Technology
- BusinessTechCrunch
EQT snaps up API and identity management software company WSO2 for more than $600M
WSO2, a company that provides API management and identity and access management (IAM) services for enterprises, has been acquired by Swedish investment giant EQT. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but TechCrunch has learned via sources that the deal values WSO2 at "more than" $600 million, with EQT attaining a "significant majority" stake for the price. WSO2's products include an open-source API manager, comparable to something like Google's Apigee, which businesses use for building and in
3 min read - BusinessTechCrunch
Climate tech investment roars back with an $8.1B start to 2024
Climate tech startups raised $8.1 billion in the first quarter, near record amounts of money that suggest 2023’s quite close might have been little more than a blip than the sign of a protracted downturn. The figure, contained in a new report from PitchBook, shows that climate tech hasn’t succumbed to the same slowdown that has dragged on the rest of the venture community. A deeper look into the $8.1 billion raised in the first quarter shows that investors focused their attention on materials,
5 min read - BusinessTechCrunch
Allozymes puts its accelerated enzymatics to work on a data and AI play, raising $15M
Allozymes' ingenious method of quickly testing millions of bio-based chemical reactions is proving to be not just a useful service, but the basis of a unique and valuable dataset. The company just raised a $15 million series A to grow its business from a helpful service to a world-class resource. The company has grown to 32 people in the U.S., Europe and Singapore, and has 15 times the lab space, which it has used to accelerate its already exponentially faster enzyme-screening technique.
6 min read - BusinessTechCrunch
Cloud revenue accelerates 21% to $76 billion for the latest earnings cycle
If you were concerned about slowing cloud infrastructure growth for a time in 2023, you can finally relax: The cloud was back with a vengeance this quarter. The market as a whole was up a healthy $13.5 billion to $76 billion, up 21% of the first quarter in 2024, per Synergy Research. If you’re wondering what’s driving the growth, you probably guessed that it's related to generative AI and the copious amount of data required to build the underlying models.
3 min read - BusinessWashington Post
Tesla retreat from EV charging leaves growth of U.S. network in doubt
Tesla’s abrupt decision to lay off its electric-vehicle charging team and reduce its investments in public charging is a blow to the U.S. network, which has long relied on Elon Musk to build the bulk of the country’s fast chargers. The sudden layoffs this week left Tesla construction vendors uncertain whether to carry on with the charging projects they were building, though one vendor said the company has since confirmed that existing projects should continue.Subscribe to The Post Most newslette
6 min read - TechnologyEngadget
Rabbit R1 review: A $199 AI toy that fails at almost everything
The Rabbit R1 is a cute AI gadget, but at launch it’s riddled with issues and terrible battery life. When phones can handle similar AI tasks, the R1 doesn’t do enough to justify its existence.
8 min read - WorldAssociated Press
An AI-controlled fighter jet took the Air Force leader for a historic ride. What that means for war
AI marks one of the biggest advances in military aviation since the introduction of stealth in the early 1990s, and the Air Force has aggressively leaned in. It was fitting that the dogfight took place at Edwards Air Force Base, a vast desert facility where Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound and the military has incubated its most secret aerospace advances. Inside classified simulators and buildings with layers of shielding against surveillance, a new test-pilot generation is training AI ag
4 min read - BusinessTechCrunch
TechCrunch Minute: Spotify’s move to paywall lyrics is putting pressure on free users
Spotify's slow movement to put lyrics behind its paid service wall in its music service are about as popular as you would expect. Precise details of the update are evolving but what we can say at this point is that it seems that Spotify has a new feature up its sleeve to try and get free users to convert to is paid service. Sure, it's a little weird that Spotify is going to start putting information that is freely available online behind a paid wall, but the company is in a slightly difficult
2 min read - BusinessTechCrunch
UnitedHealth data breach should be a wake-up call for the UK and NHS
The ransomware attack that has engulfed U.S. health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group and its tech subsidiary Change Healthcare is a data privacy nightmare for millions of U.S. patients, with CEO Andrew Witty confirming this week that it may impact as much as one-third of the country. As one of the largest health care companies in the U.S., UnitedHealth is well known domestically, intersecting with every facet of the healthcare industry from insurance and billing and winding all the way throug
6 min read - ScienceTechCrunch
NASA is expanding its Wallops Island facility to support three times as many launches
NASA is kicking off a formal environmental assessment of its facilities on Wallops Island, Virginia, to increase the number of authorized rocket launches at the site by almost 200%, according to slides and recordings of an April 29 internal meeting viewed by TechCrunch. Wallops expansion has likely been on the minds of NASA officials for some time.
