Ok, can we actually cool data centers with our pee?

Source: Tech Crunch

Ok, can we actually cool data centers with our pee?

Startups

Liquid Death and Jason Kelce released a satirical commercial suggesting using urine to cool AI data centers. While the ad is a joke, experts note that recycled wastewater, which includes treated urine, is already used to reduce the demand for potable water in data centers. However, scaling this requires significant infrastructure investment. Companies like Meta are funding projects to improve wastewater treatment to mitigate AI's environmental footprint.

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OpenAI is gaining on Anthropic with business users, new data indicates

Startups

"Data from Ramp reveals that Anthropic surpassed OpenAI in market share among its 70,000 US business customers, holding nearly 44% compared to OpenAI's 40% in July. However, OpenAI has shown faster growth in the third quarter. While the overall percentage of companies paying for AI is increasing, the shifting preferences highlight volatility in enterprise AI spending as businesses switch between providers based on new model releases.".

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ChatGPT can now send texts for you with new Apple Messages plugin

Startups

OpenAI has launched an Apple Messages plugin for ChatGPT, enabling users to sort, analyze, and edit conversations. The tool, compatible with Codex and ChatGPT Work, allows users to draft messages, search history, and suggest follow-ups. While OpenAI claims the plugin runs locally to protect privacy, some concerns remain. The company advises users to review all AI-generated messages before sending to ensure accuracy and maintain control.

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The Enhanced Games — tech’s steroid extravaganza — didn’t pay off, as company posts $60 million loss

Startups

The Enhanced Games, a sports competition allowing performance-enhancing drugs, proved to be both a competitive and commercial failure. Organized by the telehealth firm Enhanced Group, the event resulted in a nearly $62 million net loss for the second quarter. While the company considers pivoting to a lower-cost online series, the broader peptide and biohacking industry continues to grow amid shifting government regulations and Silicon Valley interest.

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Someone targeted security researchers using a fake crypto conference as a lure

Startups

"A hacker posing as a crypto news representative targeted cybersecurity professionals during the Black Hat and Def Con conferences via X. The attacker used legitimate Google Docs and App Script to create fake encrypted sidebars, tricking targets into installing malware for macOS and Windows. Security firm Huntress uncovered the campaign, which attempted to deploy infostealers and fake cryptocurrency wallet installers through deceptive decryption key prompts.".

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Mark buys a castle

Startups

Mark Zuckerberg has purchased the 19th-century Strancally Castle and its 440-acre estate in Waterford, Ireland, for an estimated $23 million to $35 million. The historic property features over 11 bedrooms and several tower suites, located roughly two hours from Meta's international headquarters in Dublin. This acquisition follows Zuckerberg's recent $170 million home purchase in Miami, reflecting a broader trend of tech billionaires relocating from California.

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Google gives publishers a new way to fight AI-driven traffic losses

Startups

Google is introducing a "Preferred Sources" button that publishers can embed on their websites, allowing users to mark them as favorites. This feature aims to boost visibility in Google Search, Discover, and Google News, offsetting traffic losses caused by AI-powered search. Additionally, Google is enabling natural language customization for Discover feeds and personalized audio briefings in the Google News app to improve user-controlled content recommendations.

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Runlayer, Rippling drop lawsuits. But the brouhaha is still a cautionary tale for founders.

Startups

Runlayer and Rippling have dropped their mutual lawsuits without a settlement or financial exchange. The legal battle began when Runlayer accused Rippling of cloning its MCP gateway after a year of product testing. Rippling responded with a patent infringement countersuit. Following the dismissal, Rippling immediately launched its own MCP gateway, entering the AI security market to compete with Runlayer and other major industry players.

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Castelion hits $13B valuation to mass-produce hypersonic missiles

Startups

Castelion, a missile startup founded by former SpaceX executives, has raised $1 billion in Series C funding at a $13 billion valuation. Co-led by Andreessen Horowitz, Carlyle, and JP Morgan Chase, the capital will support the production of Blackbeard hypersonic missiles in New Mexico. With over $500 million in military contracts, the company aims to help the U.S. close its hypersonic weapon gap with China.

