Oct 28th
TechCrunch Disrupt 2024
San Francisco, CA
The Latest
Apps
Bluesky is funding developer projects to give its Twitter/X alternative a boost
8:21 am PDT • March 11, 2024
Would-be Twitter/X rival Bluesky is looking to more directly invest in its developer community in order to foster growth. The company last week announced “AT Protocol Grants,” a new program…
Apps
Twitter’s former head of Trust & Safety, Yoel Roth, joins Tinder owner Match Group
8:08 am PDT • March 11, 2024
Twitter’s former head of trust and safety Yoel Roth announced today that he is joining Match Group, the parent company of several popular dating apps, including Tinder and Hinge. Yoel,…
“Hard tech” is the latest buzz phrase in venture capital, but all hard tech industries still rely on software infrastructure to ensure machines run properly, parts are shipped on time…
Enterprise
Alphabet spin-off SIP launches Verrus, a data center concept built around battery ‘microgrids’
7:45 am PDT • March 11, 2024
Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP) — the Alphabet spinout that focuses on building and backing new approaches to complicated infrastructure problems in areas like power, broadband and waste management — has…
Startups
Musk’s Grok goes open source and Reddit updates its IPO filing
7:35 AM PDT • March 11, 2024
Today we took a look at Reddit’s new IPO filing, the potential impact of Grok being open sourced, and why Bobby Kotick wants to buy…
Pinterest announced today that its tool for filtering searches by different body types has officially rolled out to users in the U.S. The platform started experimenting with the feature last…
Social
Potential ‘meme stock’ Reddit will let Redditors sell shares immediately
7:09 am PDT • March 11, 2024
Reddit’s IPO should be interesting to watch — and not just because the business remains unprofitable, but also because of how the company has chosen to bring in its community of…
Apps
Telegram founder says the company will become profitable next year
6:03 am PDT • March 11, 2024
Telegram founder Pavel Durov said that the company expects to hit profitability next year with eyes on going public in the future. The chat app, which crossed 900 million users,…
Featured Article
Covariant is building ChatGPT for robots
Covariant this week announced the launch of RFM-1 (Robotics Foundation Model 1). Peter Chen, the co-founder and CEO of the UC Berkeley artificial intelligence spinout tells TechCrunch the platform, “is basically a large language model (LLM), but for robot language.” RFM-1 is the result of, among other things, a massive trove of data collected from…
6:00 am PDT • March 11, 2024
Privacy
EU’s use of Microsoft 365 found to breach data protection rules
5:44 am PDT • March 11, 2024
A lengthy investigation into the European Union’s use of Microsoft 365 has found the Commission breached the bloc’s data protection rules through its use of the cloud-based productivity software. Announcing…
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AI
SuperAGI snags funding from WhatsApp founder Jan Koum’s secretive Newlands VC
5:31 am PDT • March 11, 2024
Newlands VC, the super-secretive investment firm bankrolled by WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, is leading a $10 million investment into SuperAGI, TechCrunch has learned exclusively. The startup has ambitions to build…
In the last 12 months, reader apps have adopted AI to change how users consume news. Instagram co-founders’ now discontinued Artifact introduced AI-powered summaries and headlines. Newer apps like Bulletin…
Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI will open source Grok, its chatbot rivaling ChatGPT, this week, the entrepreneur said, days after suing OpenAI and complaining that the Microsoft-backed startup had deviated…
Startups
‘Banking-as-a-Service’ startup Griffin raises $24M as it attains full banking license
10:00 pm PDT • March 10, 2024
Founded by former Silicon Valley engineers, UK-based Griffin Bank, has now raised $24 million (£19 million) in a fresh, extended Series A, funding round.
Transportation
Rivian’s big bet, Waymo goes driverless in Austin and the Chevy Blazer EV returns
8:06 pm PDT • March 10, 2024
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. This week was all about Rivian and its splashy reveal of three…
Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech (formerly The Interchange)! This week, we’re looking at the piping hot global payroll space, neobank Dave’s financial results and related stock boost, and more! To get…
AI
Women in AI: Heidy Khlaaf, safety engineering director at Trail of Bits
5:30 am PDT • March 10, 2024
To give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, TechCrunch is launching a series of interviews focusing on remarkable women who’ve contributed…
Startups
Don’t forget! Submit your Side Event at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024
5:00 am PDT • March 10, 2024
Looking to leave your mark at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024? Our Side Events initiative offers a prime opportunity to connect with Boston’s vibrant tech scene in an unforgettable way. And…
To give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, TechCrunch is launching a series of interviews focusing on remarkable women who’ve contributed to…
Social
Apple terminates Epic’s account, Meta platforms get knocked offline and former Twitter execs sue Elon Musk
1:15 pm PST • March 9, 2024
Hey, folks, welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s newsletter covering all of — or at least the bulk of! — noteworthy happenings around the tech-o-sphere. This week, Roku played…
