• Co-founder of CD Projekt Michał Kiciński has acquired GOG, the company’s game storefront

    December 29, 2025

    Michał Kiciński, co-founder of CD Projekt, total ownership of the DRM-free video game storefront GOG. The digital video game platform was started by CD Projekt in 2008 with a stated mission to “Good Old Games” (hence the GOG acronym). CD Projekt is known for its game studio CD Projekt Red, the developers The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077. GOG said Kiciński bought 100 percent of its shares for PLN 90.7 million ($25 million). The acquisition was fully financed through committed funding secured at the sale’s closing and did not involve the sale of any of Kiciński’s CD Projekt shares. The…

  • Plaud Note Pro is an excellent AI-powered recorder that I carry everywhere

    December 29, 2025

    There has been a flurry of AI voice recording gadgets like Omi, Bee, and Friend that want to capture your voice and let you converse with an AI chatbot. While Bee was acquired by Amazon, and devices like the Stream ring by Sandbar and a new AI ring from former Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky are set to enter the market next year, the jury is still out on the success of wearable AI devices. Amid all this, Plaud is thriving by targeting professional users with a different approach: a credit card-sized recording device that slips into your wallet. The company…

  • Every SUV, ute and van discontinued in Australia in 2025

    December 29, 2025

    2025 saw an influx of new auto brands and models to the Australian market, but also a raft of long-running nameplates head for the exit. The Jeep Grand Cherokee nameplate was withdrawn from the local market after 29 years, longer than the Mahindra Pik-Up (16 years), and the LDV V80, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner (all offered here for 10 years). The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross wasn’t far behind, ending its eight-year run this year. Newer models axed in 2025 comprised the Toyota Granvia (launched here in 2019) and Volvo C40 (2021). CarExpert can save you thousands on a new…

  • Get 50 percent off plans for the holiday season

    December 29, 2025

    If cleaning up your digital life is on your New Year’s resolution list, we’ve got good news: 1Password is offering half off its subscription plans now through December 30. This includes the Individual and Families plans. That brings the price of the Individual plan down to $24 for a year and the Families plan down to $36 for a year. The plans are nearly identical, but the Families plan accommodates five additional people. These discounts are only available to new customers and the prices expire after the year, so set a reminder to cancel or reassess. 1Password This provider topped…

  • Why the electrical grid needs more software

    December 29, 2025

    One of the nicest comments people have made about the electrical grid was … nothing. The grid works best when it fades into the background.  That low-profile status has changed in recent years as fires in California and freezes in Texas raised awareness of the electrical grid. But it was in 2025, when the electrical grid — and concerns about demand, supply, pricing, and the strain on natural resources — moved into the spotlight. And a new batch of startups have emerged with a software-as-a-solution pitch. Electricity rates are up 13% in this U.S. this year driven by an AI…

  • Ford doesn’t want to be full-line manufacturer or purchase another automaker

    December 29, 2025

    Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, is doubling down on the company’s strategy of utes, vans and emotional vehicles, as well as its policy of partnerships over acquisitions. In an interview with La Nacion at the automaker’s plant in Pacheco in Argentina, Mr Farley was asked about his childhood in Buenos Aires, where he was born and lived until nine as his dad ran the local Citibank outpost. He also talked about his 17 years at Toyota, where he helped to launch the original Yaris in Europe. After joining Ford in 2007, he agitated for Ford to launch the European-developed Fiesta…

  • Rainbow Six Siege servers are back online after shutting down in response to Marketplace hacks

    December 29, 2025

    Ubisoft had to shut down Rainbow Six Siege‘s servers and roll back transactions, a situation that came from a widespread breach that left various players with billions of in-game credits, ultra-rare skins of weapons, and banned accounts. As of Sunday, December 28, the status page on Rainbow Six Siege‘s website still shows “unplanned outage” on all servers across PC, PlayStation and Xbox. Later that evening, though, the company confirmed that it was done testing on the update it pushed out and was opening the severs back up to players. It also said that the transaction rollback was complete, but that…

  • The 32 top enterprise tech startups from Disrupt Startup Battlefield 

    December 29, 2025

    Every year, TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield pitch contest draws thousands of applicants. We whittle those applications down to the top 200 contenders, and of them, the top 20 compete on the big stage to become the winner, taking home the Startup Battlefield Cup and a cash prize of $100,000. But the remaining 180 startups all blew us away as well in their respective categories and compete in their own pitch competition. Here is the full list of the enterprise tech Startup Battlefield 200 selectees, along with a note on why they landed in the competition AI Seer  What it does: Builds…

  • How Audi, BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, and Suzuki started out in Australia, and where they are now

    December 29, 2025

    Cars like the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Honda CR-V were instrumental in cementing the success of their respective makers, but a lot more models form the colourful histories of some of Australia’s favourite auto brands. Once again, we’re comparing the first models sold in Australia by several popular car manufacturers with their latest nameplates. This time, we’re taking a look at BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Suzuki, Audi, and Honda, as they make up the next batch of auto brands in our trundle down Australia’s sales charts, continuing on from parts one and two of this series. We’ve included only the newest nameplates released in…

  • OpenAI is looking for a new Head of Preparedness

    December 29, 2025

    OpenAI is looking to hire a new executive responsible for studying emerging AI-related risks in areas ranging from computer security to mental health. In a post on X, CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that AI models are “starting to present some real challenges,” including the “potential impact of models on mental health,” as well as models that are “so good at computer security they are beginning to find critical vulnerabilities.” “If you want to help the world figure out how to enable cybersecurity defenders with cutting edge capabilities while ensuring attackers can’t use them for harm, ideally by making all systems…