TechCrunch Industry News
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Bose introduces a new pair of sleep-focused earbuds
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sleep is tough to come by even when there isn’t a pandemic raging. Even when it doesn’t feel like the world is coming apart at the seams every dam...
Pandemic accelerated cord cutting, making 2020 the worst-ever year for pay TV
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The pandemic has accelerated adoption of a number of technologies, from online grocery to multi-platform gaming to streaming services and more. But on...
On lying AIs
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A yellow-eyed cat tilts its eyes at the camera, gazing up from a grey bedspread. ‘London Trip’, is the AI’s title for this photo-montage ‘Memo...
Conan O’Brien on how to embrace an ever-changing media landscape
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Like most of the best things in my life,” Conan O’Brien explains, with a wry smile, “the success of the podcast was a complete surprise.” T...
Black Tech Pipeline proves the ‘pipeline problem’ isn’t real
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The tech industry has become known as a place that is predominantly white and male. Contrary to the misguided popular belief, it’s not a pipeline pr...
Gillmor Gang: In The Bag
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This may be counterintuitive. I hope so. I remember the day I first started using Twitter. My friend Gabe Rivera suggested it would be a good idea to ...
A closer look at the new Apple Watches
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I’m very much still working on a full review of the new Apple Watches — specifically the Series 6. As of this posting, I’ve had the wearables in...
iOS 14 is now available to download
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Apple has just released the final version of iOS 14, the next major version of the operating system for the iPhone. It is a free download and it works...
Kiri is a screen-free smart toy meant to help kids learn languages and more
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After six months of sheltering in place (and now weeks of hiding from wildfire smoke) alongside a toddler who never seems to run out of energy, I’m ...
This is the new iPad Air, with Touch ID built into the power button
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
At Apple’s (virtual) hardware event today, the company announced a significantly redesigned iPad Air with a new look and tiny bezels. In a move port...
Here’s everything Apple revealed at its September hardware event today
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Apple announced a ton of new devices and features today at its September hardware event, but no word on its upcoming iPhones. That’s expected later ...
What to expect from Apple’s hardware event
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If this was a normal year, we would be settling in for an iPhone event right about now. This is, however, very much not a normal year. And while we ar...
Leaked memo excoriates Facebook’s ‘slapdash and haphazard’ response to global political manipulation
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A former Facebook data scientist dropped a detailed, damning memo on her last day there, calling the social network out for what she describes as an a...
Samsung is holding yet another Unpacked Event on September 23
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One thing I’ll say for in-person events: they compelled companies to cram in a lot of news. After all, if you’re going to ask an auditorium full o...
Bose’s music-playing sunglasses are back
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Glasses/sunglasses with built-in speakers have been a thing for a shockingly long time now. They’ve never been particularly popular, mind, but at th...
WildType is opening up a pre-order list for select chefs as it focuses on sushi-grade salmon
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
WildType, the startup making lab-grown salmon, is opening up a pre-order list for select chefs. Although the company is as much as five years out from...
Rick Moranis breaks acting hiatus for 30 seconds to launch Mint’s $30 a month unlimited plan
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you know one thing about Mint Mobile, it’s probably the fact that it’s owned by Pizza Place guy turned Pikachu voice, Ryan Reynolds. The actor’...
Microsoft introduces monthly financing plan for its new Xbox consoles
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Monthly financing isn’t an entirely new concept in the world of Xbox. Microsoft offered a similar plan for the Xbox One S a few years ago. The idea ...
Motorola gives its foldable Razr another go with the addition of a 5G model
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Last year’s Motorola Razr reboot should have been a slam-dunk. An iconic name attached to a cutting edge form factor — what could possible go wron...
Gillmor Gang: Table Stakes
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
 I quite like the iPad Pro 11 inch with the Magic Keyboard. In the Land of Pandemic where every day is Saturday, the tablet is king. With no real ...
The $10B JEDI contract is locked, loaded, and still completely stuck
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The other day I took a moment to count the number of stories we’ve done on TechCrunch on the DoD’s $10 billion, decade-long, winner-take-all, JEDI...
TikTok joins Europe’s code on tackling hate speech
08 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
TikTok, the popular short video sharing app, has joined the European Union’s Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech. In a statement on jo...
VW’s all-electric ID.4 will use interior lighting to communicate with the driver
08 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Newly released teaser images of Volkswagen’s upcoming all-electric ID.4 compact SUV reveals an interior that leans in on tech such as touchscreens a...
Stocks are selling off again, and SaaS shares are taking the biggest lumps
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It was just days ago that cries of “stocks only go up,” and “no it makes sense that Tesla is going up because it split” and other bits of unir...
Nintendo is remaking the first portable gaming system it ever built
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Quick, what was the first portable gaming system Nintendo made? If you said “Game Boy”… solid guess, but not quite. For nearly a decade before N...
