TechCapsules

Taylor Searcy, a former Surface Warfare Officer on the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Lassen, now serves as Clean Energy Strategy Lead at General Motors. His Navy experience, where he managed navigation and safety for a $1 billion vessel and 300 sailors, informs his current role in designing reliable, cost‑effective energy solutions for GM’s plants, design centers, and offices. Searcy’s early port visits to Timor‑Leste and Fiji highlighted the critical link between dependable power and community well‑being, shaping his [...]

A technology entrepreneur argues that while artificial intelligence offers unprecedented memory, speed, and accuracy, the core aspects of intelligence—purpose, judgment, and responsibility—remain human. He observes a rapid shift from excitement to fear as AI’s capabilities expand, noting the technology’s potential for misuse by fraudsters, criminals, authoritarian regimes, and negligent employees. Drawing parallels to traditional workforce management, he suggests entrepreneurs should treat AI as a new class of digital employees, leveraging their abilities while instituting robust controls such [...]

Palantir co‑founder and CEO Alex Karp appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on September 17 to discuss artificial‑intelligence safety. He urged the industry to adopt “reasonable guidelines” for AI development, warning that unchecked growth could pose risks to society and governance. Karp highlighted the need for transparency, accountability, and regulatory oversight, noting that current practices lack clear standards. He also touched on the broader role of AI CEOs and the importance of aligning technological progress with ethical considerations. [...]

Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, the firm behind the Claude chatbot, published a 3,800‑word essay urging a worldwide pause on artificial‑intelligence development. In the piece, Amodei argues that the existential risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems outweigh their current benefits, and he calls on governments, corporations, and researchers to coordinate a slowdown before irreversible damage occurs. The essay joins a growing chorus of AI founders and investors warning that unchecked progress could “upend – if [...]

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Gusto CEO Josh Reeves, Insight Partners’ Michelle Johnson, and Leland co‑founder John Koelliker convened on the Builders Stage to discuss “Hiring When AI Is a Co‑Founder.” They examined how early‑stage companies can blend human and AI agents across engineering, support, and sales, addressing ownership, accountability, and decision‑making. The session highlighted practical strategies for building AI‑native teams without sacrificing speed, culture, or control, and offered insights for founders, investors, and talent leaders. [...]

Build A Rocket Boy, the studio behind the troubled MindsEye project and founded by Grand Theft Auto veteran Leslie Benzies, is undergoing another wave of layoffs, according to IGN. Employees including head of audio Stuart Ross, level designer Liam Shannon, release manager Michaela Emslie, lead QA analyst Sandy Greig, QA analyst Elizabet Tyaneva, production QA analyst Cameron Deaves and several others announced their departures. This follows previous cuts: an undisclosed number of redundancies last year and a reported 170‑person layoff in May, after [...]

Sergey Brin, Google’s co‑founder, has re‑entered the company’s artificial‑intelligence work in a hands‑on capacity, focusing on the Gemini model as Alphabet intensifies its generative‑AI push. Though he holds no formal executive title, Brin now operates from a converted micro‑kitchen in Google’s Gradient Canopy building in Mountain View, convening a small team of engineers and leaders. Employees say he participates in Gemini‑related discussions, influences computing‑resource allocation, and advocates a faster, startup‑like development pace. Brin’s involvement follows an April town‑hall [...]

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a 3,800‑word essay urging a global slowdown of artificial‑intelligence development, citing risks that outweigh benefits. The call follows an Anthropic researcher’s resignation over safety concerns and a warning that the technology has more than a 10% chance of causing human extinction. Amodei’s plea was met with lukewarm support from other AI leaders, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Demis Hassabis. The article highlights growing alarm among AI pioneers about potential misuse, misinformation, cyberattacks, and job‑market disruption. [...]