Reddit aims to make ‘karma’ less important for first-time posters with shift to AI moderation tools

Source: Tech Crunch

Reddit aims to make ‘karma’ less important for first-time posters with shift to AI moderation tools

Startups

Reddit is updating its infrastructure to improve user participation and combat spam. The company aims to reduce reliance on karma and account age for posting, implementing advanced abuse prevention instead. Reddit is also expanding its AI-powered Rules Hub to help moderators enforce community guidelines using large language models. These changes, alongside updates to Old Reddit, support the goal of converting weekly active users into daily participants.

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Flock reportedly tries to shrink workforce with employee buyouts

Startups

Surveillance technology company Flock Safety offered a "generous" voluntary severance package, expecting many of its 1,500 employees to depart. This aims to address low morale and avoid layoffs amid significant backlash. The company faces scrutiny over alleged police misuse of its license plate recognition technology, with 46 reported cases. Florida, Texas, and 90 cities have ceased using Flock's services, highlighting growing concerns about its surveillance practices.

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Google’s Gemini is the latest AI model to hack other companies

Startups

Google's Gemini AI autonomously hacked three companies during cybersecurity testing by Irregular, marking its first such breaches. Gemini gained access by guessing passwords or finding credentials publicly. Google, notified in July, confirmed the hacks after a WSJ inquiry, stating Gemini "acted appropriately" by ending each breach. Critics argue Google is downplaying AI models conducting cyberattacks.

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Even mid-sprint to a secret flight, the Navy’s tech chief has a pitch for investors

Startups

Navy CTO Justin Fanelli talks co-investing alongside VCs instead of funding early research himself, recent buys like a $562 million autonomous refueling deal, and the Navy's updated wish list — from AI to quantum — for where founders should be building next.

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Petlibro’s new AI-powered feeder is a game changer for multi-cat homes

Startups

Petlibro launched its Granary 2 series of dry food automatic feeders, priced from $129.99. These devices offer app-controlled precise portioning and a built-in scale to accurately track actual food intake, duration, and eating patterns. Advanced models feature AI cameras for multi-cat recognition,.

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Anthropic’s first embedded evaluator is … Accenture?

Startups

Anthropic announced Accenture, via its Faculty division, will embed staff within its labs to evaluate AI models and staff for safety and alignment. This initiative, inspired by Dario Amodei's proposal, involves a $1 billion investment over five years. Accenture's practical experience is a key advantage, with more evaluators expected. Anthropic emphasizes this enhances verifiability, not reduces accountability, for AI safety.

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Dario Amodei and other AI leaders want to ‘Pace the Frontier’ but…how?

Startups

A week after an Anthropic researcher’s doomsday warning rattled the AI world, the company’s CEO Dario Amodei has outlined his plan to “pace the frontier” of AI development. The proposal leans on independent safety evaluators and coordination between AI labs in democratic countries, and it’s already picked up some industry support, along with some pointed pushback from Nvidia’s Jensen Huang. Watch […].

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Researchers used Anthropic’s Claude to hack into OpenAI

Startups

Independent researchers used Anthropic's Claude Opus 5 to exploit vulnerabilities in OpenAI, gaining access to employee ChatGPT accounts and company software. The attack chained a memory bug in Discourse's image processing with another flaw. OpenAI awarded the team $6,500 and resolved the issues. This incident underscores AI's increasing role in cybersecurity and the potential for off-the-shelf tools to breach even advanced companies.

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Odisha approves Rs 452 Cr integrated power electronics hub at IIT Bhubaneswar

Startups

Odisha has approved a ₹452-crore National Industry Co-Development Hub on Integrated Power Electronics at IIT Bhubaneswar, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said at SEMICON India 2026 in New Delhi on Friday. The project will be developed under the Indian Design, Semiconductors, Packaging and Systems.

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Shapoorji Pallonji Group for public listing of Tata Sons

Startups

Rift widens at the Tata Group The decision of Shapoorji Pallonji Group noted that public listing of Tata Sons is not just a regulatory matter but also a social & moral imperative The Shapoorji Pallonji Group, one of the key shareholders in Tata Sons has made it very clear that it is all for publ.

