Ollie, a privacy-focused AI assistant, is shutting down; TechCrunch, October 30, 2026

 Lucas Ropek , TechCrunch; Ollie, a privacy-focused AI assistant, is shutting down

"Ollie, which discussed its $7.5 million seed round led by Khosla Ventures with TechCrunch in September, offered a subscription-based model. The assistant was focused on helping families stay connected and organized. The app connected to a user’s email and calendar, while also providing integrated functions to help with appointment bookings, meal planning, and bill payments. The company had also planned to eventually move into household budgeting.

Crucially, Ollie was one of the first mainstream apps that managed to achieve SOC 2, a privacy compliance standard that companies can attain via an independent audit. Unfortunately, user privacy has never been a hugely profitable aspect of the tech industry. If anything, many new digital assistants present unique privacy challenges for their users — as companies like Instinct have shown. 

Ultimately, the pressures of the burgeoning AI industry took a toll on the company, Lennon said."

U.S. Health Officials Move Quickly to Deploy Medical A.I. Despite Concerns; The New York Times, September 14, 2026

 Christina Jewett , The New York Times; U.S. Health Officials Move Quickly to Deploy Medical A.I. Despite Concerns

"The Trump administration is accelerating efforts to make artificial intelligence an integral part of medical care in the United States, throwing the resources and support of the federal government into projects that deploy A.I. agents to diagnose and prescribe treatments to patients.

The multifront effort at the Department of Health and Human Services has raised concerns among some officials over the past few months that change is moving too quickly, with inadequate evidence of the technology’s safety and effectiveness, according to people who have been involved the discussions. They also worry about outsized influence of Silicon Valley investors that have previously played little role in federal health policy."