TechCrunch Industry News
3,880 episodes — Page 24 of 78
Meta is rolling out tighter teen messaging limitations and parental controls
Meta announced today that it is rolling out new DM restrictions on both Facebook and Instagram for teens that prevent anyone from messaging teens. Until now, Instagram restricts adults over the age of 18 from messaging teens who don’t follow them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
BeReal, which now has 23M DAUs, is onboarding brands and celebs
BeReal, a rising social media app that emphasizes authenticity, is making its first outreach to brands and celebrities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Etsy launches ‘Gift Mode,’ a new AI-powered feature that generates 200+ gift guides
E-commerce site Etsy today launched “Gift Mode,” a new AI-powered feature to match you with tailored gift ideas based on specific preferences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apple will pay artists more to have a spatial audio version on Apple Music
Apple will pay additional royalties starting this month to artists if they have a spatial audio version on Apple Music, according to multiple reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Telegram is rolling out ‘view-once’ voice and video messages
Telegram is rolling out a bunch of upgrades as part of its January feature drop including “view-once” video and audio messages, the ability to pause recording while sending a video or an audio message, and new read-time controls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chronosphere acquires Calyptia to extend its observability platform
Chronosphere, a startup that offers a cloud native observability platform, today announced that it has acquired Calyptia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sony tells Zee it’s terminating the $10 billion India merger
Sony called off the merger between its India unit and Zee Entertainment on Monday, ending a two-year acquisition deliberation that would have created a $10 billion media powerhouse in the South Asian market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
X says a bug caused numerous posts to be labeled as ‘Sensitive Media’
A bug on X, formerly Twitter, was causing numerous posts over the weekend to be flagged as “Sensitive Media,” thwarting the company’s own attempts to make its platform more approachable to advertisers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
TikTok faces Iowa lawsuit accusing the company of ‘lying’ to parents
The state of Iowa is suing TikTok, alleging that the social media company misleads parents about the kinds of content available to young users. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Spotify’s astrology-like Daylists go viral, but its micro-genre mastermind was let go last month
Is it a “fearful vocaloid wednesday morning,” a “yearning cottagecore thursday afternoon,” or perhaps a “heartbroken karaoke friday evening”? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Unredacted Meta documents reveal ‘historical reluctance’ to protect children
Internal Meta documents about child safety have been unsealed as part of a lawsuit filed by the New Mexico Department of Justice against both Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Land Moto accelerates its electric bike battery play with $3M infusion
Cleveland-based electric motorcycle startup Land Moto is looking to diversify by powering up the battery design side of its tech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NASA’s robotic, self-assembling structures could be the next phase of space construction
Bad news if you want to move to the Moon or Mars: housing is a little hard to come by. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apple tops Samsung in worldwide smartphone shipments for the first time
Apple’s iPhone has overtaken Samsung for the first time ever as the best-selling smartphone in 2023, according to a new report from IDC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
FedEx announces its own commerce platform for merchants
Logistics company FedEx announced its own commerce platform called FDX today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Elon’s Tesla robot is sort of ‘ok’ at folding laundry in pre-scripted demo
Elon Musk’s Optimus humanoid robot from Tesla is doing more stuff — this time folding a t-shirt on a table in a development facility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google will allow more real-money games on the Play Store
Google announced today that the company plans to support more real-money games (RMG) on the Play Store this year by allowing more types of games in the category following local laws. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
LG opens its first US EV charging factory in Texas
LG Electronics has opened its first electric vehicle (EV) charger facility outside of South Korea — in Fort Worth, Texas — to capture a share of North America’s competitive EV charging market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
As Disney pushes towards streaming profitability, Pixar to undergo layoffs in 2024
Disney-owned animation studio Pixar is poised to undergo layoffs this year, TechCrunch has learned and the company confirmed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google Cloud rolls out new gen AI products for retailers
Google wants to inject a little generative AI into retail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Smart molluscs – yes, smart molluscs – could watch our waterways 24/7 for pollution
If the clams could speak, what would they say? Surely we all ask ourselves this question every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
App economy recovered in 2023, with $171B in consumer spending, but downloads were flat
After the app economy slowed for the first time ever in 2022, things picked up pace again over the past year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
X removes support for NFT profile pictures
On Tuesday, Elon Musk’s X wrote about a grand vision for the company in 2024, which includes launching peer-to-peer payments and more AI-powered tools. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Threads accidentally rolls out the feature to view latest search results
Multiple Threads users on the iOS app reported earlier today that they are seeing a new “Latest” option to sort search results on the new social network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
After taking credibility hit, Carta announces it is exiting the secondaries business: “We have decided to prioritize trust”
Roughly 72 hours after a prominent startup customer complained that Carta was misusing information with which it was entrusted — scaring many of Carta’s tens of thousands of other customers in the process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Astrobotic lander on its way to the moon with ULA’s historic flight
It’s hard to understate just how much was at stake in Monday’s early morning launch of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
RIP? Third-party podcast app Castro appears to be dead, company goes quiet
The once popular third-party podcast app Castro has seemingly shut down, after earlier saying that it was “actively seeking a new home” for its product. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Logan Paul promises CryptoZoo refunds, as long as you don’t sue him
Logan Paul is offering refunds for CryptoZoo, the failed and allegedly fraudulent Pokémon-inspired NFT game that he launched in 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aurora and Continental pass first major hurdle in commercial self-driving trucks deal