That Whole Foods is an Amazon warehouse; get used to it
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this week, in Brooklyn, near the waterfront, Amazon opened what looks from the outside like a typical Whole Foods store. It isn’t open to th...
Building paths to funding for Black female founders
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Amid a racial justice reckoning following countless events of police brutality (justice for Breonna Taylor), it’s high time companies and investors ...
Samsung’s got a new budget 5G handset and a fitness tracker with a two-week battery
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday’s overflow Galaxy Unpacked event was about one thing and one thing alone: the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Honestly, it was a bit anticlimactic after ...
Samsung’s new Galaxy Fold arrives September 18 for $2,000
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As far as launches for revolutionary products are concerned, the Galaxy Fold could have gone a lot better. It’s not for lack of hype, of course. Yea...
The 5G version of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 starts at $850 and arrives September 18
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
2020 was going to be the year 5G went truly mainstream. Things obviously haven’t gone according to plan these past several months, but this is undou...
Movies Anywhere officially launches its digital movie-lending feature, ‘Screen Pass’
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Digital locker service Movies Anywhere is today officially launching its movie-sharing feature dubbed “Screen Pass,” which lets you lend out one o...
Gillmor Gang: Platforming
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
 Much was made during the Republican Convention of the lack of a party platform. The media characterized this as a capitulation to the Cult of Tru...
Lenovo’s Smart Clock Essential is less smart by design
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Smart Clock Essential really blurs smart display lines. Aesthetics aside, Lenovo’s news device probably has more in common with the Echo Dot wit...
Walmart-exclusive TrillerTok will run on Azure, or Oracle, or something
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you can’t keep up with the latest rumor mill on TikTok’s impending doom acquisition, my suggestion is simple: don’t. Or instead, enjoy it for...
Walmart expresses interest in TikTok, teaming up with Microsoft
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There’s been a flurry of TikTok news today, and the flood doesn’t seem to be letting up. First was the announcement that Kevin Mayer, who joined t...
Samsung is holding another Unpacked event next week for the Galaxy Z Fold 2
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of the nice things about virtual events is you can essentially hold as many as you’d like. It’s one thing to ask people to fly across the coun...
Muze redesigns mobile messaging as a free-form canvas for creativity
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
New York-based startup Muze is rethinking mobile messaging. While today’s messaging apps have expanded over the years to include support for sharing...
Passion Capital has backed Fronted, the startup that wants to offers loans to cover rent deposits
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fronted, the new London-based startup aiming to make life easier for renters, including lending the cash needed for a deposit, has picked up seed inve...
Fitbit intros the Versa 3 and Inspire 2
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Fitbit’s big news for today was the launch of the Sense, a new, more premium smartwatch line designed to compete directly against the likes of Apple...
Desktop Metal going public in SPAC-led deal that could value 3D printer company at $2.5B
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Desktop Metal’s had no shortage of investor interest in its business during in its half-decade existence. To date, the metal 3D printing company has...
Vue’s $179 Lite smart glasses have built-in speakers for music and calls
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps some day in the not-so-distant future, we’ll all be wearing smart glasses. Stranger things have happened. And hey, most people were fairly s...
Google Cloud Anthos update brings support for on-prem, bare metal
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Google announced Anthos last year at Google Cloud Next, it was a pretty big deal. Here was a cloud company releasing a product that purported to ...
3 thoughts after 24 hours in the $177,000 Bentley Bentayga
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Long story short, I borrowed a new Bentley Bentayga for 24 hours. What follows is a brief overview of the $177,000 sport utility vehicle. As I had the...
Twitter hides Trump tweet behind notice for potentially dissuading people from voting
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Twitter flagged one of President Donald Trump’s tweets on Monday, placing it behind a notice that warns users it violates the platform’s rules aga...
OpenUnit aims to be Shopify for self-storage facilities
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
So you’re looking for a storage unit to put some stuff in for a few months. Maybe you’re moving and your new place isn’t ready yet – or maybe ...
There’s no frontrunner to be found among the TikTok alternatives
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. market has no real frontrunner poised to claim TikTok’s throne if the app is banned in the country. According to Trump’s executive order,...
Palantir moves its HQ from Palo Alto to Denver as plans to go public percolate
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Between the IPO buzz and a raft of new federal contracts for COVID-19 work, it’s been a year of big moves for Palantir. Now, the company is making a...
Author and professional poker player Annie Duke on how conspiracy theories gain ground
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier today, Facebook said it has removed hundreds of QAnon groups from its site, and that it’s restricting many more groups, along with hundr...
The journey of a kids book startup that tackles topics like racism, cancer and divorce
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jelani Memory, an entrepreneur and father, had been wanting to write a kids book for years. While in the midst of raising a Series B round for his sta...
If Oracle buys TikTok I’ll go to Danny’s house and eat his annoying Stanford sweatshirt
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hey everyone, how are you? Are you doing well? Great. Or, condolences, depending. Anyway, last week the Equity crew was discussing bankers, and how th...
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Galaxy Note Ultra is a $1,399 smartphone. Even by Samsung’s standards, this is a high-end luxury device. It’s the phone for people who board t...
Tesla shares rally for no reason
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tesla shares surpassed $1,800 for the first time today, the latest in an eye-popping run up of the stock that has propelled the company’s valuation ...
Facebook launches support for paid online events
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Businesses will now be able to monetize online events on Facebook, thanks to a new feature that the social network is launching in the United States a...
Elon Musk says ’embarrassingly late’ two-factor is coming to Tesla app
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledged Friday that the company was ‘embarrassingly late’ rolling out a security layer known as two-factor authentication...
The Polestar 2 bests the Tesla Model 3 in drivability and enjoyment
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I enjoy driving the Polestar 2 more than the Tesla Model 3. The Polestar 2 is more comfortable, seemingly better built, and has a better infotainment ...
Digital imaging pioneer Russell Kirsch dies at 91
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Russell Kirsch, whose research going back to the ’50s underlies the entire field of digital imaging, died earlier this week at the age of 91. It’s...
Lyft shares get small bump after reporting 61% Q2 revenue decline
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today after the bell, Lyft reported its second-quarter financial performance. The American ride-hailing company’s results helped illustrate just how...
Square’s Cash App tests new feature allowing users to borrow up to $200
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Cash App, the peer-to-peer payments service from Square, is giving select users a way to get short-term loans. The company said it’s only testing th...
Hyundai to bring three new EVs to market under spinoff brand Ioniq
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hyundai has launched a dedicated EV brand called Ioniq with plans to bring three all-electric vehicles to market over the next four years. The Ioniq b...
Court dismisses Genius lawsuit over lyrics-scraping by Google
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A state court has dismissed a high-profile case showing unsportsmanlike conduct by Google, which was caught red-handed using lyrics obviously scraped ...
Google’s Lookout app for vision-impaired now scans food labels and long documents
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Google has updated its Lookout app, an AI toolkit for people with impaired vision, with two helpful new capabilities: scanning long documents and read...
The all-electric Lucid Air gets an estimated EPA range of 517 miles
11 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lucid Motors said Tuesday that its upcoming all-electric luxury sedan can travel 517 miles on a single charge — a range that, if validated by the U....
Google Maps comes to Apple’s watchOS and CarPlay dashboard
11 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Google Maps is now also available on the Apple Watch so you can get your walking, biking and driving directions right on your wrist. Don’t expect to...
Moft is back with a clever laptop sleeve that converts into a stand
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Moft is a clever company that makes clever products. For a while there, I was sporting their laptop stand. It was a head-turner when I used to unfold ...
WordPress.com launches new P2 to take on internal communication tools
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
WordPress.com, a division of Automattic, is launching a new product called P2. And this time, it’s all about improving internal communications for p...
Sony’s excellent over-ear headphones get smarter
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sony knows how to make a great pair of headphones. The WH-1000XM3 are one of the best received pairs of over-ear models in recent years. Two years lat...
Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds Live bring active noise cancelation for $170
06 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Samsung’s made quality earbuds for a number of years now. They’re never particularly exciting or innovative, but they’re always a solid choice i...
YouTube bans thousands of Chinese accounts to combat ‘coordinated influence operations’
06 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
YouTube has banned a large number of Chinese accounts it said were engaging in “coordinated influence operations” on political issues, the company...
AI is struggling to adjust to 2020
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Identifying the new context we’re asking the system to understand is the first step towards moving visual AI forward. Then we need more content. Lea...
Apple’s 27-inch iMac gets a processing and graphics boost
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Apple sold a lot of Macs last quarter — a record, in fact, for Q3, jumping a full 21%, year over year. Given the state of the world, with most offic...
The 4a and 5 will be Google’s first 5G-enabled Pixels
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Surprise. The latest version of Google’s budget Pixel device will be one of the first two to get its next-gen technology. It’s an odd strategy, to...
Google’s budget Pixel 4a addresses its premium predecessor’s biggest problem
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Pixel line has always felt like more of an underdog product than one should reasonably expect from a corporation as massive as Google. After years...
TikTok says it’s “not planning on going anywhere” in response to pending U.S. ban
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
TikTok’s U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas has posted a video message to the platform that appears to be a response to reports from Friday that Pr...
Lyft expands its rental business with Sixt partnership
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lyft continues to expand beyond its core ride-hailing business into bikes, scooters, transit and now rental cars. The company said Thursday that it’...
Triller sues TikTok over patent infringement
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Social video platform Triller has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against its biggest rival TikTok and parent company ByteDance. The suit, which w...
The Great TechCrunch Survey of Europe’s VCs — Be featured in our survey
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
TechCrunch is embarking on a major new project to survey the venture capital investors of Europe. 
Over the next few weeks, we will be ‘zeroin...
Google One now offers free phone backups up to 15GB on Android and iOS
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Google One, Google’s subscription program for buying additional storage and live support, is getting an update today that will bring free phone back...
Amazon’s hardware business doesn’t escape Congressional scrutiny
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While much of today’s Congressional grilling into the anticompetitive practices of the big tech giants focused on their core businesses, Amazon’s ...
Toppr raises $46 million to scale its online learning platform in India
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Toppr, one of the largest online learning startups in India, has secured $46 million in a new financing round as it looks to scale its platform includ...
Alcohol delivery service Drizly confirms data breach
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Online alcohol delivery startup Drizly has told customers that it was hit by a data breach. In an email to customers obtained by TechCrunch, the compa...
Google is building a new private subsea cable between Europe and the U.S.
28 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Google today announced its plans to build a new subsea cable with landing points in New York in the U.S. and Bude, UK and Bilbao, Spain in Europe. The...
Google will continue to let employees work from home through the end of June 2021
28 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Following earlier reporting, Google has confirmed that it will continue to allow employees to work from home through the end of June of next year. The...
Space Force debuts official logo and motto, both reminding you that it’s ‘always above’
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this year, the oft-mocked but actually pretty important new branch of the military, the Space Force, revealed an image that was suspiciously r...
Instacart blames reused passwords for account hacks, but customers are still without basic two-factor security
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Online shopping service Instacart says reused passwords are to blame for a recent spate of account breaches, which saw personal data belonging to hund...
Gorilla Glass Victus can survive a two-meter drop and is set to arrive on a Samsung device soon
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You might not know Gorilla Glass by name, but odds are pretty good you own at least one device sporting Corning’s chemically strengthened glass comp...
Fox Sports is adding ‘virtual fans’ to empty baseball stadiums
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Toronto Blue Jays may not have a have a home yet this season, but one things for sure: plenty of teams are going to be playing in the uncanny vall...
Lenovo brings some unique features to its new gaming phone
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Gaming phones are a weird one. They make sense on paper to some degree. As we well know, everyone’s a gamer these days, and much or most of that gam...
The Herman Miller x Logitech gaming chair will set you back $1,500
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
I’ve learned a lot during this pandemic. About myself, about the world. But perhaps most important of all, I’ve learned the value of a good chair....
Diaspora Ventures wants to invest in French founders with a global mindset
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Diaspora Ventures, a new VC fund based in the U.S. founded by two partners who grew up in France but have been in the U.S. for more than a decade...
Nord is OnePlus’s sub-$500 5G handset
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While other premium smartphone makers were exploring mid-tier devices amid slowing sales, OnePlus’s prices were slowly creeping up. It’s true that...
Netflix tests new low-cost subscription plan in India
21 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Netflix is testing a new pricing tier in India as the on-demand video streaming service looks to court more subscribers in Asia’s third-largest econ...
Fox Sports launches redesigned app with modern design, bonus camera angles
21 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the sports world slowly begins to emerge from the pandemic shut down with MLB scheduled to start this week, Fox Sports is launching its redesigned ...
Gaming sales had another great month in June
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We continue to be stuck inside, and video games continue to sell well. It’s pretty much as simple as that, honestly. I mean, there’s more nuance t...
Play the prologue of ‘Linda & Joan,’ a video game about the worst year of its creator’s life
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s not hard to see why Russell Quinn calls 2017 the worst year of his life. That was the year he moved back to the United Kingdom to take care of ...
With 600+ more founder recommendations, the second revision of The TechCrunch List is coming next week
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s just say it’s been busy times over here (Twitter being completely unusable has helped productivity though!) On Tuesday, we launched the firs...
U.S. beat China on App Store downloads for first time since 2014, due to coronavirus impact
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. App Store’s downloads have surpassed China’s downloads for the first time since 2014, in a new milestone. According to data from Sensor T...
Uber acquires Routematch as it drives deeper into public transit in hunt for SaaS revenue
16 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Uber said Thursday it has acquired Routematch, an Atlanta-based company that provides software to transit agencies as the ride-hailing company looks t...
Tilting Point acquires FTX Games assets and Plamee Studios
16 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Game publisher Tilting Point announced today that it has made its third acquisition in eight months, buying games, key employees and “most of the as...
Kobo introduces the lackluster Nia to replace its budget Aura e-reader
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The e-reader category was exciting once — or at least as exciting as one could hope from such a space. It was a vibrant category, with plenty of key...
After colleges sue, ICE backs down from student visa rule change
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump administration has backed down from plans to revoke visas of international students studying in the U.S., whose schools planned to take thei...