Author: Arabian Media staff

Zehra Naqvi, 26, grew up as an obsessive fan girl in the 2010s.  This was the era of Tumblr and Twitter. She would stay up all night breaking down the release dates of Marvel movies or analyzing the movements of One Direction members. She eventually gained a collective 250,000 followers across the two platforms.  “Those early internet rabbit holes taught me how magical it felt to not just consume culture but to contribute to it,” she told TechCrunch. She went on to start a company at 12, study art history at Columbia, and then became a consumer investor at Headline…

When Jamie Gull graduated from Stanford University in 2007 with a master’s degree in aeronautics, there was one place he wanted to go next: the desert. The Mojave desert, to be specific. A company called Scaled Composites had spent years developing experimental aircraft out on that arid land, and Gull wanted in. He could have tried to get a more traditional aerospace job, but Gull was worried he’d “work five years on a latch” — a common joke about those bigger, slow-moving companies. But at Scaled Composites? “I knew I would build something, and I would do it quickly, and…

A senior member of the Palestinian group said that the group would soon announce its position on President Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza. Source link

OpenAI has sold $6.6 billion in shares held by current and former employees, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The sale pushed OpenAI’s total valuation to $500 billion, the highest ever achieved by a privately held company. Purchasers included SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group, Thrive Capital, MGX, and T. Rowe Price, the report said. The sale was not a conventional funding round, as the cash went to individuals holding shares or options in OpenAI rather than the company’s own coffers. Still, it’s a powerful retention tool for the company, which has faced significant pressure from Meta’s newly revitalized AI lab.…

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 wouldn’t be possible without the incredible support of our sponsors, who bring world-class expertise, bold innovation, and community energy to every corner of the conference. Spotlight sessions you won’t want to miss Our sponsors are shaping the future of industries — and you can catch them live at Disrupt: Monday October 27 Space Stage Aerospace Startup Showcase: Solving the Hardest Problems in Space 8:35 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.Presented by The Aerospace Corporation AI is transforming countless industries, and space is no exception. The Aerospace Corporation is hosting a pitch-off at TechCrunch Disrupt to showcase startups working on…

The U.S. government shutdown could stifle deal flow, freeze visa processing for workers, and cause other problems for startups and the broader tech sector, especially if it lasts longer than a week, according to experts who spoke to TechCrunch.  The U.S. government shutdown, which began Tuesday, is the first one in seven years. The unpredictability of the Trump administration coupled with a politically entrenched Congress makes it hard to predict when the shutdown will end. Out of eight shutdowns since 1990, four have happened during a Trump administration, the last one was for 35 days, the longest in modern history. …

A quiet retreat by Democrats from the pre-eminent pro-Israel lobbying group is the latest evidence of a realignment underway in Congress on Israel. Source link

Consumer AI is having its breakout moment — and few startups have captured the spotlight this year quite like Phia. The AI-powered shopping assistant has become one of 2025’s buzziest launches, not only for its vision of how Gen Z shops, but also for the powerhouse founders leading it: Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, happening October 27–29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, the two will take to the Disrupt Stage to share how they’re building Phia into a durable consumer brand, what it takes to scale in one of tech’s most competitive markets, and how they’re…

Ticktock! The Founder and Investor Bundle sale for TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 ends tomorrow, October 3, at 11:59 p.m. PT. After that, founders will no longer be able to register in bulk at a discount, and investors will drop back to the standard 15% savings. Don’t miss your chance to save more and supercharge your Disrupt experience as a community. Disrupt is the startup launchpad for founders and investors alike Disrupt 2025 will unite 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders from across the globe. It’s the ultimate launchpad for startups at every stage, where investors spot the next big opportunity first,…

Sequoia-backed AI design startup Visual Electric said that it is joining search startup Perplexity today. The company noted on its site that the team would be joining a new Agent Experiences group at Perplexity. Aravind Srinivas, Perplexity’s CEO, confirmed the acquisition with a post on X. Deal terms were not disclosed. The startup said that as part of the transition, it will shut down Visual Electric as a product in 90 days. It added that users will be able to export their data, and subscribers will get prorated refunds. Visual Electric was founded in 2022 by Colin Dunn, a former…