Almost four years after launching a security feature called Lockdown Mode, Apple says it has yet to see a case where someone’s device was hacked with these additional security protections switched on. “We are not aware of any successful mercenary spyware attacks against a Lockdown Mode-enabled Apple device,” Apple spokesperson Sarah O’Rourke told TechCrunch on Friday.

A hacking group backed by the Iranian government dubbed “Handala” said on Friday that it has breached the personal email account of FBI director Kash Patel. In a post on its website, Handala included several pictures of a visibly younger Patel, as well as a link to a cache of files that appear to come from Patel’s personal Gmail account.

Winter testing has been completed for the VW ID.EVERY1 , the first vehicle under a joint venture between Rivian and Volkswagen Group to be equipped with the EV maker’s software and electrical architecture. That’s not just progress toward getting this vehicle into customers’ hands; it also unlocks another $1 billion investment from Volkswagen Group into Rivian.

Aetherflux , the space solar power startup launched by Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt, is in talks to raise $250 million to $350 million for a Series B round that would value the company at $2 billion. The fundraising was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which said that Index Ventures is leading the deal.

The European Union’s top executive body has confirmed a cyberattack after hackers reportedly stole reams of data from its cloud storage. European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told TechCrunch on Friday that the Commission “discovered a cyber-attack, which affected part of our cloud infrastructure.” “We have taken immediate steps and contained the attack.

Waymo is now providing 500,000 paid robotaxi rides every week across 10 U.S. cities, the company shared in a post on X this week.

SK hynix , a South Korean memory chip giant already listed on the KOSPI, is laying the groundwork for a potential U.S. listing that could reportedly raise an estimated $10 billion to $14 billion.

SoftBank has taken on a new $40 billion loan to help it cover its $30 billion commitment to invest in OpenAI as part of the AI model maker’s record-breaking $110 billion raise last month , the Japanese conglomerate said on Friday . Most striking is that the loan is unsecured and has a 12-month term, meaning it must be repaid or refinanced by next year.