The Netherlands’ ASML is possibly the biggest name in lithography, using its machines to etch patterns onto silicon wafers inside a computer chip factory known as a fab. Fellow Dutch company Morphotonics is smaller and works in a different corner of the same field: nanoimprint lithography, or NIL, a process used to manufacture the displays
While Silicon Valley is spending billions to make AI agents shop for us, the man who pioneered Apple’s retail stores thinks the industry is overestimating how much of shopping people will hand over to machines — and believes physical stores will continue to thrive. Ron Johnson, 66, has heard predictions about the demise of physical
On Monday, OpenAI announced a new independent advisory group hosted at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Called the Advisory Group on Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence, the group is meant to give mathematicians more input into the company’s math-oriented research. “This group will serve as a bridge to the mathematical community and
With five days left to save up to $200 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass, our countdown of the five reasons to join 10,000+ founders, investors, and operators at San Francisco’s Moscone West, October 13-15, continues. Grab your ticket savings before prices go up on September 25, 11:59 p.m. PT. Plus, get a second of
What does one of Silicon Valley’s most successful venture firms think founders are getting wrong? At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, we’re putting all five Benchmark general partners on one stage to find out. Jack Altman, Peter Fenton, Chetan Puttagunta, Everett Randle and Eric Vishria will come together for this main stage session, “What We Believe Now”
Society has spent a lot of time bemoaning our digitally addled minds and goldfish-like attention spans, pointing the finger of blame at doomscrolling as the reason we can’t just sit down and read a book or study for exams. But what if the solution isn’t to stop scrolling, but to rethink what we’re scrolling through?