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Linkdaze’s smart calendar is built to run a household, not just track a schedule

Startups

Linkdaze has launched a smart digital calendar designed for household organization, available in 10.1-inch and 15.6-inch models. The device synchronizes multiple calendar services, including Google and iCloud, using color-coding for clarity. Key features include a digital photo frame and an AI-powered meal planner with "Snap-to-Sync" technology. Unlike competitors, Linkdaze offers its main features without a monthly subscription, starting at $119.99 for the smaller model.

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Grok keeps sending gibberish responses to users

Startups

xAI’s Grok chatbot recently experienced a glitch causing it to output gibberish to some users, particularly those using Grok Lite on Grok.com. While the Grok account on X acknowledged the "word salad" as a rare temporary generation error, some users found that refreshing sessions did not resolve the issue. This incident follows reports of significant staff turnover at xAI, including the loss of many founding researchers.

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The investor’s guide to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Everything you need to know

Startups

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 takes place October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, focusing on building enduring companies in the AI era. The event offers investors access to the vetted Startup Battlefield 200, curated 1:1 meetings, and the Deal Flow Café. With various specialized stages and networking opportunities with top operators, the conference provides critical deal flow and market intelligence for angel, seed, and growth-stage investors.

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A third of webpages published since ChatGPT’s launch show signs of AI authorship, study finds

Startups

ChatGPT and other AI models are now authoring and editing much of the new web.

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Early Cerebras investor Adit Singh joins Mayfield as infrastructure partner

Startups

Adit Singh, a former Foundation Capital partner known for early investments in Cerebras, has joined Mayfield as an infrastructure partner. Singh, a trained chip designer, will focus on hardware, cybersecurity, infrastructure software, and physical AI. He was drawn to Mayfield's strong semiconductor portfolio and its capacity to write seed checks up to $20 million, supported by the firm's $3 billion in assets under management.

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Ramp launches its own AI model router, called Router

Startups

Ramp, a corporate expense management platform, has launched Router, an AI model routing service available in the United States. The API allows users to switch between various large language models from providers like OpenAI and Anthropic. Free through 2026, the service includes routing strategies and a usage dashboard. This move enables Ramp to enter the AI inference market while attracting new customers to its core financial products.

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Senators demand answers from TikTok over experiment that disabled safeguards

Startups

"Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal have demanded answers from TikTok regarding an experiment that disabled a safety safeguard for 15 million U.S. users. The senators called the move 'depraved' after a teenager in the control group died by suicide. TikTok allegedly tested if the feature reduced engagement. The company must respond by September 1, providing details on the experiment and other similar safety-related tests.".

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Meta brings Pocket, an app that lets you vibe-code and share games, to US users

Startups

"Meta has launched Pocket, an AI-powered gaming app, in the United States. The app enables users to create interactive "gizmos" using AI prompts, which can incorporate music, photos, and motion controls. Users can share, remix, and repost these games on their profiles. This release is part of Meta's strategy to mainstream AI tools, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg citing AI-enabled development as the key to faster app deployment.".

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MC² Foundation launches accelerator for energy deeptech startups

Startups

"The MC² Foundation, supported by public sector energy companies, has launched MC²+ Ignite, a deeptech accelerator for energy startups. Inaugurated by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the programme provides around 30 startups with access to R&D centres, pilot sites, and mentoring via partnerships with institutions like IIT Madras. Selected ventures can receive up to Rs 2 crore in funding to bridge the gap between research and commercialization.".

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Patreon launches 30 new creator features, including short-form Clips and revamped discovery

Startups

Patreon has introduced thirty new and revamped features designed to help creators build sustainable communities and improve discovery. Key updates include "Clips" for short-form video, a revised discovery algorithm to highlight smaller creators, and "Niches" for topic-based communities. The platform is also launching granular earnings analytics and fan profiles, while planning future security tools like anti-AI scraping to better support creators against traditional social media models.

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Inertia Enterprises finds a way to make its fusion fuel fast

Startups

Fusion startup Inertia Enterprises has significantly reduced the production time for its fusion fuel pellets from several days to just a few hours. By optimizing the manufacturing process and utilizing a more powerful laser to tolerate minor imperfections, the company has overcome a key barrier to commercialization. This advancement reduces expensive tritium inventory requirements and enables the industrial scale necessary for a future commercial power plant.

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