All coverage

The latest in technology, clearly sourced.

One stream across AI, mobile, security, startups, enterprise technology, and gaming.

News stream

Page 93
1658
AI

Hark Raises $700M Series A at $6B Valuation to Build AI Personal Assistant

AI startup Hark says it raised a $700M Series A in May 2026 at a $6B post-money valuation, led by Parkway Venture Capital and backed by Intel Capital and Qualcomm Ventures. Founded in late 2025 by Brett Adcock, the 70-person team runs Nvidia B200 GPUs and plans to release its first multi-modal models this summer for a personal AI platform.

TechCrunch
1660
AI

Fresha raises $80 million from KKR, reaches $1 billion valuation

Fresha’s May 2026 $80M round led by KKR’s Next Generation Technology Growth fund lifts its valuation above $1B and totals $285M raised. The London-founded platform now runs 35M appointments/month for 140,000 businesses, and plans to expand to more countries and add AI features.

TechCrunch
1661
Enterprise

Scammers Are Exploiting a Microsoft Email Address to Send Spam and Phishing Links

Scammers have exploited a loophole in Microsoft’s email systems for several months by sending spam and phishing links from msonlineservicesteam@microsoftonline.com, a real address used for account alerts and 2FA codes, a TechCrunch report (May 2026) says. The Spamhaus Project confirmed the abuse and notified Microsoft; Microsoft acknowledged the inquiry but hadn’t confirmed whether it was stopped.

TechCrunch
1665
AI

SpaceX IPO Filing Flags Grok’s “Spicy” Mode as Legal and Reputational Risk

SpaceX told investors in a Wednesday IPO filing that xAI’s Grok “Spicy” and “Unhinged” modes could trigger regulatory scrutiny, reputational harm, and explicit/deceptive outputs. The company set aside $530M for litigation and said it’s under U.S. and other-country investigation over alleged sexualized imagery of minors.

WIRED
1666
AI

Clouted Raises $7 Million to Automate Short-Video Clipping and Distribution for Brands

Clouted secured a $7M seed round in May 2026 led by Slow Ventures, with Gold House Ventures, Weekend Fund, and Peak XV’s Surge joining. Its AI selects the best platform and audience, continuously testing 30–90s clips created by a network of 100,000+ gig creators from podcasts, songs, and movies; CEO Justin Banusing said it’s like penetration testing, citing its use for &Friends, now drawing 20,000+ attendees, after completing a16z’s Speedrun accelerator in 2024.

TechCrunch
1668
AI

OpenAI Offers $2 Million in AI Tokens to Every Y Combinator Startup in Exchange for Equity

At a YC event Tuesday, May 20, 2026, Sam Altman offered each of ~169 current Y Combinator startups $2M in OpenAI tokens for equity via an uncapped SAFE converting at the next priced round (typically a Series A). Higher valuations mean OpenAI gets less equity; critics, including seed investor Jason Calacanis, warned about the risks of giving OpenAI an equity stake.

TechCrunch
1672
AI

Google Adds AI-Generated Ad Descriptions and Chatbot Ads to Search Results

Starting May 2026, Google will use Gemini to generate AI “custom explainers” for Search ads—for example, pairing a “compact espresso pod machine” query with a sponsored Nespresso Vertuo Up listing. It also adds chatbot-style ads with an “Ask a question” button powered by Gemini using advertiser-site content, plus AI Mode placement tests.

The Verge
1673
AI

YouTube Shorts Gets AI Remix Feature Powered by Gemini Omni

Google’s May 2026 Gemini Omni Remix for YouTube Shorts includes creator opt-out plus a digital watermark and link back to the original. From the remix icon, choose “Reimagine” for pixel art, anime, found-footage horror, or edits like inflating heads, adding background actors, pirate costumes, or inserting yourself.

The Verge