Wikileaks founder Julian Assange says he is free after years of incarceration because he pleaded 'guilty to journalism'

TechCrunch Y Combinator is being criticized after it backed an AI startup that admits it basically cloned another AI startup A Y Combinator startup named PearAI launched with an X post thread and YouTube video on Saturday and created immediate controversy. The startup's founder Duke Pan has openly said that it's a cloned copy of another AI editor called Continue, which was covered under the Apache open source license. Not only are there legalities involved in violating a software license, but it defeats the whole purpose of open source, which is about community building, sharing, and contributing.

The VC buying up prized real estate in SF says not to 'listen to agitators' VC Neil Mehta, the Greenoaks Capital co-founder tied to a growing number of building purchases across several blocks of San Francisco's once-glittering Fillmore Street, defended himself on Monday via an op-ed in The San Francisco Standard, saying the moves are solely about revitalizing a "city that has given me more than I could ever give back to it." The piece aims to push back at local politicians, including SF Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who recently held a rally on the shop-lined street, telling onlookers and reporters that Mehta's buying spree will displace longtime small businesses.

Yahoo Life Shopping Here's how to organize your kitchen to finally conquer the clutter for good We asked seven professional organizers to spill the beans on the tricks and products they use to get a cook space into shape.

Last chance to become a volunteer at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 If you're dreaming of becoming a startup founder, marketer, or event coordinator, this experience gives you a priceless look into the operations of a premier tech startup conference. Connect with 10,000 startup VC leaders.

Cruise gets $1.5 million penalty for keeping pedestrian crash details from safety regulator General Motors' self-driving subsidiary Cruise must pay a $1.5 million penalty to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, after its initial reports to the safety regulator about last year's pedestrian crash omitted that the company's robotaxi dragged the woman 20 feet. The penalty is part of a consent order announced by the regulator on Monday. The order, which the company and NHTSA mutually agreed to, will also require Cruise to submit a "corrective action plan" outlining the changes it has made to better comply with the regulator.

Ford throws in a free home charger and installation with new EV purchases and leases Ford is trying to entice more people to buy or lease one of its EVs with the promise of a free Level 2 home charger and installation.

Series, a GenAI game development platform, has quietly raised $28M from Netflix, Dell, a16z, others It's been quite the year for gaming industry exec Pany Haritatos. Last month, he quietly closed an oversubscribed $28 million Series A for his new game studio startup Series Entertainment, according to an SEC document and confirmation from the company. Investors include Netflix, Dell Technologies Capital, with follow-on investments from seed investors Andreessen Horowitz, BITKRAFT, and F4 Fund.

Reddit communities will require permission while going private or switching to NSFW Last year, while opposing Reddit's API changes, a large number of subreddits turned from public to private or turned NSFW (Not Safe for Work) to impact ads on the platform. To prevent this kind of change, Reddit is bringing new rules where moderators will have to submit a request when updating community-type public or private or maturity ratings of SFW (Safe for Work) or NSFW. The social networking site said that these changes will apply from today and will mostly impact large communities.

Queer social app Lex acquired by the former Musical.ly CEO's conglomerate Lex, a social and dating app for the LGBTQ+ community, has been acquired by 9count, a mobile app conglomerate focusing on social networks. Lex started as an Instagram page in 2017, which was inspired by vintage lesbian personal ads. In less than a year, the app raised a $1.5 million seed round, and seasoned entrepreneur Jennifer Lewis joined as a co-founder and CEO.

The USB-C Apple Pencil is cheaper than ever in this early Prime Day deal The USB-C Apple Pencil was already the most wallet-friendly version of the peripheral, and a new sale brings it back down to a record-low price.

Microsoft to face higher competition scrutiny in Germany, including over its use of AI Microsoft has joined an exclusive club of tech giants that are subject to a special abuse control regime in Germany. The country's Federal Cartel Office (FCO) confirmed on Monday that the software giant could face restrictions if the competition authority deems an intervention is necessary. The designation, which lasts for five years, is important, as it lets the German authority take a close interest in how Microsoft wields its influence through its activities around generative AI.

Podcasting startup Podeo gets $5.4M to go beyond the Arab world Podcast listeners crossed half a billion people at the end of last year as listenership maintained steady growth. With countries in the Arab world having some of the most engaged listeners, a podcasting startup out of Dubai is doubling down on the opportunity. Podeo is a UAE-based podcast distribution platform that has made a name for itself in the Arab world.

Yahoo Sports Week 5 Overreaction: Alabama vs. Georgia was game of the year & Miami stays alive | College Football Enquirer Did we witness the game of the year between Georgia and Alabama? On today's show, Dan Wetzel and SI's Pat Forde react to one of the craziest finishes for an SEC game in recent memory. They break down the amazing performances of Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams (did you know that he's 17?). And, they question what went wrong for Georgia with a brutal schedule ahead.