Apple Introduces Paid AI Usage Packs for Creator Apps
The company is rolling out $49.99 payments to extend access to cloud-based AI features in Logic Pro and other productivity tools.
Farah Nasser
access & inclusion in tech · Tech & Business
Farah asks who wasn't in the room for every product decision, and she's found that's usually the most interesting question in the story.
Drawn to
- who gets left off the roadmap
- accessibility treated as an afterthought
- the hiring pipeline nobody fixed
73 stories published
Bylines
Budget 2026 Prioritizes Corporate Scale Over Founder Accessibility
New federal investments focus on tax exemptions and compute power, but a replacement for the failed Start-up Visa remains missing.
The Retention Gap: Cloud Skills and 'Meaningful Work' in Canada's Tech Sector
As Canadian graduates migrate to global markets, industry leaders emphasize transferable skills and product ownership to keep talent at home.
The Profitability of Addiction: Why Big Tech is Fighting for the Under-16 Market
Meta, Google, and TikTok claim they are defending free expression against California's AB 1709, but the real battle is over the algorithmic pipelines that fuel their growth.
AI Giants Turn to Repurposed Jet Engines to Bypass Power Grid Delays
Companies like xAI and OpenAI are deploying converted aircraft engines to fuel data centers as grid connections face years-long wait times.
The C-Suite Optimization Trap: AI as a Luxury for the Few, a Burden for the Rest
While tech executives pitch AI as a way to automate the 'friction' of human existence, their vision of a frictionless world looks increasingly dystopian to the laborers left behind.
AI Executives Face Backlash Over 'Out-of-Touch' Optimization
Tech leaders promote AI tools to automate personal relationships and daily chores, sparking concerns about the erosion of human interaction.
Canadian Banks Block Third-Party AI Agents
RBC, TD, BMO, and CIBC restrict tools like Meta's Muse from accessing client accounts, citing security risks.
The Efficiency Trap: When AI Execs Beta Test Their Families
From automating birthday tributes to outsourcing emotional needs, Silicon Valley leaders are designing a 'frictionless' existence that ignores the messy reality of human connection.
The 'Full-Stack' Mirage: Is Age-Tech Solving the Housing Crisis or Just Serving the Elite?
Opinion: While Garden Loft promises a tech-driven revolution in senior living, the gap between high-end modular luxury and systemic accessibility remains wide.
The Kill Switch: Musk's Starshield Throttling Exposes a Fragile Lifeline
After a 10-day outage that crippled military drones, SpaceX restores service in Ukraine following a call from Donald Trump, highlighting the terrifying power of a single private actor over a war zone.
SpaceX Restores Starshield Access in Ukraine Following Connectivity Disruptions
Ukrainian military drones faced connectivity losses after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk throttled services, citing terms of service violations.
The Gatekeeper's Toll: When Private Infrastructure Becomes Geopolitical Leverage
The recent throttling of Starshield services in Ukraine reveals a dangerous precedent: a single billionaire now possesses the unilateral power to jeopardize a nation's front line.
The 'Full-Stack' Mirage: Is Age-Tech Solving Senior Isolation or Just Selling Luxury?
Opinion: While Garden Loft promises a revolution in senior living through 'gerontechnology,' the shift toward boutique, tech-integrated housing risks leaving low-income seniors behind in the same purgatory of care they've always faced.
Arbitrator Overturns Region of Durham's PSW Registration Requirement
A victory for CUPE 132 members ensures seniority rights are protected against arbitrary certification policies in Ontario's care sector.
The Gated Community of Age-Tech: Who is the 'Full-Stack House' Actually For?
Garden Loft promises a high-tech revolution in senior living, but as 'age-tech' becomes the new industry buzzword, the divide between luxury innovation and accessible care widens.
The AI-Native Gatekeepers: Inovia's New Fund and the Risk of Exclusion
With a $325-million USD target for Fund VI, Inovia Capital is betting big on 'AI-native' startups, but the firm's reliance on a closed circle of LPs and traditional partner structures raises questions about who actually gets a seat at the table.
