Perplexity is reportedly looking to fundraise at an $8B valuation

AI search engine Perplexity is in fundraising talks and hopes to raise around $500 million at an $8 billion valuation, according to the Wall Street Journal. If a deal happens with those terms, it would more than double Perplexity’s valuation from its $3 billion valuation when it…Read More

Lyft is working on a ‘service animal opt-in feature’ for passengers

Uber and Lyft need to do more to support disabled passengers, especially those who are blind or visually impaired, according to protesters who gathered outside the companies’ headquarters on October 15. Wired spoke to protesters who shared stories about drivers passing them by or…Read More

Gusto’s head of technology says hiring an army of specialists is the wrong approach to AI

As founders plan for an increasingly AI-centric future, Gusto co-founder and head of technology Edward Kim said that cutting existing teams and hiring a bunch of specially trained AI engineers is “the wrong way to go.” Instead, he argued that non-technical t…Read More

Investments in generative AI startups topped $3.9B in Q3 2024

Not everyone is convinced of generative AI’s return on investment. But many investors are, judging by the latest figures from funding tracker PitchBook. In Q3 2024, VCs invested $3.9 billion in generative AI startups across 206 deals, per PitchBook. (That’s not counting OpenAI‘s $6.6…Read More

Amazon indicates employees can quit if they don’t like its return-to-office mandate

AWS CEO Matt Garman has harsh words for remote workers: return to the office or quit. The Amazon executive recently told employees who don’t like the new five-day in-person work policy that, “there are other companies around,” presumably companies they can work f…Read More

General Catalyst reportedly to back Saudi Arabian startup

Despite Saudi Arabia’s record of human rights abuses, some investors are warming up to investing in the country’s startups. General Catalyst is planning to invest in a Saudi Arabia-based fintech startup, Lean Technology, the firm’s first investment in the Middle Eastern nation, the Infor…Read More

Microsoft said it lost weeks of security logs for its customers’ cloud products

Missing logs could make it more difficult to identify unauthorized access to the customers’ networks during that two-week window.
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Apple Music’s latest feature lets artists create dedicated playlists for concerts and tours

Apple Music introduced a new feature for artists on Thursday to enable them to create playlists tied to their recent concert set lists.  Dubbed “Set List,” the feature acts as a new promotional tool for musicians to engage with their fans. It allows artis…Read More

Can AI make us feel less alone? The founder of Manifest thinks so

Amy Wu, founder of the AI-based mental health app Manifest, has a bold prediction for the next wave of tech. “Separately from the AI trend, I think so many people are seeing this loneliness epidemic that’s happening with Gen Z,” she said. “There is no doubt in my mind that there w…Read More

Cyera acquires Trail Security for $162M; Cyera is now raising at a $3B valuation

Cyera, the Israel-founded, U.S.-based cybersecurity unicorn that uses artificial intelligence to build what’s known as data security posture management — a full assessment and picture of where a customers’ data has been created, where it is stored, and how it is us…Read More

Zepto eyes $100M from Indian offices in third funding in 6 months

Zepto is in advanced stages of talks to raise $100 million in new investment, its third in the last six months, as the leading Indian quick commerce startup looks to rope in more domestic investors, sources familiar with the talks told TechCrunch. The Mumbai-headquartered startup,…Read More

Meta lays off employees across multiple teams

Multiple teams at Meta were hit by layoffs on Wednesday, the company confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch, noting these changes were made to reallocate resources within the company.  “Today, a few teams at Meta are making changes to ensure resources are aligned with their long-term strategic goals…Read More

Meta lays off employees across multiple teams

Multiple teams at Meta were hit by layoffs on Wednesday, the company confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch, noting these changes were made to reallocate resources within the company. The layoffs appear to have hit employees working on Threads, recruiting, legal operations, and design, among other…Read More

SpaceX sues California agency, alleging political bias against Musk and regulatory overreach

SpaceX has filed a lawsuit against a California agency this week after the body rejected a proposal to increase the company’s launches from the state’s coastline to 50 per year.  The California Coastal Commission (CCC) made its decision at an October 10 m…Read More

Apple debuts new business tools for managing presence across email, calls and Tap to Pay

Apple on Wednesday announced an expanded series of tools that will allow businesses to increase their visibility on Apple’s platforms via its free service, Apple Business Connect. Launched last year, the online portal lets businesses manage their presence…Read More