Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Welcome to TechCrunch AM! This morning, we're reading about China's latest tool to bypass smartphone protections; a cool startup that converts carbon into cement while sailing; and exactly what to expect from xAI's new AI companions. We've got a bunch more stories, of course, so let's get to work!

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Huang Wei/Xinhua / Getty Images

1. China's using a new tool to extract data from seized phones: Researchers warned that Chinese residents, and visitors to China, should be aware of the tool's existence and the risks it poses. Read More

2. Meet the cement transport ship that makes cement ingredients while sailing: London-based Seabound has developed a carbon capture system that transforms CO2 from a ship's engine into limestone, which Heidelberg Materials will use to make cement. Read More

3. Of course, Grok's AI companions want to have sex and burn down schools: xAI's first AI companions on the Grok app are a lustful anime girl and a homicidal panda. Read More

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Morning Must-Reads

Image Credits: Cambrian Ventures

Rex Salisbury's Cambrian Ventures raises new fund, bucking fintech slowdown: Spurred by the performance of its first fund, Cambrian Ventures' $20 million second fund will continue the firm's thesis of focusing on fintech startups. Read More

A comprehensive list of 2025 tech layoffs: A complete list of all the known layoffs in tech, from Big Tech to startups, broken down by month throughout 2024. Read More

The Chainsmokers' Mantis Ventures closes $100M third fund: The fund brings Mantis' assets under management to $225 million. Read More

Trump administration to spend $1 billion on 'offensive' hacking operations: A top Democrat criticized the move to spend a billion on offensive hacking operations as the budget guts a billion from U.S. cyber defense. Read More

Mark Zuckerberg says Meta is building a 5GW AI data center: Meta is currently building out a data center, called Hyperion, which the company expects to supply its new AI lab with five gigawatts (GW) of computational power, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Monday post on Threads. Read More

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Before You Go

Image Credits: Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket / Getty Images

A former OpenAI engineer describes what it's really like to work there: A senior engineer describes the thrill, chaos, and exhaustion of working at OpenAI this past year while launching its coding agent Codex. Read More