Timef 02/19/2025

Elon Musk’s X is in talks to raise money from investors at a $44 billion valuation, Bloomberg News reports. Musk purchased X, formerly known as Twitter, for the same price back in 2022. The news comes as Fidelity Investments marked down its Twitter stake back in December by around 70% from the 2022 sale price […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Bumble is discontinuing its two acquired apps, the dating and relationship apps Fruitz and Official. The move was shared during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. As explained by CEO Lidiane Jones during the call, the choice to discontinue Fruitz, a French dating app, and Official, an app designed to help couples strengthen their relationships, allows […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Major IoT data breach: Mars Hydro database with 2.7 billion records exposed. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the breach is a reminder of the risks that come with using IoT devices.

Rock your inner jock with a pair of sturdy, sweatproof, and tangle-proof headphones. Here are our favorites.

The company said an "unauthorized third party" accessed Genea data, but won’t say if sensitive health information was stolen © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Hydrogen electric trucking startup Nikola Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Wednesday after it failed to find a buyer or secure additional funds to maintain operations.  Nikola was once a Silicon Valley darling, valued at $30 billion in June 2020 after it went public through a special purpose acquisition merger. But a series of […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Data centers consumed 4.4% of U.S. electricity in 2023 and are estimated to use up to 12% by 2028. The majority of the energy data centers suck up is used to help transfer data from chip to chip. A company called Hyperlume is looking to make that process more energy-efficient while also speeding it up. […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

It has been more than two years since ChatGPT burst on the scene. Shortly after that, it seemed like almost every email app integrated AI-powered email writing and summaries. Some also introduced AI-powered search for you to sift through your inbox quickly. Superhuman is now using AI to try and tackle one of the primary […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

As companies like Nvidia and SoftBank make industrial robotics into a key focus for future R&D, a startup has raised funding today for another facet of how AI is being used on the factory room floor. Augury, which develops AI-based hardware that measures vibrations, sound, temperature and other factors to understand how machines are working […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Whether you’re skiing in the backcountry or trampolining in the backyard, we have an activity tracker for you.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration directed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to impose limits on specific types of funding it provides to research institutions. Although a federal judge has temporarily blocked the policy change, government grants to early-stage biotech startups could still face delays or be eliminated entirely, said Chris Gibson, co-founder and […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Filthy buds look bad, impact sound quality and even risk infection. WIRED asked the experts how to correctly banish that ear gunk.

Murena, the French privacy firm that’s forked Android to deliver so-called deGoogled smartphones, has repeated the trick with a tablet. So if you’re keen to get your hands on a shiny Pixel Tablet — but without the usual bundle of Google apps and services — Murena has you covered. The Murena Pixel Tablet runs the […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The US cybersecurity giant says hackers are exploiting the high-severity flaw to break into unpatched customer networks. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

As of Feb. 19, you can grab Samsung Galaxy Buds FE for just $49.99 at Woot, down from $99.99. Prime members get free shipping.

As of Feb. 19, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro are $134.99 at Woot, down from $249.99. Prime members get free shipping.

As of Feb. 19, Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are $89.99 at Woot, down from $229.99. Prime members get free shipping.

Apple's 13-inch iPad Pro (WiFi, 256GB) normally retails for $1,299. As of Feb. 19, it's on sale for $1,099 at Best Buy.

The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 normally retail for $229. As of Feb. 19, they're on sale for $199 at Amazon.

This shiny coffee maker and grinder arrives with an innovative autogrind feature pretty much unheard of in drip coffee.

Creating corporate training videos for software is a time-consuming ordeal, especially if you’re an organization with a lot of software licenses. Training videos can help get employees up to speed, but they’re a big lift. They often take entire teams to produce. Tel Aviv-based entrepreneur Yoav Einav thought there might be an alternative, cheaper way […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Career product manager Amanda DeLuca has launched a parenting management app, Riley, born out of her own experience with parental anxiety and feedback from other families. DeLuca, who previously at Google, Nerdwallet, and Eventbrite, in addition to Etsy, became pregnant three years ago. At the time, she and her husband, who is also a product […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Our rom-com heroine Bridget Jones is back, dating a younger man. And the portrayal is complicated.

