TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP / Getty Images

1. Opening the gates: OpenAI has removed the "warning" messages in ChatGPT that tell you when content might violate its terms of service. The move aligns with OpenAI's updated set of rules that make it clear the company's models won't shy away from sensitive topics. Read More

2. Doomscrolling is back: Apple and Google have restored TikTok on their U.S. app stores, indicating that they probably don't see it as very risky to go against the now-deferred law that banned the app in the country. Read More

3. A bad week for car-sharing: A day after Getaround shut down its U.S. operations, Turo has scrapped its plans for an IPO. The startup has been described as "Airbnb for cars," and had filed to go public in January 2022, just before the market turned and its growth decelerated. Read More

A Message from DealMaker

Raising millions without VC – Live on Feb 20

Big raises. No gatekeepers. Founders are bypassing traditional funding barriers and raising millions on their terms by going directly to investors online. At DealMaker's webinar on Feb 20, get the inside track from pioneers like EnergyX ($88M raised) and learn how to take control of your next raise.

Morning must-reads

Image Credits: Peterscode / Getty Images

🔐 AI safety is on its way out: The U.K.'s decision to rename the AI Safety Institute to the AI Security Institute is the latest example of how priorities are shifting from studying existential risk and bias in LLMs to focusing on security risks — cyber, national, or otherwise. Read More

🦾 Armed and ready: Semiconductor giant ARM will start making its own CPU chips this year for Meta's data centers. It's a notable change in strategy for ARM, which usually licenses its chip blueprints to companies like Apple and Nvidia. Read More

💬 Breaking comms siloes: U.K. startup Plain has raised $15 million for its platform that consolidates various internal communication channels — like Slack, Teams, Discord — to help businesses streamline support. Read More

🚨 If you don't like it, quit: Meta's CTO Andrew Bosworth says that if employees are frustrated with the company's latest policies, they can leave. This follows internal squabbles between leadership and employees who feel jaded by DEI program cuts and controversial layoffs. Read More

🏘️ You wouldn't download a house!? TC got the scoop that ICON, which builds homes using 3D printed parts, has closed a $56 million Series C. The startup hopes to raise additional funding of up to $75 million to further scale its printing tech. Read More

A Message from West Monroe

The High-Tech and Software Industry's 2025 Roadmap

An eye toward growth, reimagined data and the AI transition: What's trending

Learn More

Around the web

🫣 Jokes.gov: The doge.gov website that was spun up to track Elon Musk's cuts to the federal government apparently pulls from a database that anyone can edit, reports 404 Media. One coder wrote, "THESE 'EXPERTS' LEFT THEIR DATA OPEN." Read More

🛍️ Not so fast: Shein has delayed its plans for an IPO in the U.K. following Trump's crackdown on tariff-free imports of small goods from China, reports Financial Times. The IPO was meant to happen in April, but now it's being pushed to the second half of the year. Read More

🤳 Venture comes for the creator economy: Slow Ventures has raised more than $60 million for a seed fund dedicated to backing content creators who have become authorities in niche areas, like auto or gardening, per Axios. Read More

Before you go

🤔 Watch what you type: Google's Gemini AI chatbot can now recall information you shared in another conversation thread and even summarize those previous chats. So if you're asking it a follow-up question to something you've discussed before, you won't need to repeat yourself — provided you're on the $20/month Google One AI Premium plan. Read More