Hyundai is working with a startup on plant-based leather that smells like the real thing

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories to start your morning

View this email online in your browser  August 27, 2025 TechCrunch Top 3 Hyundai is working with a startup on plant-based leather that smells like the real thing: Uncaged Innovations is working with Hyundai to develop alternatives to leather with a fraction of the environmental impact. Read More Plaud launches a new AI hardware notetaker, the $179 Note Pro: Plaud.ai launches its new Plaud Note Pro hardware notetaker with better mics and recording range. Read More Google Vids adds AI avatars to its video editor and launches a consumer version: Google is launching a free consumer version of its video editor Vids that will be available without any AI-powered features. Read More A message from Snapdragon IT on the go: David's unplugged journey Explore the seamless performance and multiday battery life of PCs powered by Snapdragon as David, a 3,000-employee company IT director, navigates his busy day, from secure transit to lag-free code crunching, without ever needing a charger. Join the journey Morning Must-Reads Microsoft headquarters go into lockdown after activists take over Brad Smith's office: The incident is the latest escalation by current and former employees who are demanding the company end its cloud contracts with Israel. Read More Anthropic launches a Claude AI agent that lives in Chrome: Anthropic is the latest AI lab to offer an AI agent with the ability to view and take action in a user's Chrome browser. Read More Why the US government is not the savior Intel needs: Intel doesn't need cash. Instead, the struggling semiconductor giant needs to figure out how to drum up interest for its foundry business. Read More Meta to spend tens of millions on pro-AI super PAC: Meta's new PAC signals an intent to influence statewide elections, including the next governor's race in 2026. Read More Libby's library app adds an AI discovery feature, and not everyone is thrilled: Libby launches "Inspire Me," a genAI feature that helps its users find books to borrow from local libraries. Read More A message from TechCrunch Events Hear from Meta, Waymo, NEA, and more at Disrupt 2025 Disrupt 2025 gathers 250+ industry trailblazers and 10,000+ attendees in San Francisco on October 27–29. Explore 200+ sessions on scaling, exits, and the evolving tech landscape. Hear from Elad Gil (Gil & Co), Astro Teller (X, The Moonshot Factory), Tekedra Mawakana (Waymo), May Habib (Writer), and more. Register now to save $600+ before prices hike. Register Now Last but Not Least Assort Health nabs $50M to automate patient phone calls, sources say: The company's AI voice agents are designed to take over high-volume, repetitive tasks like scheduling, cancellations, and frequently asked questions normally managed by front desk staff. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2025 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107