4 min read - BusinessTechCrunch
How Y Combinator’s founder-matching service helped medical records AI startup Hona land $3M
Y Combinator is renowned in Silicon Valley for a lot of reasons, but there’s one service that has quietly become one of its most powerful: an online founder-matching tool. Recent Y Combinator grad Hona is an example, although its founders' meet-cute story is a bit more exciting than just using that tool.
4 min read - BusinessBloomberg
Microsoft Ties Pay for Top Bosses to Meeting Cybersecurity Goals
(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. announced new anti-hacking initiatives, including basing a portion of senior leaders’ compensation on meeting cybersecurity milestones, following harsh criticism of the company for failing to contain several serious attacks.Microsoft said it’s also prioritizing security over new feature development and adding cybersecurity chiefs to its product groups. Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella was scheduled to send a companywide email Friday outlining the new measures
3 min read - BusinessGizmodo
A ChatGPT Outage May Have Briefly Broken the Rabbit R1
Rabbit CEO Jesse Lyu defended the Rabbit R1 for the last week, telling Gizmodo and other outlets that it’s “not an Android app.” Now, he may have to defend the next fatal claim for an AI device: that it’s not just a ChatGPT wrapper. The push-to-talk feature on Rabbit R1s experienced a brief outage on Thursday night, which appears to be caused by an OpenAI API outage that occurred at the same time, first spotted by The Verge.
3 min read - BusinessAssociated Press
Google, Justice Department make final arguments about whether search engine is a monopoly
Google's preeminence as an internet search engine is an illegal monopoly propped up by more than $20 billion spent each year by the tech giant to lock out competition, Justice Department lawyers argued at the closings of a high-stakes antitrust lawsuit. Google, on the other hand, maintains that its ubiquity flows from its excellence, and its ability to deliver results customers are looking for. The U.S. government, a coalition of states and Google all made their closing arguments Friday in the
4 min read - LifestylePopular Mechanics
An Unbelievable Relic From the Roman Empire Is Baffling Archaeologists
What could they have possibly used it for?
3 min read - BusinessTechCrunch
Inside TC's Techstars investigation and how AI is accelerating disability tech
The downturn in venture capital funding has impacted startups, VC firms, and accelerators alike. One company in the final category, Techstars, has been shaking up its operations for some time now, leading to a number of departures.
1 min read - BusinessYahoo Finance
Apple stock pops 6% after results top estimates, company reveals $110 billion buyback
Apple stock popped after the iPhone maker reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings and boosted its dividend and share repurchase plans.
3 min read - BusinessBloomberg
Apple Rallies Most in 18 Months on Upbeat Forecast, Buyback
(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. shares jumped the most in almost a year-and-a-half after the company posted stronger-than-expected sales last quarter and predicted a return to growth in the current period, sparking optimism that a slowdown is easing.Most Read from BloombergSaudi Arabia Steps Up Arrests Of Those Attacking Israel OnlineApple Rallies Most in 18 Months on Upbeat Forecast, BuybackEverything Apple Plans to Show at May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad EventTrump Auditions VP Picks Before Wealthy Donors in
6 min read - BusinessGizmodo
Here’s What to Expect from Apple’s May 7 iPad Event: New Pros, Bigger Airs, Maybe New Chips
Good news, everyone. Apple made money, or more specifically it made most of its cash this quarter with services like its Apple Savings Account. Its hardware, on the other hand, has been a fair bit more diluted, leading to an overall 4% decline year-over-year. Worst of the bunch was the iPad, which made more than $1 billion less than the same time last year. Whelp, I guess it’s time for an upgrade, and Apple just so happens to have the remedy right around the corner with its Let Loose event on Ma
5 min read - BusinessYahoo Finance
Stock market today: Dow leads broader rally after soft jobs report, Apple earnings triumph
Surprisingly upbeat Apple earnings were boosting spirits in the wait for the monthly jobs report.
1 min read - BusinessEngadget
Google says Epic’s Play Store demands are too much and too self-serving
Google has filed an injunction telling the court that it will not give Epic what it wants without a fight, because the company's asks "stray far beyond the trial record."
3 min read - BusinessYahoo Finance
Amazon Web Services CEO: We're on track to hit $100 billion in sales in 2024
Amazon is headed down a path to hit a key sales milestone in 2024.
3 min read - LifestyleGizmodo
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 Review: Everything You Need but the Kitchen Sink
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 comes close to having practically everything you could want or need in a gaming laptop, almost to the point of excess. There may not be many folks out there who demand numpad controls on a mobile device. Why? Because why not? The only thing it’s missing is an SD card slot. Knowing just how many things have been shoved into this beast of a laptop, I’m honestly surprised by its absence.
11 min read - SciencePopular Mechanics
A Remarkable New Thruster Could Achieve Escape Velocity—and Interplanetary Travel
Scientists are on the brink of a propulsion breakthrough.
3 min read - BusinessBloomberg
Everything Apple Plans to Show at May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad Event
(Bloomberg) -- It’s been more than 18 months since Apple Inc. last updated its iPad line, marking the longest gap in new models since Steve Jobs first unveiled the product in 2010. The drought finally ends on May 7.Most Read from BloombergSaudi Arabia Steps Up Arrests Of Those Attacking Israel OnlineApple Rallies Most in 18 Months on Upbeat Forecast, BuybackEverything Apple Plans to Show at May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad EventTrump Auditions VP Picks Before Wealthy Donors in Palm BeachTurkey Confirms Al
4 min read - BusinessBloomberg
JPMorgan Unveils IndexGPT in Next Wall Street Bid to Tap AI Boom
(Bloomberg) -- A year after a wave of speculation broke out over its application to trademark the word “IndexGPT” in connection to an unspecified artificial intelligence-powered tool, JPMorgan Chase & Co. is finally unveiling the product that will bear the name.Most Read from BloombergSaudi Arabia Steps Up Arrests Of Those Attacking Israel OnlineApple Rallies Most in 18 Months on Upbeat Forecast, BuybackEverything Apple Plans to Show at May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad EventTrump Auditions VP Picks Before
4 min read - TechnologyEngadget
Engadget Podcast: Kill the Rabbit (R1)
The Rabbit R1 is finally here, and it's yet another useless AI gadget.
1 min read - BusinessBloomberg
Apple’s Surprise iPhone China Growth Leaves Lingering Questions
(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. surprised investors with a decent beat on quarterly revenue from China, countering months of data that showed a quickening decline in iPhone sales.Most Read from BloombergSaudi Arabia Steps Up Arrests Of Those Attacking Israel OnlineApple Rallies Most in 18 Months on Upbeat Forecast, BuybackEverything Apple Plans to Show at May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad EventTrump Auditions VP Picks Before Wealthy Donors in Palm BeachTurkey Confirms All Trade Halt With Israel Over War in GazaC
3 min read - BusinessBloomberg
South Korea’s Biggest Internet Firm Considers Future in Japanese Messaging App
(Bloomberg) -- Naver Corp., South Korea’s biggest internet company, is reviewing options for its holding in the operator of Japan’s most popular messaging app following pressure from Tokyo.Most Read from BloombergSaudi Arabia Steps Up Arrests Of Those Attacking Israel OnlineApple Rallies Most in 18 Months on Upbeat Forecast, BuybackEverything Apple Plans to Show at May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad EventTrump Auditions VP Picks Before Wealthy Donors in Palm BeachTurkey Confirms All Trade Halt With Israel O
2 min read - BusinessBloomberg
SVB Financial to Sell Venture Capital Business to Pinegrove
(Bloomberg) -- SVB Financial Group, the former parent company of Silicon Valley Bank, said it reached a deal to sell its venture capital unit to a newly created affiliate of Pinegrove Capital Partners. Most Read from BloombergSaudi Arabia Steps Up Arrests Of Those Attacking Israel OnlineApple Rallies Most in 18 Months on Upbeat Forecast, BuybackEverything Apple Plans to Show at May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad EventTrump Auditions VP Picks Before Wealthy Donors in Palm BeachTurkey Confirms All Trade Halt
1 min read - TechnologyEngadget
X is changing how the block button works
X is changing how blocks work on its platform, though it’s (for now) stopping short of Elon Musk’s wish of nuking the feature entirely.
2 min read - BusinessWashington Post
Apple is behind in AI and killed its self-driving car project. What’s next?
SAN FRANCISCO - Lines used to stretch around the block at Apple’s flagship Union Square retail store and others around the world, with hordes of eager customers camping out for days, just to be among the first to lay hands on its newest products. A decade ago, the Apple hype was seemingly unstoppable as the company unveiled a steady stream of must-have gadgets. Today, however, Apple - long thought of as the world’s most innovative and valuable company - is at a crossroads.Subscribe to The Post M
9 min read - BusinessYahoo Finance
Apple CEO Tim Cook boasts of future AI plans after earnings beat
Apple CEO Tim Cook boasted about the company's upcoming generative AI plans during the iPhone maker's Q2 earnings call.
2 min read - USAssociated Press
Middle school focuses on recovery as authorities investigate shooting of armed student
Wisconsin authorities on Thursday promised a thorough investigation of the fatal police shooting of a student who they say was armed outside a middle school, as families in the community gathered to comfort one another. Authorities did not release additional details on the inquiry being led by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and have not released the name of the student. "When faced with a deadly threat, they responded with deadly force," Mount Horeb Police Chief Doug Vierck wrote in a Fac
2 min read - BusinessPopular Mechanics
Tackle Heavy-Duty Home Renos With Nearly 60% Off This DeWalt 20V Max Oscillating Tool
Renovating this summer? An oscillating tool is the ideal solution for cutting, sanding, and grinding in one handy power tool.
2 min read - TechnologyPopular Mechanics
Become an Amateur Ornithologist in Your Own Backyard With These Smart Bird Feeders
Upgrade your bird watching from a pair of binoculars to an HD camera. Fill your yard with happy birds and let one of these smart bird feeders film and identify them so you don’t miss a beat.
10 min read - TechnologyTechCrunch
Microsoft bans US police departments from using enterprise AI tool for facial recognition
Microsoft has reaffirmed its ban on U.S. police departments from using generative AI for facial recognition through Azure OpenAI Service, the company's fully managed, enterprise-focused wrapper around OpenAI tech. Language added Wednesday to the terms of service for Azure OpenAI Service more clearly prohibits integrations with Azure OpenAI Service from being used "by or for" police departments for facial recognition in the U.S., including integrations with OpenAI's current -- and possibly futur
2 min read - BusinessAssociated Press
Apple's quarterly iPhone sales plunge 10%, but stock price surges on dividend, stock buyback news
Apple on Thursday disclosed its steepest quarterly decline in iPhone sales since the pandemic’s outset, deepening a slump that’s increasing the pressure on the trendsetting company to spruce up its products with more artificial intelligence. The 10% drop in year-over-year iPhone sales for the January-March period is latest sign of weakness in a product that generates most of Apple’s revenue. It marked the biggest drop in iPhone sales since July-September period in 2020, when production bottlen
4 min read - BusinessTechCrunch
Apple earnings see 10% iPhone sales drop, massive buyback fuels stock jump
Apple on Thursday reported a 10% drop in iPhone sales for the second fiscal quarter, dropping from $51.33 billion to $45.96 billion, year-over-year. Apple’s slow adoption of AI versus competitors like Google and Microsoft likely played a role in consumers’ decision to hold off on purchasing a new iPhone. Apple has promised some big announcements on that front (likely at WWDC in June), but the iPhone 16 itself likely won’t arrive until fall.
3 min read - BusinessEngadget
Microsoft’s latest Windows security updates might break your VPN
Microsoft says the April security updates for Windows may break your VPN. Oops!
1 min read - USBloomberg
Huawei Secretly Backs US Research, Awarding Millions in Prizes
(Bloomberg) -- Huawei Technologies Co., the Chinese telecommunications giant blacklisted by the US, is secretly funding cutting-edge research at American universities including Harvard through an independent Washington-based foundation.Most Read from BloombergSaudi Arabia Steps Up Arrests Of Those Attacking Israel OnlineApple Rallies Most in 18 Months on Upbeat Forecast, BuybackEverything Apple Plans to Show at May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad EventTrump Auditions VP Picks Before Wealthy Donors in Palm Be
8 min read - BusinessBloomberg
TikTok Fights to Keep China Platform Out of US Addiction Suits
(Bloomberg) -- Lawyers spearheading hundreds of lawsuits accusing social media platforms of addicting youths say the protections that TikTok’s platform in China offers for children show that the popular video-sharing app could operate more responsibly in the US.Most Read from BloombergSaudi Arabia Steps Up Arrests Of Those Attacking Israel OnlineApple Rallies Most in 18 Months on Upbeat Forecast, BuybackEverything Apple Plans to Show at May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad EventTrump Auditions VP Picks Before
3 min read - BusinessBloomberg
Google Faces Off With US Government as Search Antitrust Trial Closes
(Bloomberg) -- The US Department of Justice reiterated its argument that Google has broken antitrust laws through exclusive, multi-billion-dollar deals to maintain a dominant position in the market for online search and related advertising. Most Read from BloombergSaudi Arabia Steps Up Arrests Of Those Attacking Israel OnlineApple Rallies Most in 18 Months on Upbeat Forecast, BuybackEverything Apple Plans to Show at May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad EventTrump Auditions VP Picks Before Wealthy Donors in Pa
6 min read - BusinessTechCrunch
Hubble Network makes Bluetooth connection with a satellite for the first time
Hubble Network has become the first company in history to establish a Bluetooth connection directly to a satellite — a critical technology validation for the company, potentially opening the door to connecting millions more devices anywhere in the world. The Seattle-based startup launched its first two satellites to orbit on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 rideshare mission in March; since that time, the company confirmed that it has received signals from the onboard 3.5mm Bluetooth chips from over 600
3 min read - BusinessEngadget
Audible is testing a cheaper plan in Australia
Audible is testing a cheaper subscription tier in Australia that sounds like an answer to Spotify’s audiobook push. The service’s new Standard plan gives you one free title per month, but your credits don’t roll over.
2 min read - BusinessTechCrunch
Rivian wins $827M incentive package to expand Illinois factory for R2 production
Rivian is getting $827 million in incentives from the state of Illinois to support building its next-generation electric vehicle, known as the R2. The company announced Thursday that the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will dole out the funds, which will be used to expand the automaker's existing factory in Normal, Illinois, to build out supporting infrastructure and boost job training programs for its workforce. The funding announcement comes just two months after Riv
2 min read - BusinessEngadget
Huawei has been secretly funding research in America after being blacklisted
Huawei has been secretly funding research in America after being blacklisted. The company has been funneling money through a Washington-based foundation and a research competition at universities.
3 min read - WorldTechCrunch
EU plan to force messaging apps to scan for CSAM risks millions of false positives, experts warn
A controversial push by European Union lawmakers to legally require messaging platforms to scan citizens' private communications for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) could lead to millions of false positives per day, hundreds of security and privacy experts warned in an open letter Thursday. Concern over the EU proposal has been building since the Commission proposed the CSAM-scanning plan two years ago -- with independent experts, lawmakers across the European Parliament and even the bloc's
8 min read - BusinessBloomberg
Apple’s Earnings Come With a Low Bar and Big Buyback Hopes
(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. is facing something unusual as it gears up to report its second-quarter results after the close: low expectations.Most Read from BloombergSaudi Arabia Steps Up Arrests Of Those Attacking Israel OnlineApple Rallies Most in 18 Months on Upbeat Forecast, BuybackEverything Apple Plans to Show at May 7 ‘Let Loose’ iPad EventTrump Auditions VP Picks Before Wealthy Donors in Palm BeachTurkey Confirms All Trade Halt With Israel Over War in GazaIts reputation as a haven that can
6 min read - BusinessTechCrunch
Your AI-native startup ain't the same as a typical SaaS company
AI startups face a different set of challenges from your typical SaaS company. Seseri made it clear that just because you connect to some AI APIs doesn’t make you an AI company. “And by AI-native I don't mean you're slapping a shiny wrapper with some call to OpenAI or Anthropic with a user interface that’s human-like and you're an AI company,” Seseri said.
4 min read
