TechCrunch

The Department of Energy has entered negotiations with five nuclear startups—Oklo, Standard Nuclear, Shine Technologies, Flibe Energy, and Exodys Energy—to allocate portions of a 34-ton plutonium stockpile previously identified for disposal. Approximately 100 tons of plutonium were produced during the Cold War. Energy Secretary Chris Wright previously served on Oklo’s board before resigning and divesting shares.

The Department of Energy has selected Oklo, Standard Nuclear, Shine Technologies, Flibe Energy, and Exodys Energy to negotiate conversion of up to 34 tons of surplus weapons plutonium into nuclear fuel. The material originates from approximately 100 tons produced during the Cold War, with the relevant isotope having a half-life of 24,000 years. Chris Wright and Sam Altman previously held roles at Oklo and resigned prior to or upon relevant government or corporate transitions.

Bloomberg published renders of upcoming Siri features for iOS 27 based on information from people familiar with Apple's plans. The features are scheduled for announcement at WWDC in June and include a swipe-down chat bubble and a standalone app. Reporting draws exclusively from two left-center outlets.

Snowflake and Amazon Web Services have entered a $6 billion five-year agreement that expands access to AWS infrastructure including Graviton chips. Snowflake, founded in 2012, has generated $7 billion in sales through the AWS Marketplace and saw customer spending on the platform double to $2 billion in 2025. The deal supports continued use of Snowflake's Cortex AI tools.

YouTube will apply visible 'AI' labels to photorealistic or meaningfully altered content starting in May, moving disclosures from video descriptions to placements below long-form players and overlays on Shorts. The changes build on existing policies in place for over two years and coincide with Google's release of Gemini Omni models. Both TechCrunch and The Verge report the updates rely on automated internal signals rather than creator self-disclosure alone.

Oura launched the Ring 5 on Thursday with a starting price of $399, a 40% size reduction from the Ring 4, titanium construction, six-to-nine-day battery life, and software updates including blood pressure signals. Pre-orders begin immediately with shipping scheduled for June 4. The device is available in sizes 6-13 and multiple finishes, with optional charging case.

Cognition closed a funding round exceeding $1 billion, with Lux Capital and General Catalyst as co-leads and participation from Founders Fund, 8VC, Ribbit Capital, Atreides, and Layer Global. The company reported $492 million in annualized revenue run-rate and 50% month-over-month growth in enterprise usage of its Devin tool. Valuation figures differ between sources, and the round follows an earlier $400 million round completed eight months prior.