Author: GT

China has not released specific regulation around non-fungible tokens. But technology platforms like Tencent’s WeChat are taking a cautious approach to prevent speculation with NFTs.Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesTencent’s WeChat app is indispensable for people in China.It has 1.4 billion monthly users and is the main messaging service in the country. But it is more than just a way to chat with friends and family. WeChat is often dubbed a super-app because, within the program, you can access many different features like mobile payments and services, such as gaming, booking flights and even paying utlity bills.Tencent executives think…

At long last, digital consumer bank Chime has moved forward with its IPO by filing its S-1 paperwork Tuesday. Chime had reportedly filed confidential S-1 paperwork back in December. S-1 filings typically reveal all kinds of information, covering financial, legal, and other risk factors. But Chime’s S-1 documents still have a lot of blank spaces. We don’t know how many shares it hopes to sell or at what price. Chime could be aiming to raise $1 billion, IPO specialist Renaissance Capital believes. We also don’t know how many shares insiders plan to sell as part of the IPO. This includes…

In 2024, the healthcare sector faced an unprecedented wave of cyber attacks, with 276 million patient records exposed globally. Among the most insidious threats was MedStealer, a malware strain that targeted electronic health records (EHRs), insurance databases, and patient portals. First observed in early 2024, MedStealer exploited vulnerabilities in legacy healthcare IT systems and third-party vendor networks. Attack vectors ranged from phishing campaigns impersonating medical platforms like Zocdoc to SQL injection attacks on unpatched servers. The malware’s primary objective was to exfiltrate personally identifiable information (PII), insurance details, and medical histories, which were later sold on dark web markets…

We’re excited to announce a big surprise for the AI community — TechCrunch Sessions: AI is getting a limited-time discount to broaden the number of people who can attend and learn from some of the brightest minds in the industry. For just $292, you can get a general admission ticket — plus a 50% discount on a second — to attend our flagship AI-centric event at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall on June 5. We’re looking for everyone from those working in the industry to founders, academics, AI die-hards, and beyond to get the chance to learn from and engage with…

TensorWave, a data center provider building facilities primarily with AMD hardware, has raised $100 million as it seeks to further build out its data center infrastructure. The funding round was led by Magnetar and AMD Ventures, and brings the company’s total capital raised to $146.7 million, according to Crunchbase. Maverick Silicon, Nexus Venture Partners, and Prosperity7 also participated in the round. It’s a precarious time for data center projects. Tariff-related price hikes on components like server racks and chips could contribute to overall data center build costs increasing by 5% to 15%, per an analysis by TD Cowen. Investors are…

Data analytics platform Databricks said on Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire Neon, a startup building an open source alternative to AWS Aurora Postgres, for about $1 billion. Databricks said acquiring Neon’s tech would let it combine the startup’s serverless relational database management system with its own data intelligence services to let its customers deploy AI agents more efficiently. Founded in 2021 by CEO Nikita Shamgunov and software engineers Heikki Linnakangas and Stas Kelvich, Neon offers a managed cloud-based database platform (with free and usage-based paid plans) that lets developers clone databases and preview changes before they go to…

Enterprises want access to new software and AI tools but can’t risk sending their sensitive data out to a third-party software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers. Tensor9 looks to help software companies land more enterprise customers by helping them deploy their software directly into a customer’s tech stack. Tensor9 converts a software vendor’s code into the format needed to deploy into their customer’s tech environment. Tensor9 then makes a digital twin of the deployed software, or a miniaturized model of the deployed software’s infrastructure, so Tensor9’s customers can monitor how the software is working in their customer’s environment. Tensor9 can help companies deploy…

AI-powered notetaking tool Granola has been on a roll. The startup’s seen a steep uptick in usage since it launched a year ago, mostly thanks to word of mouth among VCs and founders, but a big driver seems to be the fact that people are using it for doing more than its core pitch — automated notetaking for meetings. Granola’s co-founder, Chris Pedregal, told TechCrunch that the company’s users are increasingly using Granola for taking personal notes, which helps them make all their information, both from work and otherwise, available to the app’s AI to parse and surface insights from.…

Gemini, Google’s AI-powered chatbot, can now connect to GitHub — for users subscribed to the $20-per-month Gemini Advanced plan, that is. As of Wednesday, Gemini Advanced customers can directly add a public or private codebase on GitHub to Gemini to allow the chatbot to generate and explain code, debug existing code, and more. Users can connect GitHub to Gemini by clicking the “+” button in the prompt bar, selecting “import code,” and pasting a GitHub URL. Gemini Advanced now connects with @github, making it a more powerful coding assistant.Directly connect to public or private GitHub repos to generate/modify functions, explain…

Two years after Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) rebranded its streaming service to Max, the company is reverting to its old name. On Wednesday, the company announced the good news at its Upfront presentation, with the name change becoming official this summer.  When Max launched in 2023, the revamped platform was positioned as a win for subscribers, giving them access to 35,000 hours of entertainment, as well as new features, an updated interface, and overall better performance.  The name change was made to eliminate confusion, as the HBO Max streaming service included not only HBO content but also programming from all…