StartUp

From cybersecurity and aerospace to generative 3D, startup leaders are scaling ambitious companies from European soil and taking on global markets. In this conversation at the StrictlyVC event in Athens, we talked to three founders about what it takes to go from idea to impact while navigating the continent’s unique challenges — and why building in...

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Utilizing AI can be a double-edged sword, according to new research study from Duke University. ... Using AI can be a double-edged sword, according to brand-new research from Duke University. While generative AI tools may boost performance for some, they may likewise covertly damage your professional reputation.On Thursday, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published a study revealing that employees who use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini at work face unfavorable judgments about their proficiency and motivation from associates and managers. Our findings reveal an issue for individuals considering embracing AI tools: Although AI can enhance efficiency, its usage carries social expenses, write researchers Jessica A. Reif, Richard P. Larrick, and Jack B. Soll of Duke's Fuqua School of Business.The Duke group conducted 4 explores over 4,400 participants to analyze both expected and real evaluations of AI tool users. Their findings, provided in a paper titled Evidence of a social examination charge for using AI, expose a consistent pattern of bias against those who receive help from AI.What made this penalty particularly concerning for the researchers was its consistency across demographics. They found that the social preconception versus AI usage wasn't restricted to specific groups. Fig. 1 from the paper Evidence of a social evaluation penalty for using AI. Credit: Reif et al. Testing a broad series of stimuli enabled us to examine whether the target's age, gender, or profession certifies the result of receiving help from Al on these evaluations, the authors wrote in the paper. We discovered that none of these target market characteristics affects the result of getting Al assist on perceptions of laziness, diligence, proficiency, self-reliance, or self-assuredness. This suggests that the social stigmatization of AI use is not limited to its usage among particular market groups. The result appears to be a general one. In the very first experiment conducted by the team from Duke, participants envisioned utilizing either an AI tool or a dashboard development tool at work. It revealed that those in the AI group anticipated to be judged as lazier, less skilled, less diligent, and more changeable than those utilizing conventional technology. They also reported less determination to reveal their AI use to coworkers and managers.The second experiment verified these worries were justified. When assessing descriptions of staff members, individuals consistently ranked those getting AI aid as lazier, less skilled, less persistent, less independent, and less fearless than those receiving comparable help from non-AI sources or no help at all.

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Belief in fake news linked to problematic social media useBelief in fake news linked to problematic social media use

The vast majority of people these days use some form of social media, but some develop what's known as problematic social media use (PSMU). ....

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StartUp

John Tsioris sold Instashop to Delivery Hero for $360 million. Nate Clarke took Tyme from startup to global digital bank. In this candid conversation at the StrictlyVC event in Athens, the two entrepreneurs open up about what drives them, how they’re choosing their next bets, and why they’re investing in ecosystems that others overlook....

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Fidji Simo joins OpenAI as new CEO of ApplicationsFidji Simo joins OpenAI as new CEO of Applications

of Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati in September. ....

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Trump admin to roll back Biden&s AI chip restrictionsTrump admin to roll back Biden’s AI chip restrictions

in January, established a three-tiered system for regulating AI chip exports. ....

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StartUp

Manus AI is one of the hottest AI agent startups around, recently raising $75 million at a half-billion-dollar valuation in a round led by Benchmark.

But two unnamed sources told Semafor that the investment is now under review by the U.S. Treasury Department over its compliance with 2023 restrictions on investing in Chinese companies.

Benchmark’s l...

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DOGE software engineer&s computer infected by info-stealing malwareDOGE software engineer’s computer infected by info-stealing malware

Login credentials belonging to an employee at both the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Department of Government Efficiency have appeared in multiple public leaks from info-stealer malware, a strong indication that devices belonging to him have been hacked in recent years. ....

