• Netflix to redesign its app as it competes with social platforms for daily engagement

    January 21, 2026

    As YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram continue to dominate mobile viewing, Netflix is rethinking how its app fits into a social-first video landscape. During its fourth-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, the company announced plans to revamp its mobile app and expand its short-form video feature, which it mentions could help promote the new slate of original video podcasts it unveiled last week. Set to launch later in 2026, Netflix’s redesigned mobile app is intended to “better serve the expansion of our business over the decade to come,” according to co-CEO Greg Peters. The update will act as a foundation for ongoing…

  • Europe’s best-selling model in 2025 was a budget small car

    January 21, 2026

    While Australia’s best-selling model last year was a ute that can cost more than $90,000 before on-roads, in Europe a much more affordable vehicle took the top spot in 2025. For the second year in a row, the Dacia Sandero topped the charts in Europe – at least according to the Renault-owned brand, with data from JATO not yet publicly available. Dacia claims it’s actually had the best-selling car in Europe since 2017 if only private sales are counted, but that the Sandero took over in 2024 if sales are counted across all channels. It says one in 55 cars…

  • The UK is mulling an Australia-like social media ban for users under 16

    January 21, 2026

    The UK government has announced a consultation, asking people for their feedback on whether to introduce a social media ban for children under 16 years old. It would also explore how to enforce that limit, how to limit tech companies from being able to access children’s data and how to limit “infinite scrolling,” as well as access to addictive online tools. In addition to seeking feedback from parents and young people themselves, the country’s ministers are going to visit Australia to see the effects of the country’s social media ban for kids, according to Financial Times. Australia’s minimum age social…

  • Bolna nabs $6.3M from General Catalyst for its India-focused voice orchestration platform

    January 21, 2026

    Industry reports and the growth of voice model companies in the Indian market suggest that there is a growing demand for voice AI solutions in the country. Voice is a popular medium for communication among people and businesses in India. That’s why enterprises and startups are eager to use voice AI to be more efficient at customer support, sales, customer acquisition, hiring, and training. But recognizing market demand is one thing — proving businesses will pay is another. Y Combinator rejected the application from Bolna, a voice orchestration startup built by Maitreya Wagh and Prateek Sachan, five times before finally…

  • More GM V8 engine failures prompt new safety probe

    January 21, 2026

    A safety probe has been launched in the US after the small-block ‘L87’ V8 that powers the Chevrolet Silverado pickup and other General Motors models allegedly suffered failures even following a fix applied as part of a 2025 recall of 721,000 vehicles. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued the probe on January 16, 2026, after 36 owners had complained to the auto safety body alleging engine failure after having their vehicles ‘fixed’ during the previous recall. “The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 36 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging engine failure in vehicles subject to Recall…

  • One year of access to Monarch Money’s budgeting app is down to $50 right now

    January 21, 2026

    The start of the new year is a great time to get your finances in order, and a good budgeting app can help with that. Instead of laboring over a spreadsheet, you can try one of our favorite budgeting apps for less than usual. Monarch Money is running a sale that gives new users 50 percent off one year of the service, bringing the final cost down to just $50. Just use the code NEWYEAR2026 at checkout to get the discount. Monarch Money makes for a capable and detailed budgeting companion. You can use the service via apps for iOS,…

  • Anthropic’s CEO stuns Davos with Nvidia criticism

    January 21, 2026

    Last week, after reversing an earlier ban, the U.S. administration officially approved the sale of Nvidia’s H200 chips, along with a chip line by AMD, to approved Chinese customers. Maybe they aren’t these chipmakers’ shiniest, most advanced chips, but they’re high-performance processors used for AI, making the export controversial. And at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei unloaded on both the administration and the chip companies over the decision. The criticism was particularly notable because one of those chipmakers, Nvidia, is a major partner and $10 billion investor in Anthropic. “The CEOs of these…

  • Luxury brand’s secret ute project revealed

    January 21, 2026

    Korean premium auto brand Genesis has mocked up a ute, and it’s left the door open for a production version. Images of the Hyundai luxury brand’s proposed electric ute have been published in the latest Auto&Design magazine, and reshared by Anh Ðinh Hoàng on Instagram, alongside a rakish people mover and a hydrogen fuel-cell SUV. “An electric pickup truck? Why not?” Hyundai Motor Group’s chief creative officer and chief design officer, Luc Donckerwolke, told the magazine about the concept’s creation. “Then we discarded it because we had to focus on different projects. Maybe in the future, who knows.” CarExpert can…

  • Adobe unveils new AI-powered video editing tools for Premiere

    January 21, 2026

    Adobe has announced updates for Premiere and After Effects, including new AI-powered tools that are meant to speed up your video editing tasks. In Premiere, the company’s video-editing software, it has unveiled a new AI-powered Object Mask feature that lets you easily pick and track persons or objects moving through your video clips. You simply have to hover over that object and click to generate a mask overlay in seconds. While the mask is supposed to be accurate from the start, you can adjust and resize it as needed. Adobe says the feature uses its own AI model for the…

  • One-time hot insurance tech Ethos poised to be first tech IPO of the year

    January 21, 2026

    Ethos Technologies has priced its initial public offering and the expectation is that it will go public on Thursday, making it one of the first tech IPOs of the year.  If it lands in its current price range of $18 to $20 a share, it will enter the day valued at $1.26 billion on the high end — raising $102.6 million for itself and about $108 million for its selling shareholders. Should investor interest be high, it could wind up pricing higher. That means a bigger valuation and more money raised. The company, which offers software to sell life insurance, is…