Block scales back TIDAL investment and shutters TBD in favor of Bitcoin mining
Jack Dorsey’s Block is scaling back its investment in TIDAL, the music streaming platform once owned by Jay-Z, according to a shareholder letter on Thursday. Block is also shutting down TBD, a Bitcoin-focused arm of the business that previously set out to build a decentralized internet, dubbed “Web5.” These cuts
Read moreCrypto CEO kidnapped in Toronto, released after paying $1M ransom
The CEO of Canadian cryptocurrency firm WonderFi was kidnapped and held for ransom on Wednesday, according to CBC. Dean Skurka was reportedly shoved into a vehicle in downtown Toronto during rush hour, only to be released uninjured after electronically sending $1 million (presumably CAD) to his captors. The WonderFi CEO
Read moreAmazon may up its investment in Anthropic — on one condition
Amazon is considering increasing its investment in OpenAI rival Anthropic. According to The Information, Amazon is in talks to invest multiple billions in Anthropic, its first financial pledge in the company since a $4 billion deal struck last year. The new investment is structured similar to the last one —
Read moreAI-powered parenting is here and a16z is ready to back it
AI wants to help us drive better, write better and diagnose diseases faster. Now imagine AI helping you be a better parent. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
Read moreYelp just spent $80M on a site for car repair estimates
Yelp, which made a name for itself giving restaurant recs, just bought an auto services website. In the company’s earnings report on Thursday, Yelp revealed that it agreed to buy RepairPal, a site for car repair estimates, for $80 million in cash. The acquisition is expected to close by the
Read moreWith this latest deal, Flipboard looks to build a news ecosystem beyond X
An effort to bring a broader news ecosystem to the open social web, also known as the fediverse, is now in the hands of the social magazine app Flipboard. Press.coop, a service that created mirrored accounts of top news publishers (including Reuters, AP, WSJ, NYT, BBC, CNN, and even yours
Read moreRivian takes major revenue hit as supplier problem persists
Rivian reported Thursday revenue of $874 million in the third quarter — more than 12% lower than analysts estimates — as the EV startup struggled to resolve a component shortage that disrupted production of its recently overhauled flagship R1S and R1T vehicles. Last month, Rivian lowered its annual production guidance
Read moreCanoo’s latest loss, tales from Waymo riders, and what a Trump win means for Elon (and his companies)
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! We’re just two days past the election, and there is already a ton of speculation about what another Trump presidency will mean
Read moreRoblox adds safety measures to ban kids under 13 from social spaces and other experiences
Throughout the years, several reports have accused Roblox, the popular gaming platform aimed at preteens, of lacking strict safety protocols for children, which exposes them to dangers such as grooming, explicit content, and violent or abusive material. In a significant update to its safety policy, Roblox plans to keep users
Read moreTikTok’s latest feature lets music fans ‘Share to TikTok’ from Spotify and Apple Music
TikTok on Thursday debuted a new feature that will more closely connect its app, which already influences which songs top the charts, to the streaming services where users discover and play their favorite music. With the launch of a new “Share to TikTok” feature, music fans will be able to
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