TechCrunch Industry News
3,850 episodes — Page 11 of 77
How Chef Robotics found success by turning away its original customers
A few years ago, Chef Robotics was hurting. But founder Rajat Bhageria turned it around by doing something that early-stage founders fear to do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
AI insurtech Ominimo bags its first investment at a $220M valuation
How do you get talented engineers to work for a startup in a mundane field at a time when more exciting companies are paying well and hiring aggressively? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Microsoft inks massive carbon removal deal powered by a paper mill
The purchase covers 12 years of emissions from CO280’s first carbon capture project at a mill on the Gulf Coast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Revent rocks the boat with a fresh $100M to invest in people and the planet
It would appear the environment and society remain relevant, whatever you might hear in some other quarters. At least, that’s one conclusion to be drawn from the news that European specialist VC Revent has closed a €100 million ($109 million) Fund II to invest in “planetary and societal health” startups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google’s enterprise cloud gets a music-generating AI model
On Wednesday, Google rolled out updates to several of its first-party media-generating AI models available through its Vertex AI cloud platform. Lyria, Google’s text-to-music model, is now available in preview for select customers, and the company’s Veo 2 video creation model has been enhanced with new editing and visual effects customization options. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Governments identify dozens of Android apps bundled with spyware
The advisories say the spyware apps are used to target members of civil society who may oppose China’s state interests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon says its AI video model can now generate minutes-long clips
Amazon has upgraded its AI video model, Nova Reel, with the ability to generate videos up to two minutes in length. Nova Reel, announced in December 2024, was Amazon’s first foray into the generative video space. It competes with models from OpenAI, Google, and others in what’s fast becoming a crowded market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Blackbird gobbles up $50M for its blockchain-based payment-loyalty app for restaurants
A founder who has carved out a name for himself building products to help restaurants connect better with would-be diners has $50 million for his latest startup: a new take on the idea of customer loyalty. Blackbird Labs has built a payments-meets-loyalty-meets-blockchain platform for restaurants to grow repeat business while reducing some of the friction Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
IBM releases a new mainframe built for the age of AI
IBM is releasing the latest version of its mainframe hardware that includes new updates meant to accelerate AI adoption. The hardware and consulting company on Monday announced IBM z17, the latest version of its mainframe computer hardware. This fully encrypted mainframe is powered by an IBM Telum II processo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Want to stay young? Peter Diamandis says survive the next 10 years
Peter Diamandis, a futurist with degrees from both MIT and Harvard, has spent much of the past two decades evangelizing a vision of an “abundant future” driven by exponential technologies that will lengthen our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta releases Llama 4, a new crop of flagship AI models
Meta has released a new collection of AI models, Llama 4, in its Llama family — on a Saturday, no less. There are four new models in total: Llama 4 Scout, Llama 4 Maverick, and Llama 4 Behemoth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
X may soon start selling inactive usernames to Verified Organizations starting at $10K, code reveals
X’s plan to boost revenue by selling off dormant usernames on its service is starting to shape up. According to recent changes found in X’s web application, the company is setting up a “handle inquiry” process that will allow Verified Organizations — companies and other organizations that already have a $1,000 per month X subscription Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
You might be following Second Lady Usha Vance on Instagram now
Starting Wednesday, Meta says it will begin combining the Instagram accounts of the Second Lady of the United States, Usha Vance, and the former Second Gentleman of the United States, Doug Emhoff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Automakers jump on Tesla’s brand woes with discount EV offers
Tesla trade-ins in the U.S. are at an all time high as some owners become disillusioned with Elon Musk’s politics, and some just want to avoid their car getting keyed by Musk haters. Automakers are pouncing on the opportunity. Polestar, Lucid Motors, Volvo, and Ford Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Researchers suggest OpenAI trained AI models on paywalled O’Reilly books
OpenAI has been accused by many parties of training its AI on copyrighted content sans permission. Now a new paper by an AI watchdog organization makes the serious accusation that the company increasingly relied on non-public books it didn’t license to train more sophisticated AI models. AI models are essentially complex prediction engines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Who are climate conscious consumers? Not who you’d expect, says Northwind Climate
Rather than divide people into demographic buckets, Northwind Climate analyzes survey responses for behavioral clues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Tesla records worst deliveries in two years amid Elon Musk backlash; Rivian starts a challenging year with a big slip in deliveries