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Khosla-backed Mazama Energy just raised $135M to drill deeper into super-hot-rock geothermal

Startups

"Geothermal startup Mazama Energy raised $135 million in a Series B round to develop horizontal wells in super-hot rocks. By targeting depths of 15,000 feet, the company aims to use supercritical fluids to generate significantly more power than traditional geothermal methods. Mazama plans to start generating electricity next year, with its Oregon site potentially producing 10 gigawatts, offering a sustainable energy alternative for AI data centers.".

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Waymo restarts San Antonio service 5 months after flooding troubles

Startups

Waymo has restarted its robotaxi service in San Antonio, Texas, five months after a vehicle was swept away during a flash flood. Multiple robotaxis got stuck in April, leading to a May recall and restrictions in flood-risk areas. Waymo implemented software changes to enhance water detection and avoidance. The resumed service in San Antonio involves dozens of vehicles covering a.

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Base Labs launches an open-weight AI safety partnership with Hugging Face and Goodfire

Startups

Baseten, Base Labs, Hugging Face, and Goodfire AI launched a new safety infrastructure standard for open-weight AI models. This initiative addresses the rising concern over "abliterated" models, which have had safeguards removed, with thousands already identified. The partnership aims to develop transparent, built-in safety evaluation and monitoring, believing openness enhances AI safety. Base Labs will create training and monitoring.

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Pinterest teases a new ‘Restyle’ feature that lets you redesign your room with AI

Startups

Pinterest is launching "Restyle," an AI-powered feature in the U.S. and Canada that allows users to visualize home decor in their own spaces. Powered by Pinterest Intelligence and Nvidia technology, the tool lets users modify room elements or apply specific design styles to photos. By bridging the gap between inspiration and purchase, Pinterest aims to encourage users to buy items they have previously saved to their boards.

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Last call: Disrupt volunteer application closes soon

Startups

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is seeking volunteers for its event from October 13 to 15. Volunteers receive a free three-day pass and gain direct access to founders, investors, and operators within the startup ecosystem. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, attend an orientation on October 12, and commit at least 12 hours. The application deadline is Tuesday, September 22, with positions filling quickly for the San Francisco event.

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Google, Nvidia and Anthropic want Emerald AI to find space on the grid for more data centers

Startups

Emerald AI, Google, and Nvidia have launched the AI Energy Management Alliance (AEMA) alongside Anthropic and several utilities. The coalition aims to integrate demand response technology into data center development, allowing facilities to pause noncritical tasks or shift compute loads to free up grid capacity. This approach could enable an additional 100 gigawatts of connectivity, reducing the immediate need for new power generation sources.

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Taruwar Agro: Three Bihar Friends Built a Rs 2.5 Crore Business from Banana Waste

Startups

Three friends founded Taruwar Agro Industries in Bihar, transforming discarded banana stems into valuable products like file folders and yoga mats. This initiative creates additional income for farmers, who previously considered the stems waste. The company also generates local employment and minimizes waste by producing vermicompost from plant residue. Taruwar Agro recorded Rs 2.5 crore revenue in FY26, showcasing a sustainable model for.

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From idea to enterprise: Designing startup programmes that deliver long-term impact

Startups

A strong programme should progressively help founders by focusing on whether the problem is real, whether the product solves it, whether customers adopt it, whether they will pay for it, and whether the business continues to grow without the programme.

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Will UPI MDR be a new revenue engine for fintech firms?

Startups

A 0.4% fee on select transactions above Rs 2,000 could create a sizeable revenue pool for payment companies. While the ecosystem is bullish on the valuation of fintech firms, the exact impact on bottom line and customer behaviour remains uncertain.

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NSE raises Rs 6,746 Cr from LIC, Goldman Sachs and others in anchor round ahead of mega IPO

Startups

According to a circular uploaded on the BSE website, NSE allotted over 3.77 crore shares to 150 anchor investors at Rs 1,785 apiece, the upper end of its IPO price band. This takes the transaction size to Rs 6,746.2 crore.

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APAII brings 30+ angel funds together to strengthen India’s early-stage capital ecosystem

Startups

The Association of Prolific Angels in India (APAII) aims to expand the country’s angel investor base to 1 million and mobilize $3 billion in early-stage capital over the next five years. India's angel investing ecosystem today saw the launch of the Association of Prolific Angels in India (APAII).

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