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. ... We are an AI, robotics company, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed last April. Despite the truth that the company's profits are overwhelmingly derived from selling brand-new electrical cars, such prosaic activities hold no radiance for the boss.Instead, Tesla's future, according to Musk, depends upon a (declared) sub-$30,000 driverless two-seater, revealed to the world last October in a staged presentation on a film set. But Musk's strategies simply struck a snag: The business should discover some new names.As identified by Sean O'Kane at TechCrunch, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has actually notified Tesla that it will not be enabled to hallmark the word robotaxi to explain the vehicle.According to the USPTO, the term is far too generic. Undoubtedly, aGoogle n-gramsearch reveals a stable development in using robotaxi starting more than a years ago.According to the USPTO, the term is simply descriptive. The company citesevidence from Wikipedia, The Verge, and the Amazon-backed self-governing lorry start-up Zoox in its rejection of Tesla's trademark application. Maybe they need to simply have called it the Teslapod. Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg through Getty Images Tesla could challenge this choice, but it would need to show the USPTO all the item's marketing materials, pamphlets, and manuals that intend to use the name. If those aren't available, Tesla must explain to the patent and trademark office's fulfillment how this item will vary from others, with comprehensive specifics, not generalities. Tesla should also explain whether the vehicle includes robotic systems and whether any of Tesla's competitors utilize robo, robotic, or robotic to describe their own goods and servicesthe truth that Zoox refers to its autonomous pods as robotaxis will be really bothersome for Tesla.It's not the very first time that Tesla has actually been implicated of a lack of originality. Alcon Entertainment sued Warner Brothers and Tesla after it declined them consent and adamantly challenged WB's and Tesla's attempt to connect the lorry with cars seen in Blade Runner 2049. Although Tesla tried to get the case dismissed, in April, the court purchased the parties to participate in mediation.

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StartUp

The U.S. Department of Labor has dropped its investigation into Scale AI’s compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), according to a source directly familiar with the matter. 

The FLSA is a federal law that regulates misclassification of employees as independent contractors and unpaid wages. A Technology NewsRoom first reported that Scale...

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Trump just made it much harder to track the nation&s worst weather disastersTrump just made it much harder to track the nation’s worst weather disasters

The Trump administration's steep staff cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) triggered shutdowns of several climate-related programs Thursday. ....

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Elon Musk is responsible for &killing the world&s poorest children,& says Bill GatesElon Musk is responsible for “killing the world’s poorest children,” says Bill Gates

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates ratcheted up his feud with Elon Musk, accusing the world’s richest man of “killing the world’s poorest children” through what he said were misguided cuts to US development assistance.

Gates, who is announcing a plan to accelerate his philanthropic giving over the next 20 years and close down the Gates Foundation altogether in 2045, said in an interview that the Tesla chief had acted through ignorance. ....

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StartUp

For the first time, the FDA has just approved a device that lets people screen for cervical cancer from home.

Known as the Teal Wand, from the company Teal Health, the prescription device lets patients self-collect samples and mail them to a lab to receive the same testing as would be done at a doctor’s office. 

Teal Health announced a $10 million...

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Senate passes &cruel& Republican plan to block Wi-Fi hotspots for schoolkidsSenate passes “cruel” Republican plan to block Wi-Fi hotspots for schoolkids

Blumenthal pointed out that under a joint resolution of disapproval, the FCC is forbidden to adopt a similar rule in the future. ....

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U.S. defense technology business Anduril Industries has exposed large-scale production of its new Roadrunner loitering interceptor, a reusable drone created to counter aerial dangers with rapid-launch capabilities.The company shared an image throughout its social media platforms revealing a substantial number of serially produced Roadrunner units, ...

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Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here.

This week was busy for startups: While there were no IPOs of note, there were other exits and even unusual liquidity events, as well as a significant number of funding rounds of various sizes and...

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Report: DOGE supercharges mass-layoff software, renames it to sound less dystopianReport: DOGE supercharges mass-layoff software, renames it to sound less dystopian

"It is not clear how AutoRIF has been modified or whether AI is involved in the RIF mandate (through AutoRIF or independently)," Kunkler wrote. ....

