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Forced by an act of Congress, the Justice Department has released “hundreds of thousands” of pages of documents related to Epstein—but not everything, as is required by law.
Investors at TechCrunch Disrupt explained their focus on artificial intelligence and offered advice to founders on how to stand out in a crowded AI field.
Anand Varadarajan will join Starbucks as CTO on Jan. 19. (Amazon Photo)
Starbucks named Amazon exec Anand Varadarajan as its new chief technology officer, tapping a leader with extensive experience in Amazon’s grocery technology and supply chain operations.
Varadarajan, a 19-year Amazon veteran, will succeed Deb Hall Lefevre, who retired in September, according to the announcement Friday by Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol.
It comes as Starbucks works to revamp technology in its stores to improve order flow and speed of service. It’s part of the “Back to Starbucks” turnaround effort Niccol launched after becoming CEO in September 2024.
Separately, Starbucks said in its latest 10K filing that it needs to keep improving its marketing, data analytics, and AI tools or risk losing consumer interest and market share.
Ningyu Chen had been serving as Starbucks’ interim CTO since Lefevre’s departure.
Varadarajan “knows how to create systems that are reliable and secure, drive operational excellence and scale solutions that keep customers at the center,” Niccol wrote in the memo, also praising him for caring “deeply about supporting and developing the people behind the scenes that build and enable the technology we use.”
At Amazon, Varadarajan most recently led technology and supply chain for the company’s worldwide grocery business, including Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh. He previously held software engineering roles at Oracle and several startups.
Varadarajan will join the coffee giant as executive vice president and CTO on Jan. 19, reporting directly to Niccol and joining the company’s executive leadership team.
He holds an undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology and master’s degrees from Purdue (civil engineering) and the University of Washington (computer science).
Niccol noted in the memo that Varadarajan is a marathon runner working toward completing all seven World Marathon Majors, and a coffee enthusiast who starts most days with a tall latte.
3D printers are built for additive manufacturing. However, at heart, they are really just simple CNC motion platforms, and can be readily repurposed to other tasks. As [Arseniy] demonstrates, it’s not that hard to take a cheap 3D printer and turn it into a viable wood engraver.
The first attempt involved a simple experiment—heating the 3D printer nozzle, and moving it into contact with a piece of wood to see if it could successfully leave a mark. This worked well, producing results very similar to a cheap laser engraving machine. From there, [Arseniy] set about fixing the wood with some simple 3D-printed clamps so it wouldn’t move during more complex burning/engraving tasks. He also figured out a neat trick to simply calibrate the right Z height for wood burning by using the built in calibration routines. Further experiments involved developing a tool for creating quality G-Code for these engraving tasks, and even using the same techniques on leather with great success.
If you need to mark some patterns on wood and you already have a 3D printer, this could be a great way to go. [Arseniy] used it to great effect in the production of a plywood dance pad. We’ve featured some other great engraver builds over the years, too, including this innovative laser-based project. Video after the break.
The gifts don’t stop coming once December ends—at least not in the streaming world. Paramount+ has revealed its January 2026 lineup, and in addition to new seasons of popular shows and the premieres of several new original series—scripted and unscripted, we’re also getting a captivating docuseries and a slew of classic movies.
If you’re shopping for a 3D printer, you might have considered opting for an open-source model from a company that heavily leans into this philosophy. While it’s understandable that open-source printers might seem like the best choice, it’s not always a black-and-white decision.
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