OpenAI unleashes Astra, its most capable and controversial model yet
OpenAI released GPT-6 Astra, trained on more than 100,000 GPUs, which the company claims outperforms all other frontier models on benchmarks measuring computer use, browser use, software engineering, and cybersecurity. Astra scored 99.9% on the ARC-AGI-3 reasoning test and will roll out Thursday to limited organizations before becoming available to ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise users through the API and Amazon Web Services.
Read full story →Meta just told some of its former managers to become managers again
Meta is asking some individual contributors in its Applied AI division to return to managerial roles after implementing a flat structure with up to 50 contributors per manager. The division, formed in March with 7,000 employees, previously eliminated management layers during its 2023 efficiency campaign.
Central Eurasia names its 2026 Road to Battlefield winners: Cerberus, WeGlobal AI, and LOOQ
Three startups,Cerberus, WeGlobal AI, and LOOQ,won the Central Eurasia regional final of Road to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2026. They will compete at the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October.
China’s car exports beat last year’s record with four months to go
China exported over 6.2 million passenger cars in the first eight months of 2024, surpassing its entire 2023 export total with four months remaining. Plug-in hybrids drove much of Europe's growth, as these vehicles escape EU tariffs on Chinese cars.