AI NewsThe most interesting startups right now want to get you off your phone

The most interesting startups right now want to get you off your phone

11:26 PM IST · June 5, 2026

Loading the player… While the AI fundraising machinekeeps breaking its own records, some founders are building in the other direction. Mirror founder Brynn Putnam just raised money forBoard, a startup focused on bringing people together through in-person games and social experiences.Cyberdeck creators are going viralcrafting whimsical DIY computers that literally encourage users to touch grass. Unlike theAI-free browser crowd, this doesn’t just feel like backlash, but also people genuinely gravitating toward things that feel a little more human. WatchEquitypodcast hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane dig into the week’s headlines, from the “together tech” wave to what Anthropic’s confidential IPO filing means against the backdrop of Alphabet’s $80 billion AI raise, and whether the money is all flowing back to the big guys anyway. Subscribe to Equity onYouTube,Apple Podcasts,Overcast,Spotifyand all the casts. You also can follow Equity onXandThreads, at @EquityPod.

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Authors push back as publishers and agents make claims on Anthropic settlement

Some authors hoping to receive their share of Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement said they received surprising emails this week — emails informing them that someone else was making a claim on their payments. Anthropicsettled a copyright class action suitlast year, after a judge ruled that training AI models on copyrighted material is legal under fair use doctrine, but pirating that material was not. The dealreceived final approvalin July, allowing the payments to move forward. Under the terms of the settlement, the authors of nearly 500,000 titles will be paid $3,000 for each pirated work. If the book is still in-print with a traditional publisher, the money will be split 50-50 between author and publisher. If the book was self-published, or if the publisher reverted the rights by allowing the book to go out-of-print, then the author should get the entire payment. But writers have been posting on social media that publishers seem to be claiming more than their fair share of some payments. For example, mystery and thriller author April Henryasked, “WTF is HarperCollins playing at? They claimed one of my books on the Anthropic Settlement that reverted back at least 17 years ago AND on the same day I got a credit alert saying they had been added as my employer! (which they never were).” Atthe popular blog Writers Beware, Victoria Strauss wrote that she’s been receiving author complaints that fall into two broad categories: one where publishers are seeking payment for works that they no longer have a legitimate claim on (because the rights have reverted), and another where publishers are seeking a full 100% payment when they’re only entitled to 50%. In both cases, Strauss said she’s “reluctant to attribute to malice what can be plausibly explained by poor recordkeeping” — and she noted that some publishers have already said this is a mistake that they’ve asked Anthropic to fix. Similarly,Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger told The New York Timesthat she doesn’t see this as “a grab by the publishers” and that she doesn’t believe publishers are “specifically trying to screw any author over.” Instead, she argued that this is the predictable result of bad record-keeping and a confusing settlement process. Strauss also acknowledged that any complaints she’s seen are just “a peek through a small crack in a massive wall.” “But the unusually large number of reports I’ve received over the last two days, as well as the fact that authors are reporting the exact same errors over and over, suggest to me that these aren’t the kind of routine glitches you might expect from such a large operation, but something much more wide[s]pread and systemic,” she wrote. And publishers aren’t the only ones seeking a cut of the payments. Strauss said she’s gotten complaints that a number of literary agencies are also making claims, which she said is surprising since “agents are not rightsholders in the books that they sell.” Author Courtney Milan (the pen name of former law clerk and law professor Heidi Bond) was more blunt ina post on Bluesky, writing, “Apparently some agents are trying to claim percentages on the Anthropic settlement, and I do not REMOTELY think they should do this, what the fuck, stop that shit!” Milanandthe Authors Guildalso shared more details about how authors can dispute their payment allocations. (One tricky issue: When the rights to a specific book reverted. In order for an author to make a 100% claim on a book, the rights reversion needs to have happened before August 10, 2022, which is the “download date” in the settlement.)

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Travis Kalanick’s Atoms might be getting into the robotaxi business

Earlier this summer, Travis Kalanick’s Atoms announceda $1.7 billion funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. But even after raising that mega round, the Uber founder remained a bit cagey about what he was actually aiming to do. Nowa story in the Financial Timesoffers more details about Atoms’ goals. The startup is reportedly preparing for a hiring spree, as well as acquisitions, that could make it a major player in the autonomous vehicle industry. In fact, the FT said Atoms has talked to Uber about how the ride-hailing company could use the startup’s robotaxi technology. (Uber has alreadypartnered with a long list of autonomous vehicle companies.) The report also noted that Uber has invested $100 million in Atoms — a figure previouslyconfirmed by TechCrunch. While sources emphasized that robotaxis don’t represent the entirety of Atoms’ plans, this direction seems consistent with Kalanick’s description of the round as “unfinished business.” It also fits withAtoms’ acquisition of Pronto, an autonomous mining startup led by Uber’s former self-driving chief Anthony Levandowski. (Levandowski was convicted of stealing trade secrets andsentenced to 18 months in prison, but was then pardoned by President Donald Trump.)

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ITC Infotech-Happiest Minds Merger Is a Warning Shot for India's Mid-Tier IT

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The most interesting startups right now want to get you off your phone

最新 AI 资讯

Top Jira Test Management Tools for Modern QA Teams

Authors push back as publishers and agents make claims on Anthropic settlement

Travis Kalanick’s Atoms might be getting into the robotaxi business

ITC Infotech-Happiest Minds Merger Is a Warning Shot for India's Mid-Tier IT

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