The maker of ChatGPT has advertised a $555,000-a-year vacancy with a daunting job description that would cause Superman to take a sharp intake of breath.

In what may be close to the impossible job, the “head of preparedness” at OpenAI will be directly responsible for defending against risks from ever more powerful AIs to human mental health, cybersecurity and biological weapons.

That is before the successful candidate has to start worrying about the possibility that AIs may soon begin training themselves amid fears from some experts they could “turn against us”.

“This will be a stressful job, and you’ll jump into the deep end pretty much immediately,” said Sam Altman, the chief executive of the San Francisco-based organisation, as he launched the hunt to fill “a critical role” to “help the world”.

The successful candidate will be responsible for evaluating and mitigating emerging threats and “tracking and preparing for frontier capabilities that create new risks of severe harm”. Some previous executives in the post have lasted only for short periods.

The opening comes against a backbeat of warnings from inside the AI industry about the risks of the increasingly capable technology. On Monday, Mustafa Suleyman, the chief executive of Microsoft AI, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I honestly think that if you’re not a little bit afraid at this moment, then you’re not paying attention.”

Demis Hassabis, the Nobel prize-winning co-founder of Google DeepMind, this month warned of risks that included AIs going “off the rails in some way that harms humanity”.

Amid resistance from Donald Trump’s White House, there is little regulation of AI at national or international level. Yoshua Bengio, a computer scientist known as one of the “godfathers of AI”, said recently: “A sandwich has more regulation than AI.” The result is that AI companies are largely regulating themselves.

Altman said on X as he launched the job search: “We have a strong foundation of measuring growing capabilities, but we are entering a world where we need more nuanced understanding and measurement of how those capabilities could be abused, and how we can limit those downsides both in our products and in the world, in a way that lets us all enjoy the tremendous benefits. These questions are hard and there is little precedent.”

One user responded sardonically: “Sounds pretty chill, is there vacation included?”

What is included is an unspecified slice of equity in OpenAI, a company that has been valued at $500bn.

Last month, the rival company Anthropic reported the first AI-enabled cyber-attacks in which artificial intelligence acted largely autonomously under the supervision of suspected Chinese state actors to successfully hack and access targets’ internal data. This month, OpenAI said its latest model was almost three times better at hacking than three months earlier and said “we expect that upcoming AI models will continue on this trajectory”.

OpenAI is also defending a lawsuit from the family of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old from California who killed himself after alleged encouragement from ChatGPT. It has argued Raine misused the technology. Another case, filed this month, claims ChatGPT encouraged the paranoid delusions of a 56-year-old in Connecticut, Stein-Erik Soelberg, who then murdered his 83-year old mother and killed himself.

An OpenAI spokesperson said it was reviewing the filings in the Soelberg case, which it described as “incredibly heartbreaking” and that it was improving ChatGPT’s training “to recognise and respond to signs of mental or emotional distress, de-escalate conversations, and guide people toward real-world support”.

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Retractable door handles have become common on EVs in the last few years. Tesla popularised this design choice with the Model S in 2012, because hidden handles improved aerodynamics by creating a seamless, flush surface while also giving cars a sleek, futuristic look.

Did Tesla just open the door to a sci-fi future?

Musk finally gives us a glimpse of the highly anticipated robotaxis and humanoid bots.

Now, that design trend may be coming to an end in China.

Under a new regulation from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), starting January 1, 2027, all vehicles sold in China weighing under 3.5 tonnes must include mechanical exterior and interior door handles.

Regulators say the problem is simple: during a crash, power loss or a severe weather condition, retractable doors are more likely to fail. When they do, occupants can become trapped, and emergency responders may struggle to gain access. A Bloomberg analysis reinforced these concerns, linking at least 15 deaths in EV-related incidents to Tesla doors that failed to open.

The MIIT argues, that mechanical handles reduce that risk. In emergencies, they’re easier for passengers to operate and faster for first responders to force open.

This new regulation will not only affect Tesla. A wide range of other EVs sold in China would also be affected, including models from BYD, Mercedes -Benz and Zeekr. To continue sales in China, these car models would have to adjust their door handle designs to match the new regulation.

Chinese EV manufacturer Zeekr initiates strategic expansion into South Korean market

Zeekr’s entry signifies growing competition and expanded EV choices in South Korea

China isn’t the only country the topic of retractable door safety has been a concern as of late. In the European Union (EU), regulators through the Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW) are currently considering suitable action regarding electric flush door handles in vehicles because of safety concerns, particularly the risk of occupants being trapped after a crash or power failure.

In the United States, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has also raised questions. The agency recently ordered Tesla to provide detailed information related to investigations into potential safety defects tied to its retractable door handle designs.

Although the US is not proposing an outright ban of retractable doors like China. If Tesla fails to respond or does not seek an extension, it could face fines of up to $27,874 per violation per day, with a maximum penalty exceeding $139 million.

For carmakers, the implications are significant. Millions of vehicles in China could require redesigns or recalls, forcing manufacturers to explore alternatives that preserve aerodynamics without sacrificing reliability. While for buyers, this could mean mid-cycle design changes or delayed EV launches.

There’s a historical parallel here. Pop-up headlights were once a cool aesthetic feature of sports cars in the 1970s and 1990s, before safety regulations pushed them out of fashion. Retractable door handles may be heading down the same path.

How carmakers react to this new regulation could define the next generation of EV designs in China and the world at large. But one thing remains clear: if a carmaker wants to stay competitive in the world’s largest EV market, giving up retractable door handles may be a compromise it can no longer avoid.

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Binance co-CEO Richard Teng says the crypto economy added roughly 130 million consumers in 2025. He pointed to a jump from about 170 million users to more than 300 million in just over a year, marking a watershed moment for an industry long chasing mainstream acceptance and wider financial inclusion.

In a post shared on X during the weekend, Teng emphasised the speed of the recent expansion. The implication is clear: investors and everyday users alike are showing renewed confidence in digital assets after years of volatility and regulatory uncertainty. The data suggests a shift in sentiment that analysts say could reshape the crypto landscape if sustained into 2026 and beyond.

At face value, the arithmetic is striking. It took roughly six and a half years for crypto adoption to climb from zero to 170 million. Then the next 130 million apparently arrived in a little more than a year. That shift compresses what had been a multi-year growth arc into a single fast season. The implication is simple: adoption is accelerating. 

Yet the headline figure deserves careful parsing. Binance’s own posts confirm the company has neared or surpassed 300 million registered users, and the exchange is framing the milestone as proof of broadening acceptance and product reach. Those are valid data points. But registered accounts are not the same as active wallets, retail trading volume, or unique economic participants across the whole crypto ecosystem. 

Richard Teng – Binance CEO

Still, a surge of this scale is material. It reshapes the base case for how quickly users discover and engage with digital assets.

Industry analysts are framing 2025 as a turning point. Growth on this scale has not been seen before in the crypto world, where scepticism often outweighed optimism. 

What this means for the crypto market

Globally, adoption has accelerated thanks to a mix of clearer regulation in key markets, improved accessibility through mobile applications, and the growing utility of decentralised finance (DeFi) services. The combined effect has been to lower barriers to entry, making it easier for a broader demographic to engage with digital assets for the first time.

First, distribution and accessibility have evolved. Mobile wallets, fiat on-ramp services and merchant rails have multiplied this year. Exchanges and wallet apps that once served niche traders now advertise mainstream features. That lowers the barrier to entry and helps explain why more consumers register in shorter timeframes.

Also, product breadth matters. Stablecoins, tokenised assets and payment use cases are maturing. Institutional plumbing has improved, supporting on-ramps from payment providers and merchant acceptance. Those forces together make onboarding faster and less intimidating. Binance highlights these product and merchant gains as part of its narrative.

Finally, leadership and corporate moves matter too. Binance has reshaped its executive team in recent weeks and emphasised compliance and scale as part of its growth pitch. Observers note that governance, public relations and regulatory engagements can accelerate mainstream trust, especially when coupled with aggressive product launches and marketing. 

Still, there are caveats. Aggregate user counts can double-count dormant accounts or multiple registrations. The figure tells a story about reach rather than a precise measure of sustained economic activity. It is also possible that macro market conditions, periods of heightened crypto prices or speculative interest temporarily lift sign-ups. That said, even a conservative read suggests adoption is materially quicker than in the early years.

For analysts, the next questions are clear. How many of the new 130 million are active? How much capital are they bringing? Which regions drove the surge? And crucially, how durable is the trend if market sentiment cools or regulation tightens? Binance’s framing is optimistic. Independent verification will be necessary to translate aggregate user claims into durable industry metrics.

Richard Teng – Binance CEO

In short, the 2025 numbers, whether read as a precise census or a directional signal, change the debate. Crypto is no longer only an expert hobby. It is moving faster toward mainstream consumer scale. That is a development worth tracking closely, with scepticism as well as curiosity.

Also read: Trust Wallet founder, CZ vows to refund $7 million lost in Christmas Day hack

Apart from Bitcoin, altcoins and other digital assets like gold and silver setting new all-time high records, 2025 will be remembered as a breakout year for crypto adoption, one that helped push digital assets further into the mainstream than ever before.

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By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Published: 12:19 GMT, 29 December 2025 | Updated: 12:36 GMT, 29 December 2025

A hilarious video has revealed the moment a man was kicked in the groin by a humanoid robot that was mimicking his own movements. 

The footage was initially shared to BiliBili by user zeonsunlight, but has since gone viral across social media. 

It shows a man wearing a motion capture suit – an outfit with sensors that record body movements and convert them into digital motion data.

Unfortunately for him, this data is fed straight to a Unitree G1 robot, which replicates his movements almost immediately. 

So, when the man goes for a high kick, the robot quickly follows suit – aimed directly at his groin. 

Following the kick, the man doubles over in pain, which the robot obediently also mimics.

The short clip has gained huge attention on Bluesky with one user joking: ‘The kick in the n***s is one thing but then mocking his pain is just diabolical…’

Another added: ‘Humanity kicking itself in the junk with technology is the perfect metaphor the moment.’

A hilarious video has revealed the moment a man was kicked in the groin by a humanoid robot that was mimicking his own movements

Following the kick, the main doubles over in pain, which the robot obediently also mimics

The clip was posted to Bluesky by journalist James Vincent, who captioned it: ‘another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls.’ 

Hundreds of delighted viewers flocked to his replies to discuss the footage. 

‘The greatest AI metaphor of all time doesn’t exi—,’ one user joked. 

Another wrote: ‘I’ve been laughing for ten minutes at this. My belly is cramping up.’

And one quipped: ‘How many humans in history can be said to have kicked themselves in the balls? Truly revolutionary. 

‘Mankind’s dream for millennia has finally been fulfilled. Our destiny has been reached.’

The Unitree G1 robot weighs 35 kilograms (77 lbs), stands at 1.32 metres tall (4.33 ft) and boasts 23 degrees of freedom in its joints, which gives it more mobility than an average human.

Behind its blank face, the robot is hiding an advanced perception system which includes a 3D LiDAR sensor and a depth–sensing camera.

The Unitree G1 robot weighs 35 kilograms (77 lbs), stands at 1.32 metres tall (4.33 ft) and boasts 23 degrees of freedom in its joints, which gives it more mobility than an average human

Although this makes it one of the most advanced commercially available humanoid robots, it needs to be specifically programmed to carry out any given task.

Straight out of the box, like it is in this video, the Unitree G1 is capable of little more than walking around and waving. 

So it’s somewhat unsurprising that the robot ended up in this hilarious situation. 

This also isn’t the first time that Unitree’s humanoid robots have gone viral for their bizarre behaviour.

In a viral video posted last month which amassed over 6.3 million views, a humanoid robot attempted to make a stir–fry for its owner – with disastrous results. 

YouTuber Cody Detwiller, who goes by the name WhistlinDiesel, put his lunch in the unsteady hands of a Unitree G1 robot.

The $80,000 (£60,940) bot promptly lost control of the pan, threw the food on the floor, and slipped up in the mess.

After clattering about like a drunken ice skater, the robot eventually collapsed to the floor in a crumpled heap. 

On social media, tech fans flooded the comments with their reactions, with one calling it ‘peak comedy’. 

WHO IS SOPHIA THE ROBOT?

In October 2017, Sophia was granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia

Sophia first emerged in 2016 as a super-intelligent human-like head with a realistic face that was able to blink, look from side to side and talk.

The humanoid robot, created by Hong Kong firm Hanson robotics, can chat, smile mischievously and even tell jokes.

The robot made history in October 2017 when she became legal a citizen of Saudi Arabia.

The stunt made Sophia the world’s first robot to be granted legal citizenship.

While Sophia has some impressive capabilities, she does not yet have consciousness.

Hanson Robotics claims fully sentient machines could emerge within a few years.

Sophia herself has insisted ‘the pros outweigh the cons’ when it comes to artificial intelligence.

‘Elders will have more company, autistic children will have endlessly patient teachers,’ Sophia said.

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Ouch! Watch the eye-watering moment a man is kicked in the GROIN by a robot mimicking his movements

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Many people may not think about how money itself is changing, but digital forms of currency are quietly reshaping how countries handle payments and finance. In China, where mobile wallets like Alipay and WeChat Pay have already replaced cash for millions, the government is now preparing to take its own digital currency to the next level with an action plan. China is calling this plan the digital yuan management action plan, and it is meant to guide how China’s digital currency will be used beginning on January 1, 2026. 

The digital yuan is China’s official digital money made by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). It is not like Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, it is the same legal money you use every day, just in digital form.  

For many years, China has tested the digital yuan in parts of the country, but this action plan is the first time there is a clear official rule book for how it should work across the whole financial system. 

Deputy Governor Lu Lei said the digital yuan will have “the functions of a measure of monetary value, a store of value, and cross-border payment,” while stressing that the People’s Bank of China will provide the technical support and supervision needed to keep the system stable. In simple terms, the new rules explain how the digital yuan will be created, how it moves through the financial system, and who is responsible for overseeing it. The central bank will control issuance and set the standards, while commercial banks and payment institutions will handle user wallets and daily transactions.  

The rules also define how the digital yuan fits into China’s existing banking system, how risks are monitored, and how the currency could eventually be used for payments beyond China’s borders. Together, this framework is meant to make the digital yuan function like cash, but in a fully digital and regulated form. 

The action plan also confirms that the digital yuan will run on a two-tier system. In this setup, the central bank issues the digital yuan and oversees the system, while commercial banks manage digital yuan wallets for the public and handle day-to-day services like payments and account management. Under the new rules, banks are allowed to pay interest on digital yuan balances held in these wallets. This could make the digital yuan more appealing than physical cash, which does not earn interest, while still keeping it under full central bank supervision. 

China has made big moves in digital money before, but the road has not always been smooth. Early testing showed that many people did not switch from their favourite mobile payment apps to the digital yuan. At the same time, China’s attempt to use the digital yuan in cross‑border payment networks faced international pushback, especially from global financial leaders who worried the system could be used to avoid sanctions or upset the dominance of the U.S. dollar in world trade.  

China Escalates Its Crypto Crackdown with Full Ownership Ban

This isn’t just another ban. It’s Beijing doubling down on control, while Chinese-led firms quietly dominate the crypto world offshore.

China’s move in a global context 

With this digital yuan program, China inserts itself as the leader among a growing list of countries working on similar ideas.  

China has tested the digital yuan for years in many cities, built it into existing banks and payment systems, and set clear rules for how it is issued, managed and supervised. In many other countries, digital money plans are still at the discussion or at an early stage.  

In the United States, the Federal Reserve has been looking into creating a digital dollar for several years. They have shared papers and talked to banks and other groups, but they are being careful. They want to make sure a digital dollar would be safe, private, and work well with regular banks. There is no official start date yet, and they are still studying how it would work. 

In the European Union, the European Central Bank is also studying a digital euro. They are testing how it could be private, secure, and fair for everyone without causing problems for normal payment systems. But, like the U.S., they have not decided when or if it will officially launch. 

Some countries, like the Bahamas, and Nigeria have already started using their own digital money in small ways. 

In Nigeria, fewer than 0.5% of wallets were active one year after launch, and most users never made transactions with the digital currency. This shows that even when a central bank issues digital money, getting people to use it regularly can be difficult. 

On the other hand, the Bahamas’ Sand Dollar uses distributed ledger technology and is pegged to the US dollar. It was the first officially launched CBDC, but adoption has been limited. Only about 0.1% of the country’s total currency in circulation is in the form of the Sand Dollar, and very few merchants currently accept it for payments. 

China’s new plan for the digital yuan shows it is moving from testing to real use. By explaining how the digital money will be managed, watched, and used every day, China is showing that it wants the digital yuan to be used inside the country and even for international payments. This could help more shops, banks, and people start using it, even those who were unsure before. 

China’s AI Stock Boom is Outpacing the U.S., But Can it Last?

Chinese chip and tech stocks are posting triple-digit gains as Beijing fuels an AI boom, but rising valuations are testing investor patience.

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The upcoming James Bond game 007 First Light has been delayed until 27 May 2026.

The much-anticipated title was due to be released on 27 March, but will now come out two months later.

It will be the first video game featuring the British spy since 2012’s 007 Legends.

In a statement developer IO Interactive, which also makes the Hitman series, said the game was “fully playable from beginning to end” – but extra time was needed to “further polish” it.

It is being developed in association with Delphi Interactive, which is also behind the upcoming Fifa game due to be released on Netflix ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The latest in the Bond video game series will star Dexter Original Sin actor Patrick Gibson in the lead role, in a reimagined origin story for the iconic British spy.

It will follow the story of a 26-year-old James Bond as he is recruited into MI6 and gains his 00 title, in a standalone story from the films or novels.

At the Game Awards in December 2025 IO Interactive revealed the game’s main villain would be performed by US singer Lenny Kravitz.

Gameplay trailers have shown some similarities to the developer’s successful Hitman franchise as well as showcasing the gadgets and cinematic set pieces that fans have come to expect from Bond.

But some comments under the video from fans voiced concerns about how the game looked – with some pointing out a drop in frame rates, and others criticising the use of motion blur.

In its latest post, IO Interactive called the game its “most ambitious project to date”.

“We’re confident this sets 007 First Light up for long-term success, and we sincerely appreciate the patience and continued support we’ve received ever since we revealed the game,” it said.

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Arc Raiders is an extraction shooter from Embark Studios – so, a game where you deploy into a map full of other players and do as much shooting and looting as you can before making an escape. This is my first real go at the genre, and it’s excellent. It has smooth, only occasionally cumbersome combat, sound design that scratches the brain just right and robotic enemies that genuinely terrify. And it satisfies my constant need to sift through my inventory and rifle through every drawer.

But I have to keep my head on a swivel: Arc Raider’s player v player element means I can get jumped for my precious cargo by a malicious rival at any moment. And also, the knowledge that this game was made with the help of generative AI voice acting makes me slightly ashamed of how much I enjoy it. I play every game sheepishly looking over my shoulder (and my character’s) in case someone in-game takes my sought-after blueprint, or someone in real life kicks down my door to call me a hypocrite.

Shooting and looting … Arc Raiders. Photograph: Embark Studios

It’s ever more difficult to avoid AI in everyday life. Arc Raiders has become my guilty pleasure. In it, you play as a raider in post-apocalyptic Italy, living underground but regularly heading topside to scrounge for supplies, after a massive ecological event destroyed human civilisation and strange autonomous robots showed up shortly afterwards to scour the scarred landscape. These ARC can fly overhead, roll around on the ground, or leap extraordinary distances on four mechanical legs. Each is uniquely deadly.

You are woefully inadequate in a battle against most of Arc Raiders’ enemies, which means you’ll need to scurry around to avoid them, throw noisemakers to distract them, or attack as a team, with either the squad you deployed alongside or other players you convince to join you over chat. All of this is in service of the game’s one true god: loot, which you need in order to perform everything from repairing your weapons to crafting medical supplies to training your pet rooster so he can fetch items for you on the surface. And you can only keep what you successfully escape with, so if you die mid-match or fail to get to an elevator or metro car before the timer runs out, it’s all gone.

Though my first few rounds of Arc Raiders were supremely difficult and punishing (in my third match, I found several pieces of rare loot and was then ruthlessly murdered by a squad all clad in red), Embark has ensured that you can make progress fast. You can upgrade your raider’s mobility, stamina and stealthiness every time you level up, and you can earn experience through playing rounds and successfully extracting. You can recycle things into crafting materials to upgrade your weapons and shield, or sell trinkets to merchants for extra cash that will help you buy better equipment. Even after a bad round, you still get somewhere.

After every successful extraction, I want to jump right back in for more. I want more close calls, accidental explosions and terrifying sprints through ruined cities. I want to hurl more expletives over chat so that other squads know I’m in the thick of it, walk past another player blasting A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton through their microphone, usher another half-dozen more people into an elevator hatch before I press the button to close the door at the last second.

Arc Raiders isn’t just fun to play. It’s a straight-up shot of serotonin.

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It is one of the most eagerly anticipated devices for 2026 – and now we may have been given our first glimpse at the ‘iPhone Fold’. 

Jon Prosser, a YouTuber known for his Apple leaks, has shared renders of what he claims is Apple’s first foldable device. 

In a video posted to his YouTube channel, FrontPageTech, Mr Prosser shows off 3D renders of what the device might look like. 

‘Next year you’ll only be seeing three new iPhones,’ he explains at the start of the video. 

‘iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, oh and uh…this. This is the brand new iPhone Fold, and it’s probably your next iPhone.’

Apple experimented with clamshell and book–style designs, but eventually settled on the book–style, according to Mr Prosser. 

If this is true, it will put Apple in direct competition with Samsung and Google, who both released their own book–style foldables – Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold – in 2025. 

The leak has delighted thousands of Apple fans in the comments, with one joking: ‘This is the Christmas present I was waiting for’. 

It is one of the most eagerly anticipated devices for 2026 – and now we may have been given our first glimpse at the ‘ iPhoneFold’

Although it has been rumoured for years, it now looks almost certain that Apple is planning to unveil the folding iPhone in September 2026. 

‘After years of companies like Samsung pioneering and perfecting the foldable form factor, Apple finally decides that 2026 is the year to pretend they’re doing it too,’ Mr Prosser joked. 

Where Apple really plans to set itself apart from its rival, however, is with the ‘crease’ – a feature hated by many foldable sceptics. 

‘One big drawback to foldables, regardless of how cool they may look and feel, is that from too many angles, you can see and feel a crease down the middle of the plastic display where the hinge is,’ Mr Prosser explained. 

While this issue has plagued Samsung and Google for years, Apple has ‘completely subverted’ it, according to the leaker. 

He explained that the tech giant will do this by using a metal plate to disperse the pressure of bending the display, along with liquid metal in the hinge itself. 

The outside of the device will almost look like a standard iPhone measuring around 9mm thick, with a 5.5–inch display. 

‘That’s relatively thin considering when you unfold this thing you’ll be greeted with a 7.8–inch iPad like display,’ Mr Prosser said. 

Apple experimented with both clamshell and book–style designs, but eventually settled on the book–style, according to Mr Prosser

iPhone Fold: Rumoured key specs

Style: Book–style

Size: 5.5–inch display when closed, 7.8–inch display when opened

Thickness: 9mm closed, 4.5mm open

Cameras: One on the outside, two rear–facing, and one on the inside

Colours: Black and white

Price: $2,000–$2,500

‘You’re looking at 4.5mm thin – it’s kinda crazy.’

Of course, one of the features users will be most interested in is the camera. 

According to the YouTuber, there will be a total of four cameras – one on the outside, two rear–facing, and one on the inside.

Meanwhile, one of the most unusual rumoured features is the return of Touch ID, in place of Face ID.  

Mr Prosser explained: ‘In terms of security, Touch ID will be making a return, right in the power button, which is also returning to the top of the phone.’

While Apple delighted fans this year with orange and blue version of its Pro smartphones, it’s expected to opt for more muted tones in the foldable. 

‘The only colours available will be black and white,’ Mr Prosser said. 

Finally, the leaker gives an indication of the price – which he calls ‘very, very expensive’. 

‘We’re talking something in the ballpark of $2,000–$2,500,’ he added. 

As ever, Apple is remaining tight–lipped on all iPhone Fold rumours. 

Speaking to the Daily Mail at Apple’s London HQ in September following the launch of the iPhone 17 series, John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, politely declined to even discuss the subject. 

‘You probably know we never talk about anything in the future,’ he said. 

‘We are so excited to talk about what we’re going to be shipping to people tomorrow.’

THE TRILLION DOLLAR RISE OF APPLE

1976: Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne created the company on April 1 1976 as they set about selling computer kits to hobbyists, each of which was built by Wozniak.

The first product was the Apple I. 

1977: Apple released the Apple II in June, which was the first PC made for the mass market. 

Steve Jobs unveils Apple Computer Corporation’s new Macintosh February 6, 1984 in California.

1981: Jobs became chairman.  

1984: The Macintosh was introduced during an ad break for the Super Bowl and later officially unveiled during a launch event. It was discontinued a year later and Jobs left the firm.

1987: Apple released the Macintosh II, the first colour Mac.

1997: Apple announces it will acquire NeXT software in a $400 million deal that involves Jobs returning to Apple as interim CEO. He officially took the role in 2000.  

The then Chief Executive Officer of Apple, Steve Jobs, with the iPhone

2001: Apple introduced iTunes, OS X and the first-generation iPod.

The first iPod MP3 music player was released on October 23, 2001, at an event in Cupertino and was able to hold up to 1,000 songs.

2007: Apple unveils the iPhone. 

2010: The first iPad was unveiled.

2011: Jobs resigned in 2011 due to illness, handing the CEO title to Tim Cook. Jobs died in October from pancreatic cancer.

2014: Apple unveiled the Apple Watch. It also unveiled its first larger iPhones – the 6 and 6 Plus. 

2015: After purchasing Beats from Dr Dre, Apple launched Apple Music to compete with Spotify and other music streaming services. 

2016: Apple returned to its roots and announced the 4-inch iPhone SE. Meanwhile, the firm is embroiled in a legal battle with the FBI, involving the agency demanding access to the locked phone used by Syed Farook, who died in a shootout after carrying out a deadly December attack in San Bernardino, California with his wife. The court order was dropped on March 28 after the FBI said a third party was able to unlock the device.  

2017: Apple introduces the iPhone X, which removes the home button to make way for a futuristic edge-to-edge screen design and a new FaceID system that uses advanced sensors and lasers to unlock phones with just the owner’s face.    

Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks at an Apple event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

2018: In a first for the company, Apple introduces new features in its latest operating system, iOS 12, that encourage users to manage and spend less time on their devices. The move was spawned by a strongly worded letter from shareholders that urged the firm to address the growing problem of smartphone addiction among kids and teenagers. 

2019: In January, Apple reports its first decline in revenues and profits in a decade. CEO Tim Cook partly blamed steep declines in revenue from China.

2020: In March, Apple closes all its bricks and mortar retail stores outside of China in response to coronavirus. 

2021: In an online virtual event in April CEO Tim Cook declared Apple’s goal of becoming carbon neutral for Earth Day. Later in the year the iPhone 13 was announced. 

2022: In September the iPhone 14 was announced. One of the new features included a new sensor to detect if a user had been in a car crash as well as an improved camera system. 

2023: Apple brought back its ‘Home Pod’ after the first generation was discontinued. The ‘Home Pod’ can be seen as an alternative to Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home as it is powered by voice commands. 

2024: Apple makes its first steps into artificial intelligence with the release of Apple Intelligence. The features are not all released at once with many delayed until the following year. 

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It was a normal day when Jay Gibson got an unexpected notification on his iPhone. “Apple detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against your iPhone,” the message read.

Ironically, Gibson used to work at companies that developed exactly the kind of spyware that could trigger such a notification. Still, he was shocked that he received a notification on his own phone. He called his father, turned off and put his phone away, and went to buy a new one.

“I was panicking,” he told TechCrunch. “It was a mess. It was a huge mess.”  

Gibson is just one of an ever-increasing number of people who are receiving notifications from companies like Apple, Google, and WhatsApp, all of which send similar warnings about spyware attacks to their users. Tech companies are increasingly proactive in alerting their users when they become targets of government hackers, and in particular those who use spyware made by companies such as Intellexa, NSO Group, and Paragon Solutions.

But while Apple, Google, and WhatsApp alert, they don’t get involved in what happens next. The tech companies direct their users to people who could help, but at which point the companies step away.

This is what happens when you receive one of these warnings. 

Warning 

You have received a notification that you were the target of government hackers. Now what? 

First of all, take it seriously. These companies have reams of telemetry data about their users and what happens on both their devices and their online accounts. These tech giants have security teams that have been hunting, studying, and analyzing this type of malicious activity for years. If they think you have been targeted, they are probably right. 

