December 16, 2025

TechCrunch Top 3

Hacking group says it's extorting Pornhub after stealing users' viewing data: The Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters hacking collective stole Pornhub premium users' data, including email addresses and viewing history. Read More

Databricks raises $4B at $134B valuation as its AI business heats up: The data intelligence company has just raised more than $4 billion in a Series L funding round at a $134 billion valuation — up 34% from the $100 billion valuation that it achieved just three months ago. Read More

Everbloom built an AI to turn chicken feathers into cashmere: Everbloom has also developed a chemical process to transform waste fibers and feathers into upcycled materials that resemble everything from polyester to cashmere. Read More

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Morning Must-Reads

Nvidia bulks up open source offerings with an acquisition and new open AI models: Nvidia acquired SchedMD, the lead developer of Slurm, and launched the Nemotron 3 family of open source AI models. Read More

Ford is starting a battery storage business to power data centers and the grid: Ford will invest about $2 billion into the new business over the next two years. Read More

Instagram brings Reels to the big screen, starting with Amazon Fire TV: By bringing Reels to TVs, Instagram can better compete with YouTube, which largely dominates the TV space. Read More

Adobe Firefly now supports prompt-based video editing, adds more third-party models: Adobe is updating its AI video-generation app, Firefly, with a new video editor that supports precise prompt-based edits, as well as adding new third-party models for image and video generation, including Black Forest Labs' FLUX.2 and Topaz Astra. Read More

VCs discuss why most consumer AI startups still lack staying power: The next consumer tech revolution may require an introduction of a new personal device. Read More

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You missed these chats from Disrupt:

Kindred talks home-swapping platform for travelers, Chef Robotics introduces AI into commercial kitchens, and Character.AI addresses chatbot safety with teens.

Watch on Cheddar.com

Watch on Streaming

Last but Not Least

Nuclear startup Last Energy raises $100M for its steel-encased micro reactor: Last Energy will use the funds to build its 5 megawatt pilot reactor in Texas, which it hopes to turn on next year. Read More