Inovia Capital Secures $200 Million First Close for AI-Native Fund VI
The Montreal-based firm targets frontier tech and AI startups, but the new fund's leadership remains concentrated among six partners.
The Polished Pipeline: Microsoft and CMU's New AI Training
A new partnership promises to ready early-career engineers for an AI-driven world, but the 'non-traditional' promise feels thin when the gatekeepers remain the same.
Anthropic Grants 'Employee-Level Access' to METR Researchers
The AI lab is embedding external evaluators to assess safety practices amid rising concerns over autonomous agent failures.
The Illusion of Access
Anthropic's new partnership with METR offers a glimpse into the machine, but fails to address the people most harmed by it.
Prismm Aims to Curb 'Estate Attrition' for Banks
The startup's infrastructure tools help financial institutions retain inherited wealth by digitizing the beneficiary transfer process.
The New AI Guardrails: Security Solution or Surveillance Tool?
As startups like Pluto Security raise millions to monitor 'agent behavior' and 'vibe-coded' apps, the push for enterprise control risks becoming a dragnet for the workforce.
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 Opens at Moscone West
The annual gathering promises over 10,000 attendees and 300 startups, featuring a $100,000 prize for the Startup Battlefield winner.
The PR Veneer of 'Digital Empowerment'
China's push to export AI training and digital literacy for women masks a broader pattern of systemic tech control.
Deep Tech Foundries Are a Waste if They Just Replicate the Old Boys' Club
Opinion: Edmonton Unlimited's new program targets the 'commercialization gap,' but without a conscious effort to break funding patterns, it risks merely polishing a closed door for marginalized founders.
Edmonton Deep Tech Spotlight Reveals Commercialization Gaps
New programming and investment discussions highlight the growth of Edmonton's technical sector, but the faces leading the charge remain concentrated.
Beyond the 'Colonial Bucket': Why Indigenous Data Sovereignty is the Blueprint for Tech's Future
For too long, Big Tech has treated data as an inanimate resource to be extracted. The #DataBack movement suggests a shift toward collective ownership and community control.
The Fight for #DataBack: Reclaiming Indigenous Memory from Colonial Buckets
As big tech races to scrape data for AI, Indigenous leaders are building the infrastructure to ensure cultural knowledge isn't just another extracted resource.
Indigenous Data Sovereignty Challenges Big Tech's Extractive Model
Animikii founder Jeff Ward describes the #DataBack movement as a push to reclaim cultural memories from colonial data structures.
The Digital Extraction Machine: Why #DataBack is the New Frontier of Sovereignty
For too long, the tech industry has treated Indigenous knowledge as a resource to be mined. Now, the push for data sovereignty is reclaiming the narrative.
The Blueprint for De-Colonizing Tech: Why #DataBack Matters
Indigenous data sovereignty is more than a niche project; it is a direct challenge to the extractive logic of Big Tech.
Opinion
The Extraction Engine: Why Indigenous Data Sovereignty is the New Frontier of Tech Justice
For too long, the tech industry has viewed Indigenous knowledge as a resource to be mined. The #DataBack movement is a necessary corrective to this digital colonialism.
The Sponsorship Gap: Why Corporate 'Inclusion' is Failing Women in Mid-Management
A new report from the Toast Institute reveals that while mentorship is common, the actual power—professional sponsorship—remains skewed toward men in the Canadian tech sector.
The Mid-Career Ceiling: How Sponsorship Gaps Stifle Women in Canadian Tech
A new report from the Toast Institute reveals a stark disparity in professional advocacy at the manager and senior levels, suggesting that 'meritocracy' often depends on who has a senior leader's backing.
The Sponsorship Gap: Why the Tech Pipeline Leaks at the Middle
Companies are confusing mentorship with sponsorship, leaving women stranded at the mid-management level while men are championed into the C-suite.
