Author: GT

XRP’s price is up more than 300% during the past six months. The token stands out in a world filled with memecoins and tokens with no real-world usage. XRP’s $135 billion market cap already accounts for a significant amount of future growth. 10 stocks we like better than XRP › It’s been a wild ride for cryptocurrency investors during the past few months — and that’s saying something. Bitcoin surpassed the $100,000 mark, reaching more than $109,000 just 16 years after its creation. While the price has retreated to about $102,000 amid broader uncertainty, investors still appear optimistic that Bitcoin…

A joint international law enforcement action shut down two services accused of providing a botnet of hacked internet-connected devices, including routers, to cybercriminals. U.S. prosecutors also indicted four people accused of hacking into the devices and running the botnet.  On Wednesday, the websites of Anyproxy and 5Socks were replaced with notices stating they had been seized by the FBI as part of a law enforcement operation called “Operation Moonlander.” The notice said the law enforcement action was carried out by the FBI, the Dutch National Police (Politie), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and the U.S.…

For the first time, the FDA has just approved a device that lets people screen for cervical cancer from home. Known as the Teal Wand, from the company Teal Health, the prescription device lets patients self-collect samples and mail them to a lab to receive the same testing as would be done at a doctor’s office.  Teal Health announced a $10 million seed extension round in January, bringing its total funding amount to $23 million, TechCrunch covered at the time. Investors in the round included Serena Ventures, Chelsea Clinton, Emerson Collective, and Forerunner. The device seeks to tap into the…

Fortnite maker Epic Games and Spotify are testing Apple’s new App Store policies by submitting apps for review that would have previously never been allowed. On Friday, both companies submitted new versions of their respective apps to Apple’s App Review. For Epic Games, it would mean the return of Fortnite to the App Store. Apple removed the game in 2020 and terminated Epic’s account after the company challenged the App Store rules by adding support for direct payments in Fortnite, ahead of filing its antitrust lawsuit against Apple. Spotify, meanwhile, hopes to allow its users to buy individual audiobooks directly…

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Remember last week when Aurora met a major milestone — just squeaking by under its own deadline — and launched a driverless self-driving truck service? Welp, this week Aurora made headlines again, but for a surprising change in leadership.  Co-founder Sterling Anderson, who has been chief product officer, is resigning from his position and the board. No real word on what prompted his resignation, beyond some comments he made during the company’s…

The U.S. Department of Labor has dropped its investigation into Scale AI’s compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), according to a source directly familiar with the matter.  The FLSA is a federal law that regulates misclassification of employees as independent contractors and unpaid wages. TechCrunch first reported that Scale was the subject of such an investigation in March.  Upwork and HireArt, two of Scale AI’s HR partners that were also being investigated for FLSA compliance per Inc. magazine, are also no longer being investigated by the DOL, they each confirmed to TechCrunch. Scale AI, which was valued last…

Google I/O, Google’s biggest developer conference of the year, is nearly upon us. Scheduled for May 20 to 21 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, I/O will showcase product announcements from across Google’s portfolio. Expect plenty of news relating to Android, Chrome, Google Search, YouTube, and — of course — Google’s AI-powered chatbot, Gemini. Here’s what to expect. Gemini and AI Image Credits:Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket / Getty Images AI is the tech du jour, and Google, like its rivals, has been investing heavily in it. A shoo-in for I/O is a new addition (or several) to Google’s flagship Gemini family…

Google will pay $1.4 billion to Texas to settle claims the company collected users’ data without permission, the state’s attorney general announced Friday.Attorney General Ken Paxton described the settlement as sending a message to tech companies that he will not allow them to make money off of “selling away our rights and freedoms.”“In Texas, Big Tech is not above the law.” Paxton said in a statement. “For years, Google secretly tracked people’s movements, private searches, and even their voiceprints and facial geometry through their products and services. I fought back and won.”The agreement settles several claims Texas made against the…

While there are dozens of market pundits who make price predictions in the crypto markets day in and day out, it is very rare for a price prediction to turn out to be accurate. However, one Reddit user had made a Bitcoin price prediction back in 2014 that has turned out to be correct. The user, who goes by the username oldie101, had posted on the MarkMyWords sub on Apr. 18, 2014, “Bitcoin will be valued at $100,000 a coin by 2025.” Source: Reddit/MarkMyWords The day the user had written the original post, Bitcoin was valued slightly below $500. Back then,…

The Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged at 4.25% to 4.5% during its latest meeting, with Fed Chair Jerome Powell speaking to emphasize caution and data dependence amid ongoing economic uncertainty. Despite the decision, markets remained flat. Analysts now predict the Fed may consider rate cuts in July or September if the economy weakens further. Trade tensions remain high, with the U.S. locked in an escalating tariff war. However, a key development came when China’s Commerce Ministry confirmed that talks with the U.S. over tariffs will resume. Both economies have been hit by the standoff, and the potential thaw in…