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MapQuest’s app surges to No. 1 in Navigation after refusing to rename Lake Ontario

The “OG of online mapping,” as the company calls itself, announced on Thursday that it would not change the name of Lake Ontario on its maps to Lake America, despite Trump’s executive order directing the U.S. Department of the Interior to update the lake’s name in the U.S. geographic naming service. As a result, MapQuest’s mobile app downloads soared, sending the iOS app to the No. 4 position on the U.S. App Store’s Top Charts for apps (not including games) as of Monday morning on the U.S. east coast.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/31/mapquests-app-surges-to-no-1-in-navigation-after-refusing-to-rename-lake-ontario/

Oura faces lawsuit accusing it of misleading consumers about sleep-tracking accuracy

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday by Clarkson Law Firm in San Francisco, alleges that Oura rings are unable to measure any of the physiological signals needed to assess sleep quality or determine sleep stages, and that they instead rely on AI-generated estimates that have “a coin flip’s chance of being correct,” according to the complaint.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/oura-faces-lawsuit-accusing-it-of-misleading-consumers-about-sleep-tracking-accuracy/

Cursor capitalizes on GitHub frustration, launches rival hosting platform

For as long as anyone can remember, GitHub has been the de facto code host preferred by a majority of developers. However, in recent times, the platform has struggled with widely reported outages and performance degradation and, as it drops the ball, Cursor is waiting to pick it up.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/18/cursor-capitalizes-on-github-frustration-launches-rival-hosting-platform/

Amazon will show AI product images when you search for some reason

In what may be one of the more questionable uses of AI to date, Amazon announced on Wednesday that it will display AI-generated images of products within its shopping app based on users’ search queries. That’s right — a retailer where people shop for real-world products thinks that displaying fake photos will “help” consumers better find what they’re looking for.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/03/amazon-will-show-ai-product-images-when-you-search-for-some-reason/

DuckDuckGo installs are up 30% as users reject being ‘force-fed’ Google’s AI Search

In response to Google’s changes, many have begun defecting to DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused alternative that has never been able to break past Google’s dominance, accounting for only around 2% of the U.S. search market. “Google is force-feeding AI with no way to opt out,” Weinberg said Tuesday in a statement, referring to Google’s Search overhaul. “As a result, their results are getting worse, not better. We want to be the place that puts users in charge and allows them to decide how much or how little AI they want.”
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/26/duckduckgo-installs-are-up-30-as-users-reject-being-force-fed-googles-ai-search/

Maka Kids is redefining kids’ screen time with a streaming app optimized for well-being, not engagement

Maka Kids is building a streaming app for children ages zero to six featuring content designed for healthy development. The startup has now raised $3 million in seed funding to scale its platform, and is currently accepting waitlist sign-ups. Unlike traditional streaming platforms, Maka Kids doesn’t have recommendation algorithms, ads, or auto-play. Instead, it is designed to offer a predictable experience that supports learning, creativity, and emotional growth.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/21/maka-kids-is-redefining-kids-screen-time-with-a-streaming-app-optimized-for-well-being-not-engagement/