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Teledyne FLIR Defense Unveils Multiple Upgrades to Black Hornet 4 Nano-Drone

– Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, has announced a number of upgrades to its Black Hornet 4 Personal Reconnaissance System to further boost operational effectiveness for warfighters. The enhanced features are being showcased at the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Week annual conference at the Tampa Convention...

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StartUp

HR tech startup Rippling has raised a $450 million Series G round at a $16.8 billion valuation, the company confirmed to A Technology NewsRoom. It is also conducting a $200 million tender offer to give current and former employees some liquidity.

The equity raise marks a big jump in valuation from a year ago. In April 2024, Rippling was valued at...

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Microsoft effectively raises high-end Surface prices by discontinuing base modelsMicrosoft effectively raises high-end Surface prices by discontinuing base models

price hikes that aren't technically price hikes, some Surface accessories have had their prices directly increased. ....

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HENSOLDT and Quantum Systems Partner to Drive Innovation in Software-Defined Defence

– HENSOLDT, a leading German provider of defence and security sensor solutions, has  announced a strategic cooperation with Munich-based defence tech startup Quantum Systems. This partnership is accompanied by an investment by HENSOLDT into Quantum Systems and sets the foundation for a deeper cooperation in Software-Defined Defence (SDD).

The...

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StartUp

At Stripe’s Sessions conference this week, Mark Zuckerberg pitched what he calls the “ultimate business machine”: a fully automated, end-to-end AI ad engine promising to replace agencies, creatives, and media buyers with a single black box. You just need to connect your bank account first. 

Zuckerberg claims this could be one of the most valuable...

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Trump&s NIH ignored court order, cut research grants anywayTrump’s NIH ignored court order, cut research grants anyway

As of April 3, Bulls said she had received more than five lists of grants that needed to be terminated, amounting to “somewhere between five hundred and a thousand” grants.

before approval, and before this year, Bulls testified that grant terminations at the NIH have historically been rare. ....

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TEKEVER Becomes Europe&s Newest UAS Unicorn

– TEKEVER, a European provider of AI-driven Autonomous Systems, has announced the raise of a new funding round. Fully committed by existing investors, including round leader Ventura Capital, Baillie Gifford, the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), Iberis Capital and Crescent Cove, the round confirms TEKEVER’s valuation above £1 Billion.

This milestone...

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New RSV vaccine, treatment linked to dramatic fall in baby hospitalizationsNew RSV vaccine, treatment linked to dramatic fall in baby hospitalizations

For the new study, CDC researchers looked at RSV hospitalization rates across two different RSV surveillance networks of hospitals and medical centers (called RSV-NET and NVSN). ....

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Google hits back after Apple exec says AI is hurting searchGoogle hits back after Apple exec says AI is hurting search

targeting Google's search business is heading into the home stretch, and the outcome could forever alter Google—and the web itself. The company is scrambling to protect its search empire, but perhaps market forces could pull the rug out from under Google before the government can....

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Ukraine has recorded the first confirmed destruction of Russia’s advanced ‘Zaslon’ radar system, originally designed for naval use but recently deployed on land. The strike was carried out by drone operators of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems, who located and eliminated the radar despite its non-standard wheel-mounted configuration.

The system had...

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A Soviet-era spacecraft built to land on Venus is falling to Earth insteadA Soviet-era spacecraft built to land on Venus is falling to Earth instead

Kosmos 482, a Soviet-era spacecraft shrouded in Cold War secrecy, will reenter the Earth's atmosphere in the next few days after misfiring on a journey to Venus more than 50 years ago. ....

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Drone

Methane detection specialist Bridger Photonics has announced the launch of a drone-based version of its powerful Gas Mapping LiDAR (GML) system — giving it wings beyond small aircraft and opening up emissions monitoring in hard-to-reach places like offshore oil rigs, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, and sprawling distribution networks.

Up...

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