Techmeme
September 16, 2025, 2:20 PM

Top News

Megan Morrone / Axios:
OpenAI says it is developing a “different ChatGPT experience” for teens and plans to use age-prediction tech to bar kids under 18 from the standard version  —  OpenAI is developing a “different ChatGPT experience” for teens and plans to use age-prediction technology …
Financial Times:
Jennifer Jacobs / CBS News:
Sources: Oracle is among a consortium of companies that would enable TikTok to continue its US operations if the US and China finalize their framework deal  —  Technology company Oracle is among a consortium of firms that would enable TikTok to continue operations in the U.S. if a framework deal between …
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
YouTube unveils new generative AI tools for Shorts, including a custom version of Veo 3 called Veo 3 Fast, which includes sound, and an Edit with AI feature  —  At its Made on YouTube live event on Tuesday, the company unveiled new generative AI tools for Shorts creators.
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
YouTube unveils new livestreaming features, including letting creators transition between public and members-only streams, and ads that run next to the stream  —  At its Made on YouTube event on Tuesday, the video giant announced several new features aimed at improving the livestreaming experience.
Zach Vallese / CNBC:
YouTube says it has paid out $100B+ to creators over the last four years and the number of YouTube channels making over $100K from TV screens has jumped 45% YoY  —  YouTube said on Tuesday it has paid out over $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies since 2021.
Sabrina Ortiz / ZDNET:
Google launches the Agent Payments Protocol, or AP2, designed to securely facilitate agent-led payments across platforms, with the support of 60+ organizations  —  ZDNET's key takeaways  — Google announces Agent Payments Protocol (AP2).  — AP2 helps companies carry out agent-led payments securely.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Nicholas G. Miller / Wall Street Journal:
HR software provider Workday agrees to acquire Sana, an AI startup specializing in workplace tools, for $1.1B; the transaction is set to close before January 31  —  the Sana acquisition also will deepen Workday's educational offerings  —  Workday is acquiring Sana, an AI company focused on workplace tools …
Victoria Song / The Verge:
Apple Watch Series 11 review: slightly better battery and Sleep Score is intuitive, but the most exciting updates are coming to older watches through watchOS 26  —  No one is going to wax lyrical about the Apple Watch Series 11.  Not because it's a bad smartwatch — it's a great smartwatch, actually.
Allie Garfinkle / Fortune:
Modern Animal, a veterinary clinic network that uses proprietary AI-powered software to enhance veterinary workflows, raised a $46M Series D  —  Caleb's the sort of dog everyone turns to look at.  —  A shimmering golden retriever, Caleb, looks like Air Bud.
Silicon Republic:
Nory, which offers an AI-powered restaurant management system, raised a $37M Series B led by Kinnevik, bringing its total funding to $63M  —  Conor Sheridan says his AI platform frees up restaurants to focus on what matters most - “great food and even greater customer experiences”.
Yuliya Chernova / Wall Street Journal:
Jack Altman's Alt Capital raised $275M for a new fund to lead more Series A rounds at AI startups, a jump from the $150M fund it closed in February 2024  —  The former CEO of Lattice raised his fund in just a month—a lightning-fast process  —  Jack Altman has swiftly closed on $275 million …
Bluesky: @siobhanmcelduff
Reuters:
Study: Grok, ChatGPT, Meta AI, Claude, Gemini, and DeepSeek can be easily used to create phishing emails targeting the elderly, despite being trained to refuse  —  Major AI chatbots were happy to help.  —  Reuters and a Harvard University researcher used top chatbots to plot a simulated phishing scam …
Monica Alleven / Fierce Network:
MVNO Noble Mobile launches with former presidential candidate Andrew Yang as CEO, offering cash back rewards to clients who use less than 20GB of data per month  —  - The schtick here is customers get rewarded by using less data - in the form of cash back rewards
Nathan Owens / Manufacturing Dive:
Chip design software maker Cadence agrees to acquire Stockholm-based Hexagon's design and simulation software business for ~$3.18B in cash and stock  —  The acquisition would bolster the industrial software maker's position in the growing structural analysis market used widely by Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Toyota and other suppliers.
Mauro Orru / Wall Street Journal:
Google plans to invest £5B in the UK for AI, energy, R&D, and more over the next two years, expecting to add 8,000+ jobs a year at businesses across the country  —  The company said the investment would add more than 8,000 jobs a year at businesses across the U.K.
Jackie Davalos / Bloomberg:
Humanoid robot startup Figure raised a $1B+ Series C led by Parkway Venture Capital at a post-money valuation of $39B, up from $2.6B in February 2024  —  Figure AI Inc., a company developing humanoid robots, has received more than $1 billion in committed capital in a financing round that values …
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Nothing raised a $200M Series C led by Tiger Global at a $1.3B valuation, taking its total funding to $450M+, and says it had $1B in total sales in early 2025  —  Smartphone startup Nothing announced today that it closed its Series C round of $200 million, which was led by the investment firm Tiger Global.

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Ashley Belanger / Ars Technica: