In today’s top story, just when it was safe for enterprises to start transferring those files again, the U.S. government’s cybersecurity agency finds yet another file transfer vulnerability that hackers latched on to. Here we go again.

Meanwhile, in this popular TechCrunch+ story, Tim reports that there’s a lot of carbon in the soil and a company called Yard Stick wants to be the go-to tool for measuring it all. Dig into this one.

And many companies have benefited from the popularity of generative AI. Arthur is one of them. And it’s got a new open source tool to help companies find the best LLM (large language model) for the job.

More top reads

Do you know what I do?: VCs have many skills, but spotting the right technical skills in a chief technology officer may not be one of them — depending on who you ask. Here’s why most VCs have no clue what a CTO does. (TC+)

Now, that’s a quality photo: This new WhatsApp upgrade will have you snapping pictures even more than you normally do. Read all about what’s here and what’s coming soon.

Me and my shadowban: A former Trust & Safety executive explains why Elon Musk saying X will address shadowbanning “soon” will be a difficult goal to achieve. Find out what’s going on.

Rolling up the competition: Wonder Brands’ co-founder shares why a pivot paid off amid a downturn in the e-commerce aggregator sector. Sometimes you just have to go with it.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda: In today’s Exchange, learn why Amplitude’s CEO feels his company would be “in a world of hurt” if this particular event hadn’t taken place. Get the scoop. (TC+)

Time to press pause: After California state regulators gave Waymo and Cruise a “thumbs-up” to expand their robotaxis in San Francisco, the city jumped in and smashed the brakes. Find out why.

What is a liquid neural network, really?: The person who knows is MIT CSAIL head Daniela Rus, who spoke with Brian Heater about the emerging technology and implications for robotics. Read more.

Plow into the policies: Looking for a Google policy? The search engine giant has made that easier with its new Transparency Center. Take a look around.

When a deal goes south: Find out what may happen to Intel’s modernization strategy now that its proposed $5.4 billion acquisition of Tower is dead. Psst, it has something to do with competition.

Finding threats in the cloud: ProjectDiscovery raises $25 million to launch a cloud version of its threat-scanning platform. Read more.

Battery boom: With electric vehicles not retreating into the rearview mirror anytime soon, more automakers are trying to secure battery materials. Go inside Ford’s new Canada facility.

We’re gonna go back, back, back to school again: Here are some of our favorite student apps. Enjoy.

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From the “pod” files

For this week’s new episode of Chain Reaction, Jacquelyn talks with Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, alongside TechCrunch+ editor in chief Alex Wilhelm. We dive into what’s going on with the bitcoin spot ETFs in the U.S., why it matters and the odds of the SEC approving one in the near future. We also talk about Europe’s first bitcoin spot ETF, how these investment vehicles in general could impact crypto exchanges’ trading volumes and what else is in store for them.

Chain Reaction comes out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. ET, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite pod platform to keep up with the action.

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