TechCrunch Daily Crunch
1,807 episodes — Page 2 of 37
X taps William Shatner for its new payments service, X Money
Plus - TikTok won’t add end-to-end encryption to direct messages; Google Search rolls out Gemini’s Canvas in AI Mode to all US users Presented by Adaptive. Learn more at adaptivesecurity.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apple unveils new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with M5
Plus - ChatGPT uninstalls surged by 295% after DoD deal; X begins testing standalone X Chat app on iOS Presented by Adaptive. Learn more at adaptivesecurity.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Paramount+ and HBO Max to merge into one streaming service
Plus - X adds ‘Paid Partnership’ labels so creators can ditch the hashtags; Apple speeds up the iPad Air with an M4 upgrade Presented by Adaptive. Learn more at adaptivesecurity.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI reveals more details about its agreement with the Pentagon
Plus - Anthropic’s Claude rises to Number 1 in the App Store following Pentagon dispute Presented by Adaptive. Learn more at adaptivesecurity.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Spotify is rolling out Audiobook Charts
Plus - ChatGPT reaches 900M weekly active users; AI music generator Suno hits 2M paid subscribers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Everything announced at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event
Plus - eBay to lay off 800 staff; Bumble adds AI-powered photo feedback and profile guidance tools Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Americans now listen to podcasts more often than talk radio
Plus - Snapchat announces ‘The Snappys,’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
YouTube beefs up its $7.99/month Lite subscription
Plus - Instagram’s TV app is launching on Google TV devices; Twitch is overhauling its suspensions policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Uber wants to be a Swiss Army Knife for robotaxis
Plus - OpenAI calls in the consultants for its enterprise push; Tesla’s battle with the California Department of Motor Vehicles isn’t over after all Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
YouTube’s latest experiment brings its conversational AI tool to TVs
Plus - Reddit is testing a new AI search feature for shopping; YouTube’s latest experiment brings its conversational AI tool to TVs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SeatGeek and Spotify team up
Plus - Mastodon, a decentralized alternative to X, plans to target creators with new features; Google debuts $499 Pixel 10a Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta’s own research found parental supervision doesn’t really help curb teens’ compulsive social media use
An internal research study at Meta dubbed “Project MYST” created in partnership with the University of Chicago, found that parental supervision and controls — such as time limits and restricted access — had little impact on kids’ compulsive use of social media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Epstein associate and Day One founder explains herself
Plus the latest in startup business news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon’s Ring canceled their partnership with Flock
Plus, Anthropic’s Super Bowl ads mocking AI with ads helped push Claude’s app into the top 10. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pinterest claims it sees more searches than ChatGPT
Plus - Aurora’s driverless trucks can now travel farther distances faster than human drivers; Spotify says its best developers haven’t written a line of code since December, thanks to AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
xAI lays out interplanetary ambitions in public all-hands
Plus - Threads’ new ‘Dear Algo’ AI feature lets you personalize your feed; Amazon Pharmacy to expand same-day delivery to nearly 4,500 US cities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Spotify hits a record 751M monthly users
Plus - Facebook adds new AI features, animated profile photos, and backgrounds for text posts; Google expands tools to let users remove sensitive data about themselves from Search Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
YouTube TV introduces cheaper bundles
Plus - So, what’s going on with Musicboard?; Snapchat now lets you inform others when you have arrived at your destination Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Backlash over OpenAI’s GPT-4o retirement shows how dangerous AI companions can be
Plus, the EU says TikTok must disable ‘addictive’ features like infinite scroll, fix its recommendation engine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta tests a standalone app for its AI-generated ‘Vibes’ videos
Plus - Google’s subscriptions rise in Q4 as YouTube pulls $60B in yearly revenue; Spotify ventures into physical book sales, adds new audiobook features Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Alexa+ is now available to everyone in the US
Plus - Tinder looks to AI to help fight ‘swipe fatigue’ and dating app burnout; Spotify upgrades its lyrics feature with offline access, more translations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TikTok recovers from dip in usage
Plus - The latest in startup businiess news Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
UpScrolled zooms past 2.5M users
Plus: Grubhub waives delivery and service fees on restaurant orders over $50; Ring brings its ‘Search Party’ feature for finding lost dogs to non-Ring camera owners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Anthropic brings agentic plugins to Cowork
Plus - Bluesky issues its first transparency report, noting rise in user reports and legal demands; The iPhone just had its best quarter ever Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Music publishers sue Anthropic for $3B over ‘flagrant piracy’ of 20,000 works
Plus - Spotify rolls out group chats; Meta burned $19 billion on VR last year, and 2026 won’t be any better Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chrome takes on AI browsers
Plus - LinkedIn will let you show off your vibe-coding chops with a certificate; Amazon says it is laying off 16,000 employees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI launches Prism
Plus -Google’s more affordable AI Plus plan rolls out to all markets, including the U.S.; Anthropic reportedly upped its latest raise to $20B Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TikTok alternatives see surge in downloads
Plus - ChatGPT is pulling answers from Elon Musk’s Grokipedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tesla discontinues Autopilot in bid to boost adoption of its Full Self-Driving software
Plus - Google Photos’ latest feature lets you meme yourself; Meta pauses teen access to AI characters ahead of new version Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google’s AI Mode can now tap into your Gmail and Photos
Plus - Substack launches a TV app; Tesla launches robotaxi rides in Austin with no human safety driver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Threads rolls out ads to all users worldwide
Plus - Studies show Consumers spent more on mobile apps than games in 2025; YouTube will soon let creators make Shorts with their own AI likeness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
ICE becomes one of the most-blocked accounts on Bluesky
Plus Netflix is rolling out a live voting feature; Netflix revises offer to pay all cash for Warner Bros. to fend off Paramount Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Threads edges out X in daily mobile users, new data shows
Plus - Well, there goes the metaverse!; TikTok quietly launches a microdrama app called ‘PineDrama’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
ChatGPT users are about to get hit with targeted ads
Plus, Chinese EVs inch closer to the US as Canada slashes tariffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Netflix’s first original video podcasts feature Pete Davidson and Michael Irvin
Plus - Spotify raises its subscription prices in the US again; Wikimedia Foundation announces several new AI partnerships Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
App downloads declined again in 2025, consumer spending soared
Plus - Google’s Trends Explore page gets new Gemini capabilities; Meta to reportedly lay off 10% of Reality Labs staff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Doctors think AI has a place in healthcare
Plus - The latest in startup business news Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon says 97% of its devices can support Alexa+
Plus - Google’s Gemini to power Apple’s AI features like Siri; Anthropic’s new Cowork tool offers Claude Code without the code Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
X restricts Grok's image generation to paying subscribers
Plus, Meta signs deals with three nuclear companies for 6-plus GW of power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI to acquire the team behind executive coaching AI tool Convogo
Plus - Illinois health department exposed over 700,000 residents’ personal data for years; Disney+ is launching short-form videos this year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Classroom’s new tool uses Gemini to transform lessons into podcast episodes
Plus - Spotify now lets you share what you’re streaming in real time with friends; Spotify lowers monetization threshold for video podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Threads is developing in-message games
Threads is developing in-message games; Meta pauses international expansion of its Ray-Ban Display glasses; Amazon’s Ring doorbells get fire alerts, an app store, and new sensors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google previews new Gemini features for TV at CES 2026
Plus - DoorDash says it banned driver who seemingly faked a delivery using AI; Amazon revamps Fire TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI bets big on audio as Silicon Valley declares war on screens
Plus, Tesla annual sales decline 9% as it’s overtaken by BYD as global EV leader. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The best AI-powered dictation apps of 2025
In some ways, 2025 was when AI dictation apps really took off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Anthropic brings agentic plugins to Cowork
Plus - Bluesky issues its first transparency report, noting rise in user reports and legal demands; The iPhone just had its best quarter ever Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
2025 was the year AI got a vibe check
Money was no object for the AI industry in early 2025. A vibe check crept in the second half of the year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon’s Ring rolls out controversial, AI-powered facial-recognition feature to video doorbells
Plus - Slack CEO Denise Dresser to join OpenAI as chief revenue officer; Three in 10 US teens use AI chatbots every day, but safety concerns are growing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Netflix doubles down on video podcasts
Plus - Instagram brings Reels to the big screen; DoorDash rolls out an AI social app for discovering new restaurants Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Inside Uzbekistan’s nationwide license plate surveillance system
Across Uzbekistan, a network of about a hundred banks of high-resolution roadside cameras continuously scan vehicles’ license plates and their occupants, sometimes thousands a day, looking for potential traffic violations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices