AI — it’s all but inescapable, whether you follow consumer tech, security, science, finance, transportation, or pretty much any other sector that’s evolving at a breakneck pace. But do you really know where AI is going, and which companies are emerging from the fray? You’ll find your answers at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Oct 27-29 in San Francisco. It’s the leading conference for tech innovators, start-up visionaries, and the VC leaders who help it all come together. And now PCWorld is happy to partner with TechCrunch to offer a 25% discount on Disrupt tickets, directly to our audience of tech enthusiasts. Get your tickets for TechCrunch Disrupt!View Deal Whether you’re an investor, a founder or even a student, you can claim your 25% discount with the coupon code “PCWorld25” (the code should appear automatically when you purchase tickets after clicking the link above). At this year’s Disrupt, there will be two full days of AI discussion and presentations. Speakers include C-Suite leaders from Lovable (simple, AI-powered app development); Hugging Face (advanced tools for machine learning); and Wayve (next-gen autonomous driving tech). But maybe the biggest draw will be Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures, one of the world’s most influential AI investors. He made big waves at last year’s Disrupt, opining on both AI’s opportunities and risks, and the intersection of tech and politics. His return visit to the stage will be a can’t-miss event. There will also be live AI robotics demos with leaders from Apptronik and Waabi. The Apptronik demo alone should be spectacular if this video is any indication. Disrupt is the premier venue for startups and investors to mingle and share ideas that advance their businesses and goals. But it’s also ground zero for tech enthusiasts to see the next big thing before anyone else. Attendees can: See what’s next in tech with up-close and personal access to creators. Make a year’s worth of personal connections in just three days. Witness Startup Battlefield 200, a “Shark Tank”-style competition where startup founders compete to win a $100,000 equity-free prize and the coveted TechCrunch cup. Last year’s Battlefield 200 was fascinating, and finalists included Gecko Materials, which makes a super-cool “dry adhesive” based on the physical properties of a gecko’s foot, along with MabLab, which creates real-time testing strips that can check drinks and party drugs for dangerous agents like crystal meth. Is this an event you can afford to miss? Once again, hit the link to use PCWorld’s exclusive 25% off discount code for TechCrunch Disrupt. Get your tickets for TechCrunch Disrupt!View Deal Read...

RNZ`s Money Correspondent wants to demystify money and personal finance with her new weekly podcast. Read...

The Ombudsman has forced the Reserve Bank to unveil pertinent information about circumstances around Adrian Orr’s sudden resignation as Governor on March 5.  The bank has revealed Orr temporarily stepped down as Governor on February 27, as tensions between him, the board, Treasury and Finance Minister Nicola Willis over government funding reached boiling point.  Christian Hawkesby became acting Governor on February 27, and Orr agreed to stay out of the office.  On the same day, board chair Neil Quigley wrote to Orr on behalf of the non-executive members of the board, outlining a series of concerns.  Quigley noted the “apparent lack of trust” between Orr, the board, Willis and Treasury.  He voiced his concern about the “tenor of dialogue” at meetings Orr had with Treasury officials on February 20 and Willis on February 24.  And, he questioned whether Orr would be able to do his job with less government funding than he deemed necessary.  Orr responded on March 3, rejecting the assertions in the letter, but agreeing there was a lack of trust between the parties.  He then resigned on March 5 on the condition the board withdrew the letter it sent him on February 27.  His “exit agreement” was approved and entered into on March 6.  When Quigley fronted media on March 5, he refused to detail what happened, other than to say the resignation was a “personal decision” made by Orr.  It wasn’t until June 11 that the Reserve Bank said Orr resigned because he disagreed with the board over the amount of government funding to pitch for.  The Reserve Bank provided details of the letter and exit agreement in the form of a summary timeline.  This is what the Ombudsman instructed it to do, after receiving numerous complaints (including from the Herald) over the Reserve Bank’s handling of information releases related to Orr’s departure.  The Ombudsman didn’t compel the Reserve Bank to release additional documents, including the exit agreement or the letter the board sent Orr on February 27. Indeed, the board and Orr agreed for this to be scrapped.  However, information previously released by the Treasury revealed Orr lost his cool in a meeting with a Treasury staffer on February 20 and then left a meeting he had with Quigley, Willis, Treasury chief executive Iain Rennie and other staff on February 24 early.  Another previously released document shows Quigley wanted details of the February 24 meeting kept under wraps.  He had a go at Treasury for taking detailed minutes of the meeting and releasing them under the Official Information Act (OIA).  Quigley concluded, “Apart from being late with our OIA responses, the approach we took in responding to OIA requests was a reasonable one to the requests and met the overall public interest by balancing transparency with privacy and other legitimate concerns.”  Orr has declined numerous requests for comment.  Willis has repeatedly expressed her disapproval over Quigley’s handling of the matter.  She has also repeatedly declined to shed light on what happened, saying it is a matter between Orr and the board.  This is despite Willis being the person who decides who is appointed Reserve Bank Governor and board chair.  There have been calls for Quigley, whose term ends on June 30, to resign.  The board is in the process of recommending who Willis should appoint Governor for a full term.  Jenée Tibshraeny is the Herald’s Wellington business editor, based in the parliamentary press gallery. She specialises in government and Reserve Bank policymaking, economics and banking.  Read...

