A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit seeking to prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing records on millions of Americans can move forward.

The lawsuit, filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and two labor unions on behalf of over 100 federal employees, targets DOGE, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and Elon Musk.

The suit aims to block OPM from sharing records with DOGE and its agents and seeks the return of any information already disclosed.

The judge's decision rejects the government's motion to dismiss, allowing the plaintiffs to continue pursuing their case.

Amazon has introduced a new "Recaps" feature for Kindle users, utilizing AI to generate summaries of previous books in a series. This feature helps readers recall plot points and character arcs before diving into the latest installment.

The AI-generated recaps are also reviewed by Amazon moderators to ensure accuracy. Users can access recaps through the "View Recaps" button on the series page in their Kindle Library or within the series grouping three-dot menu.

A spoiler warning is displayed before accessing the recap. Amazon states that recaps are available for various series, including fantasy and mystery thrillers.

The feature is currently available for Kindle device users in the United States for thousands of best-selling English-language e-books in series, with plans to bring it to the Kindle app for iOS soon.

Grace, an insurance company focused on luxury goods, has raised a $6.4 million (€5.9 million) seed round led by FinTech Collective and Speedinvest. Grace partners with luxury brands to provide insurance for purchased items, enabling consumers to file claims for theft or damage through its app. The company also offers fraud detection, claim processing, and logistic coordination services to brands. Co-founder Lou Dana highlighted the gap between promised service levels and post-purchase support for luxury goods, noting a significant increase in stolen luxury items. Grace is collaborating with Chubb for underwriting and aims to help brands maintain control over their products post-sale. The funding will support scaling operations across Europe and expanding the product engineering team, with a goal to cover over 200,000 luxury items by year-end.

TikTok has launched a 'TikTok for Artists' platform, designed to help artists manage their careers. The platform offers tools to promote songs, track performance metrics, and engage with fans. Currently being tested in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, and Indonesia, it will expand to more markets. Artists can create campaigns for releases, access performance data, and highlight fan videos. This initiative follows the shutdown of TikTok Music and aims to strengthen TikTok's role in music discovery and artist development.

Cognition, the company behind the AI programming tool Devin, has launched a new low-cost, pay-as-you-go plan to attract more users. This follows the initial release of Devin, which gained attention for its autonomous software development capabilities but faced criticism for handling complex coding tasks.

The new plan starts at $20, offering approximately 9 ACUs (Cognition's computing credits). While the pay-as-you-go model could become expensive, Cognition claims that Devin 2.0 has improved significantly, now assisting with coding project plans, answering code-related questions with citations, and generating code documentation.

According to Silas Alberti from Devin's development team, the tool's efficiency has doubled. However, it's important to note that AI-generated code can still introduce security vulnerabilities and bugs due to limitations in understanding programming logic.

Intel and TSMC are reportedly in preliminary agreement to form a joint venture focused on operating Intel's chipmaking facilities. TSMC is expected to hold a 20% stake in the venture.

Instead of financial investment, TSMC will contribute by sharing its chipmaking expertise and providing training to Intel employees.

The discussions were reportedly encouraged by the Trump Administration to support Intel's turnaround. The development follows Lip-Bu Tan's appointment as Intel CEO, with expectations of significant changes within the company.

Adaptive Security, a New York-based startup, has raised $43 million in a Series A round co-led by OpenAI's startup fund and Andreessen Horowitz. This marks OpenAI's first foray into cybersecurity investments.

The company simulates AI-generated hacks, including deepfake phone calls, texts, and emails, to train employees to identify and mitigate social engineering threats.

With AI tools making social engineering attacks easier, Adaptive Security aims to help companies protect themselves from breaches that exploit human vulnerabilities. The funding will be used to expand the product and keep pace with evolving AI threats.

Founded in 2023, Adaptive Security already serves over 100 customers. CEO Brian Long emphasizes the importance of addressing social engineering, which has caused substantial losses for companies, and advises employees to 'Delete your voicemail' to help protect themselves from AI attacks

Ballistic Ventures, co-founded by Ted Schlein, is raising $100 million for a new fund targeting cybersecurity startups. The firm filed with the SEC just over a year after closing its second fund of $360 million.

Founded in late 2021, Ballistic Ventures takes a hands-on approach, offering board seats, assisting with hiring, and helping portfolio companies land their first customers. The firm's team includes general partners Kevin Mandia, Barmak Meftah, Jake Seid, and Roger Thornton.

Ballistic has invested in 59 startups and made six exits. Their latest investment was GetReal Lab’s $17.5 million Series A round. In 2024, venture funding in cybersecurity grew 43% year-over-year to $11.6 billion.

Zach Yadegari, co-founder of Cal AI, faced numerous rejections from top universities despite a stellar GPA and ACT score. Yadegari shared his experience on X, sparking a wide range of reactions.

His essay, detailing his initial reluctance towards college and his success as a young entrepreneur, was a point of contention. Commenters suggested that the essay conveyed a lack of enthusiasm for education, which may have influenced the admissions decisions.

Despite the rejections, Yadegari gained admission to Georgia Tech, University of Texas, and University of Miami. The incident has led him to reflect on the importance of relationships and community, beyond just financial success.