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Kentucky woman rejects $26M offer to turn her farm into a data center

For generations, Ida Huddleston and her family have owned a farm in northern Kentucky. And they’ve turned down at least one multimillion-dollar offer to preserve it.

Last year, a “major artificial intelligence company” offered them $26 million to sell part of their farm for a proposed data center, according to a recent report from WKRC. Huddleston and her family declined, saying they didn’t want a data center built near them or on any of their 1,200 acres of farmland outside Maysville, Kentucky.

“They call us old stupid farmers, you know, but we’re not,” Huddleston, who is 82, told Local 12 WKRC. “We know whenever our food is disappearing, our lands are disappearing, and we don’t have any water — and that poison. Well, we know we’ve had it,” apparently referring to recent water shortages and ground poisoning that’s been widely reported in land near data centers.

In an interview with the news station, Huddleston said she doubted the data center would bring jobs or economic growth to Mason County. “It’s a scam,” she said.

The company, which WKRC did not name, revised its plans and filed a zoning request to rezone more than 2,000 acres in northern Kentucky, according to the report — meaning the AI firm may still build its data center next to Huddleston’s land.

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Glean’s top line crosses $300M as AI budget cutting becomes its major selling point

Glean, a company often described as the Google for enterprise, said it has reached $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), a three-fold increase from the $100 million milestone it reached just 15 months ago.

While many AI startups are growing at a blistering pace, Glean’s progress is particularly remarkable. After years of essentially being the only player in the category, the seven-year-old startup is accelerating its growth as tech giants enter the enterprise AI search market with rival products.

“The first four or five years of our existence, we had no competition,” Glean CEO Arvind Jain told TechCrunch. “Given how important search is to make AI work in the enterprise, every single company in the world wants to be in this space.”

Tech heavyweights building Glean-like tools include Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, Salesforce, and Atlassian.

Jain maintains there’s value in being a first mover in the space, but that it’s also equally important to offer a better product.

What Glean does better than its competition, according to Jain, comes down to the deep understanding that its AI tools have of customers’ business needs. Glean’s AI achieves this knowledge — a concept captured by the new, popular term “context graph” — by connecting to and learning from enterprises’ internal software systems.

Jain claims that Glean’s context graph also helps enterprises cut AI computing costs.

“If you connect your AI to Glean, it gives you all the information that you need to do your work, and that results in AI consuming far fewer tokens compared to if you unleash AI onto your systems directly,” Jain said. That’s because with Glean, AI ends up performing fewer operations, he added.

At a time when many companies are blowing through their AI budgets, those token cost savings have become a major selling point for the company.

“One of the things you know our customers really like about Glean is the fact that we can reduce your AI bill significantly,” he said.

The company, which was last valued at $7.2 billion when it raised a $150 million Series F last June, offers various pricing structures to its customers, which include Databricks, Reddit, Pinterest, and Samsung.

According to Jain, Glean offers both a consumption-based model, where clients pay per use, and a hybrid model that combines a fixed monthly fee for active users with separate usage fees for model consumption.

Glean is definitely not the first company to do this, but it’s worth pointing out that the company’s $300 million milestone cannot be fully described as traditional ARR, because a consumption model by definition doesn’t have a strictly recurring component.

Pure consumption pricing models depend on fluctuating user activity rather than predictable subscription renewals, therefore a portion of Glean’s top line is more accurately described as an annualized revenue run rate.

Glean did not immediately respond to a request for comment; this post will be updated if the company replies.

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Final 24 hours to save up to $410 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 ticket

This is it. The countdown is almost over. You now have until tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT to lock in Early Bird savings of up to $410 for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 before prices increase.

If Disrupt has been on your must-attend list, this is your final chance to secure the lowest available rates before the next price jump hits. Once the deadline passes, so do the savings.

Register now and join 10,000+ founders, investors, operators, and innovators at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 13–15 for three days packed with networking, startup discovery, and conversations shaping the future of tech. Bring a plus-one at 50%, or bring a group to get an up to 30% discount.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 24 hours left

What makes Disrupt worth attending year after year

TechCrunch Disrupt is where startup momentum accelerates. The event brings together the people actively building, funding, and scaling what’s next across AI, fintech, SaaS, climate, cybersecurity, consumer tech, and beyond.

Attendees come to Disrupt for:

  • Direct access to investors, founders, and operators making moves now.
  • Conversations that lead to partnerships, funding, and hires.
  • Tactical insights from leaders scaling breakout companies.
  • An inside look at emerging technologies before they hit the mainstream.

With 300+ exhibiting startupsStartup Battlefield 200, curated networking experiences, and multiple stages of programming, Disrupt is built to help attendees make meaningful connections and real business progress.

TechCrunch Disrupt Expo Hall
Image Credits:Eric Slomonson, The Photo Group

Built for the people shaping what’s next

Disrupt is designed for founders raising capital, investors sourcing opportunities, operators scaling companies, and innovators looking for an edge. Whether you’re launching your next startup, growing your network, or tracking the future of technology, Disrupt puts you in the room with the people driving the industry forward.

Hear directly from tech leaders shaping the industry

Every year, Disrupt brings together hundreds of influential voices across startups and venture capital. Past speakers have included leaders from the companies and firms shaping the future of AI, enterprise software, fintech, consumer tech, and more.

Sam Altman OpenAI OpenResearch
Image Credits:David Paul Morris/Bloomberg / Getty Images

This year will deliver the same high-caliber experience, with 200+ sessions across six industry-focused stages, plus roundtables and breakouts covering scaling, AI, fintech, infrastructure, robotics, and emerging technologies. Explore the growing agenda to see the latest sessions and speaker announcements.

Speakers include:

Savings of up to $410 end tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT

Early Bird savings of up to $410 end tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT. After that, ticket prices increase.

Register now to secure your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass at a low rate before the deadline expires. Bringing more than just you? Save 50% on a second ticket, or up to 30% on community passes.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 exhibitor
Image Credits:Silkroad (opens in a new window)

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Today is the last day to apply to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 returns October 13–15 to Moscone West in San Francisco — and applications to speak are open for just a few more hours.

We’re inviting founders, investors, operators, and technology experts to apply for a chance to take the stage at one of the most influential tech events of the year.

More than 10,000 startup and VC leaders will gather at Disrupt 2026 to explore what’s next in AI, scaling, fintech, infrastructure, robotics, and the future of innovation.

Applications close tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now to share your expertise and help shape the conversations defining the tech industry.

Pick your session format

We’re looking for high-impact speakers to lead one of two session types:

Breakout Sessions: A 30-minute talk (up to 4 speakers, including a moderator) with a 20-minute audience Q&A. Capacity: 100 attendees.

Roundtables: A 30-minute speaker-led group discussion, designed for up to 40 participants. No slides or AV — just insight and conversation.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 Breakout Session
Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography

How the application process works

Each application will be carefully reviewed by our editorial team. Finalists will be selected for the Audience Choice vote — where TechCrunch readers choose which sessions make it to the Disrupt Stage. Learn more about speaking on Disrupt’s Call for Content page.

Lead the conversation at Disrupt 2026

If you have actionable insights, real-world experience, and a desire to contribute meaningfully to the tech ecosystem, we want to hear from you. Submit your application before today’s deadline.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, October 13-15

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