TL;DR: Turn ideas into full-length books with AI—lifetime access for just $49. Writing a book takes time—something most of us don’t have between inbox chaos and back-to-back meetings. But what if all you needed was an idea? That’s where YouBooks steps in. This AI-powered tool helps you generate full-length nonfiction books with just a few prompts, and right now, you can lock in lifetime access for $49 (reg. $540). YouBooks pulls from several top-tier AI models, like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and combines them with live web research to build out detailed, structured manuscripts up to 300,000 words. Whether you want to write about productivity, startup culture, parenting, or personal finance, feed in your topic and let the AI do the heavy lifting. Why is Youbooks for you? 150,000 credits per month (1 word = 1 credit) Downloadable formats: PDF, DOCX, EPUB Commercial rights so that you can sell, share, or publish your books Custom style options to match your tone or brand It’s a serious time-saver if you’ve been sitting on an idea forever or want to build a content empire without writing every word yourself. Plus, unlike many AI tools, YouBooks gives you full ownership of the content you create. Snag a lifetime subscription to YouBooks for $49 and start turning your thoughts into fully formed nonfiction books: no ghostwriters, no subscriptions, and no gatekeepers. Youbooks – AI Nonfiction Book Generator: Lifetime SubscriptionSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

TL;DR: Get an EDU Unlimited lifetime subscription on sale for $19.97 for a limited time only (reg. $600). Juggling work and family? Or maybe you just want to learn something new. Finding time for self-improvement often feels impossible. That’s where EDU Unlimited by StackSkills shines. This platform offers lifetime access to over 1,000 courses spanning everything from coding and marketing to personal finance and productivity. Whether you’re new to a topic or looking for advanced expertise, there’s something for everyone. Imagine a parent re-entering the workforce, brushing up on data analysis skills at their own pace. Or a student filling gaps in their education with classes not available in their university’s overcrowded catalog this coming semester. With its user-friendly design, easy progress tracking, and wide-ranging course library, EDU Unlimited makes it easy to learn on your schedule. With a one-time payment, you’ll not only get access to all content already on the platform, but new courses added on a monthly basis. When new interests arise or trends come around, you can keep your skillset sharp. Get lifetime online course access with EDU Unlimited by StackSkills, now $19.97 for a limited time (reg. $600). EDU Unlimited by StackSkills: Lifetime AccessSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

TL;DR: Protect your files with a 10TB lifetime subscription to the ultra-secure Internxt Cloud Storage on sale for $$244.99 (reg. $2,999) with code STORAGE30.  Whether you’re storing sensitive files for work, personal finance records, or a few old assignments from school, privacy matters. That’s why it’s important to make sure your cloud storage is actually secure. A lot of them aren’t.  Internxt is a cloud storage platform that made security its top priority. If you want a single, secure place to keep all your files, check out Internxt’s 10TB lifetime subscription while it’s still marked down to $244.99. That won’t last much longer.  Why Internxt Unlike many popular services, Internxt uses zero-knowledge encryption, meaning not even their team can see what you’ve uploaded. The files are encrypted, broken into fragments, and distributed across their network. Nobody’s seeing what you’ve got saved without your permission, but sharing your files is quick and painless. Whether you’re sharing a high-res photo album or syncing a document across devices, the system is fast and reliable. Internxt works seamlessly across platforms, with dedicated apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, plus a web app for browser access. Internxt is completely GDPR compliant and has independent security audits, so you can trust your files are locked down.  Keep your files safe forever.  Until February 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT, you can get an Internxt Cloud Storage 10TB Lifetime Subscription for $244.99 (reg. $2,999) with code STORAGE30.    Internxt Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription: 10TB Plan – $249.99 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

TL;DR: Dive into a lifetime of learning with EDU Unlimited by StackSkills, featuring 1,000+ online courses that fit your schedule on sale for just $19.97. Juggling work, family, or school? Or maybe you just want to learn something new. Finding time for self-improvement often feels impossible. That’s where EDU Unlimited by StackSkills shines. This platform offers lifetime access to over 1,000 courses for $20 spanning everything from coding and marketing to personal finance and productivity. Whether you’re new to a topic or looking for advanced expertise, there’s something for everyone. Imagine a parent re-entering the workforce, brushing up on data analysis skills at their own pace. Or a student filling gaps in their education with classes not available in their university’s overcrowded catalog this coming semester. With its user-friendly design, easy progress tracking, and wide-ranging course library, EDU Unlimited makes it easy to learn on your schedule. Start the new year with a fresh goal: building skills that align with your career or personal growth. Lifetime access means no pressure — just endless possibilities! Take advantage of this $19.97 price on a lifetime subscription to EDU Unlimited by StackSkills.   EDU Unlimited by StackSkills: Lifetime Access – $29.97 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

OPINION: It’s not just me, every Aucklander thinks about having an affair with the young, fun, bronze Personal Trainer Brisbane - or the obnoxious, insufferable finance bro Sydney. Read...