GM and Ventec Life Systems partner to ramp up production of ventilators
GM said Friday that it is working with Ventec Life Systems to help increase production of respiratory care products such as ventilators that are needed by a growing number of hospitals as the COVID-19
Tesla partner Panasonic is shutting down its operations at Nevada gigafactory
Panasonic is pulling its 3,500 employees from the massive Nevada factory it operates with partner Tesla over concerns about the spread of COVID-19. The company said Friday it will ramp down operations
Californians can now order alcoholic beverages to go
In a memo yesterday detailing relief efforts for small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has temporarily allowed retailers to sell alcoho
Healthcare startups Nurx and Carbon Health ship at-home COVID-19 test sample kits
Efforts to get at-home test kits for the COVID-19 coronavirus are ramping up quickly, and two more health industry startups are bringing their own products to market, with both Carbon Health and Nurx
NASA confirms Commercial Crew still a priority, but James Webb Telescope testing and other activities paused
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has been sharing regular updates about how his agency is approaching the rapidly changing global coronavirus pandemic situation. This week, NASA escalated its respon
In response to COVID-19, Hulu adds a free live news stream to its on-demand app
In response to the COVID-10 outbreak, Hulu is adding a free, live news stream to its app for customers who only subscribe to its on-demand service, not its live TV add-on. The news coverage is provide
Stuart Russell on how to make AI ‘human-compatible’
In a career spanning several decades, artificial intelligence researcher and professor Stuart Russell has contributed extensive knowledge on the subject, including foundational textbooks. He joined us
Be on guard for coronavirus robocalls, warns FCC
Robocalls have been targeting the vulnerable and unsuspecting for years, so it’s no surprise that the scumbags would take advantage of the current global catastrophe to enhance their scams. The
AWS, IBM launch programs to encourage developers solving COVID-19 problems
As society comes to grips with the growing worldwide crisis related to the COVID-19 virus, many companies are stepping up in different ways. Today, two major tech companies — Amazon and IBM R
Spotify opens its podcast catalog to third-party apps, but not for streaming
Spotify is opening its podcast catalog to third-party apps. The company this week launched a new version of its Podcast APIs that makes it possible for third-party apps to connect to Spotify in order
OneWeb confirms layoffs and potential launch schedule delays amid reported bankruptcy considerations
Satellite operator OneWeb has confirmed that its workforce has been reduced via layoffs, after TechCrunch learned that it reduced its workforce by as much as 10% this week. The company did not confirm
Google cancels I/O developer conference in light of COVID-19 crisis
Google announced on Twitter today that it was cancelling its annual I/O developer conference out of concern for the health and safety of all involved. It will not be holding any online conference in i
Corporate venture business strategies that work
I’m often asked as a long-time successful corporate venture capital investor to describe the strategies used to ensure our scale and staying power.
Rivian shuts down all facilities over COVID-19 pandemic concerns
Rivian, the buzzy electric vehicle startup that is backed by Amazon and Ford, is shutting down all of its facilities due to the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. Rivian employs mo
Hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine and other potential COVID-19 treatments explained
During two of this week’s White House briefings, President Trump referred specifically to two potential treatments that have been identified by medical researchers and clinicians, and that have
Netflix announces $100M relief fund after TV and film production halted
When it comes to the entertainment industry, the COVID-19 outbreak isn’t just affecting movie theaters — it has also halted TV and film production around the world. For Netflix, that has i
FluSense system tracks sickness trends by autonomously monitoring public spaces
One of the obstacles to accurately estimating the prevalence of sickness in the general population is that most of our data comes from hospitals, not the 99.9 percent of the world that isn’t hos
SpaceX and Tesla are ‘working on’ ventilators, Elon Musk says
Elon Musk tweeted Friday that Tesla and SpaceX employees are “working on ventilators” even though he doesn’t believe they will be needed. His confirmation on Twitter that both of the
Hospital droid Diligent Robotics raises $10M to assist nurses
Twenty-eight percent of a nurse’s time is wasted on low-skilled tasks like fetching medical tools. We need them focused on the complex and compassionate work of treating patients, especially ami