Matt Burns
Senior Editor
The Latest from Matt Burns
Philter Labs nets additional funding in quest to build a better portable smoking filter
Philter Labs aims to reduce the stigma associated with vaping tobacco and cannabis. The company’s product is simple enough: It’s a portable filter that, to my surprise, eliminates nearly a
General Motors spins up global supply chain to make 50,000 face masks a day
GM today announced manufacturing details around building much-needed medical face masks. According to the company’s press release, it took the company less than seven days to go from nothing to
Leafly lays off 91 employees with funding on pause
Cannabis giant Leafly cut 91 staffers this week in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The company said in a released statement that the workforce reduction allows the company to be financially self
Inside Planet 13, the world’s largest cannabis dispensary
Planet 13 is located blocks off the Las Vegas Strip and holds the title as the world’s largest cannabis dispensary. But it’s much more than just a storefront. There’s a lot to the 115,000-square
Ada raises $44M Series B to improve its chatbot customer service platform
Ada today took the wraps off its $44M Series B that it hopes will allow the company to expand its offering of the company’s AI-powered customer service chatbot. Accel lead the round with partici
GM, Ford and FCA shutter all North American factories over coronavirus fears
Detroit’s big three automakers are to shut down all factories due to fears over the coronavirus. Details are still in the works and will be announced shortly. Over the last few days, United Auto Wor
GM, Ford, FCA to close all factories, AP reports
Update: Ford is closing its North American factories. Detroit’s big three automakers are to shut down all factories due to fears over the coronavirus. This comes by way of the Associated Press c
Apple updates Mac Mini with more storage options
Apple today announced the Mac Mini will ship with more standard storage space. Starting at $799, the base model Mac Mini now ships with a 256GB SSD, up from 128GB previously. The CPU, GPU and system m
Storz & Bickel sidesteps Apple’s vaping app ban
Users of Storz & Bickel’s vaporizers can once again connect their vapes to iPhones. The company’s solution comes several months after Apple enacted a ban on apps for tobacco and cannab
The 2020 Chevy Corvette is good and will only getter better
What’s a Corvette? To me, the formula is simple: Loads of power in an affordable package that can hold two golf bags. For the past 62 years, that meant putting the engine in the front and a stick sh
Geneva Motor Show canceled over coronavirus fears
The Geneva Motor Show is the latest trade show to cancel over fears of the coronavirus. The Swiss auto show is one of the largest car shows in the world and is usually the venue where high-end and exo
Citroën introduces a two-seat EV that costs €19.99 a month
The Citroën Ami is a new take on urban mobility. It’s electric, cheap and doesn’t require a license. In short, it’s less of a car and more of an electric scooter with two seats, doors and a hea
Detroit-based Rocket Fiber acquired by Everstream
Rocket Fiber is the latest Detroit startup to be acquired. Today, the company is announcing it was acquired by Cleveland-based Everstream for an undisclosed amount. The founders tell TechCrunch the co
The debut of electric pickups signals a new EV era
Several companies rolled out electric pickups in 2019. Tesla’s Cybertruck got most of the attention, but don’t sleep on General Motors and Ford — bringing electric pickups to market is c
How companies are working around Apple’s ban on vaping apps
Apple banned vaping apps in November 2019. Since then, the company has said very little about its decision, leaving many companies upset and confused about its blanket prohibition. Three months later,
How the world’s largest cannabis dispensary avoids social media restrictions
Planet 13 is the world’s largest cannabis dispensary. Located in Las Vegas, blocks off the Strip, the facility is the size of a small Walmart. By design, it’s hard to miss. Planet 13 is up
Tesla could soon sell and service its vehicles in Michigan
Tesla reportedly reached a settlement with the State of Michigan regarding the sales and service of its vehicles. According to the AP, this settlement would end the automaker’s lawsuit against t
CES takes half-baked stance on cannabis
A cannabis company won a CES award for 2020. Called Keep, the desktop storage device features biometric security to secure cannabis products, and looks good while doing it. The CTA gave them an Innova
GM to release an electric Hummer pickup, per report
General Motors could be bringing back the Hummer brand. According to this report by The Wall Street Journal, an all-electric Hummer pickup will be sold under the GMC brand and LeBron James is enlisted
Sony just announced a car
Today at CES 2020, Sony unveiled a car. I’m surprised too. There are very few details about the Sony Vision-S sedan at this time. We’ll get more once we can see it on the show floor. According to