TechCrunch Industry News
Episodes
Bereave wants employers to suck a little less at navigating death
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If death and taxes are inevitable, why are companies so prepared for taxes, but not for death? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...
New York moves to limit kids’ access to ‘addictive feeds’
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
New York’s state legislature has passed a bill that would prohibit social media companies from showing so-called “addictive feeds” to children u...
Siri and Google Assistant look to generative AI for a new lease on life
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Voice assistants in general are having an existential moment, and generative AI is poised to be the logical successor. Learn more about your ad choice...
Shopify acquires Threads (no, not that one)
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Shopify has acquired Threads.com, the Seqiuoa-backed Slack alternative, Threads said on its website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...
Robinhood acquires global crypto exchange Bitstamp for $200M
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Stock-trading platform Robinhood is diving deeper into the cryptocurrency realm with the acquisition of crytpo exchange Bitstamp. Learn more about yo...
Amazon buys Indian video streaming service MX Player
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon has agreed to acquire Indian video streaming service MX Player from the local media powerhouse Times Internet, the latest step by the e-commerc...
Dive goes cloud-native for its computational fluid dynamics simulation service
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Spun out of Bosch, Dive wants to change how manufacturers use computer simulations by both using modern mathematical approaches and cloud computing. L...
Asana introduces ‘AI teammates’ designed to work alongside human employees
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Asana is using its work graph to train LLMs with the goal of creating AI assistants that work alongside human employees in company workflows. Learn mo...
GetWhy, a market research AI platform that extracts insights from video interviews, raises $34.5M
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
GetWhy helps businesses carry out market studies and extract insights from video-based interviews using AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit p...
Travel app Sékr wants to help you plan your next road trip with its new AI tool
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sékr, a startup that offers a mobile app for outdoor enthusiasts and campers, is launching a new AI tool for planning road trips. Learn more about yo...
Spotify to increase premium pricing in the US to $11.99 per month
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Spotify has announced that it’s hiking subscriptions for customers in the U.S., the second such price increase in the space of a year. Learn more a...
X tweaks rules to formally allow adult content
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
X will now allow users to post consensually produced NSFW content as long as it is prominently labeled as such. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...
Spain bans Meta from launching election features on Facebook, Instagram over privacy fears
03 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meta has been banned from launching features on Facebook and Instagram that would have collected data on voters in Spain using the social networks ahe...
Instagram now lets teens limit interactions to their ‘Close Friends’ group to combat harassment
03 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Instagram is expanding the scope of its "Limits" tool specifically for teenagers that would let them restrict unwanted interactions with people. Learn...
Billionaire Groupon founder Lefkofsky is back with another IPO: AI healthtech Tempus
01 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Lefkofsky knows the public listing rodeo well and is about to enter it for a fourth time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices....
Redpanda acquires Benthos to expand its end-to-end streaming data platform
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Redpanda has already integrated Benthos into its own service and has made it the core technology of its new Redpanda Connect service. Learn more about...
How Clean Energy Ventures avoided the pandemic bubble and raised a $305M fund
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When other firms were investing and raising eye-popping sums, Clean Energy Ventures took a different approach. It appears to be paying off. Learn more...
YouTube’s free games catalog ‘Playables’ rolls out to all users
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
YouTube's free Playables don't directly challenge the app store model or break Apple's rules. However, they do compete with the App Store's free games...
Félix Pago raises $15.5 million to help Latino workers send money home via WhatsApp
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Remittances from workers in the U.S. to their families and friends in Latin America amounted to $155 billion in 2023. With such a huge opportunity, ba...
LumApps, the French ‘intranet superapp,’ sells majority stake to Bridgepoint in a $650M deal
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Big news today for LumApps, the French startup that has described itself as an “intranet superapp” with a platform for building and provisioning i...
Canva launches a proper enterprise product — and they mean it this time
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Back in 2019, Canva, the wildly successful design tool, introduced what the company was calling an enterprise product, but in reality it was more gear...
Spotify to shut off Car Thing for good, leading users to demand refunds
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Spotify is notifying customers who purchased its Car Thing product that the devices will stop working after December 9, 2024 Learn more about your ad ...
Using memes, social media users have become red teams for half-baked AI features
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“Running with scissors is a cardio exercise that can increase your heart rate and require concentration and focus,” says Google’s new AI search ...
Google invests $350 million in India’s Flipkart
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Google is investing nearly $350 million in Flipkart, becoming the latest high-profile name to back the Indian e-commerce startup. Learn more about you...
Google to build first subsea fibre optic cable connecting Africa with Australia
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Google is preparing to build what will be the first subsea fibre optic cable connecting the continents of Africa and Australia. Learn more about your ...
Meta’s new AI council is comprised entirely of white men
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meanwhile, women and people of color are disproportionately impacted by irresponsible AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/...
Why Spotify is launching its own font, Spotify Mix
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Spotify launched its own font, the company announced on Wednesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses now let you share images directly to your Instagram Story
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meta is updating its Ray-Ban smart glasses with new hands-free functionality Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta, Match, Coinbase and others team up to fight online fraud and crypto scams
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The new coalition, Tech Against Scams, will work together to find ways to fight back against the tools used by scammers and to better educate the publ...
Aurora unveils self-driving truck with Volvo
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new self-driving truck — manufactured by Volvo and loaded with autonomous vehicle tech developed by Aurora Innovation — could be on public highw...
Hollywood agency CAA aims to help stars manage their own AI likenesses
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Creative Artists Agency, one of the top entertainment and sports talent agencies, is hoping to be at the forefront of AI protection services for celeb...
OpenAI to remove ChatGPT’s Scarlett Johansson-like voice
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
OpenAI is removing one of the voices used by ChatGPT after users found that it sounded similar to Scarlett Johansson, the company announced on Monday....
A US trustee wants troubled fintech Synapse to be liquidated via Chapter 7 bankruptcy, cites ‘gross mismanagement’
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The prospects for troubled banking-as-a-service startup Synapse have gone from bad to worse this week after the United States Trustee filed an emergen...
Microsoft warned it could be fined billions by EU over missing GenAI risk info
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The European Union has warned Microsoft it could be fined up to 1% of its global annual turnover under the bloc’s online governance regime, the Digi...
Shipping logistics startup Harbor Lab raises $16M Series A led by Atomico
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cargo ships docking at a commercial port incur costs called “disbursements” and “port call expenses.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...
Cannabis and gaming payments startup Aeropay is now offering an alternative to Mastercard and Visa
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The key to taking on legacy players in the financial technology industry may be to go where they have not gone before Learn more about your ad choices...
Netflix to take on Google and Amazon by building its own ad server
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The announcement signifies a significant shake-up in the streaming giant's advertising approach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoic...
Restaurant365 orders in $175M at a $1B+ valuation to supersize its food service software stack
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The restaurant industry in the U.S. is expected to pass $1 trillion in sales for the first time this year, despite wider economic pressures on consume...
Accel has a fresh $650M to back European early-stage startups
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Accel has invested in more than 200 startups in the region to date, making it one of the more prolific VCs in this market. Learn more about your ad ch...
Uber to acquire Foodpanda’s Taiwan unit from Delivery Hero for $950M in cash
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Uber Technologies announced Tuesday that it will buy the Taiwan unit of Delivery Hero’s Foodpanda for $950 million in cash. Learn more about your ad...
The buzziest EV IPO of the year is a Chinese automaker
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Zeekr's market hype is noteworthy and may indicate that investors see value in the high-quality, low-price offerings of Chinese automakers. Learn more...
Anthropic now lets kids use its AI tech — within limits
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AI startup Anthropic is changing its policies to allow minors to use its generative AI tools — in certain circumstances, at least. Learn more abo...
Microsoft is launching its mobile game store in July
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Microsoft will launch its own mobile game store in July, the company announced at the Bloomberg Technology Summit on Thursday. Learn more about your a...
Oura launches two new heart health features
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Smart ring maker Oura is launching two new features focused on heart health, the company announced on Friday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...
Bluesky now lets you personalize its main Discover feed using new controls
11 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The social network has announced an updated version of its app that lets you offer feedback about its algorithmic feed so you can better customize it....
Always-on video portal lets people in NYC and Dublin interact in real time
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new sculpture going live on Wednesday in the Flatiron South Public Plaza in New York is not your typical artwork. Learn more about your ad choices. ...
Match looks to Hinge as Tinder fails
10 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Match Group, the company that owns several dating apps, including Tinder and Hinge, released its first-quarter earnings report on Tuesday, which shows...
Bedrock Studio is Amazon’s attempt to simplify generative AI app development
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon is launching a new tool, Bedrock Studio, designed to let organizations experiment with generative AI models, collaborate on those models, and u...
Rivian loses $1.45 billion as cost-cutting measures continu
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rivian lost $1.45 billion in the first quarter, showing that its recent company-wide cost-cutting measures have a ways to go before it can approach pr...
Threads is testing cross-posting from Instagram globally
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meta is encouraging more users to post to its X rival Threads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apple teased AI improvements, including the M4’s neural engine, at its iPad event
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tuesday's theme focused on the new hardware devices themselves — devices like new iPads and an updated Apple Pencil — not on the AI advances Apple...
Match-owned Archer hits over half a million installs amid dating app slump
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been almost one year since Match Group announced the launch of Archer, the online dating giant’s first app for gay, bi, and queer men. Learn ...
Farewell, dunks? Threads launches quote controls for all users
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Threads users can now exert more control over who can quote their posts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
UnitedHealth data breach should be a wakeup call for the UK and NHS
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The ransomware attack that has engulfed U.S. health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group and its tech subsidiary Change Healthcare is a data privacy nig...
NASA is expanding its Wallops Island facility to support three times as many launches
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
NASA is kicking off a formal environmental assessment of its facilities on Wallops Island, Virginia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...
NASA orders studies from private space companies on Mars mission support roles
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mars exploration has been always been the exclusive purview of national space agencies, but NASA is trying to change that, awarding a dozen research t...
Peloton announces 400 layoffs, 15% of the workforce, as CEO Barry McCarthy departs
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Peloton, the exercise equipment maker and creator of online fitness classes, has announced that it’s laying off 15 percent of its workforce — 400 ...
Amazon CodeWhisperer is now called Q Developer and is expanding its functions
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pour one out for CodeWhisperer, Amazon’s AI-powered assistive coding tool. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Elon Musk guts Tesla’s charging team after winning over major automakers
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tesla has gutted its charging team in a new round of layoffs, despite recently winning over major automakers like Ford and General Motors and making i...
Bumble’s “Opening Move” feature takes the pressure off women to come up with a new message every time
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Bumble prepares for its app relaunch this summer, the women-first dating platform announced a series of product updates on Tuesday, including a new...
The first-ever race between four self-driving cars and a Formula 1 driver just happened in Abu Dhabi
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wander the pits at any professional motorsports event, especially something like Formula 1, and you’ll see endless computer displays full of telemet...
Zomato’s quick commerce unit Blinkit eclipses core food business in value, says Goldman Sachs
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Goldman Sachs said in a report late Thursday that Indian food delivery giant Zomato’s quick commerce arm Blinkit is now more valuable than its core ...
OpenAI inks strategic tie-up with UK’s Financial Times, including content use
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
OpenAI, maker of the viral AI chatbot ChatGPT, has netted another news licensing deal in Europe, adding London’s Financial Times to a growing list o...
Google’s new ‘Speaking practice’ feature uses AI to help users improve their English skills
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Google is testing a new “Speaking practice” feature in Search that helps users improve their conversational English skills. Learn more about your ...
The IBM-HashiCorp coupling could be more complicated than it seems
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At a quick glance the IBM-HashiCorp deal seems like a good one for both sides, but upon closer inspection, perhaps not. Learn more about your ad choic...
TikTok pulls feature from Lite app in EU over addiction concerns
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TikTok suspended a gamification feature in the European Union following an intervention by the bloc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...
Mark Zuckerberg says Threads has 150 million monthly active users
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Meta’s Twitter/X rival Threads is growing at a stable pace. The social network now has more than 150 million monthly active users Learn more about y...
Tesla profits drop 55%, company says EV sales ‘under pressure’ from hybrids
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tesla profits fell 55% to $1.13 billion in the first quarter from the same year-ago period as a protracted EV price-cutting strategy continued to cut ...
X is launching a TV app for videos ‘soon’
25 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
X, the company formerly known as Twitter, is launching a dedicated TV app for videos uploaded to the social network soon Learn more about your ad choi...
Framework’s repairability philosophy is set to expand beyond the laptop
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Framework Computer was ahead of the curve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Perplexity is raising $250M+ at a $2.5-$3B valuation for its AI search platform, sources say
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Perplexity, the AI search engine startup, is a hot property at the moment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TikTok Shop expands its secondhand luxury fashion offering to the UK
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
TikTok Shop, TikTok’s social commerce marketplace, is launching a secondhand luxury category in the U.K., putting it in closer competition with The ...
Tinder gets a ‘Share My Date’ feature for users to send date plans to their curious friends
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s not uncommon for people to screenshot dating profiles and send them to their friends and loved ones, either to get feedback or to let them know...
Robots can make jobs less meaningful for human colleagues
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Much has been (and will continue to be) written about automation’s impact on the jobs market. In the short term, many employers have complained of a...
Internet users are getting younger; now the UK is weighing up if AI can help protect them
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence has been in the crosshairs of governments concerned about how it might be misused for fraud, disinformation and other maliciou...
Alphabet X’s Bellwether harnesses AI to help predict natural disasters
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The world is on fire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ramp raises another $150 million co-led by Khosla, Founders Fund at a $7.65B valuation
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Spend management startup Ramp has raised another $150 million at a valuation of $7.65 billion, the company confirmed to TechCrunch today. Learn more a...
Kickstarter launches pre-orders for completed campaigns
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Once a Kickstarter campaign is complete, you need to turn to a creator’s own page to pre-order the products — that is, until now. Learn more abou...
Waymo begins robotaxi testing in Atlanta
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Waymo, the self-driving company under Alphabet, began testing its robotaxis in Atlanta on Tuesday, adding another city to its ever-expanding testing a...
Meta’s Oversight Board probes explicit AI-generated images posted on Instagram and Facebook
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Oversight Board, Meta’s semi-independent policy council, it turning its attention to how the company’s social platforms are handling explicit,...
Bluesky now allows heads of states to sign up for the social network
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Social networking platform Bluesky lifted its ban on sign-ups for heads of state over the weeken Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoice...
Meta’s ‘consent or pay’ tactic must not prevail over privacy, EU rights groups warn
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ahead of a full meeting of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) this week (April 16 and 17), which is expected to produce guidance on a controver...
Space Force tees up new ‘responsive space’ mission from Rocket Lab and True Anomaly
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Each company will design and build a satellite capable of rendezvousing with other spacecraft in orbit at close proximity, as well as command and cont...
X is removing ability to hide checkmarks for premium users
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, Elon Musk-owned social network X rolled out a feature for paid users to hide their checkmarks from others. Learn more about your ad choices...
Elon Musk accused of profiting from tragedy as study finds X rewards hate targeting Israel-Gaza war
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A few weeks after defeating Elon Musk’s attempt to silence it in court, anti-hate research nonprofit, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, is bac...
Apple opens access to used iPhone components for repair
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Apple announced that it has opened its iPhone repair process to include used components. Starting this fall, customers and independent repair shops wi...
Proxima Fusion raises $21M to build on its ‘stellarator’ approach to nuclear fusion
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Munich-based Proxima has raised €20 million ($21.7M) in a seed round to begin building its first generation of fusion power plants. Learn more about...
Tesla risks losing its lead without an inexpensive EV
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Given flagging sales of the company’s existing product line, a mass-market electric vehicle would be a welcome shot in the arm. Learn more about you...
With Vertex AI Agent Builder, Google Cloud aims to simplify agent creation
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AI agents are the new hot craze in generative AI. Unlike the previous generation of chatbots, these agents can do more than simply answer questions. ...
Google announces Axion, its first custom Arm-based data center processor
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Google says its Axion instances offer 30% better performance than other Arm-based instances from competitors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...
Microsoft AI gets a new London hub fronted by former Inflection and Deepmind scientist Jordan Hoffmann
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Microsoft has announced a new London hub for its recently unveiled consumer AI division. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ad...
Spotify launches personalized AI playlists that you can build using prompts
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
AI playlists will initially become available to users on Android and iOS devices in the U.K. and Australia and will be iterated on in the months ahead...
Ford delays new EVs once more, showing why legacy automakers need to adopt a startup mentality
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ford is unusual in that it performs best when thinking like a startup, something it appears to have taken to heart recently, EV delays notwithstanding...
Tesla slashes Model Y inventory prices by as much as $7,000
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tesla is dropping prices of unsold Model Y SUVs in the U.S. by thousands of dollars in an attempt to clear out an unprecedented backlog of inventory. ...
Rooms, a 3D design app and ‘cozy game,’ gets a major update as users jump to 250K
06 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Five months ago, Rooms, a 3D design platform made by ex-Google employees, launched its beta version on the App Store. Learn more about your ad choice...
X is giving blue checks to influential users (which is what blue checks were supposed to be all along)
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So, basically this means that if you are a popular poster, you will get a blue check. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adch...
Opera allows users to download and use LLMs locally
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Web browser company Opera announced today it will now allow users to download and use Large Language Models (LLMs) locally on their computer Learn mor...
AWS unveils new service for cloud-based rendering projects
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon announced Deadline Cloud, a new service that lets customers set up, deploy and scale up graphics and visual effects rendering pipelines on AWS ...
TikTok is bringing its dedicated STEM feed to Europe
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As TikTok continues to face increased pressure in the U.S. and the U.K., the company is signaling its commitment to fostering educational content on i...
Indeed announces AI-powered work experience writer and support for multiple resumes
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hiring portal Indeed has redesigned the profile page for users, allowing individuals to use an AI-powered writer to fill up work experience and also a...