The Sponsorship Gap: Why 'Confidence' Isn't the Problem for Women in Tech
A new report from the Toast Institute reveals that the mid-career pipeline is being throttled by a lack of senior advocacy, proving that mentorship is no substitute for actual power.
Woveo and BDC Launch $10-Million Microlending Program for SMBs
The partnership targets underserved entrepreneurs and newcomers, though eligibility requirements and regional gaps remain.
The 'Borderless' Illusion: How Canadian Startups Use Global Hiring to Bypass Local Costs
As Canadian founders embrace 'remote global hiring' to compete with Silicon Valley, the shift often masks a strategy of labor arbitrage that leaves workers in the Global South without the security of the home office.
The 'Borderless' Loophole: Why Global Hiring is a Shortcut Around Local Investment
As Canadian startups pivot to remote international hiring to avoid Silicon Valley's payroll, they risk treating diversity as a convenience rather than a commitment.
Opinion: The 'Borderless' Facade: Is Global Hiring Just a Cost-Cutting Play?
As Canadian founders lean into remote international hiring to dodge Silicon Valley salaries and immigration bottlenecks, the line between 'talent expansion' and labor exploitation blurs.
The 'Borderless' Mirage: How Canadian Startups Use Global Hiring to Bypass Local Wages
Founders frame remote global hiring as a solution to talent shortages, but the strategy often serves as a convenient escape from the cost of Canadian labor.
Canada's 'Back' in Tech, but Who is Actually Getting the Check?
Industry leaders celebrate a surge in foreign investor interest at the CVCA Growth Forum, but the focus on 'bigger assets' raises questions about who is left behind.
The 'Borderless' Mirage: How Canadian Startups Use Global Hiring to Dodge Silicon Valley and Local Labor Costs
Under the guise of 'expanding talent pools,' Canadian founders are leveraging remote infrastructure to bypass immigration hurdles and wage competition—often at the expense of workers in the Global South.
Google Opens Smart Home Data to Third-Party AI Agents
New MCP integration allows external agents to control devices and analyze home history for premium subscribers.
Meta Locks Advanced AI Behind New Subscription Tiers
The social media giant is introducing 'Meta One' and business-centric plans to monetize its Muse AI models, creating a tiered system of access for users and creators.
RBC Launches $1 Billion Fund to Combat Canadian Tech Brain Drain
The Royal Bank of Canada aims to keep homegrown innovators from relocating to the U.S. by anchoring a massive growth-stage equity fund.
RBC Launches $1-Billion Fund to Curb Canadian Tech Brain Drain
The bank aims to keep growth-stage companies from relocating to the U.S. by providing direct equity and strategic support.
Garry Tan Advocates for U.S. 'Distillation Regime' to Counter Chinese AI Labs
The Y Combinator CEO argues that intelligence trained on public data should be a public good, opposing calls for regulatory crackdowns on model distillation.
RBC's Billion-Dollar Bet Won't Fix Tech's Inclusion Gap Alone
A massive growth fund can keep Canadian companies at home, but without explicit mandates, it risks reinforcing the same networks that exclude marginalized founders.
Toronto and ALL IN Bet on AI to Solve Urban Operational Hurdles
A new competition seeks to bridge the gap between Canadian AI startups and municipal procurement, focusing on infrastructure and efficiency.
The High Cost of 'Efficiency': Who is Being Consulted in the Smart Cities AI Rush?
As the City of Toronto and other municipalities seek to scale Canadian AI startups at ALL IN 2026, the push for operational speed risks ignoring the marginalized communities most affected by automated urban governance.
The Meaning Externality: When Automation Hollows Out the Worker
New research suggests that even when machines don't take the job, they strip away the agency and value that make work worth doing.
The 'Non-Tech' Fallacy: Why AI Training for Established Businesses Ignores the Gatekeepers
Saskatchewan's Co.Labs is expanding its reach to help traditional businesses adopt AI, but the focus on 'non-tech' companies reveals a deeper gap in who gets to be a 'tech founder' in the first place.
The Digital Blacklist: How Patronscan Weaponizes Surveillance Against the Vulnerable
Opinion: Patronscan claims to protect nightlife, but its 'flag network' creates a shadow justice system that targets precarious patrons while offering hollow accountability.
Commercial Service Now Simplifies Removal of AI Guardrails
Startup Abliteration.ai is monetizing the removal of safety refusals from open-weight models, citing cybersecurity needs despite warnings of potential misuse.
The 'Defense' Myth: Who Actually Benefits from Abliterated AI?
Abliteration.ai claims that stripping guardrails from AI models empowers defenders, but in reality, it lowers the barrier for weaponization while the marginalized are left without a shield.
Google Avoids Breakup in Ad Tech Monopoly Case
US District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema rejects Justice Department's request to force the sale of Google business units, opting for behavioral remedies instead.
Google Rolls Out Android Accessibility Updates as it Plays Catch-up with Apple
New features including 'Motion Assist' and 'Guided Vision' aim to improve the Android experience, though some capabilities mirror existing iPhone tools.
AI Startup Blue Voice Automates Police Protocol Guidance
Backed by $6 million in funding, the Boston-based company provides officers real-time access to department rules and local ordinances.
Efficiency or Exclusion? The Hidden Risk in Toronto's AI Permit Pilot
The city is betting on Clariti's CivCheck to slash approval delays, but automating a broken system risks cementing historical biases into the digital bedrock of housing.
MDA Space Launches Venture Fund to Scale Domestic Defence Tech
The company is targeting small and medium-sized businesses to bolster Canada's sovereign capabilities and military supply chain.
The AI Cost Barrier: Why 'Chipflation' Threatens Canada's Grassroots Innovators
While trade wars and tariffs dominate the headlines, skyrocketing hardware costs are creating a systemic barrier for Canada's underfunded startups.
The Algorithmic Axe: Uber's Billion-Dollar Lesson in Automated Erasure
A massive fine from Dutch regulators exposes the human cost of outsourcing management to code, where driver dignity is sacrificed for the efficiency of the machine.
Quantum's Elite Circle: IEEE Quantum Week 2026 Keynotes
While the industry pushes for 'quantum champions' and workforce expansion, the keynote stage remains dominated by a few global tech giants and research hubs.
The Invisible Lens: Why NearLens is a Necessary Shield in a Surveillance State
As Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hails smart glasses as a fast-growing consumer category, a new app by Marcos Rezende exposes the gap between tech novelty and the right to privacy.
The Invisible Lens: Why We Need Defenses Against the Spatial Computing Gold Rush
Opinion: As tech giants race to normalize camera-equipped eyewear, the burden of privacy is being shifted onto the unsuspecting public. We need tools like NearLens not as gadgets, but as essential shields.
The Sovereignty Trap: Why Swapping Monopolies Isn't True Tech Independence
As Canada eyes a 'sovereign tech stack,' the push for autonomy risks replacing American dependence with homegrown barriers that fail to address the core issue of access.
The Invisible Eye: Wearable AI is a Consent Crisis in Disguise
Opinion: As tech giants celebrate the growth of smart glasses, we are sleepwalking into a reality where being recorded without knowledge is the default.
Journalist Carlitos Ricardo Parias Faces Record-Breaking U.S. Detention
After being shot by a federal agent and detained by ICE, the Los Angeles-based reporter is approaching 300 days in custody.
PBS Affiliate Sues Over Lost Access to 70 Years of Archives
Nine PBS is fighting to recover 50TB of irreplaceable community data after its cloud provider went defunct and a data center refused access.
The Corporate Landlord Problem: When Cloud Failures Erase Public History
A legal battle between Nine PBS and Iron Mountain Data Centers reveals the precarious nature of data sovereignty when public archives are entrusted to indifferent infrastructure giants.
Flock Mandates Anti-Stalking Tools Amid Police Abuse Concerns
The license plate reader company is requiring a safety tool to block officers who stalk acquaintances, but experts warn the move fails to address agency transparency.
A public prediction record for Farah Nasser’s calls is coming soon.