The crm, saas & automation stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
A group of state attorneys general says an automaker sold driving and location data without consent, and will pay $220 million. Insurance rates may be affected.
Read more: Automaker to pay $220 million over selling driver dataSalesforce says an update to Agentforce Memory helps its AI agents recall far more of what customers tell them, including details that later change.
Read more: Salesforce says its AI agents now remember customer details twice as wellSalesforce says AI stalls when it speeds up one step and the rest of the process stays slow. Its fix is tiny teams that build with AI tools.
Read more: Why Company AI Tools Stall, and the Small-Team Fix Salesforce UsesBerlin firm Pliant raised $80 million to let outside AI tools run business payments, which raises a fair question about who is responsible when software moves money.
Read more: Berlin payments firm Pliant raises $80 million to let AI pay billsRamp's data and Anthropic's new filing both show the heaviest AI spenders flattening after July, which matters for AI vendors and for anyone paying AI bills.
Read more: The biggest AI spenders stopped spending more after JulyYouTube's latest redesign has users asking where the Subscriptions tab went, and the change could add a step to reaching channels you follow.
Read more: YouTube's new look pushes the Subscriptions tab out of reachHubSpot lays out a simple way to check how often AI answer tools cite your business, since website traffic alone no longer shows the full picture.
Read more: How to tell if AI answer tools are naming your businessZoho Writer's label tool can now make one label per unit ordered, so shippers may skip the spreadsheet cleanup that comes before every print run.
Read more: Zoho Writer now prints the right number of labels for every orderSalesforce says use of its AI helper, Agentforce Coworker, grew 21 times in three months, and a new $50 per user monthly price makes budgeting simpler.
Read more: Salesforce's AI coworker use jumps 21 times in three monthsArlo's $100 solar security camera is well built and easy to set up, but a reviewer says most of its smart features sit behind a paid plan.
Read more: Arlo's $100 solar camera works well, but most features cost extraA popular Hacker News post says saved Gemini chats on personal accounts can train Google's AI and be read by people, even if you pay for a subscription.
Read more: Gemini may train on your saved chats, even if you payAmazon's cloud desktops for AI agents now run Linux and Windows 11, not just Windows Server, so businesses can match agents to the systems they already use.
Read more: Amazon lets AI agents work on Linux and Windows 11 cloud desktopsAn open-source add-on called CLI-Anything lets Claude Code operate apps that have no AI features, which could cut the clicking between tools.
Read more: A free add-on lets Claude Code control apps that have no AI supportFlowForma now connects its business process software to Claude, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, so a chat with AI can start approvals and requests.
Read more: FlowForma lets you run company workflows from Claude, ChatGPT and CopilotA treadmill owner used Claude, an AI chatbot, to get out of a subscription trap, and other owners of the machines are paying attention.
Read more: A treadmill owner used Claude AI to get out of a subscription trapInc. reports that most companies lose top talent within weeks, and Zapier's approach to uncertainty shows how managers can keep good people from leaving.
Read more: Why Zapier keeps its best people while other companies lose themChatGPT is reportedly preparing a link to Google's Health Connect on Android, which could let it see health data if you choose to allow it.
Read more: ChatGPT may soon read your Android health dataBloomberg agreed to a $500,000 settlement over offers that began at $1.99 and later rose to $39.99, a reminder to check what a cheap trial costs later.
Read more: Bloomberg pays $500,000 over $1.99 offers that rose to $39.99Google, Cordial and Twilio each announced ways to feed customer data to AI tools, and the shared message is that the data has to be clean and controlled.
Read more: Google, Cordial and Twilio want AI to use customer data more openlyKlearcom launched a service that places real phone calls to test AI voice agents, as more companies plan to put them on customer lines.
Read more: New service places real test calls to check AI phone agentsMacPaw, maker of CleanMyMac and Setapp, has launched Eney, an AI assistant for Mac and iPhone that works with Mail, Calendar and Reminders.
Read more: MacPaw launches Eney, an AI helper built for Mac and iPhone usersElderVoice says its AI caller, Evelyn, flagged a Denver woman's panicky call and texted her daughter within a minute. Here is how it works and what it costs.
Read more: AI phone companion for seniors texts family when a parent sounds distressedReflect Orbital wants 50,000 mirror satellites to send sunlight to Earth after dark for a fee. Astronomers warn of a brighter night sky above homes and businesses.
Read more: A startup wants 50,000 mirror satellites to beam sunlight to Earth at nightSalesforce plans to buy Cresta, whose AI helps with phone calls. Salesforce users may get smarter call help later, but not before the deal closes.
Read more: Salesforce is buying Cresta, a company that coaches agents on phone calls
