Author: GT

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 returns to Moscone West in San Francisco from October 27-29, bringing together more than 10,000 startup and VC leaders for an inside look at where innovation is headed. Among the must-attend sessions is a candid panel on the Builders Stage about one of the most high-stakes moments in any founder’s journey: raising your first round. Register now to save up to $675 on your ticket and join this conversation — plus 200+ more sessions across five industry stages, roundtables, and breakouts. Prices go up tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT. From pitch to partnership: The real roadmap to…

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has given Zoox an exemption to demonstrate its custom-built robotaxis on public roads and closed a related investigation into whether the Amazon-owned company had sidestepped federal regulations. The decision, which was announced Wednesday, clears up a long-standing debate over whether Zoox’s custom-built autonomous vehicles complied with federal motor vehicle safety standards, which place requirements on vehicles such as having a steering wheel and pedals. Zoox had argued that it did and announced in July 2022 that it had self-certified; NHTSA balked. The agency opened an investigation in March 2023 to look into the matter,…

Ryu Young-sang, CEO of South Korean telecoms giant SK Telecom, told CNBC that AI is helping telecoms firms improve efficiency in their networks.Manaure Quintero | Afp | Getty ImagesSouth Korea has tasked some of its biggest companies and promising startups to build a national foundational AI model using mainly domestic technology, in a rare move to keep the country apace with the U.S. and China.The project will feature South Korean technologies from semiconductors to software, as Seoul looks to create a near self-sufficient AI industry and position itself as an alternative to China and the U.S.The Ministry of Science and…

TeaOnHer, an app designed for men to share photos and information about women they have supposedly dated, has exposed users’ personal information, including government IDs and selfies, TechCrunch can confirm. The app, which launched on the Apple App Store earlier this week, is a response to another viral app Tea that allows women to post about the men they date. Tea is advertised as a women’s safety app with more than 6 million users that is similar to “Are we dating the same guy?” Facebook networks. However, the app is controversial, since many of the claims that women post cannot…

Numerous studies indicate that the shift to AI search features and the use of AI chatbots are killing traffic to publishers’ sites. But Google on Wednesday denied that’s the case, at least in aggregate. Instead, the search giant says that total organic click volume from its search engine to websites has been “relatively stable” year-over-year and that average click quality has slightly increased. “This data is in contrast to third-party reports that inaccurately suggest dramatic declines in aggregate traffic — often based on flawed methodologies, isolated examples, or traffic changes that occurred prior to the roll out of AI features…

Upwork, a platform that connects companies with freelancers, announced two acquisitions to help build out a new stand-alone enterprise-focused business that could expand its market reach. The San Francisco-based company announced it has acquired Bubty, a workforce management platform, and has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ascen, a global compliance and EOR (employer of record) company, ahead of its second-quarter earnings call on August 6. Upwork will integrate these two companies into its existing enterprise business to create a stand-alone entity under the Upwork umbrella. The move is significant because it will allow Upwork to offer access to talent…

Two 15-year-olds have been charged with unarmed carjacking after allegedly attacking Edward “Big Balls” Coristine, the 19-year-old software engineer and former Neuralink intern who became a prominent figure in the Trump administration’s cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to reports citing local authorities, Coristine — who left DOGE in June but quickly returned to federal service at the Social Security Administration to help improve the agency’s website — was with a female friend around 3 a.m. Sunday in Washington’s Logan Circle when a circle of roughly 10 teens approached their car and made comments about taking it. He reportedly…

The Browser Company has launched a Pro subscription plan for Dia, its new web browser that heavily integrates AI features. The plan costs $20 per month and provides unlimited access to Dia’s AI-powered chat and skills features. The introduction of a paid tier means free users will now face usage limits on AI features. While The Browser Company hasn’t specified exact limits, CEO Josh Miller told The New York Times in July that the browser will remain free for those who use AI features “a few times a week.” Image Credits:Screenshot by TechCrunch Miller also indicated that the startup plans…

Hubble Network’s satellite-powered Bluetooth network is getting a big upgrade.  The Seattle-based startup, which aims to bring to enterprises what Apple’s Find My has brought to consumers, has built a powerful new phased-array receiver that will enable what Hubble CEO Alex Haro calls a “true Bluetooth layer around the Earth.”  This advanced payload will fly on two massive new satellites from four-year-old Muon Space, called MuSat XL, which are slated to launch in 2027. The first two MuSat XL spacecraft will deliver a 12-hour global revisit time and detect Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals at 30 times lower power than…

Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesThe launch of an Instagram feature that details users’ geolocation data illicited backlash from social media users on Thursday.Meta debuted the Instagram Map tool on Wednesday, pitching the feature as way to “stay up-to-date with friends” by letting users share their “last active location.”  The tool is akin to Snapchat’s Snap Map feature that lets people see where their friends are posting from.Although Meta said in a blog post that the feature’s “location sharing is off unless you opt in,” several social media users said in posts that they were worried that was not the…