Green Cesar Chavez St and Mission St street signs on a pole in San Francisco's Mission District, with Victorian storefronts behind

San Francisco Picks Las Campesinas as the New Name for Cesar Chavez Street

San Francisco has chosen Las Campesinas, Spanish for the women farmworkers, as the new name for Cesar Chavez Street, after allegations of abuse against the labor leader. Here is how the name was picked, who it honors, what it means for the Mission, and a bigger question: will Las Campesinas stick?

| LATEST NEWS

San Francisco Picks Las Campesinas as the New Name for Cesar Chavez Street

Japan Launches MMX to Bring Back the First Sample From a Moon of Mars

SpaceX Launches Starfall Lab and a Cancer Drug Test on Bandwagon-5

Physical AI is moving fast from software hype into the real world. In this episode of Silicon Valley Unplugged, Robot.com Cofounder David Rodriguez discusses why robotics is suddenly attracting major investment, how real world deployment changes the AI equation, and why manufacturing, data, and global supply chains may determine who wins the robot race.

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| MEDICINE

Clinic counter with syringes, blood sample tubes and a liver model under the headline Beyond Lifelong Pills

FDA Approves Hibsago, the First Functional Cure Option for Hepatitis B

Can We Give Our Children a Genetic Head Start? Silicon Valley Thinks So.

Could AI Give Doctors More Time to Care for Patients?

| DEFENSE

Row of F-35 stealth fighters and a drone wingman on a flight line at dusk under the headline 1,509 Fighters by 2035

Air Force Tells Congress It Needs 1,509 Combat Fighters by 2035

| SCIENCE

Wild bumblebee feeding on a purple wildflower in a European meadow at golden hour under the headline Vanishing Bees

A Century of Records Shows Most of Europe's Wild Bees Losing Ground

The Waste We Keep Throwing Away May Be One of Our Greatest Energy Resources

The Silent Crisis Beneath Every Farm

Most Companies Use AI. Few Run on It. Phison Wants to Close the Gap

Most businesses now use AI, yet only a small share have built it into how they actually operate. Phison, the Taiwanese flash memory company behind one in five SSDs, says the fix is local AI with smarter memory, and it is inviting corporations and startups to build with it. Can on premises AI turn experiments into everyday work?

| AI

A stainless steel Starship rocket on its launch tower at dusk with a white humanoid robot and a Starlink dish on the pad, under the title One Musk Empire?

Tesla and SpaceX Weigh a $3.5 Trillion Merger Built Around AI

A smartphone on a dark desk showing a glowing audio waveform during an AI voice call, with the title Half a Second.

ElevenLabs Bets Voice AI Can Be Fast and Smart at the Same Time

The glass entrance of an Anthropic office building with the company name on a stone wall, with the title The Public Gets a Stake.

Anthropic Writes the Public Into Its Cap Table With a 5 Percent Pledge

AI Agents Promised to Do Everything Online. The Web Is Locking Them Out

| SILICON VALLEY

San Francisco Picks Las Campesinas as the New Name for Cesar Chavez Street

San Francisco has chosen Las Campesinas, Spanish for the women farmworkers, as the new name for Cesar Chavez Street, after allegations of abuse against the labor leader. Here is how the name was picked, who it honors, what it means for the Mission, and a bigger question: will Las Campesinas stick?

Sleepless Nights cover: a country band stage with pedal steel, acoustic guitar and upright bass under warm lights inside a former chapel music venue

San Francisco's Gram Parsons Tribute Turns 20 as He Enters the Rock Hall

Gram Parsons is finally entering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with an all-star tribute in Los Angeles featuring Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello. San Francisco is throwing its own party: Sleepless Nights, a homegrown Parsons tribute at the Chapel, turns 20 on Nov. 27 with an all Bay Area lineup. Here is who is playing, how to go, and a bigger question: can tribute nights keep San Francisco's musical history alive?

Noise Pop Returns cover: a crowd in silhouette faces a band under amber and magenta stage lights inside an ornate gilded San Francisco music hall

Noise Pop's 2027 Lineup Turns San Francisco Into an 11-Day Concert Hall

Noise Pop is back for its 34th year, Feb. 18 to 28, 2027. The first lineup puts hometown band Deerhoof at the Great American Music Hall, Lambchop and Free Key Choir inside Grace Cathedral, 19-year-old Oakland saxophonist Ayo Brame at SFJAZZ and Gibby Haynes on Butthole Surfers songs. Here is what was announced, how to get in, and a bigger question: can independent festivals keep San Francisco's music scene alive?

| BUSINESS

A dark conference stage with a giant LED wall showing a galaxy of glowing idea cards behind a lectern and laptop, under the title A Million Ideas

Bill Gross Gives Away a Million AI Business Ideas With Idealab.ai

| SPACE

Japan Launches MMX to Bring Back the First Sample From a Moon of Mars

| RELATIONSHIP

From Sexual Chemistry to Startup Chemistry: Why Thrill Builds Bonds

What happens when the CIA goes shopping in Silicon Valley for the next technology breakthrough? In this episode of Silicon Valley Unplugged, In-Q-Tel Senior Partner Katie Gray reveals how cybersecurity, AI, venture capital, and national security are converging in the coming era of AI agents attacking and defending at machine speed. Watch the full conversation and discover how Silicon Valley is helping shape the future of national security.

