TechCrunch Top 3

Cybercriminals allegedly hacked tens of thousands of Fortinet firewalls used by major companies all over the world: An alleged Russian-speaking group of cybercriminals is reportedly compromising and targeting several major companies that use Fortinet Firewalls and VPNs through previously known passwords. Read More

Roelof Botha joins SpaceX's board of directors: The former Sequoia Capital leader is filling an "existing vacancy" on SpaceX's board, days after the company went public in the largest IPO ever. Read More

FTC lawsuit reveals how subscription scam networks evade app store enforcement: A new FTC lawsuit reveals how sophisticated subscription app operators can allegedly use shell companies and payment infrastructure to stay active on app stores despite mounting consumer complaints. Read More

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Afternoon Must-Reads

PayPal Ventures shutters as company restructuring continues: The corporate venture arm ends after 10 years and 80 investments. Read More

SpaceX alum nabs $22M to turn rocket engines into geothermal power plants: Critical Energy is turning rocket engines into geothermal power plants, and it wants to build 300 GW per year by 2045. Read More

Uber will bring its premium robotaxi service to Houston in 2027: This will be the second market to have an Uber robotaxi service outfitted with Lucid EVs equipped with a self-driving system from Nuro. Read More

Pinterest launches an experimental AI shopping app called 'Ask Pinterest': Pinterest has launched 'Ask Pinterest,' an experimental AI-powered shopping app that lets users seek recommendations and inspiration through a conversational interface. Read More

World leaders want American AI. They just don't want America to be able to turn it off.: French President Macron and Indian PM Modi raised alarms at the G7 summit that the U.S. could cut off access to American AI overnight — a fear the Anthropic blackout just made real. Read More

Last but Not Least

Mastodon looks to newsletters to help revive the open social web: Mastodon’s newly launched newsletter feature lets anyone subscribe to creators by email, even without a Mastodon account. Read More