Curls and waves are beautiful. But when you want to smooth them out, these hot tools—irons, brushes, and combs—work wonders.

Meta's Waterworth Project will provide internet connectivity on five continents, with landing points in India, the United States, Brazil, and South Africa.

Unitree H1 robots dance at gala, blending AI and tradition. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson examines the convergence of cutting-edge technology and traditional culture.

Hours after Elon Musk’s AI company xAI released the latest version of its AI model, Grok 3, X has significantly hiked the price for its top Premium+ subscription plan, which gives users access to the latest model, to almost $50 per month. On the support page that lists X’s premium plans, the monthly subscription price […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 is as good as ever, but doesn’t play well with Tesla Superchargers at the moment. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Google warns that hackers tied to Russia are tricking Ukrainian soldiers with fake QR codes for Signal group invites that let spies steal their messages. Signal has pushed out new safeguards.

Duolingo killed its own mascot owl, Duo, in a major marketing move. On "The Late Show," Stephen Colbert ponders whodunnit.

Firefly Aerospace, hired by NASA to land science experiments on the moon, has reached lunar orbit with astonishing "receipts" to prove it.

An employment tribunal case has placed Kuda Technologies, one of Africa’s fastest-growing digital banks, under scrutiny over allegations of workplace discrimination, harassment, and wrongful dismissal. Rosemary Hewat, Kuda’s former Group Chief People Officer (CPO), filed a complaint accusing the company and its CEO, Babatunde Ogundeyi, of sex discrimination, victimization, and unfair dismissal. According to the […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

As of Feb. 19, Avast Mobile Security is offering half off its paid plans for the first year so you can get better security for your devices at a lower price.

Answers to each clue for the February 19, 2025 edition of NYT's The Mini crossword puzzle.

Save 20% on the eero Max 7 mesh WiFi system at Amazon.

Astronomers used powerful telescopes to look into the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-121b and found a weather system they've never seen before.

Elon Musk's xAI launched Grok 3 on Monday, leading AI experts to weigh in on its performance. Here's how it compares to other models from OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Google.

Live stream Motagua vs. Cincinnati in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Antigua GFC vs. Seattle Sounders in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Herediano vs. Real Salt Lake in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

A 2TB FileJump Lifetime Subscription is now available for $89

Get the ultra-compact 100W Omega GaN Charger for just $59.99 (reg. $119) — fast charge three devices at once with cutting-edge GaN technology.

Get lifetime ad-free access to over 4,000 documentaries on MagellanTV for just $139.97 (reg. $999) with code SAVE30 — but only through February 23.

Live stream Sporting KC vs. Inter Miami in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup for free from anywhere in the world.

Get premium sound, noise cancellation, and 25-hour battery life with these wireless earbuds — now just $49.99.

Save 18% on the Google Pixel 9 Pro at Amazon.

Save 23% on the Apple Magic Keyboard at Amazon.

'The Last Showgirl' made its at-home debut on Feb. 18 with a digital-on-demand release. Streaming details to come.

Mashable went hands (and ears) on with the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar. Find out if this premium home theater speaker is worth the $999 entry price.

Humane has announced its Ai Pin will stop working in 10 days, with it discontinuing service on the wearable AI gadgets.

Niantic, the company behind the popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go, is looking to sell its game development business, Bloomberg reported. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Mashable readers can get lifetime access to this VPN for up to 15 devices on sale for just £23.78 through 23 February.

Get Microsoft Office Home & Business 2019 for Mac for £31.73 (reg. £181.71) at the Mashable Shop.

Live stream PSV vs. Juventus in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Borussia Dortmund vs. Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Pakistan vs. New Zealand in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Real Madrid vs. Manchester City in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

How to unblock porn for free. Unblock and watch YouPorn for free from anywhere in the world.

Connections: Sports Edition is a New York Times word game about finding common sports threads between words. How to solve the puzzle.

The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.

Connections is a New York Times word game that's all about finding the "common threads between words." How to solve the puzzle.

Here's the answer for "Wordle" #1341 on February 19, as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.

For the first time ever, SpaceX launched a rocket into space from Florida and landed the booster the Bahamas, allowing for future polar-orbit spaceflight missions.