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| HARDWARE

Most Companies Use AI. Few Run on It. Phison Wants to Close the Gap

A small sensor probe screwed into the bark of an orchard tree at dusk, with the title Listening to Plants.

This San Francisco Startup Says Plants Have Been Talking All Along

Rear three quarter view of Tesla's new Roadster at night on wet tarmac with its red taillight bar and thruster nozzles, with the title The Car That Flew.

Elon Musk's Craziest Promise Yet: A Supercar That Defies Gravity

Why Are Semiconductor Companies Investing So Much in Arizona?

| PODCAST

The Sparknify Podcast explores how we navigate life in an age of rapidly emerging technologies—from artificial intelligence to breakthrough innovations — examining where they empower us, where they disrupt our world, and where the human spirit must lead.

Listen

Can AI Tools Automate Cinema? Vimmerse Offers a Glimpse of the Future

Generative AI video is rapidly transforming how creators and businesses turn ideas into moving images. At Sparknify’s 2025 Human vs. AI Film Festival, Vimmerse CEO Basel Salahieh demonstrated how one platform can connect story generation, animation, product marketing, avatars, and leading AI tools—giving people more time to focus on creativity.

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| EDUCATION

The Old Well at UNC-Chapel Hill at dusk with a signed agreement and pen, under the title The No-Check Settlement

UNC Settles 18 Federal Civil Rights Probes Without Paying a Dollar

From Garages to Giants: The 20 Real Birthplaces of Silicon Valley (And Where to Find Them)

What Silicon Valley Teaches That Schools Don’t

Why the Best Startups Begin with Friendship

Sparknify Sharks Garage, a startup bootcamp for middle school and high school students

The Sharks Garage

Youth Accelerator

This hands-on startup incubator invites young curious minds to explore entrepreneurship with Silicon Valley mentors, build real ideas, and pitch with confidence to actual venture capitals in a fun and supportive environment. Spots are limited. Join the next generation of innovators today.

Program Info

Jonathan Gortat of Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing: The Hard Part of Innovation Is Not the Invention

Jonathan Gortat’s keynote at Taiwan Tech Day examines the hidden architecture behind technology commercialization. His talk shows why breakthrough research needs more than invention. It needs thoughtful licensing, strong intellectual property strategy, investor confidence, market alignment, and the right partners to turn lab discoveries into real world impact.

Deal Decoder

| ROBOT

Reservoir Brings Its Farm Robot Proving Ground to Washington Orchards

White medical delivery drone carrying a sample box over a London street at dusk, with red double-decker buses below and the headline Lab Samples Take Flight

Matternet Drones Now Fly Children's Lab Samples Across London

A wall-climbing inspection robot on the gray steel hull of a warship in drydock, with the title Robots on the Hull.

The Navy Just Bet $300 Million on Robots That Crawl Its Warships

VCs Want Robots! Here’s Where the Physical AI Crowd Is Going During TechCrunch Week

| LIFE

Research lab at dusk with a microscope and rows of sample tubes under the headline Women's Health Push

New Executive Order Creates NIH Women's Health Division and Task Force

President Trump signed an executive order, championed by Melania Trump, that creates a Women's Health Division at the NIH and a White House task force to target understudied conditions from endometriosis to menopause. Here is what the order does, how it differs from the last effort, what it means for health startups, and a bigger question: can a government order speed up women's health innovation?

The Hidden Markup cover: brown paper takeout bags line a restaurant pickup counter beside a phone showing a food ordering app

Olo's New Delivery App Drops the Menu Markups Hidden in Your Takeout

Delivery apps often charge more for the food itself, not just the fees. Olo, the company behind many chains' online ordering, just launched a consumer app with more than 250 brands, menu prices that match the store, no restaurant commissions and a flat 5 percent fee. Here is how it works, what restaurants gain, and the bigger question: can a commission-free app change how America orders dinner?

The AI Startup That Wants to Make Getting Dressed Effortless

Taelor AI is reimagining menswear for the age of artificial intelligence. By combining AI-powered personalization, human styling, rental fashion, and actionable brand data, the startup is building a smarter way for men to dress better while helping the fashion industry reduce waste and predict demand more intelligently.