The Latest from Ned Desmond
OrCam Technologies co-founder Amnon Shashua to speak at Sight Tech Global
If the measure of progress in technology is that devices should become ever smaller and more capable, then OrCam Technologies is on a roll. The Israeli firm’s OrCam MyEye, which fits on the arm of a
Microsoft researcher Dr. Cecily Morrison will discuss keeping AI ‘personal’ at Sight Tech Global
For Dr. Cecily Morrison, research into how AI can help people who are blind or visually disabled is deeply personal. It’s not only that the Microsoft Principal Researcher has a 7-year-old son who is
Microsoft’s Seeing AI founder Saqib Shaikh is speaking at Sight Tech Global
When Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella introduced Saqib Shaikh on stage at BUILD in 2016, he was obviously moved by the engineer’s “passion and empathy,” which Nadella said, “is going to change the
Announcing Sight Tech Global, an event on the future of AI and accessibility for people who are blind or visually impaired
Few challenges have excited technologists more than building tools to help people who are blind or visually impaired. It was Silicon Valley legend Ray Kurzweil, for example, who in 1976 launched the f
So long, TechCrunch
Let me lead with the news: After more than eight years as TechCrunch’s COO, I am leaving on August 21. My decision is as much about my appetite for a green field as it is a recognition that TechCrun
Jim Fruchterman raises $1.7M for Tech Matters, a new effort to help nonprofits do tech better
Social entrepreneurship pioneer Jim Fruchterman has launched a new nonprofit, Tech Matters, with $1.7 million in backing from corporate and foundation sources, including Twilio, Okta, Working Capital,
Experience Disrupt SF online with the Disrupt Digital Pro Pass
Earlier this month we announced the launch of the Disrupt Digital Pass for TechCrunch’s flagship Disrupt SF event (September 14-16) as a way to help ensure that, no matter what, TechCrunch fans
Hear from Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck at TechCrunch’s space show December 17 in LA
When it comes to the space launch revolution, Peter Beck’s Rocket Lab is by far the fastest emerging contender in that crowded field of startups. It’s also one of the few space unicorns, backed by
Registration is now open for Disrupt SF 2020
Time to mark September 14-16 on your calendar for the startup extravaganza that is TechCrunch’s Disrupt San Francisco 2020. Registration for our flagship, 10,000-person event is officially open,
Five reasons you (really) don’t want to miss TechCrunch’s AI and Robotics show on March 3
TechCrunch’s fourth Robotics and AI show is coming up on March 3 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall. If past experience is any guide, the show is sure to draw a big crowd (cheap student rates here!)
Disrupting Space: A new event from TechCrunch
Every radical turn in technology history has its great entrepreneur, and for space that person is SpaceX founder Elon Musk. His unswerving conviction that “space must be affordable” led him to dis
Announcing our first four experts for TC Early Stage in San Francisco
TechCrunch Early Stage is a new event series for 2020 focused on early-stage founders. The idea is to provide access to advice and networking on the level of a great accelerator program, but with a sm
AI expert Stuart Russell to join TC’s Robotics+AI 2020 at UC Berkeley
Computer scientists agree that artificial intelligence will have a stunning impact on the future of humanity. And more often than not, futurists depict a dystopian outcome – a world where we are
Announcing TechCrunch Early Stage, a new event series all about founders
TechCrunch covers a lot of bases in the tech startup world, but none is more important than supporting founders — especially early-stage founders. That’s what our new event series, TechCrunch
Pitch onstage at TechCrunch’s Robotics & AI show — March 3 at UC Berkeley
On March 3 next year, TechCrunch will host the fourth annual TC Sessions: Robotics + AI at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall. This time around we’re adding a new twist to the incredible line-up of spe
5 reasons you need to be at Disrupt Berlin
We’re one month out from Disrupt Berlin (11-12 December), and no matter which part of the startup ecosystem you inhabit, Disrupt Berlin is a huge opportunity to learn, network and gain inspiration.
Announcing TechCrunch Robotics + AI on March 3, 2020 at UC Berkeley
Robotics is back! We are excited to announce that on March 3 next year TechCrunch will host its fourth annual TC Sessions: Robotics + AI at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall. Last year, 1,500 founders,
Sequoia shares wisdom with Disrupt SF Battlefield competitors and Startup Alley Top Picks
The teams competing in Startup Battlefield at Disrupt SF, as well as founders chosen as Top Picks in Startup Alley, visited Sequoia Capital's office for a discussion with partners Jess Lee, Roelof Bot
‘Human Compatible’ is a provocative prescription to re-think AI before it’s too late
Dr. Stuart Russell, a distinguished AI researcher and computer scientist at UC Berkeley, believes there is a fundamental and potentially civilization-ending shortcoming in the “standard model” of
An interview with Dr. Stuart Russell, author of ‘Human Compatible, Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control’
(UC Berkeley’s Dr. Stuart Russell’s new book, “Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control, goes on sale Oct. 8. I’ve written a review, “Human Co