Over the years, Google has made it harder to separate ads from organic search results at a glance. In its current iteration, when users perform a search, the only distinction between the two is “Ad” written in bold — and it’s easy to miss. The search giant is making a small change to that today … Read more
Instagram, facing scrutiny from safety advocates, started testing a program in the U.S. earlier this year to verify users’ age claiming to be 18 or older. It uses techniques including authentication via running video selfies through an artificial intelligence system. The Meta-owned service is now ready to roll out this program to two key overseas … Read more
Even the largest landfills in Indonesia are at (or nearing) capacity, and the government has set an ambitious target of 30% waste reduction by 2025. Waste4Change is one of the companies that wants to help by increasing rates of recycling and enabling better waste management. The startup, which currently manages more than 8,000 tons of … Read more
There are big, overarching top-down trends, and there are little-bitty baby trends that have a way of growing into bigger ones. A big trend right now, for example, centers on certain firms that passed out enormous checks to startup founders in recent years and drove valuations sky high in the process. It turns out this … Read more
Framework is at the vanguard of a growing movement to make electronics more repair-friendly. Some have done so by choice and others have been…nudged in that direction by looming right to repair legislation across the globe. Framework, like Fairphone, is making that a core principle of its technology, without sacrificing the final project (check Devin’s … Read more
To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PDT, subscribe here. We just keep getting more excited about Disrupt, but it turns out there’s other stuff going on in the world. A lot of other stuff, in fact; it’s one of those days … Read more
Meta submitted a request to dismiss the Federal Trade Commission’s complaint about its acquisition of Within. The Los Angeles virtual reality firm makes Supernatural, a rhythm game-turned-workout app that, in our humble opinion, is a legitimately excellent use of VR. It makes sense why Meta wants to absorb the company, but the FTC has raised … Read more
Being in the business of convincing people that they deserve a vacation is hard. Being in the business of convincing people that they can co-own a vacation house and enjoy it at the same time can be deceptively harder. Getaway – different from another venture-backed Getaway, which sells escapes to tiny cabins in the middle … Read more
Venture debt was never meant to be used to bail a company out of financial trouble. And yet, when venture capitalists started to pull back from equity investing earlier this year because frothy market conditions made them realize that valuations were too high, it became a topic of discussion again. Across the industry, from founders … Read more
For over a year, Activision Blizzard employees have protested against the company’s poor handling of ongoing sexual harassment allegations. Now, an anonymous Jane Doe has filed yet another lawsuit against the gaming giant for sexual harassment, gender discrimination and sexual battery, among other complaints. “For years, Activision Blizzard’s open ‘frat boy’ environment fostered rampant sexism, … Read more
As third-quarter venture capital data rolls in, the TechCrunch crew is busy parsing the numbers. We’ve looked at fintech results, we’ve touched on the crypto market, and we have a climate startup venture analysis coming this weekend. We’ve also looked at the U.S. venture market and its global analog. The main gist is that while VC … Read more
Hey, party people! As if you won’t find plenty to keep you occupied at TechCrunch Disrupt — which kicks off in less than a week on October 18–20 — take a look at this list of receptions and happenings that complement and coincide with your Disrupt experience. Note that while some events are open to … Read more
Volkswagen is accelerating the pace to automate its electric vehicles for Chinese customers. CARIAD, a wholly-owned automotive software company of the German auto behemoth, intends to set up a joint venture with Horizon Robotics, one of China’s most serious auto chip developers, the company said on Thursday. The German automaker plans to deploy around €2.4 … Read more
I don’t love devoting the first several paragraphs of this newsletter to Amazon every week, but no one is making waves — both good and bad — in the robotics space quite like the little mom-and-pop bookseller from Seattle, Washington. This is one of the bad weeks. It’s a story about what happens when your … Read more
Motional, the Hyundai-Aptiv joint venture that aims to commercialize autonomous driving technology, announced last week its partnership with Uber to bring robotaxi services to North American cities over the next 10 years. The Uber deal comes off the back of similar partnerships with Via and Lyft to launch robotaxi services in Las Vegas. Sensing a … Read more