Humane announced on Tuesday that it has been acquired by HP for $116 million. The hardware startup is immediately discontinuing sales of its $499 AI Pins. Humane alerted customers who have already purchased the Pin that their devices will stop functioning before the end of the month — at 12 PM PST on February 28, […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Humane announced on Tuesday that it has been acquired by HP. The hardware startup is immediately discontinuing sales of its $699 AI Pins. Humane told customers who had already purchased an AI Pin that their devices will stop functioning before the end of the month, at 12 PM PST on February 28, 2025, according to […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Humane announced on Tuesday that most of its assets have been acquired by HP for $116 million. The hardware startup is immediately discontinuing sales of its $499 AI Pins. Humane alerted customers who have already purchased the Pin that their devices will stop functioning before the end of the month — at 12 PM PST […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Instagram is testing a private downrank button for comments.

At least eight ongoing lawsuits related to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s alleged access to sensitive data hinge on the Watergate-inspired Privacy Act of 1974. But it’s not airtight.

Ralph Macchio went through the entire 'Karate Kid' saga and picked his top 5 fighters of all-time. There were a couple surprises...

Elon Musk and his DOGE team want Social Security data — here's why.

The layoffs slashed between 13% to 20% of the four Power Marketing Administrations’ workforces. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Google has gained permission to sell its e-books and audiobooks directly to customers through its iOS app, Google Play Books. While iOS apps today can offer access to content previously purchased elsewhere, like e-books bought via a website, developers have to request a specific exception to link their iOS app’s users to the company’s own […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Duolingo’s mascot, Duo the owl, is dead. Okay, Duo isn’t really dead (we think), but the language learning app committed so hard to this bit that its CEO, Luis von Ahn, read a eulogy for this beloved green bird on TikTok. As any fiction author could probably tell you, killing everyone’s favorite character is not […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

A DOGE staffer created a custom AI chatbot that's supposed to help "eliminate" government waste. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

A change requiring app developers to disclose their address, phone number, and email information to consumers has gone live on the App Store within the European Union. Apple on Tuesday announced it has removed any EU apps that haven’t yet complied with the Digital Services Act (DSA), a regulation that had added a requirement in […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Despite all appearances, the White House insists that Elon Musk is not in charge of DOGE. US Doge Service employees can't get a straight answer about who is.

The White Lotus, The Pitt, and Dune: Prophecy are just a few of the shows you need to be watching on Max this month.

Safe Superintelligence, an AI startup founded by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, could be close to raising more than $1 billion at a $30 billion valuation — a higher valuation than reported just weeks ago. Bloomberg reports that VC firm Greenoaks Capital Partners is leading the deal and pledging to invest half a billion […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

A task force, organized by the Bipartisan Policy Center think tank, is hoping to improve credibility of voluntary carbon markets. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Get 10TB of lifetime cloud storage with Internxt for A$385 (reg. A$4,718) using code STORAGE30. Save money, ditch fees, and store files securely for life.

Instagram Reels now lets users speed up videos to 2x speed pressing and holding, just like TikTok.

Get lifetime licenses for Microsoft Office 2021 and Windows 11 Pro for A$86 — your go-to bundle for productivity and efficiency.

Apple eyes ads in Maps as part of a broader monetization push.

"The Monkey," directed by Osgood Perkins and starring Theo James, hits theaters Feb. 21.

After leaving OpenAI last year, Mira Murati is finally ready to share what she's working on.

Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati has announced her new startup. Unsurprisingly, it’s focused on AI. Called Thinking Machine Labs, the startup, which came out of stealth today, intends to build tooling to “make AI work for [people’s] unique needs and goals,” and to create AI systems that are “more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable” […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati has announced her new startup. Unsurprisingly, it’s focused on AI. Called Thinking Machines Lab, the startup, which came out of stealth today, intends to build tooling to “make AI work for [people’s] unique needs and goals,” and to create AI systems that are “more widely understood, customizable, and generally capable” […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Firings at the NSF included permanent employees who had already completed their one-year probationary period, as well as at-will workers.

The VC firm has $90 billion in assets under management and invested in several unicorn cybersecurity startups © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech!  This week we’re looking at some big valuation jumps, how Stripe is eyeing another shareholder sale, a colorful conversation with an early-stage VC, and more! To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important fintech stories delivered to your inbox every Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. PT, subscribe here. The big […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Gig marketplace Fiverr wants to let freelancers train AI on their bodies of work and use it to automate future jobs. At an event on Tuesday, Fiverr announced the launch of several new efforts aimed at attracting gig workers to its platform and equipping them with generative AI tools. Perhaps the most ambitious is a […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

"Freaky Tales," starring Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn, and more, hits theaters April 4, 2025.

Facebook announced on Tuesday that live videos will now only be stored on the social network for 30 days, after which they will be deleted. Previously, these videos were stored indefinitely. The change goes into effect on Wednesday. All live videos that are currently older than 30 days will be removed from the platform as […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Amazon is shutting down “Inspire,” its TikTok-like, short-form video and photo feed that was previously available in its mobile app. The feed allowed users to discover products and shop from content created by influencers, brands, and other customers. A company spokesperson confirmed the move to TechCrunch, saying “We regularly evaluate various features to better align […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

To fend off future hostile takeover attempts, OpenAI is considering giving its non-profit board special voting rights, according to a new report in the Financial Times. The rights would allow the board to overrule major investors in the company, preserving some of its powers after OpenAI completes its transition to a for-profit. OpenAI was founded […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Researchers found that PirateFI was never designed to be a real game, but a vehicle to infect gamers with malware and steal their passwords with an infostealer called Vidar. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 speaker is on sale at Amazon for $69.99, down from the usual price of $99.99. That's a 30% discount.

The Razer Viper V2 Pro Gaming Mouse is currently on sale for 47% off at Best Buy — nab it for $79.99 and save $70.

As of Feb. 18, save $30 on a new OnePlus Watch 3.

As of Feb. 18, save 48% on the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Pro at Amazon.

Chase Bank is cracking down on Zelle payments to social media contacts in an effort to stop scammers.

Meet the DOGE staffers and senior advisors in Elon Musk's inner circle, and how they got there. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Earlier this month, a Berlin court ordered Elon Musk-owned X to provide immediate access to public platform data to two civil society organizations seeking to study systemic risk around the country’s upcoming election. In a post on X, the social media company said Tuesday it is challenging the order, claiming the summary proceeding “egregiously undermines […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

As one of the best cheap Roombas, the Combo j5 offers the rare trio of smart mapping, mopping, and small obstacle avoidance — now for under $250.

Meta on Tuesday announced that it’ll host its first-ever dev conference dedicated to generative AI. Called LlamaCon after Meta’s Llama family of generative AI models, the conference is scheduled to take place on April 29. Meta said that, there, it’ll share “the latest on [its] open source AI developments to help developers […] build amazing […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The Acer Nitro 27-inch 180Hz 0.5Ms Gaming Monitor is currently on sale for $139.99 at Best Buy — get it now and save $110 or 44%.

The best Amazon deals on Feb. 18 include the Garmin Forerunner 955, AirPods 4, Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4, LG StanByMe Go, and Roomba Combo j5.

The LG 27-inch StandbyMe Go portable briefcase is on sale at Amazon for $696.99, down from the normal price of $1,196.99. That's a 42% discount.

As of Feb. 18, save $200 on the ASUS ROG Ally at Best Buy.

The Samsung Odyssey G51C Gaming Monitor is currently on sale for $229.99 at Best Buy, for a savings of $120 off, or 35%.

Samsung is reportedly giving its next foldable flagship a bundle of upgrades, but perhaps not the one you wanted the most.

The Blueair Blue 211+ air purifier is on sale at Amazon for $254.99, down from the usual price of $339.99. That's a 25% discount.

Currently, the Logitech G305 Lightspeed Gaming Mouse is 40% off at Amazon, for a price of $29.99 — order now to save $20.

"Atlanta" star Brian Tyree Henry leads Apple TV+'s brand new crime drama, "Dope Thief." Watch the trailer

Goro Majima's debut as a solo 'Yakuza' protagonist is a bit offbeat, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Google's Pixel Watch 3 (41mm, LTE) normally retails for $449.99. As of Feb. 18, it's on sale for $379.99 at Best Buy.