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Daily Tech News Roundup - 2026-01-01

1. ‘College dropout’ has become the most coveted startup founder credential
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/31/college-dropout-has-become-the-most-coveted-startup-founder-credential/
Summary: AI founders are increasingly using their "dropout" status as a credential during YC pitches.

2. You can’t trust your eyes to tell you what’s real anymore, says the head of Instagram
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/852124/adam-mosseri-ai-images-video-instagram
Summary: Instagram boss Adam Mosseri is closing out 2025 with a 20-images-deep dive into what a new era of "infinite synthetic content" means as it all becomes harder and harder to distinguish from reality, and the old, more personal Instagram feed that he says has been "dead" for years. Last year, The Verge's Sarah Jeong wrote […]

3. Investors predict AI is coming for labor in 2026
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/31/investors-predict-ai-is-coming-for-labor-in-2026/
Summary: The exact impact AI will have on the enterprise labor market is unclear but investors predict trends will start to emerge in 2026.

4. These are the best gadgets for your pet right now
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/31/these-are-the-best-gadgets-for-your-pet-right-now/
Summary: From AI smart cameras that describe your pet's actions to a smart door that knows when they want to go outside, these are the best pet gadgets of 2025.

5. Tade Oyerinde and Teddy Solomon talk about building engaged audiences at TechCrunch Disrupt
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/31/tade-oyerinde-and-teddy-solomon-talk-about-building-engaged-audiences-at-techcrunch-disrupt/
Summary: Founders Tade Oyerinde and Teddy Solomon spoke at Disrupt this year about keeping communities engaged.

6. Every fusion startup that has raised over $100M
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/31/every-fusion-startup-that-has-raised-over-100m/
Summary: Fusion startups have raised $7.1 billion to date, with the majority of it going to a handful of companies.

7. The 10 top government, legal startups from Disrupt Startup Battlefield
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/31/the-10-top-government-legal-startups-from-disrupt-startup-battlefield/
Summary: Here is the full list of the government and legal Startup Battlefield 200 selectees, along with a note on what made us select them for the competition.

8. Net neutrality was back, until it wasn’t
Source: https://www.theverge.com/report/851629/net-neutrality-fcc-retrospective-2025
Summary: The fight for net neutrality never seems to be truly won or lost. Federal net neutrality rules have been on and off for the past 15 years. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed the Open Internet Order under President Barack Obama in 2010, prohibiting ISPs from blocking or throttling lawful internet traffic, the baseline rule […]

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