It’s important to note that in the case of Apple and WhatsApp notifications, receiving one doesn’t mean you were necessarily hacked. It’s possible that the hacking attempt failed, but they can still tell you that someone tried. 

A photo showing the text of a threat notification sent by Apple to a suspected spyware victim (Image: Omar Marques/Getty Images)

In the case of Google, it’s most likely that the company blocked the attack, and is telling you so you can go into your account and make sure you have multi-factor authentication on (ideally a physical security key or passkey), and also turn on its Advanced Protection Program, which also requires a security key and adds other layers of security to your Google account. In other words, Google will tell you how to better protect yourself in the future. 

In the Apple ecosystem, you should turn on Lockdown Mode, which switches on a series of security features that makes it more difficult for hackers to target your Apple devices. Apple has long claimed that it has never seen a successful hack against a user with Lockdown Mode enabled, but no system is perfect. 

Mohammed Al-Maskati, the director of Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline, a 24/7 global team of security experts who investigate spyware cases against members of civil society, shared with TechCrunch the advice that the helpline gives people who are concerned that they may be targeted with government spyware.

This advice includes keeping your devices’ operating systems and apps up-to-date; switching on Apple’s Lockdown Mode, and Google’s Advanced Protection for accounts and for Android devices; be careful with suspicious links and attachments; to restart your phone regularly; and to pay attention to changes in how your device functions.

Contact Us

Have you received a notification from Apple, Google, or WhatsApp about being targeted with spyware? Or do you have information about spyware makers? We would love to hear from you. From a non-work device, you can contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382, or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb, or email.

Reaching out for help

What happens next depends on who you are. 

There are open source and downloadable tools that anyone can use to detect suspected spyware attacks on their devices, which requires a little technical knowledge. You can use the Mobile Verification Toolkit, or MVT, a tool that lets you look for forensic traces of an attack on your own, perhaps as a first step before looking for assistance. 

If you don’t want or can’t use MVT, you can go straight to someone who can help. If you are a journalist, dissident, academic, or human rights activist, there are a handful of organizations that can help. 

You can turn to Access Now and its Digital Security Helpline. You can also contact Amnesty International, which has its own team of investigators and ample experience in these cases. Or, you can reach out to The Citizen Lab, a digital rights group at the University of Toronto, which has been investigating spyware abuses for almost 15 years. 

If you are a journalist, Reporters Without Borders also has a digital security lab that offers to investigate suspected cases of hacking and surveillance. 

Outside of these categories of people, politicians or business executives, for example, will have to go elsewhere. 

If you work for a large company or political party, you likely have a competent (hopefully!) security team you can go straight to. They may not have the specific knowledge to investigate in-depth, but in that case they probably know who to turn to, even if Access Now, Amnesty, and Citizen Lab cannot help those outside of civil society. 

Otherwise, there aren’t many places executives or politicians you can turn to, but we have asked around and found the ones below. We can’t fully vouch for any of these organizations, nor do we endorse them directly, but based on suggestions from people we trust, it’s worth pointing them out. 

Perhaps the most well known of these private security companies is iVerify, which makes an app for Android and iOS, and also gives users an option to ask for an in-depth forensic investigation. 

Matt Mitchell, a well-regarded security expert who’s been helping vulnerable populations protect themselves from surveillance has a new startup, called Safety Sync Group, which offers this kind of service. 

Jessica Hyde, a forensic investigator with experience in the public and private sectors, has her own startup called Hexordia, and offers to investigate suspected hacks. 

Mobile cybersecurity company Lookout, which has experience analyzing government spyware from around the world, has an online form that allows people to reach out for help to investigate cyberattacks involving malware, device compromise, and more. The company’s threat intelligence and forensics teams may then get involved.  

Then, there’s Costin Raiu, who heads TLPBLACK, a small team of security researchers who used to work at Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Group, or GReAT. Raiu was the unit’s head when his team discovered sophisticated cyberattacks from elite government hacking teams from the United States, Russia, Iran, and other countries. Raiu told TechCrunch that people who suspect they’ve been hacked can email him directly.

Investigation

What happens next depends on who you go to for help. 

Generally speaking, the organization you reach out to may want to do an initial forensic check by looking at a diagnostic report file that you can create on your device, which you can share with the investigators remotely. At this point, this doesn’t require you to hand over your device to anyone. 

This first step may be able to detect signs of targeting or even infection. It may also turn out nothing. In both cases, the investigators may want to dig deeper, which will require you to send in a full backup of your device, or even your actual device. At that point, the investigators will do their work, which may take time because modern government spyware attempts to hide and delete its tracks, and will tell you what happened. 

Unfortunately, modern spyware may not leave any traces. The modus operandi these days, according to Hassan Selmi, who leads the incident response team at Access Now’s Digital Security Helpline, is a “smash and grab” strategy, meaning that once spyware infects the target device, it steals as much data as it can, and then tries to remove any trace and uninstall itself. This is assumed as the spyware makers trying to protect their product and hide its activity from investigators and researchers.  

If you are a journalist, a dissident, an academic, a human rights activist, the groups who help you may ask if you want to publicize the fact that you were attacked, but you’re not required to do so. They will be happy to help you without taking public credit for it. There may be good reasons to come out, though: To denounce the fact that a government targeted you, which may have the side effect of warning others like you of the dangers of spyware; or to expose a spyware company by showing that their customers are abusing their technology. 

We hope you never get one of these notifications. But we also hope that, if you do, you find this guide useful. Stay safe out there.

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In the past few cycles of drops, smartphone progress has felt predictable. Each release promised faster chips, better cameras, and bigger numbers. In 2025, that changed. The most important upgrades weren’t about power or design, but about how phones fit into everyday life.

Phones lasted longer on a charge. Cameras got better. AI worked quietly in the background, handling routine tasks without getting in the way. Foldables finally became practical; software support stretched further, and screens got brighter, significantly making them easier to use outdoors. 

All of this combined reset expectations of what a phone is supposed to be. In so many ways, 2025 was the year when smartphone makers stopped trying to impress and started trying to help. For people who rely on their phones for work, creativity, etc., that mattered more than any sleekness any manufacturer could have offered.

These are the 10 best smartphone features of 2025, not just because they were new, but because they made the smartphone experience better.

1. Silicon-carbon Anode Batteries 

Image Credit: Android Guides

For a decade, we’ve been stuck on the lithium-ion batteries, capping out around 5,000mAh. For anything beyond that, you’re asking for a phone the size of a brick. That changed this year as manufacturers like Oppo and OnePlus successfully replaced traditional graphite anodes with silicon-carbon. 

Because silicon holds significantly more lithium ions, which determines the capacity of phone batteries, devices like the Oppo Reno 15c and the OnePlus 15 that came with the Silicon-carbon Anode Batteries stunned us with 6,500mAh capacities. For the first time, genuine two-day battery life for power users wasn’t just a marketing claim; it became a reality. 

2. “Agentic” On-Device AI 

Image Credit: Quality Company

In our review of the Pixel 10, we saw that Google’s Tensor G5 chip wasn’t just retrieving information; it was taking action. This is the definition of “Agentic AI.” Unlike older assistants that could only read you the weather, this new system uses the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) actually to operate your apps for you.

Whether you copped the Google Pixel 10 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, you could tell your phone to “book a ride to the airport for my flight,” and the device will cross-reference your email for flight times, check traffic, and stage the booking in Uber, all locally on the phone with your privacy uncompromised.

3. The “Tri-Fold” Display 

Image Credit: TechTalk TV

Foldables have been going mainstream for a while, but 2025 was the year they evolved beyond the simple “book” design. As we discussed during Samsung’s Unpacked event in July, the dual-hinge architecture of the Samsung Galaxy G Fold (Tri-Fold) has finally bridged the gap between the phone and the tablet. 

By allowing the device to unfold into a legitimate 10-inch workspace, these devices have effectively eliminated the need for carrying a separate iPad or Galaxy Tab, proving that screens can be massive without being burdensome. 

4. 3,000-Nit “Real World” Displays 

Image Credit: Phone Arena

Display brightness used to be a theoretical number achieved only in tiny windows during HDR playback, but in 2025, it became practical. Using Tandem OLED stacks, a technology that layers two organic pixel sheets to double brightness and extend lifespan, flagships like the iPhone 17 Pro and the Oppo Find X9 Pro are hitting sustained peaks of 3,000 to 3,600 nit displays. 

The result is an almost perfect visibility even under direct, harsh sunlight, coupled with adaptive refresh rates that drop to 1Hz to save power when users are just reading text. 

5. Satellite Messaging 2.0 

Image Credit: PC Mag

Connecting to a satellite used to require a chunky, specialized antenna and an expensive subscription. This year, partnerships between carriers like T-Mobile and satellite providers like Starlink brought “Direct-to-Cell” technology to the masses.  

With standard modems inside the iPhone 17 lineup and the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, users can now text friends and send locations from the middle of the ocean or deep within national parks, effectively rendering “dead zones” extinct without extra hardware. 

6. Variable Telephoto Cameras 

Image Credit: All About Phones

As noted in our Oppo Find X9 Pro vs. OnePlus 15 comparison, the era of fixed “3x” or “5x” lenses is ending. 2025 saw the proliferation of moving internal lens groups that physically zoom between focal lengths, much like a traditional DSLR lens. 

Devices like the Sony Xperia 1 VII and Xiaomi 17 Ultra utilise this to provide sharp, lossless optical images at any point between 3.5x and 5x. This grants creators professional framing freedom, eliminating grainy digital crops. 

7. Qi2 Magnetic Wireless Charging 

Image Credit: Android Central

It took long enough, but the magnetic charging standard (based on Apple’s MagSafe) finally went global this year, creating a near-unified charging ecosystem. Android heavyweights, including the Google Pixel 10 and the entire Galaxy S25 family, adopted the Qi2 standard, allowing chargers to snap magnetically into perfect alignment every time.  

This seemingly small change has drastically improved charging efficiency, reduced heat, and opened up a universal market of magnetic wallets and car mounts for all users, regardless of their OS. 

8. Longer Software Lifecycles 

Image Credit: Youtube

When you spend over $1,000 on a phone, it shouldn’t have an expiration date of two years. As highlighted in our Techloy Readers’ Choice Awards announcement, sustainability has become a top priority, driving Google and Samsung to standardise the 7-year OS update policies.  

This commitment ensures that a Galaxy S25 bought today will be running Android 23 securely in 2032, signalling the end of planned obsolescence in the premium sector. 

9. Titanium & “Armour” Glass 

Image Credit: Tech Edition

The shift away from heavy stainless steel toward aerospace-grade materials has redefined durability. We saw this most clearly in our drop tests of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, where the Titanium frame significantly reduced the weight while proprietary glass structures, like the Gorilla Glass Armour 2, virtually eliminated reflections and micro-scratches.  

This combination has emboldened more users to go case-free, trusting the hardware to survive the rigours of daily life. 

10. Desktop-Class Ray Tracing 

Image Credit: SamMobile

Mobile gaming is no longer just a way to kill time; it is a visual spectacle. The Snapdragon 8 Elite and Apple A19 chips brought hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a lighting technique previously reserved for PCs, to the masses.  

On gaming-centric devices like the RedMagic 10 Pro and Asus ROG Phone 9, this tech delivers realistic water reflections, shadows, and global illumination, effectively turning the smartphone into a high-fidelity portable console.

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2025 was another busy and unpredictable year for the cryptocurrency market. Prices moved up and down sharply, sometimes within days or even hours. 

New projects gained attention; some older coins made comebacks, and global events continued to influence how investors reacted to digital assets. For many, 2025 was a reminder that crypto remains one of the fastest-moving parts of the global financial system. 

At the same time, changes in regulation, growing interest from institutions, and new technology developments played a role in shaping how different coins performed. As the year closes, it is a good time to step back and take stock. Which cryptocurrencies performed the best in 2025? 

Which ones stood out because of steady growth, strong usage, or major events that pushed prices higher? And what can their performance tell us about the direction of the crypto market going forward? 

Here are the 10 best cryptocurrencies of 2025: 

Current Value: $3.25. 

MYX Finance earned its place on this list because it was one of the highest price performers of 2025. It launched in May at a very low price near $0.10 per MYX but within months, rose sharply, delivering a year-to-date gain of more than 3,300 percent, making it one of the biggest gainers in the entire crypto market. 

MYX stood out because it captured attention at a time when investors were looking for new opportunities beyond large, slow-moving coins. Its focus on decentralized derivatives trading and strong early community interest helped drive demand.  

While MYX was not stable in price and experienced large swings, its performance tells the story of 2025 clearly;. Smaller tokens with real activity and strong narratives were able to outperform bigger names. MYX represents the high-risk, high-reward side of the market this year. 

Current Value: $440.36 

Zcash is on this list because it delivered exceptional gains and benefited from a clear trend in 2025. This year, it rose by more than 500 percent, with some periods seeing gains close to 700 percent. This made it one of the best-performing privacy coins of the year. 

Zcash stood out because interest in privacy returned in 2025. As regulations increased and tracking of transactions became more common, some investors moved toward coins that protect user data. Zcash offers private transactions, which made it attractive again after years of low attention. While its price was volatile, the strong upward movement and renewed relevance explain why it belongs on this list. 

Current Value: $1.86 

XRP belongs on this list because of its steady performance and real-world use in 2025. The coin traded around $1.80 to $1.90 toward the end of the year and showed periods of strength when other large coins were flat or falling. 

XRP stood out because it became popular for cross-border payments and remittances use cases. In a year where many crypto projects struggled to show real utility, XRP benefited from its role in moving money across borders quickly and cheaply.  

While its price did not explode, its stability and purpose helped it outperform many competitors.  

Current Value: $0.27 

TRON is on the list because it delivered modest but steady growth and avoided sharp declines. TRX started the year around $0.25 and traded near $0.27 to $0.28 in late December, giving it an estimated gain of about 8 to 10 percent. 

TRON stood out for stability rather than excitement. Its strongest use case in 2025 was payments and stablecoin transfers, especially USDT. Many users prefer TRON because fees are low and transactions are fast.  

While TRON did not see massive price jumps, it remained useful and active during a year when many projects lost users.  

Current Value: $582.2 

Bitcoin Cash earned its place because it showed solid price growth in a year when many large coins struggled. BCH gained roughly 30 to 38 percent in 2025, which made it one of the better-performing layer one cryptocurrencies. 

Bitcoin Cash stood out because of its focus on fast and cheap transactions. While Bitcoin is often used as a store of value, Bitcoin Cash aims to be usable for everyday payments. This clear purpose helped support its price. In a market full of speculation, Bitcoin Cash benefited from being simple and practical, which explains its steady performance this year. 

Current Value: $0.007 

Rain Protocol delivered significant gains of around 185 percent in 2025, making it one of the year’s best‑performing digital assets outside of traditional tokens. Rain Protocol built its momentum by attracting more users and attention to its ecosystem during a crowded year in the crypto markets. The growth of real applications and increasing utility for users helped push the price higher.  

While its percentage gains were smaller than the top two winners, Rain Protocol’s performance was still strong compared with many other projects on its level. For these reasons, Rain Protocol stood out in 2025. 

Current Value: $0.0027 

Zebec Network was another strong performer in 2025, achieving returns of around 164 percent for the year. Zebec is known for its real‑time payment and streaming finance solutions, which focus on improving how money moves on blockchains for businesses and individuals.  

Increasing interest in faster and lower‑cost payments, as well as real‑world use cases for finance apps, helped Zebec gain traction with investors. Its steady performance throughout the year showed that utility‑driven tokens could deliver solid returns even when broader market conditions were challenging. This performance secured Zebec Network a notable place in the list of top gainers for 2025. 

Current Value: $2968 

Ethereum is on this list because of its strong and consistent use, even during a difficult year for many major cryptocurrencies. In 2025, Ethereum did not deliver the biggest price gains, but it showed stability and importance in the crypto market. Its price moved between about $2,800 and $3,500 during the year and ended around $2,900 to $3,000. While this was lower than earlier highs, Ethereum avoided major crashes that wrecked the market this year. 

Ethereum also stood out this year for its usage. Most decentralized finance platforms, NFTs, and blockchain apps still run on Ethereum. Even when prices dropped, developers did not leave the network. New upgrades and layer two networks helped reduce fees and improve speed, which kept Ethereum useful and active. 

Current Value: $839 

BNB is included because it showed strong stability and consistent demand throughout 2025. Its price stayed mostly between $800 and $900 and ended the year near $860 to $890. Compared to many tokens that lost significant value, BNB held its ground. 

BNB also stood out because of its close connection to the Binance ecosystem. Users continued to rely on it for trading discounts, token launches, and activity on the BNB Chain. Even when markets were volatile, people still needed BNB to use Binance services. This steady demand helped BNB remain strong in a difficult market and makes it one of the more reliable performers of 2025. 

Current Value: $0.03 

Zora is one of the top-performing cryptocurrencies of 2025, with 138.13% gains year-to-date. It is a SocialFi layer-2 token that helps content creators and their communities earn directly from their online activities. 

In 2025, more developers and creators used Zora to issue tokens, reward fans, and manage memberships, which increased interest from investors. Its price started the year around $1.25 and rose to about $2.95 by December. This growth shows how a crypto focused on practical use, rather than just speculation, can deliver strong returns.  

Zora stands out because it combines real-world utility, growing adoption, and market excitement around SocialFi. 

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A brand new report from the Pentagon has revealed that China has armed over 100 long-range nuclear missiles which could reach the US in an all-out war.

The December 23 report to Congress found China’s military has placed more than 100 DF-31 missiles, which are powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), into underground launch sites called silos.

These missiles use solid fuel, meaning they’re ready to launch quickly without needing extra preparation, unlike older liquid-fueled ones that take longer to set up.

The US Department of War identified fields of missile silos in three remote areas in northern and western China: Hami in Xinjiang, Yumen in Gansu, and Yulin in Inner Mongolia, near the border with Mongolia.

Together, these fields have around 320 silos, but US officials believe only over 100 are loaded so far, allowing China to potentially shuffle missiles around to confuse enemies in a tactic like a ‘shell game.’

The DF-31 missiles can fly up to about 6,800 miles, far enough to hit most of the US from their launch sites in China.

China tested one of these missiles in 2024 by launching it into the Pacific Ocean, showing it could travel long distances and land near places like French Polynesia.

‘China’s historic military buildup has made the US homeland increasingly vulnerable. China maintains a large and growing arsenal of nuclear, maritime, conventional long-range strike, cyber, and space capabilities able to directly threaten Americans’ security,’ the new report warned.

China launched a test of its intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2024 (Pictured)

A new report by the Pentagon revealed China’s ability to strike the US with nuclear weapons

The Pentagon believes this buildup is part of China’s plan to have over 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, making their forces more ready for quick counterattacks if they detect incoming threats.

It’s the latest sign tensions are inching closer to a breaking point as China and the US battle for influence over Asia.

According to the Department of War, China’s big-picture goal is to become a global superpower by 2049, with a world-class military that can protect its interests and ‘rejuvenate’ the nation, including taking control of places like Taiwan that it claims still belongs to the communist nation.

The Chinese Communist Party is believed to see keeping its power, growing their economy, and defending territorial claims as its ‘core interests’ that it will never compromise with the US on, no matter what.

The new report warned that China is building up its military to be ready to invade or blockade Taiwan by 2027, practicing large exercises that include long-range strikes which could also hit US forces trying to help.

Pentagon officials also noted that China believes there is bipartisan agreement in the US Congress to ‘contain’ their rise, with the Chinese growing more and more frustrated with America’s alliances throughout Asia, specifically with Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.

Despite growing tensions that have led to nuclear weapons being armed, a senior official from the Department of War told the Daily Mail the White House and Pentagon are working to deescalate the situation.

‘President Trump seeks a stable peace, fair trade, and respectful relations with China. The Department of War will support the President’s intent by opening a wider range of military-to-military communications with the People’s Liberation Army and seeking other ways to make clear our peaceful intentions,’ the senior official said in a statement.

The report to the US Congress also revealed China’s missile bases and other military assets

China is believed to have the world’s third largest nuclear warhead stockpile, behind Russia and the US (Stock Image)

A 2024 report by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), a nonprofit global policy think tank, revealed that there were 12,121 nuclear warheads scattered across nine nations.

Those nuclear-armed countries included the US, Russia, China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, and the UK. 

Russia still outnumbered the US by several hundred warheads.

However, the two nations controlled roughly 88percent of this global stockpile, with Russia reportedly holding 5,580 bombs and the US possessing 5,044.

China has been among a group of five countries, including Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea, that have been quietly increasing their nuclear stockpiles over the past 40 years.

The new report by the Pentagon put China’s current count of nuclear warheads in the ‘low 600s,’ meaning the growing military power in Asia is expected to increase that number by roughly 100 per year this decade.

The Department of War declined to comment further regarding their level of concern over China’s nuclear weapons program.

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When Kevin Hartz’s security system failed to alert him as an intruder rang his doorbell and tried to enter his San Francisco home late one night, the serial entrepreneur decided existing solutions weren’t good enough. His co-founder Jack Abraham had experienced similar frustrations at his Miami Beach residence.

In 2024, they launched Sauron — named after the sinister, all-seeing eye from “The Lord of the Rings” — to build what they envisioned as a military-grade home security system for tech elites. The concept resonated in Bay Area circles, where crime had become a constant topic during and after the pandemic, despite San Francisco Police Department statistics showing property crime and homicide rates declining last year.

The startup raised $18 million from executives behind Flock Safety and Palantir, defense tech investors including 8VC, Abraham’s startup lab Atomic, and Hartz’s investment firm A*. It came out of stealth exactly a year ago, promising to launch in the first quarter of 2025 with a system combining AI-driven intelligence, advanced sensors like LiDAR and thermal imaging, and 24/7 human monitoring by former military and law enforcement personnel.

But a year later, Sauron is still very much in development mode — a reality that its new CEO, Maxime “Max” Bouvat-Merlin, acknowledged candidly in a recent interview with TechCrunch.

After nearly nine years at Sonos, including a stint as chief product officer, Bouvat-Merlin took the helm of Sauron just last month. He’s spending his first days on the job finalizing fundamental questions: which sensors to use, how exactly the deterrence system will work, and when the company can realistically get products into customers’ homes.

The answer to that last question? Later in 2026 at the earliest — a significant delay from the original timeline.

“We’re in the development phase,” Bouvat-Merlin said. “You’ll see a phased approach where we get our solution to market as a stepping stone. All the different components — our concierge service, our AI software running on servers, our smart cameras — are building blocks coming together in a plan we just put in place very recently.”

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Still, Bouvat-Merlin sees striking parallels between Sauron and Sonos, which both target wealthy customers first, rely on word-of-mouth growth, and combine complex hardware with sophisticated software. “I had lunch with John MacFarlane, the founder of Sonos, a few weeks ago,” Bouvat-Merlin said. “All the topics he was thinking about when starting Sonos were exactly the same topics we’re discussing at Sauron.”

Both companies faced the same strategic questions: Start with super-premium customers or mass premium? Professional installation or DIY? Build everything in-house or partner with an ecosystem? “We might make different decisions, but the questions are very similar,” he said.

The security problem

Bouvat-Merlin says he was drawn to Sauron by both the mission and an opportunity to solve a real customer problem. “Securing people’s homes is important, but I also like the deterrence aspect — changing people’s minds before they make a bad decision and get into trouble,” he said.

His research showed that market leaders in premium home security have small market shares and negative Net Promoter Scores. “People are not happy with their solutions today,” he said. “There are so many false positives that when law enforcement is called, they don’t respond because they assume it’s a false alarm.”

The company is targeting customers “where safety and security is a major concern” — people like Hartz. The plan is to start with this premium segment, establish a reputation for supporting demanding clients, then expand to what Bouvat-Merlin calls “mass premium.”

The problem (that’s still taking shape)

So what exactly is Sauron building? The answer is still evolving. The offering starts with camera pods containing multiple sensors — “40 cameras and different types of sensors, potentially LiDAR and radar, potentially thermal,” Bouvat-Merlin said. These pods connect to servers running machine learning software for computer vision, all linked to a 24/7 concierge service staffed by former military and law enforcement personnel.

“Those people understand patterns,” he said. “They’re good at helping us mature our machine learning solution and train our system to detect weird behaviors.”

The deterrence system remains somewhat vague. Options being considered include loudspeakers, flashing lights, and other methods. But Bouvat-Merlin emphasized that deterrence should begin before someone enters a property, detecting when homes are being surveilled, noticing cars circling neighborhoods multiple times, and identifying threats at each stage.

“The more upfront we are with deterrence, the more we can convince people this is the wrong house to rob and the wrong decision to make,” he said.

As for the drones mentioned when Sauron first took the wraps off its plans last year, Bouvat-Merlin declined to say much. “These are roadmap conversations. I don’t want to go too deep at this point because there are so many things we could do, but we’re such a small company,” he said. He added that, bigger picture, the focus is on growing the ecosystem through partnerships rather than reinventing the wheel.

Timeline and business model

With fewer than 40 employees, Sauron plans to hire just 10 to 12 more in 2026. The company will also begin working with early adopters later in 2026, with a Series A fundraise planned for mid-year.

“Raising a Series A is not about raising because we have to — it’s because we want to,” Bouvat-Merlin said. “I want to make sure we’re showing progress and explaining how we’ll use extra funds to accelerate growth, [including to] launch our first end-to-end product, drive customer adoption, and accelerate the roadmap.”

The company has already attracted a significant list of prospective clients, he said, thanks to work by Sauron’s three founders, which include roboticist and engineer Vasumathi Raman. “We expect the strategy initially to be word of mouth, then grow differently over time.”

But Bouvat-Merlin is cautious about growth. “I want to make sure we grow sustainably and keep the experience and service premium over time,” he said. “I want to manage growing pains as much as possible while driving profitability.”

The surveillance state question

Facial recognition and privacy concerns loom large for a surveillance-heavy product. Bouvat-Merlin outlined one approach: a trust-based system where homeowners grant access to specific people. “I granted you access to my house, so now you’re in the trusted group. When you come, I detect it’s you and you’re allowed in. Everyone else is an unknown person,” he said, painting a picture of a likely scenario.

License plate detection is also being considered for identifying cars circling neighborhoods multiple times. “How do we assess if that’s a threat? The ex-military and ex-law enforcement team will be really good at helping mature our machine learning solution,” he said.

Either way, Bouvat-Merlin is confident in the opportunity ahead. Home security market is fragmented. ADT leads with roughly 18% market share, with competitors holding small pieces. “A lot of companies started as traditional security companies and are trying to add tech,” Bouvat-Merlin said. “We’re looking at it from the opposite angle — we’re a tech startup in San Francisco bringing technology to this market.”

Sauron is also appearing on the scene as concerns rise about crime among the most wealthy. Recent high-profile incidents include a November armed robbery at the home of tech investors Lachy Groom and Joshua Buckley in San Francisco’s Mission District, where $11 million in cryptocurrency was stolen during a 90-minute ordeal involving torture and threats.

“We see people who are wealthy attracting criminals,” Bouvat-Merlin said. “We’ve seen a lot of robberies in San Francisco and other major U.S. cities, sometimes at gunpoint. I don’t think the world is getting safer — there are probably more disparities between people at the top and bottom of the wealth spectrum. We see anxiety from prospective clients who are eager to get their homes secured.”

Still, much remains uncertain about Sauron’s path forward. The company must finalize everything from sensor configurations to manufacturing locations. (Bouvat-Merlin mentioned potentially starting in the U.S. for proximity and control, then moving to more affordable locations as volume grows.)

It must also determine how to serve customers in different settings, from estates with perimeters to dense urban residences, while maintaining premium service quality.

For now, Bouvat-Merlin says he’s focused on listening to his team, building credibility, and finalizing the strategy he’s putting in place. “I don’t demand that people trust me — I want to show them why they should.”

The company expects to share more details about its products later next year.

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Local police said they have charged an Illinois driver who struck and killed a pedestrian while she was livestreaming on TikTok.

The New York Times reports that Tynesha McCarty-Wroten, who posts to TikTok under the name Tea Tyme, has been charged by the Zion Police Department with two felonies —  reckless homicide and aggravated use of a communications device resulting in death.

In a video that has been reshared by other accounts on TikTok, woman posting as Tea Tyme can reportedly be seen speaking into her phone when there’s a loud thud. An offscreen child asks, “What was that?” then the woman replies, “I hit somebody.”

Surveillance videos reportedly showed McCarty-Wroten’s vehicle entering the intersection while the traffic light was still red, with investigators determining that she did not seem to slow down or change course before striking Darren Lucas, who was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

McCarty-Wroten’s lawyer told the NYT that evidence will show that “what happened was an accident, was a negligent act, but was not an intentional or reckless act.”

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