SpaceX has bought $329M worth of Tesla Megapacks so far this year

Source: Tech Crunch

SpaceX has bought $329M worth of Tesla Megapacks so far this year

Startups

SpaceX has increased its investment in Tesla Megapacks, spending $329 million this year to support data centers for its merged AI entity, xAI. These industrial batteries provide critical backup power and stabilize energy demands for GPUs. Additionally, SpaceX reported purchasing $131 million in Tesla Cybertrucks. These transactions highlight the deep operational and financial integration between Elon Musk’s various companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI.

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Elon Musk repeatedly one-upped his execs on SpaceX’s first earnings call

Startups

During SpaceX's first earnings call, Elon Musk made ambitious predictions regarding the company's future, including reaching $1 trillion in revenue by 2030 and Starlink providing most of the world's internet within a decade. While Musk claimed Starship human flights could begin next year, executives provided more tempered, cautious projections. As a public company, these divergent claims raise potential regulatory concerns regarding investor expectations and corporate accountability.

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Lucid’s turnaround plan hinges on $1.4B in cash savings, robotaxis

Startups

Lucid Motors CEO Silvio Napoli has launched an "operational reset" to reduce cash spending by $1.4 billion and stabilize the company's finances. The plan includes significant layoffs, leadership changes, and cost-cutting measures to extend liquidity into 2027. Key growth priorities include a mid-sized electric vehicle, a Saudi Arabian factory, and a robotaxi partnership with Uber and Nuro, aiming for profitability despite a recent $1.26 billion quarterly loss.

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How to get the best hotel deals for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Startups

"TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will take place from October 13 to 15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. To assist attendees, the event has partnered with several nearby hotels, including the Hyatt Regency and InterContinental, to offer discounted rates with flexible cancellation policies. Additionally, a limited-time flash sale provides $100 off tickets until August 7, and discounts are available for registering teammates to join the experience.".

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SpaceX doubles revenues on Anthropic and Google compute deals, Starlink growth

Startups

"SpaceX reported a 92% revenue increase, growing from $4 billion in Q2 2025 to $7.8 billion in Q2 2026. This growth was driven by Starlink and AI computing deals with Google and Anthropic. Despite the largest IPO in history and a $1.75 trillion valuation, the company's shares have fallen below the $135 IPO price, closing recently at over $125 before dropping further in after-hours trading.".

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Android app developers may be unwittingly sharing their users’ location data with advertisers

Startups

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) warns app developers that third-party code (SDKs) in their apps often collect users' precise location data by default. When users grant location permission to an app, embedded SDKs inherit this, sharing sensitive data with advertisers and data brokers, often without the developer's knowledge. This information can be sold to governments and intelligence agencies, posing significant privacy risks. The EFF urges developers to disable unnecessary data collection to protect user privacy.

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Open-weight AI models are catching up to the frontier. The safety gap remains.

Startups

A new SaferAI report finds Z.ai's open-weight GLM-5.2 approaches frontier AI capabilities while lacking key safety mitigations, renewing concerns that powerful open models could outpace governance and safeguards.

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Anthropic signs $10 billion deal with AI cloud startup Volta

Startups

"Anthropic has reportedly entered a $10 billion, six-year agreement with AI cloud startup Volta to expand its compute capacity. In partnership with Bitdeer, Volta will develop a 133-megawatt data center in Norway powered by Nvidia’s Vera Rubin systems. This move follows recent compute deals with SpaceX and Amazon as Anthropic aggressively scales its infrastructure to remain competitive against other major AI labs in the industry.".

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Meet Wrinkles, an AI app that uncovers the hidden stories of the places around you

Startups

"Wrinkles is a new AI-powered audio tour app for iOS and Android that uses location data to share local history and hidden stories. Founded by David Stemler and Ryan Hansan, the app features 1.3 million points of interest across 177 countries. It allows users to explore surroundings hands-free, ask questions, and save personal memories. The service remains free for users, generating revenue through business partnerships.".

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Nvidia doesn’t mess around: A week after open AI industry group formed, it’s already showing progress

Startups

The Nvidia-led Open Secure AI Alliance (OSAA), comprising over 120 companies, has launched the Shared AI Findings Exchange (SAFE) to improve AI cybersecurity. Managed by The Linux Foundation, the group focuses on confidential incident reporting and sharing open-source security tools. While industry giants like Microsoft and Intel have joined, OpenAI and Google remain absent. The initiative aims to bolster the U.S. open AI ecosystem against global threats.

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Elevation Capital Offloads Paytm Shares Worth ₹2,038 Cr

Business

Elevation Capital offloaded Paytm shares worth ₹2,038 crore through bulk and block deals at an average price of ₹1,367.8. The VC firm's move follows Paytm's strong Q1 FY27 results, which saw net profit surge 79% to ₹220 crore. Various domestic mutual funds and international investors, including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, purchased the shares. Additionally, Elevation Capital sold Meesho shares worth ₹974.6 crore in a separate block deal.

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Waymo opens up robotaxi service in Dallas to everyone

Startups

Waymo has opened its robotaxi service in Dallas to all residents and visitors, dropping the previous waitlist. This expansion marks a key step in the company's strategy to scale its self-driving technology. While airport service is not yet available, it is expected soon.

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Take an extra $100 off your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass: This week only!

Startups

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 will take place from October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, gathering over 10,000 tech innovators and investors. The event features specialized stages covering AI, financial trust, and scaling, alongside the Startup Battlefield competition. A limited-time flash sale is currently available, offering an additional $100 discount on passes until Friday, August 7, before pricing increases further on August 21.

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TV Time co-founder launches Bingers to revive the beloved TV tracking app

Startups

Antonio Pinto, a co-founder of the shuttered TV Time app, has launched Bingers, a new TV and movie tracking application for iOS and Android. Designed to restore the social community lost when Whip Media closed TV Time, Bingers features tracking tools, discovery options, and interactive fan forums. To ensure sustainability, the app offloads processing to user devices and relies on direct contributions to cover server costs.

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Hackers steal over $130 million by exploiting bug in offline hardware wallets

Startups

Hackers have stolen approximately $130 million from Coldcard hardware wallets, which are designed for secure offline storage. Security researchers discovered a vulnerability in Coinkite's seed phrase generation code from 2021, allowing attackers to predict and brute-force secret keys. This flaw bypassed the security of "cold" storage. Coinkite has since advised users to update their devices and migrate to new seed phrases to protect their assets.

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Elevation Capital, Peak XV Partners Sell Meesho Stock Worth ₹1,949 Cr

Business

Elevation Capital and Peak XV Partners sold a combined 10.28 crore shares of e-commerce company Meesho through block deals, netting ₹974.6 crore each. The shares were sold at an average price of ₹186, a 3% discount on the closing price, to buyers including ADIA and Fidelity. This move follows Meesho's improved financial performance, including a 54% year-on-year reduction in net losses and 48% revenue growth in Q1 FY27.

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Spotify adds Merlin to its AI music remix and covers effort

Startups

Spotify is introducing a new AI tool allowing fans to create covers and remixes of music with artist consent. Partnering with Universal Music Group and Merlin, the platform aims to support real artists through credit and compensation. This paid add-on differentiates Spotify from generative AI startups by focusing on legal, artist-approved content. A research preview will soon be available to a limited group of users.

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Texas halts new data centers as governor calls for audits

Startups

Texas is seeing a surge in data center proposals, with ERCOT's interconnection queue reaching 474 gigawatts, mostly driven by these facilities. To prevent grid overload and rising electricity prices, Governor Greg Abbott now requires all new data center projects to undergo audits by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT. These mandatory reviews will assess power and water demand, marking a shift toward stricter state regulation.

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Walmart completes its acquisition of TV advertising company Vibe.co

Startups

Walmart has finalized its $1.4 billion acquisition of Vibe.co, a self-service streaming TV advertising platform, integrating it into Walmart Connect. This move allows small and medium-sized brands to launch streaming campaigns more easily, expanding Walmart's connected TV advertising capabilities. This acquisition follows Walmart's $2.3 billion purchase of Vizio in 2024, as the retailer continues to strengthen its advertising business and enhance customer reach across commerce journeys.

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Elon Musk spends half his time talking robots and AI on Tesla earnings calls

Startups

Elon Musk is shifting Tesla's identity from a car manufacturer to an AI and robotics company. Analysis of earnings calls reveals Musk now spends nearly 50% of his time discussing artificial intelligence, robotaxis, and Full Self-Driving software, a significant increase from previous years. This pivot occurs as Tesla's core automotive growth slows, though other executives remain more focused on traditional car production than Musk.

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