sticks to a prolonged road map, while Musk follows the Silicon Valley habit of moving fast. Read More 🛣️ Slow TV is in: 404 Media has a story about the Internet Roadtrip, a digital journey across America, one Google Street View screenshot at a time. Road trippers can vote where they want the car to go, what radio station to listen to, and whether or not to honk the horn. Neat! Read More | | | 🎧 Pass the audio cable: Spotify is adding an interactive element to its AI DJ. Now, in over 60 markets, English speakers can talk to the DJ and request music or vibe changes with voice commands. 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 © 2025 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. Yahoo Inc.. 680 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA | | | | |
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