2020
VW’s prototype robot is designed to offer full-service charging for electric vehicles
Volkswagen Group has developed a mobile electric vehicle charger that can autonomously navigate parking areas, power up an EV and then make its way back to its outpost without the…
Global investors flee from Chinese tech stocks after the government crackdown on Ant and Alibaba
Global investors are running from Chinese tech stocks in the wake of the government’s crackdown on Ant Group and Alibaba, two high-flying businesses founded by Ma Yun (Jack Ma) that…
US government appeals the injunction against its TikTok ban
The U.S. government is appealing the ruling that blocked the Trump administration’s TikTok ban, according to a new court filing. On December 7, 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols…
Tappity raises $1.3M for its interactive and educational video library for kids
When kids today want to learn about a new topic they’re interested in, they’ll often turn to YouTube. But the quality of the educational content on the platform can be…
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2021 will be a calmer year for semiconductors and chips (except for Intel)
If ever there was a typically quiet tech industry that seemed to drive massive headlines this year, it was semiconductors. From record-setting M&A purchases to prodigious venture capital financing, the decline of major players and huge international trade fights, semiconductor companies found themselves in the crosshairs of inventors, VCs, regulators, politicians and, well, Apple. 2020…
Tesla will begin operating in India in “early” 2021, a top Indian minister said on Monday, a day after the tech-centric carmaker said it was confident it would enter the…
To say that COVID-19 has dominated the past year would be an understatement. We’ve seen the pandemic reorient how we interact with businesses, each other and the world around us.…
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4 keys to international expansion
Adopt a “hire slow, fire fast” mentality for your expansion strategy. Don’t be afraid to pull the plug if things don’t work out.
Chinese online education app Zuoyebang raises $1.6 billion from investors including Alibaba
The rivalry between China’s top online learning apps has become even more intense this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest company to score a significant funding round is…
China lays out ‘rectification’ plan for Jack Ma’s fintech empire Ant
What a whirlwind holiday for Jack Ma and his fintech empire. The People’s Bank of China, the country’s central bank, summoned Ant Group for regulatory talks on December 26, announcing…
The coronavirus pandemic — and a handful of other factors — slowed dealmaking for startups in India this year. Compared to their record $14.5 billion fundraise last year, Indian startups…
Gillmor Gang: Get Back
Today we sat on the deck with our daughter Ella and her boyfriend Nick. Knowing of my fascination with all things Beatles, Nick gave me a Japanese 45 of “Get…
What startups can learn from this dumpster fire year
Want this newsletter in your inbox every Saturday morning? Sign up here. Remember when it was news that venture capitalists were open for business? Or when Zoom investing was only…
Original Content podcast: ‘The Mandalorian’ season two goes deep into Star Wars mythology
“The Mandalorian” just wrapped up its second season on Disney+, with an action-packed and surprise-filled finale. In many ways, it feels like a seamless continuation of the first season’s storylines,…
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Music made 2020 better, but we failed to make 2020 better for musicians
“Are you okay?” I don’t have a good answer to the question. Knowing full well that I’m talking back to an algorithm — even one asking the same question of everyone with a different band mad-libbed in — doesn’t soften the blow. Am I? Are we? Is anyone, really? In this case, it’s referring to…
Chinese authorities investigate an e-commerce giant, Google may be tightening its grip on research and VCs weigh in on the year’s biggest surprises. This is your (briefer than usual) Daily…
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Not even 5G could rescue smartphone sales in 2020
This was going to be the year of 5G. It was going to be the year the next-generation wireless technology helped reverse some troubling macro trends for the industry — or at the very least helped stem the bleeding some. But the best laid plans, and all that. With about a week left in the…
Elon Musk says SpaceX to double launchpad usage for Starship tests, Super Heavy flights coming in a ‘few months’
SpaceX is set to significantly ramp up its Starship development program in the new year, in more ways than one. SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk noted on Twitter on…
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Use Git data to optimize your developers’ annual reviews
Summarizing the performance of 10, 20 or 50 developers over the past 12 months, offering personalized advice and having the facts to back it up — is no small task.
If you didn’t think much about seed in 2020, you’re not alone. Late, huge rounds consumed most of the media’s oxygen, leaving smaller startups to compete for scraps of attention.
National Grid sees machine learning as the brains behind the utility business of the future
If the portfolio of a corporate venture capital firm can be taken as a signal for the strategic priorities of their parent companies, then National Grid has high hopes for…
The built environment will be one of tech’s next big platforms
From the beginning, the plan for Sidewalk Labs (a subsidiary of Alphabet and — by extension — a relative of Google) to develop a $1.3 billion tech-enabled real estate project…
Bristol’s Brightpearl raises $33M Series C round led by Sage to boost its platform for retailers
Brightpearl, which allows retailers to streamline their operations thus boosting sales, has raised $33 million in funding to scale its business. This Series C round was led by Sage, which has…
China’s e-commerce titan Alibaba hit with antitrust probe
China’s top market watchdog has begun a probe into Alibaba over alleged anti-competition practices at the e-commerce firm, the latest of Beijing’s efforts to curb the country’s ever-expanding internet titans.…
Google reportedly tightens grip on research into ‘sensitive topics’
Google is currently under fire for apparently pushing out a researcher whose work warned of bias in AI, and now a report from Reuters says others doing such work at…
Gift Guide: Last-minute subscriptions to keep the gifts going all year
SURPRISE! It’s December 23rd. How? Because time doesn’t make sense anymore and last week was really a month ago and April was yesterday.
Telegram will introduce ads, TikTok’s parent company is moving into drug discovery and President Trump continues his battle against Section 230. This is your Daily Crunch for December 23, 2020.…
Trump vetoes major defense bill, citing Section 230
Following through on his previous threat, President Trump has vetoed the $740 million National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a major bill that allocates military funds each year. In tweets early…
XRP cryptocurrency crashes following announcement of SEC suit against Ripple
The value of one of the world’s most valuable cryptocurrencies is crashing and a recently filed SEC complaint is at the root of the free fall. According to CoinMarketCap, the…
As the year comes to a close, some of our editors share their top stories from 2020.
