TechCrunch Top 3

Google says hackers are calling financial firm employees to hack and extort victims: Groups of hackers are breaking into large U.S. financial firms to steal sensitive data and extort victims, Google’s security researchers report. Read More

Defense tech Hadrian raises $1.37B at $8B valuation: Hadrian is building automated factories to mass-produce parts for defense vehicles like submarines. It's backed by a long list of well-known investors. Read More

China-linked LightSpy spyware caught targeting victims in 13 countries, including the US: Researchers linked the latest malicious activity to a Chinese company, after one of the spyware's operators placed an order with KFC using their real name and office address. Read More

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Afternoon Must-Reads

Ford's new electric truck, 'Fathom,' starts at $28,350: Due in "fall 2027," Ford said Thursday that it won't reveal what Fathom looks like until early next year. Read More

Tesla and SpaceX will invest $16.8B to start building 'Terafab' chip factory in Texas: After months of speculation, the companies formally announced the massive project will happen just north of Houston. Read More

Amid legal battles, Suno says it will start watermarking songs: Suno's watermarking feature comes as the company is fighting legal battles on several fronts. Read More

ChatGPT brings unlimited text chats to free users: OpenAI said that ChatGPT free and Go users are also getting a new think button for complex queries. Read More

Ford needs another Taurus, and the $30K Fathom EV pickup isn’t it: Ford's CEO has described the new Ford Fathom as a "Model T moment" for the company. But the EV pickup is unlikely to live up to lofty expectations, and maybe it doesn't have to. Read More

Last but Not Least

Ex-Spotify employees raise $10M to bring the AI behind its recommendations to e-commerce: The startup's platform predicts which product a shopper wants next, learns their general taste, and fine-tunes continuously based on what they do in real time. Read More