Tesla recorded 336,681 deliveries, its worst quarterly performance in more than two years as the brand suffers a backlash to CEO Elon Musk’s political maneuverings. The dip in sales comes as Musk continues leading DOGE, the “advisory body” that has laid off thousands of federal employees and attempted to eliminate entire agencies and programs; Rivian delivered just 8,640 vehicles in the first three months of 2024, the company’s worst quarterly mark since the end of 2022. But the company says the slow start won’t impact its overall guidance for the year — it still expects to deliver between 46,000 and 51,000 EVs by the end of 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Oracle under fire for its handling of separate security incidents
Oracle has denied at least one breach, despite evidence to the contrary, as it begins notifying healthcare customers of a separate patient data breach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Substack is rolling out a TikTok-like video feed in its app
Substack continues to double down on video amid TikTok’s uncertain future in the U.S. The company announced on Monday that it’s rolling out a scrollable video feed in its app, making it the latest platform to introduce a TikTok-like feed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
IPO-bound Chime hopes to boost growth by paying higher interest rates
As it gears up to go public, Chime is going all in on new features in an effort to attract more customers. The digital bank is offering customers who agree to have their paychecks directly deposited into a Chime savings or checking account an APY of 3.75%, it tells TechCrunch exclusively. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon unveils Nova Act, an AI agent that can control a web browser
Amazon on Monday unveiled Nova Act, a general-purpose AI agent that can take control of a web browser and independently perform some simple actions. Alongside the new agentic AI model, Amazon is releasing the Nova Act SDK, a toolkit that allows developers to build agent prototypes with Nova Act. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Open source devs are fighting AI crawlers with cleverness and vengeance
AI web crawling bots are the cockroaches of the internet, many developers believe. FOSS devs are fighting back in ingenuous, humorous ways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Trump’s auto tariffs are a gift to Tesla
President Trump is slapping 25% tariffs on all cars imported to the United States, including from our immediate North American neighbors. He’s also placed a 25% tariff on certain parts used to build cars. It’s a decision that will likely supercharge the cost of new and used cars, but it’s also a gift to Tesla Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TikTok ban is losing support among Americans, study says
Americans’ support for a TikTok ban is declining, according to a study from the Pew Research Center. This survey of over 5,000 U.S. adults found that just 34% of respondents supported banning the short form video app. When Pew ran a similar study in 2023, 50% of adults supported the TikTok ban. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SpaceX reportedly has a secret backdoor for Chinese investment
Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX has allowed Chinese investors to buy stakes as long as the funds are routed through the Cayman Islands or other offshore hubs, according to reporting from ProPublica. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
AI’s coming to the classroom: Brisk raises $15M after a quick start in school
It’s virtually impossible today to determine when a student’s writing has been composed using ChatGPT or another GenAI tool, and it can be a nightmare to disprove incorrect accusations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Earth AI’s algorithms found critical minerals in places everyone else ignored
The startup uses AI to quickly search for minerals over wide areas, identifying promising potential deposits for exploration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
a16z and Benchmark-backed 11x has been claiming customers it doesn’t have
Last year, AI-powered sales automation startup 11x appeared to be on an explosive growth trajectory. However, nearly two dozen sources – including investors, current and former employees – tell TechCrunch that the company has experienced financial struggles, largely of its own making. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bill Gates-backed Commonwealth Fusion Systems hits key reactor construction milestone
Commonwealth Fusion Systems marked a major milestone Tuesday morning, announcing the installation of a key component of its Sparc demonstration reactor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How BYD plans to make EV charging as fast as filling a gas tank
What we found mostly supports the auto makers claims, with a few caveats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
23andMe faces an uncertain future — so does your genetic data
As 23andMe's bankruptcy looms, privacy experts warn customers to delete their DNA data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Russian zero-day seller is offering up to $4 million for Telegram exploits
Two sources in the zero-day industry say Operation Zero's prices for exploits against the popular messaging app Telegram will depend on different factors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Microsoft is exploring a way to credit contributors to AI training data
Microsoft is launching a research project to estimate the influence of specific training examples on the text, images, and other types of media that generative AI models create. That’s per a job listing dating back to December that was recently recirculated on LinkedIn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How a $6M bet on Wiz turned into a massive 200x return for one early backer
Wiz’s $32 billion all-cash acquisition by Google parent Alphabet promises a colossal payday for the cybersecurity startup’s early-stage investors. The deal is a big win for Sequoia, one of the best-known VC firms, which stands to make $3 billion, about 25x the money it invested in the company, Bloomberg reported. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
X users treating Grok like a fact-checker spark concerns over misinformation
Some users on X are turning to Grok for fact-checking, raising concerns among fact-checkers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Academics accuse AI startups of co-opting peer review for publicity
There’s a controversy brewing over “AI-generated” studies submitted to this year’s ICLR, a long-running academic conference focused on AI. At least three AI labs — Sakana, Intology, and Autoscience — claim to have used AI to generate studies that were accepted to ICLR workshops. At conferences like ICLR, workshop organizers typically review studies for publication Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Researchers name several countries as potential Paragon spyware customers
The Citizen Lab said it believes several governments may be customers of spyware maker Paragon Solutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Waymo’s milestone SFO mapping permit comes with strings attached
Waymo has been given permission to map roadways at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) via a temporary permit — the first step in the Alphabet company’s bid to unlock a potentially lucrative use case for its robotaxis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This app limits your screen time by making you literally touch grass
If you’ve ever spent way too long scrolling through endless feeds about nothing, you may have been advised to touch grass. It’s a tongue-in-cheek suggestion, basically telling you to log off and go outside. But one developer took the concept to the next level. Rhys Kentish launched an iOS app last week called Touch Grass, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bluesky users debate plans around user data and AI training
Social network Bluesky recently published a proposal on GitHub outlining new options it could give users to indicate whether they want their posts and data to be scraped for things like generative AI training and public archiving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meta takes aim at ex-employee’s memoir ‘Careless People’
Meta won a legal victory this week against Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former employee who recently published a memoir of her time at the company titled “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
US urges UK spy court to hold Apple ‘backdoor’ secret hearing in public; SoftBank buys old Sharp plant for OpenAI collab in Japan
U.S. bipartisan lawmakers say the U.K. order gagging Apple from disclosing the demand is unconstitutional. Also, SoftBank is marching ahead on its ambitions to build out a major AI operation in its home market of Japan, on its own steam and in strategic partnership with others like OpenAI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Could deeptech serve as Europe’s path to autonomy from the US?
Amidst geopolitical tensions and volatile markets, the question of Europe’s ability to weather the storms ahead, especially as President Trump seems intent on having his pound of tariffs from the continent, is looming large. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Anti-aging zealot Bryan Johnson wants to start ‘foodome sequencing’
In the same way that genome sequencing determines the genetic makeup of an organism, Bryan Johnson — the investor and founder behind the Don’t Die movement – wants to start “foodome” sequencing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
UiPath is looking for a path to growth in agentic AI with its Peak.ai acquisition
A rush of agentic AI solutions is hitting the enterprise market, and now one of the bigger players in automation has scooped up a startup in the space in hopes of taking a bigger piece of that business Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
North Korean government hackers snuck spyware on Android app store
Cybersecurity firm Lookout found several samples of a North Korean spyware it calls KoSpy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Wolf Games, backed by ‘Law & Order’ creator, uses AI to create murder mystery games
Elliot Wolf, the executive producer and son of “Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf, is entering a new venture aimed at engaging true crime fans. He, along with co-founders Andrew Adashek (CEO) and Noah Rosenberg (CTO), are developing Wolf Games, a new startup that leverages AI to generate daily murder mystery games. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Zolve, a neobank for global citizens moving to the US, raises $51M and secures $200M debt
Zolve, a neobanking startup targeting global citizens seeking credit, has raised $251 million in a new round to expand into Canada and launch loans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Reshape Energy is using an acquisition playbook to drive energy upgrades for commercial real estate
Reshape Energy is betting on a more integrated approach to accelerate the decarbonization of the built environment. Founded in Munich, Germany back in May 2024, the startup is led by a team with expertise scaling energy businesses, including the German division of Octopus energy and energy price comparison platform Verivox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
ServiceNow to buy Moveworks for $2.85B to grow its AI portfolio
ServiceNow said on Monday that it has agreed to acquire Moveworks, which develops enterprise-focused automation and AI tools. ServiceNow will pay $2.85 billion for Moveworks in a mix of cash and stock. The former expects the deal to close in the second half of 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices