CEO RETURNMullenweg returns as Automattic CEO after board ouster attempt
Matt Mullenweg is back as CEO of the WordPress owner after a board attempt to remove him was reversed.
EVERY PUBLISHED BRIEF
Industry briefs.
Browse Crunchy Tech’s latest industry briefs, grouped by date.
128 briefs · Page 5 of 6
PUBLISHED
Sunday, 13 September 2026
CEO RETURNPUBLISHED
Saturday, 12 September 2026
REGULATORY ROLLBACKTrump rolls back rules for AI data centers
Former EPA officials warn that deregulation to boost AI infrastructure may increase pollution and health risks.
STORE REOPENINGGameStop reopens select stores after massive cuts
GameStop is bringing back some locations despite a large reduction in its physical footprint.
PUBLISHER DECISIONSony Drops Kojima’s Physint Over Budget
Sony Interactive Entertainment has reportedly halted its publishing plans for Hideo Kojima’s stealth game Physint due to financial pressures and missed targets.
CHIP WATER CRISISArizona’s chip hub faces water cuts
Arizona’s semiconductor manufacturing hub risks losing a quarter of its water supply due to federal cuts to the Colorado River.
ASIA MARKET EXPANSIONOpenAI, Anthropic poach Big Tech Asia leaders
OpenAI and Anthropic are hiring leaders from Meta, Google, Microsoft, and other U.S. tech giants to win new markets across India and Southeast Asia.
MARKET SPLITIFA 2026: Computing Split Between AI and Budget
IFA 2026 saw a clear market split as manufacturers prioritised premium AI laptops and affordable devices, leaving the mid-range largely ignored.
BONFY.AI ACQUISITIONKiteworks Buys Bonfy.AI for Data Governance
Kiteworks acquires Bonfy.AI to integrate AI into its data governance platform, with the deal estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars.
MATH FEUDMathematicians slam OpenAI over AI threat
Leading mathematicians have signed an open letter accusing AI labs of threatening their intellectual work.
STUDIO CLOSUREPolyarc shuts down after Moss series
The studio behind the acclaimed Moss VR games has announced it will close its doors, ending its run on the PS5 platform.
PUBLISHED
Friday, 11 September 2026
TIFF DOCNYC’s last pickpocket gets the TIFF treatment
A documentary about New York City’s final pickpocket premieres at TIFF, offering a rare look at an old-school criminal subculture.
IPO BOARD APPOINTMENTNscale appoints former OpenAI exec to board ahead of IPO
Nscale has added former OpenAI executive Fidji Simo to its board as the company prepares for a potential initial public offering. Simo previously led Instacart through its 2023 IPO.
COST WORRYMore than 40% blame rising costs for subscription cancellations
A survey suggests rising costs are driving players to cancel Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus and Nintendo Switch Online memberships.
FOLDABLE ADSamsung mocks Apple with ‘Tim Cook’ ad
Samsung launches a Galaxy Z Fold ad featuring a lookalike of Apple's CEO to coincide with the iPhone Duo reveal.
MULLENWEG BACKMullenweg regains control of Automattic after board ouster
Matt Mullenweg has told staff he is back in charge of Automattic following a board-imposed leave, though the company has not yet officially confirmed the reversal.
REGIONAL WINNERSCentral Eurasia names 2026 Road to Battlefield winners
Cerberus, WeGlobal AI and LOOQ will represent the region at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October.
SONY OWNERSHIPSony told fans they own games, then said they don't
A consumer rights wiki has compiled more than 30 instances where PlayStation claimed customers owned their digital purchases, contradicting a recent Sony statement.
RENEWABLES PLEDGEOracle pledges 2 GW of green power to soothe Stargate critics
Oracle promises two gigawatts of renewable energy to offset emissions from its OpenAI data centre, though critics note gas use will continue.
HABITAT SCALEOpenAI scales storage for 1 billion ChatGPT users
OpenAI details how its storage platform, Habitat, evolved to handle 1 billion users and 22 million requests per second.
AUTOMATTIC CEOMatt Mullenweg returns as Automattic CEO after board dispute
Matt Mullenweg has been reinstated as CEO of Automattic two days after being placed on paid leave, following an internal dispute with the board of directors.
MANDIA JOINS BOARDMandiant Founder Joins Amazon Board
Mandiant founder Kevin Mandia has joined Amazon’s board of directors, bringing more than 30 years of cybersecurity experience to the tech giant.
PUBLISHED
Thursday, 10 September 2026
STUDIO CONFIRMSMercurySteam confirms Metroid Ravenous development
MercurySteam appears to confirm it is developing the new Metroid game announced at yesterday's Nintendo Direct.
AI PLAYBOOKSchools adopt Big Tech’s AI playbook
Tech firms are pitching AI education resources to schools, mirroring their own growth strategies.
MUSE RANKINGMeta’s AI app Muse ranks second in US
Meta’s new AI agent Muse has climbed to the second most popular app in the United States, according to recent data.