Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Welcome to TC PM! Today we are catching up with AI note-taking app Granola, which has taken Silicon Valley by storm; we learn that OpenAI is going to take a new approach to safety; and we've got some incredibly important news out of the streaming world. Press play!

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Granola

🤑 Crunchy cash: Granola's AI-powered note-taker has become incredibly popular in Silicon Valley, so it's not surprising that it's drumming up investor interest. The company just raised a $43 million Series B round that values the company at $250 million.

🚌 Copying the wheel: Uber is starting to roll out its "Route Share" feature, which offers cheaper fixed-route rides. Shuttles will hit each stop every 20 minutes. While yes, this provides a cheaper option than taking a solo car, this concept already exists: It's called a bus.

🥽 More safety: OpenAI announced it was launching a Safety Evaluations Hub that will show how models score on tests related to things like hallucinations or harmful content generation. The company also announced that it will share safety metrics on a more ongoing basis.

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Afternoon must-reads

Image Credits: Tensor9

🧩 Software for all: Enterprises want access to new software and AI, but they can't trust sending their data to a third party. Tensor9 helps software vendors deploy their software into a company's tech stack regardless of whether it is a cloud environment, a bare metal server, or anything in between.

🧳 A lot to unpack: Today's episode of Equity dives into the recent, and still ongoing, drama between Deel and Rippling. The hosts dive into what has happened so far, Rippling's recent funding round, and what the potential outcome could be for both companies.

♿️ AI accessibility: TikTok is expanding its suite of accessibility tools. The short-form video company announced today that it is rolling out AI-generated ALT text for photos, a high-contrast mode, and support for device-level bold text preferences. More updates like this, please!

😮‍💨 Big sigh: Back in December, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said it was going to close a loophole under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to block data brokers from selling Americans' personal and financial information. The Trump administration scrapped that plan.

💬 More models: OpenAI announced that it is bringing GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini models to ChatGPT. This move is meant to make it easier for software engineers to use ChatGPT to help write and fix code. The mini model will be available for all ChatGPT users, and GPT-4.1 will be available for certain subscription tiers.

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Around the web

🧑‍🍳 Rest stop robots: Robots are starting to replace human cooks at restaurants along the highway in South Korea in an effort to become more efficient. But robots can't make the local delicacies patrons were used to and patrons are not happy.

🚓 Surveillance state: Controversial security company Flock is building a "people lookup tool," according to leaked information viewed by 404 Media. This development will make it easier for law enforcement to track individuals without a warrant. Is that good?

Before you go

Image Credits: Warner Bros. Discovery

🙃 Brand marketing is my passion: Two years after Warner Bros. Discovery changed its streaming service name from HBO Max to Max, the company announced today that it is going back to HBO Max. This comes a week after ESPN announced its new streaming app would be called "ESPN." Incredible stuff, everyone.