Author: GT

Every few weekends, 21-year-old student Lavanya Jain opens the BlaBlaCar app to find a lift from Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi to his home in Kandhla, a small town in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state. The 120-kilometer journey costs him about ₹500, the equivalent of about $6. That’s a fraction of the ₹1,500–₹2,000, or $17–$23, he would pay for a private cab. “If you’re looking for a fast, efficient, affordable, and comfortable way to travel — and you like to chat — you should basically check out BlaBlaCar,” Jain told TechCrunch, adding that he has used the app…

A couple of Thursdays ago, I awoke at nearly 4:30 a.m. to a dizzying Instagram DM.   Rizzbot, a kid-size humanoid robot that’s made by Unitree Robotics and has a massive social media following — more than 1 million TikTok followers and more than half a million followers on Instagram — had sent me a photo: he was flipping me off.  No words. No explanation. Just a robot with its middle finger raised.   Although I was shocked, a sinking feeling meant that I could guess why. A few weeks ago, Rizzbot — or the person who runs its Instagram account — and I chatted about a possible story. I found the account interesting: a humanoid walking the streets of Austin wearing Nike dunks…

The tech layoff wave is still kicking in 2025. Last year saw more than 150,000 job cuts across 549 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. So far this year, more than 22,000 workers have been the victim of reductions across the tech industry, with a staggering 16,084 cuts taking place in February alone. We’re tracking layoffs in the tech industry in 2025 so you can see the trajectory of the cutbacks and understand the impact on innovation across all types of companies. As businesses continue to embrace AI and automation, this tracker serves as a reminder of the human…

John Nitti has left his position as X’s advertising chief after just ten months, reports the Financial Times. Nitti, who joined as global head of revenue operations and advertising innovation, was considered a potential successor to former CEO Linda Yaccarino, who resigned in July. His exit adds to a string of high-level departures from Elon Musk’s increasingly turbulent executive suite. Among others, X’s CFO Mahmoud Reza Banki left in October after less than a year, while xAI’s CFO and general counsel both departed over the summer. The revolving door reportedly reflects deeper tensions. Sources tell the FT that execs have…

Cameron Pappas, owner of Norton’s FloristNorton’sFor Cameron Pappas, owner of Norton’s Florist in Birmingham, Alabama, the artificial intelligence boom is a world away.While companies like Nvidia, Alphabet and Broadcom are lifting the stock market to fresh highs and bolstering GDP, Pappas is experiencing what’s happening in the real economy, one that’s far removed from Wall Street and Silicon Valley.Small businesses like Norton’s, and companies of all sizes in retail, construction and hospitality, are struggling from higher costs brought by the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs, and as downbeat consumers reduce their spending.”We’ve just got an eagle eye on all of our costs,”…

New AI-powered web browsers such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas and Perplexity’s Comet are trying to unseat Google Chrome as the front door to the internet for billions of users. A key selling point of these products are their web browsing AI agents, which promise to complete tasks on a user’s behalf by clicking around on websites and filling out forms. But consumers may not be aware of the major risks to user privacy that come along with agentic browsing, a problem that the entire tech industry is trying to grapple with. Cybersecurity experts who spoke to TechCrunch say AI browser…

Ford Motor has put its gas and hybrid F-150 and F-Series Super Duty trucks at the top of the production priority line as it attempts to recover from losses connected to a fire at a critical aluminum supplier’s factory. The automaker’s all-electric F-150 Lightning didn’t make the list. Ford said Thursday that assembly of the F-150 Lightning truck at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan will remain paused. The reason, according to Ford: The gas and hybrid F-Series trucks are more profitable for Ford and use less aluminum. While Ford has highlighted sales growth of its all-electric F-150…

Intel’s third-quarter earnings beat Wall Street expectations Thursday, results buoyed by a bump in revenue combined with larger cuts, and multiple sizable investments over the last two months as CEO Lip-Bu Tan looks to turn around the struggling semiconductor giant. Intel’s revenue results and its $4.1 billion in net income provides a far rosier view than its string of quarterly losses. But the company’s recovery story deserves several chapters dedicated to cost cutting via layoffs and other reductions, as well as a series of high-profile investments from SoftBank, Nvidia, and the U.S. government. Intel added $20 billion to its balance…

While the U.S. government remains in limbo during a shutdown, the White House grounds have been busy this week. Construction workers have begun demolition of the White House’s East Wing, which will be replaced by a 90,000-square-foot ballroom that’s estimated to hold up to 1,000 guests. Taxpayers are not funding President Donald Trump’s $250 million project. Rather, he is using private donations to construct his lavish addition to the White House. The White House released a list of the project’s funders on Thursday, which include some of the most influential American tech companies, like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft,…

Three days. That’s it. TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 — the startup world’s biggest stage — kicks off October 27 – 29 at Moscone West in San Francisco. When Disrupt 2025 arrives, the city doesn’t just host innovation — it amplifies it, transforming San Francisco into a living showcase of ideas, products, and partnerships driving the next wave of tech. Prices jump to the full rate when doors open, so this is your final chance to save up to $444 on your pass and bring a plus-one for 60% off. Got a whole team? Lock in our 15-30% group registration savings. The energy hits in 3… 2… 1… Three days is all that’s left until 10,000 founders, investors, and operators gather at…