TechCrunch Industry News
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Versa raises $120M for its software-defined networking and security stack
Networking and cybersecurity firm Versa today announced that it raised $120 million in a mix of equity and debt led by BlackRock, with participation from Silicon Valley Bank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
US charges Ukrainian national over alleged role in Raccoon Infostealer malware operation
U.S. officials have charged a Ukrainian national over his alleged role in the Raccoon Infostealer malware-as-a-service operation that infected millions of computers worldwide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Twitter’s Elon problem could soon become Apple’s Elon problem, too
Reports indicate Elon Musk is on track to close his purchase of mildly popular bird website Twitter dot com as of this Friday, which is when he’s been ordered by the judge in the ongoing legal fracas to do so anyway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google hit with $113 million fine in India for anti-competitive practices with Play Store policies
India’s antitrust watchdog has hit Google with $113 million fine for abusing the dominant position of its app store, the second such penalty on the Android-maker in just as many weeks in the key overseas market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jasper’s robots assemble fresh meals for nearby apartment dwellers
After attempting to sell its tech to large food service companies, cooking automation startup Jasper has shifted to direct-to-consumer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ is the priciest digital album Tencent has sold
Taylor Swift’s latest album “Midnights” has dropped, and it might be setting a new standard for China’s digital music industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
YouTube Premium’s family plan gets a price hike in several countries
YouTube is raising prices for its Premium subscription plans across many countries including the US, the UK, Canada, and Argentina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Uber pilots electric cab offering in India
Uber has started offering electric vehicles to customers in certain parts of the Delhi-NCR region and says it will be expanding its efforts over the coming months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google Messages adds reaction support for iPhone texts and in-app reminders
Google has left no stones unturned in pushing Apple to adopt the Rich Communication Services that the search giant argues will improve cross-platform communication. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Ocean-climate VC Propeller launches with $100M to fund ‘tomorrow’s narwhals’
Propeller, a new climate-tech investor with a focus on the ocean, tells TechCrunch that it has hooked $100 million for its first seed fund. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pinterest partners with record labels to bring popular music to its TikTok rival, ‘Idea Pins’
Pinterest’s TikTok competitor is gaining new music. The company announced today its video-focused “Idea Pins” feature will now include the ability to add popular tracks from top artists, thanks to new licensing deals with Warner Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Merlin and BMG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Eswatini’s central bank mulls issuance of a digital currency
The kingdom of Eswatini is considering the introduction of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), joining the growing list of African countries exploring the viability of an e-currency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Rolls-Royce Spectre EV to launch next year with 260-mile range
Rolls-Royce plans to deliver its first EV, the Spectre two-door coupe, to customers late next year as it transitions toward becoming a fully electric brand by 2030. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Belkin’s $30 Continuity Camera accessory is now available for MagSafe iPhones
Continuity Camera was one of the odder additions that arrived in the last round of Apple operating system updates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Shares of Korean internet giant Kakao slide after fire disrupts service
The stock price of South Korea’s internet giant Kakao tumbled on Monday after a fire at a data center that cut off power on Saturday, causing several service malfunctions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
PayPal debuts a new rewards program that combines Honey’s discounts with other ways to earn
PayPal is taking a step away from the Honey brand, the $4 billion shopping rewards acquisition it made in 2019, with today’s launch of PayPal Rewards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Shein owner fined $1.9M for failing to notify 39M users of data breach
A data breach from 2018 is putting Shein under the spotlight as the ultra-fast fashion e-commerce platform continues to conquer Gen-Z markets across the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Repairable laptop firm Framework introduces refurbished program
Framework is at the vanguard of a growing movement to make electronics more repair-friendly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nudge Security emerges from stealth to tackle cybersecurity’s people problem
Social engineering attacks are on the rise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Uniswap Labs valued at $1.66 billion in $165 million new funding
Uniswap Labs has raised $165 million in a new funding round as the parent firm of the world’s largest decentralized exchange looks to broaden its offerings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Roboadvisor Betterment launches crypto offering with four themed portfolios
Betterment, a roboadvisory platform which manages over $33 billion in assets, has finally launched its crypto offering after completing a private beta phase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Moon set for November traffic jam as both ispace and NASA target launches
If all goes to plan, Florida’s Space Coast could see two separate lunar missions take off in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
OatFi secures capital to power BNPL services for SMBs
The buy now, pay later (BNPL) market was once seen as a bulletproof investment, given the meteoric rise of players like Klarna and Afterpay during the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Starship partners with Grubhub to bring sidewalk bots to colleges
Autonomous sidewalk delivery robot company Starship Technologies is partnering with food ordering and delivery company Grubhub to provide robotic delivery services on college campuses across the U.S. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Samsung seeks smart TV growth with first Tizen OS licensing deals
Samsung has confirmed the first third-party smart TV makers to ship with its Tizen operating system (OS), with several manufacturers preparing to launch Tizen-powered TVs this year across Europe and Australasia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Google removes The OG App from the Play Store as founders think about next steps
Almost a week after Apple removed The OG App from the App Store, an Instagram client that promised to provide an ad-free and suggestion-free feed, Google followed the suit and booted the app off the Play Store.9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Purple Elephant Ventures, Kenya’s tourism-focused startup studio, raises $1M pre-seed funding
A Kenya-based venture studio with a focus on tourism, Purple Elephant Ventures (PEV), has raised $1 million pre-seed funding to build the next generation of startups that use technology to modernize the tourism sector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Twitter nudges you to share the tweet instead of taking a screenshot
Screenshots of tweets are one of the most popular ways to share tweets with friends or post them on your other social media accounts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
UK to probe Inmarsat and Viasat’s $7.3B merger on competition grounds, says it could lead to pricier in-flight Wi-FI
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that the proposed merger between London-based satellite communications company Inmarsat and its U.S. rival Viasat raises potential competition concerns, and plans to launch a full-scale investigation into the deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Uber’s former security chief found guilty of covering up 2016 data breach
Uber’s former head of security has been found guilty of criminal obstruction for attempting cover up a data breach that saw tens of millions of customer and driver records stolen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Party Round’s rebrand is banking on founder bank accounts
Party Round wants you to know that the party isn’t over. In fact, it just rebranded, put the music just a little bit lower, and finally put out some appetizers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
White House proposes voluntary safety and transparency rules around AI
The White House this morning unveiled what it’s colloquially calling an “AI Bill of Rights,” which aims to establish tenets around the ways AI algorithms should be deployed as well as guardrails on their applications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
VLC-developer VideoLAN sends legal notice to Indian ministries over ban
VideoLAN, the developer and operator of popular media player VLC, has filed a legal notice to India’s IT and Telecom ministries, alleging that the Indian bodies failed to notify the software developer and did not afford it a chance for an explanation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
App Store experienced sharp revenue drop in September, Morgan Stanley says
Apple’s App Store suffered a 5% year-on-year dip in net revenue in September according to a note from Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Rivian taps Capital One exec Diane Lye as its first CIO
Rivian has hired Diane Lye as its first chief information officer, a position that the EV maker says is necessary to expand globally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Amazon is launching a dedicated hub for its affordable shopping options
Amazon is launching Amazon Access, a new hub for customers to explore the programs, discounts and features that the online retailer offers for affordable shopping, the company announced on Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Truepill, a digital health unicorn, conducts fourth round of layoffs in 2022
Truepill, a platform that helps other companies offer diagnostics, telehealth services and prescriptions, has conducted its fourth layoff of the year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
YouTube TV users can now subscribe to standalone networks without a base plan
YouTube TV launched a new option that allows subscribers to purchase add-ons without subscribing to the full channel offering in the service’s Base plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fairphone adds fully refurbished handsets to its modular reuse mix
Away from the premium smartphone feature-utility hyperbole swirling around dynamic islands, mobile devices remain much of a muchness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Square now supports Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhones
Block, the company behind Square and Cash App, now supports Apple’s Tap to Pay for iPhone feature for merchants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hacker breaches Fast Company systems to send offensive Apple News notifications
U.S. business publication Fast Company has confirmed that a hacker breached its internal systems to send offensive push notifications to Apple News users. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Cionic gets $12.5M to accelerate its assistive mobility wearable
There’s been plenty of excitement on the robotic exoskeleton front in recent years. For the most part, these devices slot into two categories: 1) workplace assistance and 2) mobility assistance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Document onboarding startup Flatfile nabs $50M from investors, including Workday
Data cleansing — prepping data for applications like predictive analytics — takes time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NASA’s DART anti-asteroid satellite successfully smashes into space rock
NASA has completed a key step of its “Double Asteroid Redirection Test” (DART), smashing a satellite roughly the size of a vending machine into a small moon that’s about half-a-mile in diameter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apple starts manufacturing iPhone 14 in India
Apple has started assembling the iPhone 14 models in India, it said Monday, locally producing the current lineup for the first time in the same calendar year in the world’s second largest smartphone market as analysts predict a greater shift in the American giant’s future manufacturing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Samsung launches credit card in India
Samsung has launched two credit cards in India, entering a crowded category that sees over 50 companies fiercely compete for consumers’ attention in the world’s second largest internet market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Rad Power Bikes and Cycle pilot consumer e-bike subscriptions
Rad Power Bikes, a popular American e-bike brand that has raised over $300 million in the past two years, will start offering bikes as a subscription service next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Breaking Bad creator is making a new show for Apple TV+ with Rhea Seehorn
Apple TV+’s original programming has received a major boost with the company landing a deal with “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” creator Vince Gilligan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Alibaba Cloud pledges $1B to boost overseas alliance
Alibaba is known for its sprawling e-commerce empire, but like Amazon, cloud service has been a big driver of its revenues in recent years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Florida escalates the fight over a controversial social media law to the Supreme Court
After an appeals court struck down key portions of a state law designed to prevent social media companies from freely making content moderation decisions, Florida wants the Supreme Court to weigh in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices