Juni Learning wants to give every kid access to a quality education in computer programming. The company, part of YCombinator’s latest batch of startups, is taking the same approach that turned VIPKID into the largest Chinese employer in the U.S. and a runaway hit in the edtech market, by matching students with vetted and pre-qualified online tutors. While VIPKID focused on teaching… Read More
January 2018
Paper Plants Spring @scrinkl’s Remix of Our Logo to Life We’re… via #Instagram Blog
Paper Plants Spring @scrinkl’s Remix of Our Logo to Life We’re inspired by the ways community members make Instagram’s look come to life. Follow along on #myinstagramlogo and add your own ideas. “I like to work with paper texture and layers,” says Margaret Scrinkl (@scrinkl) of her #myinstagramlogo. “Paper plants give me a sense of spring in the artworks.”
Former employees say Lyft staffers spied on passengers via @TechCrunch
Similar to Uber’s “God View” scandal, Lyft staffers have been abusing customer insight software to view the personal contact info and ride history of the startup’s passengers. One source that formerly worked with Lyft tells TechCrunch that widespread access to the company’s backend let staffers “see pretty much everything including feedback, and yes, pick up… Read More
Tesla responds to fresh reports of Model 3 production issues via @TechCrunch
Tesla’s Model 3 EV delays are well-known, including in the company’s own earnings report and quarterly delivery numbers. A fresh report from CNBC on Thursday claimed that Model 3 production was even more delayed than it appeared, with specific continued issues around battery manufacturing. CNBC also suggested that the company is “not close” to mass-production of the… Read More
Amazon adds single sign on for Fire TV via @TechCrunch
Signing on to all of your favorite networks’ apps on Amazon TV just got a little easier. The company, which had teased single sign on for Fire TV in September, is now bringing the service to network apps in the U.S. Users just need to sign in with their pay TV provider credentials and they can access all the networks they need without entering additional passwords. The service works with… Read More
Benchmark’s lawsuit against former Uber CEO Kalanick dismissed via @TechCrunch
It’s over. Benchmark’s lawsuit against former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has now been dropped, ending one of the biggest VC-founder disputes in history. It was dismissed as a condition of the SoftBank investment in Uber getting done. The deal was completed earlier this month, giving both Benchmark and Kalanick an opportunity to sell a significant Uber stake. The venture firm and… Read More
Airbnb brings on American Express CEO to board of directors via @TechCrunch
Airbnb has appointed Kenneth I. Chenault, the outgoing CEO of American Express, to its board of directors. The announcement comes one week after Facebook appointed Chenault to its board of directors. “As the CEO of American Express, Ken has built one of the most successful trust-based companies in the world,” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky wrote in an open letter today. Read More
If You Multitask During Meetings, Your Team Will, Too
Nick Vedros/Getty Images Managers have hard jobs. They coordinate the work of their teams, align this work with company goals, serve as a primary source of professional development for their employees, deliver results, and many other critical tasks (all while keeping people engaged). We’ve previously written about what great managers do differently, but even great […]
Microsoft drops the price of its standard support for Azure to $100 per month via @TechCrunch
If you are a Microsoft Azure customer and want to get 24/7 access to technical and billing support for your company, as well as a response time of less than an hour for your critical issues, but you don’t want to pay $300 per month for this, today is your lucky day. Microsoft today announced that it’s dropping the price of Azure Standard Support from $300 per month to $100 per… Read More
PUBG takes the Chicken Dinner with 4 million players on Xbox alone via @TechCrunch
People like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, the game where you basically re-enact a version of Battle Royale with you as one of the contestants in the human survival game. It had huge success in alpha prior to its full launch on PC, and now we know that console gamers also love the heck out of it – despite reports of buggy experiences with the Xbox One version. Bugs aside, Xbox… Read More
SEC warns against public companies adding blockchain to their name via @TechCrunch
Everyone knows that both Main Street and Wall Street investors are going gangbusters for cryptocurrency and blockchain-related technology. But here’s the thing. It’s currently nearly impossible to invest directly in cryptocurrency or in legitimate cryptocurrency companies if you want to limit your investments to SEC-sanctioned ETFs or stocks that are listed on NASDAQ or NYSE. So… Read More
Google expands controls to let you mute those annoying ads that follow you on every site via @TechCrunch
At first, it may seem an odd move. Google makes money on its ads business, and giving advertisers free rein to stalk you on every site seems really good for companies hoping to remind you of that thing you checked out one time. But the search giant wrote in a blog post out today that it wants to give you, the consumer, more transparency and control. Read More
The battle for consumers gets physical (instead of virtual) via @TechCrunch
The world’s largest taxi firm, Uber, is buying cars. The world’s most popular media company, Facebook, now commissions content. The world’s most valuable retailer is now Amazon, and has more than 350 stores. And the world’s largest hospitality provider, Airbnb, increasingly owns real estate. Things change. Read More
Dorm Room Fund has built a CRM for founders raising a seed round via @TechCrunch
First Round Capital’s Dorm Room Fund just released VCWiz, a tool to help founders find investors and raise money from them. The platform is one part VC directory and one part CRM tool, essentially letting you find the best investors for your startup then begin the process of reaching out to them. New users input some basic information about their startup including a description, industry… Read More
Google Play hit record 19 billion+ downloads in Q4 2017, its highest quarter ever via @TechCrunch
Smartphone adoption in emerging markets just delivered the highest number of app downloads Google Play has ever seen in a quarter. According to today’s report from App Annie, Google Play app downloads topped 19 billion in Q4 2017, a new record. That also makes Google Play’s download lead over iOS its largest ever, at 145 percent. Specifically, the downloads were driven by… Read More
Apple could be redesigning the iBooks app via @TechCrunch
As AppleInsider first spotted, the first beta of iOS 11.3 includes a subtle change. iBooks is now called Books. And Mark Gurman thinks it could be the sign that there will be bigger changes with Apple’s ebook reading app. According to Bloomberg, Apple is working on a new design for the iBooks app on the iPhone and iPad. It will feature a simpler interface with a new section called… Read More
Are You Setting Your Data Scientists Up to Fail?
Aron Vellekoop Len/Getty Images Getting as much as they can from analytics is critical for companies seeking to monetize their data, become data-driven, and put their data to work. Yet most find this difficult. Indeed, the failure rate of analytics projects remains distressingly high. A key reason for this is that senior managers fail to […]
Adrian Ionel returns to CEO role at Mirantis as the company continues to expand beyond OpenStack via @TechCrunch
Mirantis co-founder Adrian Ionel left his CEO role in October 2015, at a time when the company was still solely focused on OpenStack. Now, he is coming back to reprise his role as the company’s CEO at a time when Mirantis is looking beyond OpenStack and toward the still nascent cloud native ecosystem around Kubernetes for its next big business opportunity. Mirantis’ current CEO… Read More
Ford acquires Autonomic and TransLoc as it evolves its mobility business via @TechCrunch
Ford is acquiring Autonomic and TransLoc, two of its partners, in deals that will help its new mobility business take shape. The acquisitions follow Ford’s announcement at CES earlier this month that it would be working with Silicon Valley-based Autonomic, a transportation architecture and technology provider, on its forthcoming Transportation Mobility Cloud open platform for cities… Read More
Sotheby’s acquires Thread Genius to build its image recognition and recommendation tech via @TechCrunch
Every company today is a tech company, a maxim that was proven out today when one of the world’s oldest and biggest art auction houses acquired an AI startup. Sotheby’s has bought Thread Genius, which has built a set of algorithms that can both instantly identify objects and then recommend images of similar objects to the viewer. You can see some examples of how it works… Read More
Uber’s wrongs show we need better workers’ rights, says UK PM via @TechCrunch
A backhanded compliment for Uber snuck into UK prime minister Theresa May’s speech to the World Economy Forum in Davos this afternoon — when she said the company’s behavior had made the case for laws being strengthened to stop gig economy workers from being exploited by overly powerful tech platforms. Read More
Apple grows fleet of self-driving test cars to 27 via @TechCrunch
Apple has expanded its autonomous vehicle test fleet, according to Bloomberg, jumping from just three cars registered with the California DMV last year, to 27 vehicles in total now. The fleet consists entirely of Lexus RX450h SUVs, a popular choice for anyone working on autonomous car tech because they can be fairly easily retrofitted with aftermarket sensors to complement those on board and… Read More
CNN shuts down Casey Neistat’s Beme, but some of its digital news tech will live on via @TechCrunch
CNN’s attempt at expanding its digital news business by bringing in a top YouTube creator has failed. According to a confirmed report from BuzzFeed, CNN is closing down YouTube star Casey Neistat’s video business, Beme, which it bought for a reported $25 million back in 2016. In addition, the YouTuber and his co-founder, Matt Hackett, are also leaving the company. Neistat spoke… Read More
Robinhood adds zero-fee cryptocurrency trading and tracking via @TechCrunch
No-commission stock trading app Robinhood will let you buy and sell Bitcoin and Ethereum without any added transaction fees starting in February, compared to Coinbase’s 1.5 to 4 percent fees in the US. And as of today Robinhood will let all users track the price, news, and set up alerts on those and 14 other top crypto coins, including Litecoin and Ripple. “We’re planning… Read More
Gfycat picks up movie-marketing app MovieLala via @TechCrunch
Gfycat, a player on the smaller side of the consumer-facing explosion of GIFs, has generally spent a lot of time trying to build out a suite of creator tools — and now it looks like it’ll get another piece to add to that with a small acquisition today. The startup said it’s acquiring MovieLala in a deal where the terms were not disclosed. MovieLala was originally birthed as… Read More
How to Never Run Out of Content Ideas Again
Nothing’s more frustrating than staring at a blank document without a clue what to write. As the seconds turn to minutes, the blank page taunts…
Why We Modeled Our Hiring Process on the NFL and NASA
hank walker/life/Getty Images What’s the best way to assess elite talent—those people you expect to play a critical role in your organization’s success? Most management experts would say in-depth interviews, reference-checking and work sample reviews. Some forward-thinking companies might even use “auditions.” But at Citadel and Citadel Securities, we’ve decided to go a step further. […]
How to Get Employees to Stop Worrying and Love AI
tyler garrison/Getty Images David Maister was angry. He had been surprised and annoyed to learn that his company had set up a new AI-based marketing system that was doing most of what he thought was his job as digital marketing manager at Global Consumer Brands: deciding what ads to place where, for which customer segments, […]
YouTube Gaming grew its streamer base by 343% in 2017, Twitch by 197% via @TechCrunch
YouTube Gaming, Google’s rival to game-streaming site Twitch, is starting to pick up traction. According to a new report from Streamlabs, Twitch continues to dominate the live streaming space, but YouTube grew its monthly active streamer base by 343 percent over the course of 2017. Twitch, by comparison, grew 197 percent. Streamlabs has visibility into the live streaming market by way of… Read More
Telegram and social media giants spanked in UK PM’s Davos speech via @TechCrunch
Social media giants have once again been singled out for a high profile public spanking over social responsibility and illegal online content in Europe. Read More
CamSoda announces virtual sex with robots which is pretty much where we’re headed anyway via @TechCrunch
CamSoda, a adult web-streaming service, has announced VIRP – Virtual Intercourse with Real People – a service that lets you simulate sex with on-screen participants using RealDoll robots. Yep. The CamSoda [NSFW LINK] service is partnering with the folks at RealDoll to add teledildonics to already fairly realistic sex dolls. The dolls range in price from $1,500 and up and… Read More
Sneaky Pete season 2 will debut on Amazon Prime Video in March via @TechCrunch
Sneaky Pete, the series created by Bryan Cranston and David Shore, is heading into its second season. Amazon today announced that Season 2 of the drama/thriller will debut March 9 on Amazon Prime Video. Sneaky Pete follows the story of Marius, a conman released from prison who decides to steal the identity of his cellmate Pete to avoid paying back a gangster he robbed in the past. Amazon… Read More
Two Sonos One speakers now cost $349 – the same as one Apple HomePod via @TechCrunch
Sonos is offering a special limited deal for its new Sonos One smart speaker, which works with Amazon’s Alexa right now, and is gaining support for Google Assistant in a future update: You can buy two for $349, which is the same price as one of Apple’s HomePod Siri-enabled speakers. This is likely not a coincidence. Individually, the Sonos One retails for $199, so you get a $50… Read More
YouCaring acquires Generosity.com as Indiegogo pulls out of personal causes fundraising via @TechCrunch
Some consolidation is underway in the world of crowdfunding and online fundraising: YouCaring — which competes with GoFundMe and others in the area of sourcing fundraising for compassionate and charitable causes — is buying Generosity.com from crowdfunding giant Indiegogo (which originally launched as Indiegogo Life). The latter is using the divestment to further hone its focus… Read More
Ex-hacker Eric Taylor is working to help manage data centers via @TechCrunch
Ex-hacker Eric Taylor, also known as CosmoTheGod, and another infosec name, Bryant Townsend have colorful pasts. Most recently Taylor stole the social security and personal records of a number of high-ranking Obama administration officials, posting it on a site called exposed.su. Townsend, for his part, was caught up in a denial of service hack that led back to his former DDoS mitigation company. Read More
IBM brings Mendix’s low-code platform to its cloud via @TechCrunch
IBM today announced a partnership with low-code development platform Mendix that will bring Mendix and native integration with many of IBM’s Watson IoT and AI services to the IBM Cloud. This deal is an evolution of a previous partnership that involved what was then called IBM Bluemix (now IBM Cloud). Read More
Square has acquired a 32-year-old restaurant delivery company via @TechCrunch
Square has acquired Entrees On-Trays, a 32-year-old restaurant delivery platform. The plan is to expand the footprint of its on-demand food delivery service, Caviar, in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area. There were a few factors Square took into consideration in its acquisition of Entrees On-Trays, Caviar product lead Gokul Rajaram told TechCrunch via email. For one, the acquisition is designed… Read More
When Burnout Is a Sign You Should Leave Your Job
Hamish Blair/Getty Images You have the right to have work that enriches and enlivens you, rather than diminishing you. This is my own personal declaration of human rights at work. It informs everything I do as a coach, management professor, and human being. Yet it’s surprisingly controversial. Managers and employees in organizations around the world […]
Cozy is building a personal cloud service that respects your privacy via @TechCrunch
Meet Cozy, a French startup that wants to completely rethink how cloud services work. The startup first launched a Dropbox-like competitor to store, synchronize and share all your files. Now, the company wants to go one step further and create an ecosystem of open-source services that respect your privacy. When I met with Cozy co-founder and CEO Benjamin André earlier this week, he was fed… Read More
Brainly acquires Bask to add video to its peer-to-peer learning platform for students via @TechCrunch
Brainly, the edtech startup founded out of Poland but now with a HQ in New York, has acquired Bask to add video to its peer-to-peer learning platform. Read More
Privateer closes $100M round at $600M+ valuation to invest in cannabis startups via @TechCrunch
It’s high times for the marijuana industry, which has been flourishing in recent years as more regions move to decriminalise the use of it for medical and other purposes. Now, Privateer Holdings, one of the big investors in the space, has raised $100 million to back more cannabis startups and capitalise on that trend. This Series C brings the total raised by Privateer to $200 million… Read More
YouTube vs. Vimeo: Which Video Platform is Best for Your Business?
By 2019, video content is predicted to command a hefty 80% of all web traffic. If you haven’t started thinking about how video fits into…
Snowflake lands massive $263 million investment on unicorn valuation via @TechCrunch
Snowflake, the cloud-based data warehouse service, announced an enormous investment round today, pulling in a whopping $263 million on a unicorn valuation of $1.5 billion. The round was led by a trio of big-name Silicon Valley VC firms including existing investors Iconiq Capital and Altimeter Capital and new investor Sequoia Capital. Today’s announcement comes on top of the $100… Read More
YouTube vs. Vimeo: Which Video Platform is Best for Your Business?
By 2019, video content is predicted to command a hefty 80% of all web traffic. If you haven’t started thinking about how video fits into your long-term marketing strategy, now’s the time to start taking it seriously. Before you dive into creating videos, it’s important to figure out where you’re going to host them. YouTube […]
StoreHub lands $5.1M help SMEs in Southeast Asia digitize their business via @TechCrunch
StoreHub, a startup that helps retailers digitize their business, has closed a $5.1 million Series A round led by Vertex Venture to expand in Southeast Asia. The startup was founded in 2014 and it offers point-of-sale technology and digital services to retailers. The idea is to help bring the long tail of less sophisticated physical merchants online to help them digitize their finances and… Read More
Facebook’s least favorite Austrian can now press privacy suit in Vienna via @TechCrunch
A big blow for Facebook today after Europe’s top court delivered a verdict in a long-running legal challenge that opens the door for plaintiff and privacy campaigner, Max Schrems, to sue Facebook in his home city of Vienna. Read More
Xiaomi beats Samsung to top spot in India’s smartphone market via @TechCrunch
Xiaomi couldn’t have wished for better timing of two reports that claim it has toppled Samsung to become India’s top-selling smartphone company. The Chinese firm, which is reportedly on a roadshow ahead of an IPO that could value it as high as $100 billion, is said to have beaten Samsung’s sales efforts in India, the world’s second-largest smartphone market behind… Read More
LG’s mobile business is still making big losses via @TechCrunch
LG’s smartphone business still continues to lose money at an alarming rate. The Korean firm cut its losses in its Q4 2017 financial period to minus RKW 213.2 billion ($192.33 million), up from KRW 375.3 billion ($331.37 million) in the previous quarter, but there’s is no sign that things will drastically change any time soon. LG Mobile has posted just one quarter of profitability… Read More
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Exude Calm as a New Manager
When you take on your first manager role, people will be watching. What you think, what you say, and how you show up can have a direct impact on those you’re leading. It’s important to project calmness, confidence, and competence, even if you feel stressed out. Recognize that a fleeting moment of anger or impatience […]
Tryb Group raises $30M to develop fintech platforms for Southeast Asia via @TechCrunch
Tryb Group, a Singapore-based organization focused on fintech services in Southeast Asia, has landed a $30 million investment from Makara Capital. The investment comes from Makara’s $770 million joint fund with the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), which is focused on finding valuable IP in the tech and startup space. TechCrunch understands that Tryb is talking to a… Read More
Crunch Report | Fiverr acquires And Co via @TechCrunch
Apple is preparing to launch Business Chat, Fiverr acquires And Co and The European Union hits Qualcomm with a $1.23 billion fine. All this on Crunch Report. Read More
Make Yourself Heard
From the Women at Work podcast: Download this podcast Have you ever been in a meeting and shared an idea, only to have it ignored? Then, 10 minutes later, a guy shares the same idea, and your boss says “Great idea!” (Grrr.) Or maybe you’ve been told you apologize too much, don’t speak up enough, […]
Transitioning to Graph API v2.4 via Facebook Developers Blog
We are upgrading users of Graph API v2.3 to v2.4.
Reddit adds 2-factor authentication for all via @TechCrunch
Reddit has finally joined other major web properties in adding two-factor authentication for all users. It’s been available for mods and some testers for a while, but this is the first time the vast multitudes of redditors will have access to it. Read More
9 New LinkedIn Features You May Have Missed Last Year
When you logged into LinkedIn around this time last year, you may have noticed something different. Actually, everything was different, because LinkedIn completely reinvented its desktop…
9 New LinkedIn Features You May Have Missed Last Year
When you logged into LinkedIn around this time last year, you may have noticed something different. Actually, everything was different, because LinkedIn completely redesigned its desktop site. And with new features like native video and smart replies, this update continues to be important heading into 2018. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with […]
European VC firm DN Capital closes new €200M fund to invest at seed and Series A-stage via @TechCrunch
At roughly 17 years old, DN Capital is one of Europe’s oldest venture capital firms, albeit one that, by its own admission, has retained its scrappy roots and a certain kind of reputation to go with it. The VC hasn’t gone without success either, most recently seeing portfolio company Shazam exit to Apple in a reported $400 million deal, apt timing for the announcement of DN… Read More
50 Cent realizes he’s a Bitcoin millionaire thanks to sales of a 2014 album via @TechCrunch
Call him the ultimate hodler. After being one of the first musicians to accept Bitcoin all the way back in 2014, Rapper 50 Cent (a.k.a. Curtis Jackson) appears to have accumulated a small fortune in the volatile digital currency. As TMZ first reported, and the man himself seems to have confirmed, 50 Cent left his Bitcoin sales untouched until rediscovering them some time recently. At the time,… Read More
Stressing aptitude over achievement, Strive Talent pitches a new way to hire via @TechCrunch
While unemployment in the U.S. hit a 17 year low and the stock market keeps humming along, there’s a lingering sense that all is still not well in U.S. labor markets. Most jobs require a college degree these days, a proposition that’s becoming increasingly unaffordable even if it is attainable. Many students who graduate are saddled with so much debt that not even a decent salaried… Read More
Logan Paul returns to YouTube with a video about suicide prevention via @TechCrunch
Logan Paul, the YouTuber who sparked a public backlash three weeks ago after posting a video in Japan’s ‘suicide forest’, has returned to the platform. In his first post back, he published a video focused on suicide and self-harm prevention. Paul first found himself in trouble when, in early January, he posted a video titled “We found a dead body in the Japanese… Read More
Snapchat VP of Product Tom Conrad will disappear from tech via @TechCrunch
One of Snap CEO Evan Spiegel’s top lieutenants Tom Conrad will leave Snapchat, and the whole tech industry, in March. Coming roughly two years after he joined the company as VP of Product, a source tipped off TechCrunch to Conrad’s impending departure, which Snap now confirms to us. Snap’s director of growth Jacob Andreou who reported to Conrad will step into his role at… Read More
U.S. government files charges in $6 million My Big Coin cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme via @TechCrunch
On Wednesday, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) revealed that it has filed a lawsuit against the creators of My Big Coin, an alleged cryptocurrency scam that took naive investors for $6 million. The case, filed on January 16 and unsealed today, charges Randall Crater, Mark Gillespie and My Big Coin Pay, Inc. with commodity fraud and misappropriation of funds raised for a… Read More
Havenly raises $12.5 million for decorating your home via @TechCrunch
When it comes to interior decorating, some people could use a little professional advice. But it’s not cheap, with the average designer charging over $5,000. Havenly, a Denver-based startup, thinks it can change that. Its platform pairs consumers with stylists offering virtual guidance. After gaining early traction since it launched in 2014, the startup is raising a $12.5 million Series… Read More
Why Elon Musk’s Compensation Plan Wouldn’t Work for Most Executives
Mel Svenson/Getty Images Elon Musk’s new pay package has attracted almost as much divided opinion as Elon Musk himself. Advocates have claimed that it is “radical” and “bold,” praise often used to describe Tesla. Others argue that it is a publicity stunt. But, as with most things, the reality is likely in between these extremes. The […]
Alphabet launches new cybersecurity company, Chronicle, out of its X moonshot factory via @TechCrunch
Alphabet, the company you probably still wrongly refer to as “Google,” today announced the launch of Chronicle, new cybersecurity company that aims to give companies a better chance at detecting and fighting off hackers. Chronicle is graduating out of Alphabet’s X moonshot group and is now a stand-alone company under the Alphabet umbrella, just like Google. Stephen Gillett,… Read More
This year’s Google I/O will happen May 8-10 in Mountain View via @TechCrunch
Google loves it a good puzzle. Each year the company tucks the first details about its annual Google I/O conference behind a puzzle or three, and this year is no different. Whereas last year’s riddle was a math-heavy logic puzzle, this year’s setup is more of an escape room. It has the user click their way through a series of rooms found on Google’s Mountain View campus… Read More
SpaceX test fires Falcon Heavy rocket, readies for launch in ‘a week or so’ via @TechCrunch
SpaceX has successfully test fired its Falcon Heavy rocket – but this is just the prelude to the big show. The static test fire performed today is a necessary step prior to an actual test launch, firing up all 27 of the rocket’s big Merlin engines prior to trying to do the same but actually following through with a proper take-off. The test fire, completed at the SpaceX Cape… Read More
Subscription service for Mac apps Setapp has 15,000 subscribers a year after its launch via @TechCrunch
Meet Setapp, the Spotify of Mac apps. If you pay $9.99 per month, you can download and use more than a hundred Mac apps without spending another cent. All those apps are usually paid apps, but Setapp wants to change the model. Setapp was founded by MacPaw, an independent Mac development company based in Ukraine. While they have been developing their own apps for almost ten years,… Read More
Taking DJI’s Mavic Air for a spin via @TechCrunch
Every inch of the Mavic Air is a testament to thoughtful engineering. Before handing off a review unit, a DJI rep takes us through the process of getting up and running. He flips open the smartphone docking arms from the bottom of the remote, revealing two hidden replacement joysticks nestled inside. Read More
What the Creative Job Market Can Tell Us About Content Marketers
Digital Transformation My parents have no idea how to define content marketing. They could tell you what I do on a daily basis (write, edit, brainstorm, crunch data, send infinite emails), but the industry itself is a mystery. Same goes for my friends, who still have to ask what Contently does every time I see […]
Founders Caterina Fake and Jyri Engeström make it official with a new venture fund, Yes VC via @TechCrunch
Caterina Fake and Jyri Engeström have much in common beyond the home and family they share. Each has started — and sold — two companies. Fake famously cofounded the photo sharing site Flickr, which sold to Yahoo, before cofounding Hunch, which sold to eBay. Engeström cofounded Jaiku, a mobile social network that sold to Google, before cofounding Ditto, a mobile local… Read More
How to Tell an Employee They Didn’t Get a Promotion
Jorg Greuel/Getty Images It’s no fun to tell employees that they’ve been passed over for a promotion — especially if you value them and their work. What’s the best way to deliver the bad news? What can you say to make sure they don’t lose interest in their jobs or hold grudges against you or […]
Why Companies and Universities Should Forge Long-Term Collaborations
Aron Vellekoop Len/Getty Images In the last decade, there has been an explosion in the number of research deals between companies and universities. Companies, which have been reducing their spending on early stage research for three decades, have been increasingly turning to universities to perform that role, seeking access to the best scientific and engineering […]
Tigera raises $10M to help enterprises secure their cloud native applications via @TechCrunch
Tigera, a San Francisco-based startup that helps businesses connect and secure their container-based applications, today announced that it has raised an additional $10 million in a funding round led by Madrona Venture Group, with participation from New England Associates (NEA) and Wing Venture Capital. Madrona managing partner Soma Somasegar will join the company’s board of directors.… Read More
Print book sales rose 1.9% in 2017 via @TechCrunch
In what amounts to faint praise for the strength physical book NPD reported that print book sales rose 1.9 percent in 2017, less than the 3 percent growth posted in 2013-2016. NPD tracks book sales in the US. They write: “Returning from the huge sales of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ in 2016, and the rise of adult coloring books, last year’s book sales growth was… Read More
How Facebook’s new way of classifying what you write may speed feature rollouts across the globe via @TechCrunch
The way Facebook processes what the world writes is about to get a bit more cosmopolitan. As Facebook’s scope continues to grow globally, the way it rolls out features has been complicated by the fact that there are more than 100 languages currently supported on the site. When it comes to building text boxes that users can type status updates into, this isn’t that difficult of a… Read More
Windows 10 can now show you all the data it’s sending back to Microsoft via @TechCrunch
Microsoft’s and its partners’ engineers use the telemetry data from Windows 10 to diagnose crashes, learn about its users hardware configurations and more. It’s on by default and while Microsoft tells you that it collects this data and gives you a choice between basic (the default setting) and “full” diagnostics, it never allowed you to actually see exactly what… Read More
Fiverr acquires And Co, maker of software for freelancers via @TechCrunch
It sounds like a natural fit: Fiverr, an online marketplace where businesses can hire freelancers, is acquiring And Co, a New York City startup building online tools that freelancers can use manage their client relationships. What’s surprising is the new price that Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman plans to charge for And Co’s software — absolutely free. Kaufman explained that many… Read More
Watch the robots fight the monsters in the latest Pacific Rim trailer via @TechCrunch
I’m so ready for these huge robots to fight these huge monsters. I’m ready for John Boyega to pilot his mech to victory over the interdimensional invaders. I’m ready for bright colors, cartoonish levels of destruction and loud sounds. Pacific Rim Uprising isn’t out in theaters until March 23, however, so I do indeed have to wait even though I’m ready now. Just… Read More
Attention L.A.: Don’t miss this pitch day for female founders, happening in March via @TechCrunch
On Tuesday, March 13, some of the most well-regarded venture capitalists on the West Coast will converge in L.A. to hear pitches from women-led startups. The day is part of a growing series of events that was originally spearheaded by investor Aileen Lee of Cowboy Ventures, who along with her women friends in venture, wanted to work more closely with the far larger — and growing… Read More
Apple to take on messaging rivals with launch of Business Chat via @TechCrunch
Apple is preparing to roll out a new feature in iMessage that will allow consumers to chat directly with businesses through Apple’s messaging platform. The feature, called Business Chat, was announced last year at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, and will debut this spring with launch partners including Discover, Hilton, Lowe’s and Wells Fargo. The feature will… Read More
How to Get More Traffic to Your Contractor Blog
If your business is one of the thousands of construction-based companies in the United States, you probably have a solid understanding of the importance of…
Fitbit throws Pebble owners a bone with six more months of support via @TechCrunch
It’s probably little consolation for Pebble devotes who’ve slowly watched the hardware startup sink into oblivion, but Fitbit’s offering up a good will gesture by extending support for the smartwatch’s ecosystem for another six months. Those who’ve been clutching onto their crowdfunded wearable for dear life will be able to keep the product up and running through… Read More
Facebook to roll out global privacy settings hub — thanks to GDPR via @TechCrunch
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has said major privacy changes are coming to the platform later this year, as it prepares to comply with the European Union’s incoming data protection regulation. Read More
Here acquires Micello to add indoor mapping as part of its IoT business unit via @TechCrunch
Here Technologies, the mapping company that counts a consortium of car makers, Intel and others among its shareholder/owners, today announced a move that underscores the company’s intention to add more than just data to enhance its outdoor navigation business. The company has acquired Micello, a startup that offers a database of indoor maps and provides a platform for businesses to… Read More
Construction startup Katerra gets $865M in Softbank’s latest mega-round via @TechCrunch
There’s another big financing round led by Softbank’s mammoth vision fund today, with the firm this time pouring $865 million into a construction startup called Katerra that’s a one-stop shop for getting a building up off the ground. Katerra is creating a full-stack provider for, well, buildings. The company runs the process of getting a building up and people inside it from… Read More
What to Do When Your Employee Is Diagnosed with Cancer
yatharth roy vibhakar/unsplash All managers know that they need to help their employees through challenging times – whether it’s a tough work situation like a tight deadline or high-stakes client, or a demanding personal situation, like a new baby or a sick parent. But almost no manager is prepared for when one of their direct […]
How Will AI Change Work? Here Are 5 Schools of Thought
Yaroslav Kushta/Getty Images The future of the workforce is one of the biggest issues facing CEOs today. It’s abundantly clear to all that artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and advanced robotics make it possible for machines to take on tasks that once required a person to do them. How should companies prepare, strategically, to thrive […]
Top subscription video on demand apps boosted revenue 77% last year to reach $781 million via @TechCrunch
The cord cutting trend is having an outsized impact on subscription video apps’ revenue, it seems. According to a new market analysis from Sensor Tower, U.S. consumer spending in the top 10 subscription video on demand apps grew 77 percent last year, to reach approximately $781 million across the App Store and Google Play. The growth was particularly noticeable in the fourth quarter of… Read More
Mo’Nique calls for a boycott of Netflix via @TechCrunch
Mo’Nique, legendary comedian and Academy Award winner, is calling out Netflix for allegedly offering her $500,000 for a stand-up comedy special while offering millions to Amy Schumer, Dave Chapelle, and Chris Rock. In a tweet, Mo’Nique called for a boycott of Netflix on the grounds of color and gender bias: #BOYCOTT NETFLIX FIR COLOR BIAS AND GENDER BIAS. PLEASE STAND WITH ME. I… Read More
Front raises $66 million to replace Microsoft Outlook via @TechCrunch
Front is raising a $66 million Series B round led by Sequoia with DFJ and existing investors also participating. There are now 2,500 companies using Front to manage shared inboxes and collaborate. The startup now wants to go one step further and become the definitive email product. “I decided that I wanted to raise money, I scheduled 11 partner meetings over a single week,”… Read More
Building a point of sale service for big business, Appetize rings up $20 million via @TechCrunch
After getting its start in theme parks and event centers in Southern California, Appetize, the developer of point of sale technologies for big stadiums and college campuses, has raised $20 million to expand. The new capital came from Shamrock Capital Advisors, which had served as the financial manager for the Walt Disney family for years, with additional support coming from Silicon Valley… Read More
Mophie’s Powerstation AC is the only backup battery you’ll ever need via @TechCrunch
Mophie’s been a solid, consistent maker of external batteries and backup power sources, but its new Powerstation AC just might top them all. The large, 22,000 mAh powerhouse has ample output options – including a crucial one that most backup batteries lack: a standard AC plug, just like you’d find in a wall in your home. The Powerstation AC also has a 30W USB-C port with… Read More
AWS beefs up threat detection with Sqrrl acquisition via @TechCrunch
AWS has purchased Sqrrl, a Cambridge, Massachusetts security startup with roots in the NSA. The company helps analyze a variety of sources to track and understand security threats quickly using machine learning. The announcement appeared on the Sqrrl home page in note from company CEO Mark Terenzoni. “We’re thrilled to share that Sqrrl has been acquired by Amazon. We will be… Read More
Apple wants to gather all your medical records in the Health app via @TechCrunch
Apple announced a new health effort as part of iOS 11.3. The new Health Records section in the Health app lets you gather and view all your medical records. The company is partnering with hospitals and clinics. Apple released the first beta version of iOS 11.3 today. While the new version of iOS is going to remain in beta testing for a couple of months, it should be available as a free download… Read More
Plex gets into VR with a new app for Daydream-ready Android phones via @TechCrunch
As part of its broader, long-term strategy to appeal to content producers by offering them more exposure, media software maker Plex today is unveiling its new VR experience, Plex VR. The addition will allow Plex users to not only watch videos in VR, but also co-watch with friends – a social component to media consumption that a number of companies, including, recently, Facebook and… Read More
Fleet raises $10M Series A to make international logistics speedier and more transparent via @TechCrunch
Fleet, a startup focused on making international logistics less onerous for small companies, announced that it has raised a Series A of $10 million. The round was led by Lufthansa Cargo, the German airline’s air cargo subsidiary, with participation from new and returning investors Hunt Technology, UPS, UP2398 and 1517 Fund. Read More
How to Deal with a Passive-Aggressive Boss
Cindy Loughridge/Getty Images Bad bosses aren’t just a workplace nuisance. A leader’s manipulative, passive-aggressive, credit-taking, and overly-critical behavior can lead to workplace bullying, job dissatisfaction, psychological distress, and depression among employees according to a set of recent studies by the University of Manchester of more than 1,200 people. If you’re struggling with the effects of your boss’s […]
Apple previews iOS 11.3’s new Animojis and battery service warnings via @TechCrunch
More big news out of Apple this morning. The company’s offering up a preview of what’s to come in the latest version of its mobile operating system. The biggest updates here are coming to power management, its augmented reality platform ARKit, Animoji and the company’s Health app. You can check out a more in-depth preview of ARKit 1.5 over here. The new platform brings… Read More
Rocket Internet’s Carmudi raises $10M to refocus on Asia following global retrenchment via @TechCrunch
Carmudi, a Rocket Internet-backed company that sells cars online in emerging markets, has raised $10 million to develop its business in Southeast Asia after reducing its global footprint. The company was formed in 2013 and, at peak, it grew to cover over 20 markets across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. To support that global push, Carmudi raised $10 million in 2014 and then… Read More
Apple’s augmented reality tool kit can now detect walls and 2D images in beta via @TechCrunch
Apple is rolling out an upgrade to its augmented reality toolbox, ARKit, to developers in a beta version today. ARKit 1.5 adds a few marquee features including one big one: wall detection. Up until this point, ARKit has been focused on offering horizontal plane detection, allowing developers to know where the ‘floor’ is that it can then use to orient or place objects in 3D space.… Read More
PrecisionHawk raises $75M for its commercial drone analytics tech via @TechCrunch
Drones may still be having a tough time dispelling the notion that they’re just expensive toys when it comes to the consumer space, but in the world of commercial applications, the autonomous aircraft are having a much easier time proving their worth. PrecisionHawk, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based startup, has closed a Series D round, nabbing $75M in new capital that will help it seize… Read More
The State of Video Marketing in 2018 [New Data]
It’s the start of a new year, and there couldn’t be a better time to look ahead at what the next 12 months might hold…
The State of Video Marketing in 2018 [New Data]
It’s the start of a new year, and there couldn’t be a better time to look ahead at what the next 12 months might hold for video marketers. Here at Wyzowl, we’ve just published the results of our fourth annual State of Video Marketing Survey, and the numbers suggest this is set to be another […]
Timescale raises $12.4M to build a new breed of time series database software via @TechCrunch
Businesses are gathering more and more information than they ever have before, whether it’s a manufacturer or a bank, and to Timescale CEO Ajay Kulkarni the existing database software soon won’t provide the horsepower they need. That’s why he and CTO Mike Friedman started Timescale, a new open source time series database software. The idea is that businesses increasingly… Read More
Nexar gets $30M Series B for its AI-based road safety dashcams and network via @TechCrunch
Nexar, a startup that makes an AI-based dashcam app to monitor road safety, announced today that it has raised a $30 million Series B led by Ibex Ventures. Participants included Alibaba Innovation Ventures (the venture capital investment arm of Alibaba Group), Nationwide Insurance and returning investors Aleph, Mosaic Ventures, Slow Ventures, True Ventures and Tusk Ventures. Read More
UK to set up security unit to combat state disinformation campaigns via @TechCrunch
The UK government has announced plans to set up a dedicated national security unit to combat state-led disinformation campaigns — raising questions about how broad its ‘fake news’ bullseye will be. Read More
EU slaps $1.23B fine on Qualcomm over LTE chip dominance in the iPhone via @TechCrunch
Qualcomm’s longstanding dominance in LTE chipsets for smartphones, and specifically with Apple’s iPhone, is getting a major hit today. The European Commission today announced that it would be fining the company €997 million, or $1.23 billion, for abusing its market position between 2011 and 2016, related to its relationship with Apple. The figure works out to 4.9 percent of… Read More
Indonesia’s BeliMobilGue raises $3.7M to let consumers sell their cars quickly and easily via @TechCrunch
A new startup in Indonesia wants to car owners in Southeast Asia’s country sell their vehicle with more security and reliability. BeliMobilGue — meaning ‘Buy My Car’ — was quietly started last year as a joint venture from Berlin-based Frontier Car Group and Intudo Ventures. It acts as a middleman between Indonesia’s car dealers and consumers who want to… Read More
TeacherGaming, a startup from MinecraftEdu team, raises $1.6M to put games into the classroom via @TechCrunch
TeacherGaming, a new startup from the team behind MinecraftEdu, a company that helped teachers use Minecraft in the classroom that was subsequently acquired by Microsoft, has picked up $1.6 million in seed funding. Read More
Berlin’s Blacklane raises $40-45M for its high-end transport on demand service via @TechCrunch
Transportation-on-demand startups betting on growth by honing in on specific market segments continue to play strong with both investors and customers looking for alternatives to traditional taxis and Uber. Today, Blacklane, a Berlin-based business that offers limousines and other high-end cars for airport and other medium-length journeys, is announcing that it has raised a significant round… Read More
Offer Your Stressed-Out Colleague Praise and Assistance
You know the stress case — the one who’s always overwhelmed, overstretched, and overextended. They aren’t easy to work with, but you probably don’t have a choice. Whether you regard your colleague with annoyance or sympathy, you can help them by offering praise and assistance. Your coworker likely feels out of control, so complimenting their […]
US-China biotech startup XtalPi lands $15M from Google, Tencent and Sequoia via @TechCrunch
Google continues to increase its presence in China after it joined Sequoia China and Tencent in a $15 million investment for XtalPi, a U.S.-China biotech firm that uses artificial intelligence and computing to accelerate the development of new drugs. The search giant remains blocked in China, but that hasn’t stopped it from making a series of moves in recent months. It is opening an… Read More
Protect Yourself From Getting Scammed via AARP Money
by Sid Kirchheimer, AARP, January 23, 2018. shocked man at computer screen. Getty Images. There are fairly simple steps you can take to protect yourself from online scammers. Most New Year’s resolutions are long buried by Groundhog Day. For easier and long-lasting self-improvement, consider these seven ways to …
Facebook appoints a new AI research head via @TechCrunch
Facebook has a new executive coming on to unify its research efforts in the field of artificial intelligence. Former IBM exec Jérôme Pesenti will be taking the lead at Facebook’s AI research (FAIR) arm, Quartz reports. Yann LeCun, who previously held the lead role, will be shifting to a more research-focused role where he will continue to drive the scientific agenda of FAIR in his… Read More
Crunch Report | DJI unveils new Mavic Air via @TechCrunch
DJI unveils the new Mavic Air, Twitter COO Anthony Noto resigns and Apple HomePod starts shipping February 9th. All this on Crunch Report. Read More
Nike just released its first shoe with an all-foam bottom via @TechCrunch
Nike just announced their first shoe with an all-foam sole powered by a new foam technology called React. The shoe is called the Nike Epic React Flyknit and is a running shoe, which will release on February 22nd. The bottom is a solid piece of foam with a knitted upper, making it lightweight for running. But looking beyond this shoe the technology is likely the start of a new generation of… Read More
Anti-piracy firm Denuvo acquired by digital security outfit Irdeto via @TechCrunch
Denuvo’s anti-piracy tech has been divisive in the gaming world, with some complaining that it restricts their gaming habits or prevents modding — but few will dispute that it has been unusually successful in its main goal of preventing piracy. Successful enough, anyway, to be picked up by Irdeto, a broader digital security concern. Read More
Controlling Your Emotions During a Negotiation
Moshe Cohen, a senior lecturer at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, says you can’t take the emotion out of a negotiation. After all, negotiations revolve around conflict, risk, and reward—which are inherently emotional. Instead of sidelining your feelings, understand them. Cohen explains how to understand your triggers and use your emotions and those of […]
Ursula K. Le Guin, author of ‘The Left Hand of Darkness’ and ‘A Wizard of Earthsea’, has died via @TechCrunch
All-time great science fiction and fantasy writer Ursula Le Guin died Monday. She was 88 years old. Le Guin didn’t always enjoy being called a science fiction writer, and she received acclaim far beyond the genre — she won National Book Awards, published stories in The New Yorker and saw her work collected by the Library of America. Read More
How to Write Lifestyle Blogs
Let’s face it – lifestyle blogs don’t get the respect they deserve. While travel blogs, food blogs, and fashion blogs enjoy widespread popularity, readers often skip anything categorized under “lifestyle,” as they find it a bit too squishy. They want commitment – a specific niche – so they know what to expect when they spend […]
While the U.S. waits, China has been CRISPRing human cancer patients since 2015 via @TechCrunch
While the U.S. is just gearing up to the idea of CRISPRing its first humans, China seems to be benefitting from the “move fast and break things”…or cut them with the CRISPR scissors motto. As the Wall Street Journal reports, China has already gene-edited 86 people using CRISPR-Cas9 since 2015. Unhindered by rules and regulations like the ones we have in America to prevent… Read More
Facebook acquires biometric ID verification startup Confirm.io via @TechCrunch
Facebook has confirmed to TechCrunch that it’s acquired…Confirm.io. The startup offered an API that let other companies quickly verify someone’s government issued identification card like a driver’s license was authentic. The Boston-based startup will shut down as both its team and technology are rolled into Facebook, where it could help users who are locked out of… Read More
GoDaddy is acquiring social media marketing platform Main Street Hub for $125M via @TechCrunch
GoDaddy is acquiring Main Street Hub, an Austin-based social media marketing platform. The deal is for $125M in cash plus up to $50M in potential future earn outs, and is expected to close late in Q2 2018. Founded in 2010 Main Street Hub has raised a total of $93M in debt and equity financing from Silicon Valley Bank, Vista Equity Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners and other investors. For… Read More
Protecting intellectual property rights in the billion-dollar world of virtual gaming via @TechCrunch
It’s clear that the days of esports being merely a spectator sport are numbered, as soon users won’t just be sitting and watching the story unfold on a computer screen, they’ll be immersed in it. What challenges will this immersion create when it comes to protecting one’s intellectual property rights to the contents of a game and the innovative technologies involved,… Read More