Author: GT

The debate over Bitcoin’s OP_RETURN heats up, as developers of Bitcoin Core – the most popular node software – said they plan to scrap OP_RETURN entirely in the next release. The OP_RETURN limit is an 80-byte cap on the amount of arbitrary data that can be embedded in a Bitcoin transaction using a special, unspendable output field. “Large-data inscriptions are happening regardless and can be done in more or less abusive ways,” said Core contributor and Engineer at Blockstream Greg Sanders, known as ‘instagibbs,’ in a post on Github announcing the removal. “The cap merely channels them into more opaque…

Anduril announced its ninth acquisition on Monday with the purchase of Dublin’s Klas, makers of ruggedized edge computing equipment for the military and first responders. Anduril wouldn’t reveal financial details of the deal, and the purchase is subject to regulatory approval, but the company did say that Klas employs 150 people.  Relatedly, on Monday, Anduril also announced a new product called Menace-T.  We’ll give the company points for the interesting product name, especially for a device that’s really just a bundle of compute/network connectivity, rather than, say, a fantasy-style broadsword. (Compare the name Menace to Lockheed Martin’s C2BMC, the name…

LONDON (AP) — DoorDash, the ubiquitous U.S. food delivery app, has agreed to acquire British rival Deliveroo for 2.9 billion pounds ($3.9 billion) in cash, expanding its business in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. San Francisco-based DoorDash will pay 180 pence ($2.40) for each Deliveroo share, 29% more than the closing price on April 24, the day before the offer was announced, the companies said in a joint statement before the London Stock Exchange opened for trading on Tuesday.The deal is DoorDash’s second major international acquisition in three years as the company expands from its traditional base in the…

Cardano’s ADA and XRP led losses among majors on Tuesday as traders await the outcome of the upcoming Federal Reserve (FOMC) meeting, where rates are expected to stay unchanged but Fed chair Jerome Powell’s comments could provide cues on further market positioning. Bitcoin (BTC) prices held above $94,000 after briefly dipping below that level on Sunday, continuing its recent range-bound behavior. ADA price dropped nearly 4% while XRP slid similarly. Ether (ETH) fell nearly 1%, BNB Chain’s BNB rose 1.3% and memecoin dogecoin (DOGE) was down 2% in the past 24 hours. The broad-based CoinDesk 20 (CD20), a liquid index…

Not so long ago, the idea of public tech companies emerging from Latin America seemed far-fetched, and Mercado Libre once appeared as rare and mythical as a true unicorn. Today, however, the region is home to several startups that have reached billion-dollar valuations. Some of these startups, propelled into the spotlight by cross-border expansion, are now recognized beyond their home countries, with Nubank notably going public in the U.S.  Yet, there is a broader cohort of Latin American scale-ups that deserve attention; many in fintech, but not exclusively. Other important sectors include e-commerce, health tech, logistics, proptech, and SaaS. Some…

Quantum computing has long been announced as “just around the corner,” but several companies are now determined to make this a commercial reality, with the promise of solving complex problems beyond classical computers’ reach. The problems in question are wide-ranging, from medicine and cybersecurity to materials science and chemistry. But first, there are very practical problems to be solved, such as developing chips that can reliably host large numbers of qubits — short for quantum bits, the fundamental unit of information in quantum computing. As usual in a high-stakes tech race with an uncertain time horizon, tech giants such as…

Google will unveil a new version of its Android design language at its upcoming Google I/O developer conference, according to an event schedule posted to its website, as well as an accidentally published Google blog post. The I/O session title hints at significant changes in store for Android’s design system, which will evolve from “Material 3” to “Material Design 3 Expressive.” The leaked blog post indicates that Google’s updated design will focus on creating interfaces that “connect with people on an emotional level.” Design system updates like this influence how app developers build for the platform and customize their experiences…

Recraft, the startup behind a mysterious image model that beat OpenAI’s DALL-E and Midjourney on a respected industry benchmark last year, has raised a $30 million Series B round led by Accel, it exclusively told TechCrunch.  Other investors in the round include Khosla Ventures and Madrona. Based in San Francisco, Recraft previously raised a $12 million Series A led by Khosla in 2024. The San Francisco-based startup says it recently passed $5 million in ARR and 4 million users. The startup caught industry attention when its model, codenamed “red_panda,” topped the Artificial Analysis benchmark last year. This was actually Recraft’s…

With long waiting lists and rising costs in overburdened healthcare systems, many people are turning to AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT for medical self-diagnosis. About one in six American adults already use chatbots for health advice at least monthly, according to one recent survey. But placing too much trust in chatbots’ outputs can be risky, in part because people struggle to know what information to give chatbots for the best possible health recommendations, according to a recent Oxford-led study. “The study revealed a two-way communication breakdown,” Adam Mahdi, director of graduate studies at the Oxford Internet Institute and a co-author of…

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday released new documentation detailing its new “Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees.” The rule, set to take effect on May 12, prohibits hidden fees for live events, hotels, and short-term rentals. It also bans practices such as “bait-and-switch pricing” and any actions that conceal or misrepresent total prices and fees. In a newly published FAQ, the FTC offers a guide for these types of businesses, providing detailed information about pricing transparency. The rule will impact businesses, including live event ticket sellers and short-term lodging providers, like hotels, motels, Airbnb, or VRBO. Third-party platforms,…