Sony and Honda have officially launched their joint mobility venture that aims to start delivering premium electric vehicles with automated driving capabilities in the United States in the spring of 2026, followed by Japan in the second half of 2026. The joint venture from hardware, software and entertainment conglomerate Sony and automaker Honda to produce … Read more
I don’t typically critique decks for fundraises we didn’t cover on TechCrunch, but for Supliful, I had to make an exception because it’s a company that solves a spectacularly interesting problem. Consumer packaged goods companies can churn out products all day long, but marketing is an expensive challenge. Creators produce content all day long but … Read more
The moment has finally come. Today, Netflix hosted a press call to reveal a preview of its new ad-supported tier, “Basic with Ads,” which will launch on November 3 in nine countries, including the U.S., and cost $6.99 per month, $13 less than Netflix’s Premium plan. This aligns with reports that the new plan would … Read more
Ongoing volatility in the crypto markets is leading to mismatched conversations between venture capitalists and founders — and entrepreneurs aren’t often finding themselves on the winning side. While some crypto-native and general funds are actively deploying capital into the digital asset world, others are taking a slower approach. Over the summer, some market participants anticipated … Read more
Whether it’s seasoned industry behemoths or fresh, fearless upstarts ready to challenge the status quo, you’ll find them — and everything in between — at TC Sessions: Crypto on November 17 in Miami. Pay to play: It’s early-bird season, folks, so buy your pass today and save $150 — before prices go up. Take a … Read more
Apple is taking a big step towards offering more banking services to its customers. The company announced today it’s partnering with Goldman Sachs to soon launch a new Savings account feature for its Apple Card credit cardholders which will allow them to save and grow their “Daily Cash” — the cashback rewards that are earned … Read more
It’s common knowledge, especially to those who work in financial services, that the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased demand for digital banking globally. A flurry of fintechs emerged in hope of meeting that demand while incumbent banks clamored to step up their own digital games. And then there were those companies that existed well before the … Read more
Tick-tock, startup fans. We’re just days away from TechCrunch Disrupt on October 18–20 in San Francisco. If you’re still perched on that fence, we have five more reasons why you should pry open the wallet, dust off the credit card and get yourself to the Moscone Center and build a better business. Buy your pass … Read more
Target is the latest national retailer to roll out the ability for customers to pay with their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits when shopping for groceries online. While the payment method has long been accepted in stores, online grocery retailers offering curbside pickup and delivery programs have only more recently begun to support the … Read more
Will Peng graduated from Princeton with about $35,000 in debt. He asked his immigrant parents what they thought the best approach would be for him to pay it off. “There were companies telling me that I should refinance my student loans,” recalls Peng, who is the oldest of six children born in Taiwan. “I was … Read more
There’s much potential for Orlando to be what Austin is to Texas, what Atlanta is to Georgia — a booming hub where startups flock from around the world to dream, innovate, and grow. The numbers are already showing potential: New PitchBook data found that in the first half of this year, a little more than … Read more
Twitter is launching a new ‘Link Spotlight’ feature that lets professional account users add an interactive button to their profiles that links to a specific URL. The social network says the purpose of the Link Spotlight button is to give businesses and professionals a way to drive potential customers to their content, services or products. … Read more
Some of the most exciting robotics breakthroughs are happening in the exoskeleton space. Sure, any robotic system worth its salt has the potential to affect change, but this is one of the categories where such changes can be immediately felt – specifically, it’s about improving the lives of people with limited mobility. A team out … Read more
While Meta is trying to convince consumers to strap on its VR headsets to enter the metaverse, Google continues to experiment with a different sort of false reality: its holographic video chat project known as Project Starline. Announced last year, Project Starline is a video-calling booth that uses 3D imagery, high-resolution cameras, custom depth sensor … Read more
Advanced, an IT service provider for the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS), has confirmed that attackers stole data from its systems during an August ransomware attack, but refuses to say if patient data was compromised. Advanced first confirmed the ransomware incident on August 4 following widespread disruption to NHS services across the U.K. The attack … Read more