Aurora and automotive supplier Continental have wrapped up the first phase of a more than $300 million project to mass produce autonomous vehicle hardware for commercial self-driving trucks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Superpedestrian to auction 20,000 e-scooters after shutting down
More than 20,000 electric scooters belonging to Superpedestrian will be auctioned off later this month, along with other equipment from the startup’s U.S. operations, after closing its doors December 31 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Intel spins out a new enterprise-focused gen AI software company
Intel, intent on making bigger moves in the market for AI-powered enterprise software, is spinning out a new platform company with the backing of Boca Raton, Florida-based asset manager and investor DigitalBridge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Telegram’s latest update brings a redesigned call interface that uses less of your phone’s battery
Telegram is rolling out a new update that introduces improved calls with a new design that uses less of your phone’s battery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Moonwalker robotic shoes get lighter and smarter
Next week at CES, Austin-based Shift Robotics will debut a revamped version of their viral hit robotic shoes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI moves to shrink regulatory risk in EU around data privacy
While most of Europe was still knuckle deep in the holiday chocolate selection box late last month, ChatGPT maker OpenAI was busy firing out an email with details of an incoming update to its terms that looks intended to shrink its regulatory risk in the European Union. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fidelity marks down X valuation by 71.5%
Mutual fund company Fidelity has marked down its investment in X holdings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Try these apps to reach your New Year’s resolutions in 2024
As the new year approaches, many of us are reminded of all the things we accomplished this year — getting a promotion, being more productive or even showing up to places on time — as well as things we failed to do. © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
2023 showed cybersecurity isn’t immune from brutal layoffs
Despite a rise in cyberattacks and breaches, the cybersecurity industry is by no means exempt from the uncertainty inspired by the current economy. 2023 will likely be remembered as the “year of the layoff.” While many expected the tide to shift after a rough 2022 that saw more than 130,000 tech workers lose their jobs. © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
6 great audiobook apps that aren’t Audible
Audiobooks are a great way to bring words on a page to life and fit reading into your schedule throughout the day when you’re doing things like working out, cooking, driving and relaxing. Amazon-owned Audible is arguably the most popular audiobook app out there, but there are several other lesser-known options. © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
India government agency seeks to block Binance and Kraken
Financial Intelligence Unit, an Indian government agency which scrutinizes financial transactions, said Thursday nine global crypto exchanges — including Binance, Kraken, Kucoin and Mexc — are operating “illegally” in the country without complying with the local anti-money laundering act and requested the IT Ministry to block their websites. © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Meet the cyber-criminals of 2023
Once again we look back at the past year in cybercrime and those who we lost… to the law. This year was no different to last: we saw another round of high-profile busts, arrests, sanctions, and prison time for some of the most prolific cybercriminals in recent years. This is our look back at who […] © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Xiaomi’s first EV is the freshest take on a ‘smartphone on wheels’
Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi has revealed its first electric car, a sharp-looking sedan called the SU7. Slated to roll out in China next year, it’s another entry into an increasingly-crowded market for EVs. It’s also another attempt in this software-obsessed world to match up the technology people find in their phones to what goes on […] © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hackers stole $2 billion in crypto in 2023, data shows
For yet another year, hackers stole billions of dollars in crypto. But for the first time since 2020, the trend is downwards, according to crypto security firms. This year, hackers stole around $2 billion dollars in crypto across dozens of cyberattacks and thefts, according to De.FI, the web3 security firm that runs the Rekt leaderboard. […] © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apple Vision Pro tipped for late Jan/early Feb release
We’ve known about the Vision Pro for more than half-a-year now (not to mention the years of rumors), but Apple’s first “spatial computing” device is one of consumer electronics’ biggest question marks heading into the new year. The $3,499 headset was given an “early-2024” release time frame when it was unveiled at WWDC in June, […] © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fintech’s biggest hits and misses of 2023
"As 2023 comes to a close, we’re here to look back at the biggest fintech stories of the year. Silicon Valley Bank’s implosion felt like a fintech story in that a number of startups (Brex, Arc and Mercury, for example) in the space leapt to fill the hole left by its collapse. But it truly […] © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A dual-use ‘Slack+location+payments’ startup raises Seed to serve humanitarian, military scenarios
When Helsing raised a $223 million Series B round, the tech world saw it as continued confirmation that Defence was unquestionably back on the investing agenda. Further confirmation comes today in the form of a $5.5 million Seed round for UK defense tech startup Labrys Technologies, led by Germany’s Project A Ventures. Also participating were […] © 2023 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Cisco to acquire cloud-native networking and security startup Isovalent
Cisco announced this morning that it intends to acquire Isovalent, a cloud-native security and networking startup that should fit well with the company’s core networking and security strategy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
PaintJet is building big industrial robots for big industrial paint jobs
Construction may well prove to be the next major focus for robotics investment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
AR platform Really launches ‘Fandime’ NFTs to reward users with exclusive movie-related content
Traditionally, being a hardcore movie fan means collecting physical memorabilia like autographed posters to show dedication. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Spill is now in open beta on iOS and Android
It’s been more than a year since Elon Musk purchased Twitter, yet we’re still seeing the reverberations of that deal on other social platforms, including the new ones that have cropped up since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OpenAI buffs safety team and gives board veto power on risky AI
OpenAI is expanding its internal safety processes to fend off the threat of harmful AI. A new “safety advisory group” will sit above the technical teams and make recommendations to leadership, and the board has been granted veto power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices