Timef 03/20/2025

Venture capital investment in European startups passed $52 billion last year, reflecting the market’s long-term growth trajectory and gradual stabilization after the out-sized peaks of 2021-2022 (driven largely by the COVID-19 pandemic), and the comparative slump of 2023, according to a new report. Although 2024 has seen political and regulatory turmoil, Europe’s talent pool of […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

TechCrunch Sessions: AI kicks off on June 5 at Zellerbach Hall in UC Berkeley — and you have the power to decide who you want to see lead an impactful breakout session. We have narrowed down the impressive number of speaker applications to six incredible finalists. Now, it’s up to you to choose who you […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The company recently signed a deal with energy provider AES for three solar projects across the Midwest. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Tesla is issuing a recall for around 46,000 Cybertrucks sold to date because of an exterior steel trim panel on the side of the windshield that can peel off. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a filing that the piece can come off while in motion, which can create a hazard for […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

When a young man from California broadcast his death on X, profit-hungry traders piled into a cryptocurrency created in his image.

On Wednesday, Spotify launched a new personalized playlist designed to help listeners discover upcoming concerts in their area. The playlist, titled “Concerts Near You,” is updated every Wednesday with 30 songs from artists performing nearby, along with full event details and ticket links. Spotify partners with ticketing platforms like AXS, DICE, Eventbrite, and Ticketmaster.  Like […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

This compact resistance machine lets you lift weights and get in your cardio, and it has thoughtful safety features.

If you’re reading this, you already know: It’s time to amplify your brand. Get in front of thousands of TechCrunch event attendees, readers, and decision-makers who can take your business further this year by exhibiting at a TechCrunch event. The perks of exhibiting: What’s in it for you Exhibiting doesn’t just elevate your brand — […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Over the last few years, developers have increasingly complained about paying fees to Apple or Google for App Store or Play Store distributions. App makers have often said that both companies make it difficult for them to earn money outside of their systems. New York-based app revenue management platform Adapty wants to change that with […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Amid an ongoing regulatory battle with European privacy authorities, Meta announced on Thursday that its AI-powered virtual assistant, Meta AI, is finally launching in the European Union. The chatbot-like tool will be rolled out across Meta’s portfolio of social platforms, albeit with a more limited feature set compared to what it offers in its domestic […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Tesla has recall most of its Cybetrucks again.

TikTok is partnering with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to bring real-time Amber Alerts directly to users’ For You feeds in the United States, the company announced on Thursday. With this new feature, if an Amber Alert is activated by law enforcement and you are in the designated search area, the […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Keep your phone, laptop, handheld gaming console, and other electronics running with these travel-friendly power banks.

Two independent groups of scientists have detected oxygen in the farthest known galaxy just 300 million years after the Big Bang.

Keep your iPhone topped up with one of these WIRED-tested MagSafe portable chargers.

'Adolescence' co-creator and star Stephen Graham talked to Jimmy Fallon about the Netflix limited series.

The days of being "extremely online" in an internet community full of niche memes are over, replaced by a quest for fame, influence, and profit.

"The Daily Show" host Jordan Klepper unpacks the current backlash against Elon Musk, from Tesla vandalism to federal worker protests.

A svelte smart ring can track important health metrics and doesn't need to be charged every day.

As of March 20, the 11-inch Apple iPad Air (M3, WiFi, 128GB) is on sale at Best Buy for $549. Normally it retails for $599.

A dubious “Van Gogh” has sparked a battle between technology, connoisseurs, and the high-stakes art market. What does AI, which is transforming art authentication, have to say about the verdict?

As of March 20, you can sign up for Amazon Music Unlimited for free for three months if you're a new subscriber.

Breathe easy with our top WIRED-tested picks for room comfort and preventing illness.

Save 15% on the Beats Fit Pro at Amazon.

Save 20% on the Dyson V15 at Amazon.

Save 40% on the Fire Stick 4K at Amazon.

As of March 20, Dyson Hot+Cool AM09 Jet Focus heater and fan is on sale for $299.99 at Amazon. 36% off its usual price of $469.99.

The small robot can swim, crawl, and glide untethered at a depth of 10,600 meters,

As of March 20, Samsung 70-inch Q60C QLED 4K Smart TV is on sale for $677.69 at Walmart. $422 off its usual price of $1,100.

Meta recently introduced its new augmented reality glasses with sensor technology that opens up new possibilities for research and development in AR applications.

Gambling is everywhere these days, including YouTube, where some channels show the bright side of gaming.

Answers to each clue for the March 20, 2025 edition of NYT's The Mini crossword puzzle.

As of March 20, the LG 65-inch C3 OLED TV is on sale for $1,196.99 at Amazon. 20% off its usual price of $1,499.99.

Meta is finally rolling its AI chatbot in Europe, albeit only with smart chat functionality.

In a last hurrah, Firefly's Blue Ghost moon lander sends back a video of a lunar sunset, quite different from a terrestrial sunset.

AI-powered agents need to be connected all the time to be truly effective. Sounds like a job for satellite internet providers.

Five new Asus laptops and one Asus tablet have gotten pricier since launch because of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports, the company tells Mashable.

The Data Shredder Stick lets you securely wipe files, folders, and full hard drives with military-grade overwriting — grab yours now for just $29.99.

A partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of the U.S. in the Northern Hemisphere on March 29, 2025. Here's who's in the path and how to view the event safely.

What's new to Hulu, Peacock, Netflix, Paramount+, and more? Here are the must-sees and the better-off-to-avoids.

Spend $25 today for a year of savings with 50% off an annual Sam's Club membership.

Unlock next-level productivity, security, and AI-powered efficiency with Windows 11 Pro — now just $14.97 (reg. $199) through March 30.

Block ads, protect privacy, and keep your family’s browsing safe with AdGuard’s Family Plan for life at just $15.97 (reg. $169.99) with code FAMPLAN through March 30.

Scammers may be emboldened by DOGE cuts and staff resignations.

Chinese ecommerce giants like Temu and AliExpress sell drone accessories like those used by soldiers in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Pruna AI, a European startup that has been working on compression algorithms for AI models, is making its optimization framework open source on Thursday. Pruna AI has been creating a framework that applies several efficiency methods, such as caching, pruning, quantization and distillation, to a given AI model. “We also standardize saving and loading the […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

"The Residence," starring Uzo Aduba and Randall Park, is now streaming on Netflix.

A Swedish startup aiming to build a hyperscale cloud company in Europe has raised €50.6 million ($55 million) in Series A funding. Evroc, as it’s called, says it’s laying the foundations for a “secure, sovereign and sustainable hyperscale cloud to reimagine the digital future of Europe.” The announcement comes amid growing calls to create a […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

OpenAI is facing another privacy complaint in Europe over its viral AI chatbot’s tendency to hallucinate false information — and this one might prove tricky for regulators to ignore. Privacy rights advocacy group Noyb is supporting an individual in Norway who was horrified to find ChatGPT returning made-up information that claimed he’d been convicted for […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Michael Seibel announced late Wednesday on X that after more than 12 years at Y Combinator, he is transitioning to a “partner emeritus” role. Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan shared the news separately in a company blog post, highlighting Seibel’s long history with the accelerator. Seibel first joined YC as a founder, going through the […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

On March 20, celebrate the first day of spring with a free Rita’s Italian Ice giveaway.

Live stream Peru vs. Bolivia in World Cup qualifiers for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Paraguay vs. Chile in World Cup qualifiers for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Brazil vs. Colombia in World Cup qualifiers for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Kansas vs. Arkansas in 2025 March Madness for free from anywhere in the world.

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Live stream BYU vs. VCU in 2025 March Madness for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Creighton vs. Louisville in 2025 March Madness for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream 2025 March Madness for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Netherlands vs. Spain in the UEFA Nations League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Italy vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Greece vs. Scotland in the UEFA Nations League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Croatia vs. France in the UEFA Nations League for free from anywhere in the world.

Here's the answer for "Wordle" #1370 on March 20, as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.

Debt collection in emerging markets often feels outdated and can be costly — damaging borrower trust. As consumer lending surges and regulators push for fairer practices, legacy collection outfits are struggling to maintain pace. ClearGrid aims to help modernize debt collection — and recovery — with AI. The Dubai-based startup, which is emerging from stealth […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

For Windows 11 Pro’s latest 2024 update, Mashable readers pay just £11.51 (reg. £153.03). Enjoy enhanced Copilot AI, remote desktop, and BitLocker.

Get 2TB of secure cloud storage for life with FileJump for just £62.72 — ideal for holiday memories and everyday organisation.

Hints and answers to today's Hurdle all in one place.

SoftBank Group announced on Wednesday that it will acquire Ampere Computing, a chip designer founded by former Intel executive Renee James, through a $6.5 billion all-cash deal as a strategic move to broaden its investment in AI infrastructure. Ampere will be operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of SoftBank after the deal, which is expected to […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

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.

Wiz’s $32 billion all-cash acquisition by Google parent Alphabet promises a colossal payday for the cybersecurity startup’s early-stage investors. The deal is a big win for Sequoia, one of the best-known VC firms, which stands to make $3 billion, about 25x the money it invested in the company, Bloomberg reported. Despite substantial returns for Sequoia’s […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The move is a bet that Ampere’s chips can begin playing a significant role in data centers for creating artificial intelligence.

OpenAI has launched a more powerful version of its o1 “reasoning” AI model, o1-pro, in its developer API. According to OpenAI, o1-pro uses more computing than o1 to provide “consistently better responses.” Currently, it’s only available to select developers — those who’ve spent at least $5 on OpenAI API services — and it’s pricey. Very […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Using stalkerware is creepy, unethical, potentially illegal, and puts your data and that of your loved ones in danger. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Another consumer-grade spyware operation was hacked in June 2024, which exposed thousands of Apple Account credentials. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Some users on X are turning to Grok for fact-checking, raising concerns among fact-checkers. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Sequoia will shutter its Washington, D.C., office and part ways with the policy team there at the end of March, TechCrunch has confirmed. The news comes — and is somewhat in contrast — with the other prominent VC firms in Silicon Valley strengthening their ties with Capitol Hill and the new Trump administration. Andreessen Horowitz, […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Sequoia will shutter its D.C. office as well as part ways with the policy team there at the end of March, TechCrunch has confirmed. The news comes — and is somewhat in contrast — with the other prominent VC firms in Silicon Valley strengthening their ties with Capitol Hill and the new Trump administration. Andreessen […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Noam Brown, who leads AI reasoning research at OpenAI, says “reasoning” AI models like OpenAI’s o1 could’ve arrived 20 years earlier had researchers “known [the right] approach” and algorithms. “There were various reasons why this research direction was neglected,” Brown said during a panel at Nvidia’s GTC conference in San Jose on Wednesday. “I noticed […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Safety researchers claim Elon Musk’s auto company has a long history of potentially misleading stats. Now it looks like his government department is following suit.

Pixar's "Elio," about a human boy who is abducted by aliens, hits theaters June 20.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., has asked Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to appear before a congressional oversight committee to address Meta's dealings with China.

Nvidia has reportedly acquired Gretel, a San Diego-based startup that’s developed a platform to generate synthetic AI training data. Terms of the acquisition are unknown. The price tag is reportedly nine figures and exceeds Gretel’s most recent valuation of $320 million, according to Wired. Gretel and its team of roughly 80 employees will be folded […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Get instant alerts on the best flight deals and save up to 90% on your next getaway with Dollar Flight Club.

Raj Aggarwal is leaving AWS after nearly three years as the company’s GM of generative AI and revenue acceleration, according to a LinkedIn post Aggarwal published Wednesday. “I’m proud of the pioneering work our team did in generative AI from its earliest days,” Aggarwal said in his post. “We built what might be the world’s […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot face off in "Disney's Snow White." Review.

People are editing songs to be about LeBron James. Those edits are taking over TikTok.

In a new report, a California-based policy group co-led by Fei-Fei Li, an AI pioneer, suggests that lawmakers should consider AI risks that “have not yet been observed in the world” when crafting AI regulatory policies. The 41-page interim report released on Tuesday comes from the Joint California Policy Working Group on Frontier AI Models, […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Newsletter platform Ghost, an open source competitor to Substack, is now connected to the fediverse, also known as the open social web. Federated apps run on the protocol ActivityPub, which powers apps like Mastodon, Pixelfed, Threads, Flipboard, and others, allowing posts published on one app to be seen and engaged with by those on other […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Nvidia has invested in a startup founded by a former Google DeepMind senior research scientist who specialized in robotics and AI. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber made a splash at SXSW last week, showing up at her keynote event in a t-shirt that subtly poked fun at Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg. Or, at least it seemed like it was subtle. But so many people appreciated the jab that users convinced Bluesky to reproduce and sell Graber’s shirt […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, has added image generation capabilities to its API. Only one model is available in the API at the moment, “grok-2-image-1212.” Given a caption, the model can generate up to 10 images per request (limited to 5 requests per second) in JPG format, priced at $0.07 per image. For comparison, AI […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said today that the service now has more than 1 billion active users. This number is up from last year’s reported 950 million monthly active users. Durov also noted that the company registered $547 million in profits last year. He had announced the company’s profitability in December but hadn’t provided any […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Social media site X’s valuation has bounced back to $44 billion, according to a new report from the Financial Times. Elon Musk purchased the platform, formerly known as Twitter, for $44 billion back in 2022. However, a report from Bloomberg states that X has raised close to $1 billion from investors in a deal that […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The judge also found that the nonprofits will “suffer imminent, irreparable harm” if they don’t gain access to their funding. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The Roborock Saros Z70 is available for pre-order in a $1,899 bundle that also includes a second Roborock vacuum for free — a value of up to $800.

Ribbit Capital is raising $500 million for a new fund, an SEC filing seen by TechCrunch has revealed. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

NVIDIA’s GTC conference kicked off with a series of announcements highlighting its role in advancing autonomous driving technology. The chipmaker provides automakers and autonomous vehicle companies with a handful of Nvidia-branded tools to help power self-driving cars and create digital twins of factories. On Tuesday, companies including Torc, Gatik, and even General Motors announced plans […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Dataminr, a data analytics company that counts NATO and OpenAI among its customers, has raised $85 million in a combination of convertible financing and credit, Dataminr announced on Wednesday. It’s chump change for Dataminr, which closed a $475 million round at a $4.1 billion valuation in 2021. But the company has seen its fair share […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

As of March 19, you can get a pair of Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones for just $38 at Amazon. That's a $21.99 discount and the lowest price we've seen yet.

Streaming service and software maker Plex is raising its prices. The company announced on Wednesday its first price increase in a decade for its premium subscription service Plex Pass, which offers power users a variety of additional features, like offline access, themes, hardware transcoding, and other advanced settings. The service will now cost $6.99 per […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

As of March 19, get the Google Nest thermostat for $40 off at Amazon.

Target Circle 360 annual memberships are 50% off through March 29, knocking them down to $49 for the year.

Google lifted the veil off the Pixel 9A on Wednesday, and also announced a minor delay on Wednesday.

Google Search and its Play Store app marketplace are suspected of breaching the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), per preliminary findings announced Wednesday by EU Commission enforcers of the bloc’s flagship market contestability law, who have been investigating the company for months. The DMA applies to a handful of tech giants, Alphabet (Google’s parent) […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

The judge also found that the nonprofits will “suffer imminent, irreparable harm” if they don’t gain access to their funding. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

John Wick spin-off "Ballerina" stars Ana de Armas and Keanu Reeves. It hits theaters June 6.

The Walmart Super Savings Week kicks off on March 24 and runs through April 1, offering up to 55% off including Apple products.

Have researchers discovered a new AI “scaling law”? That’s what some buzz on social media suggests — but experts are skeptical. AI scaling laws, a bit of an informal concept, describe how the performance of AI models improves as the size of the datasets and computing resources used to train them increases. Until roughly a […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Nicholas Pileggi and Barry Levinson team up for a classic gangster tale in "The Alto Knights," but even double De Niro can't make it work. Review.

The research-focused agent shows how a new generation of more capable AI models could automate some office tasks.

Robots are part of an exciting new frontier in tech, but here’s the challenge: robots rely on arrays of sensors, external signals like GPS and Wi-Fi, and customized software to navigate their environments. Further, robotics often involves expensive, ready-made hardware solutions that include built-in software and sensors designed for specific tasks, like estimating relative motion. […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Devastating Akira ransomware cracked in hours using cloud computing

As of March 19, you can get a TP-Link WiFi extender for just $23.99 at Amazon. That's a 52% discount and a $26 price cut.

Tesla is in crisis and Musk has to go, an early investor said.

Nvidia has acquired synthetic data startup Gretel to bolster the AI training data used by the chip maker's customers and developers.

As of March 19, get the newly-released 'Monster Hunter Wilds' for PS5 at a great discount at Woot.

As of March 19, you can get the JBL Go 3 portable mini Bluetooth speaker for just $29.95 at Amazon. That's a 25% discount and a $10 price cut.

Samsung confirmed the rollout date for One UI 7, but what exactly will it bring to the table?

From record cleaners to mats, these extras are for budding enthusiasts and die-hard collectors alike.

Because of faults with Boeing’s Starliner, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore had to wait months for a ride back to Earth on a different spacecraft.

Dyson’s latest vacuum is powerful and compact but feels redundant.

Arriving in April, this midrange Android smartphone gets a bigger battery, a brighter screen, and even more AI.

Aqara's minimalist, affordable smart lock has a nice price tag and works well, but the expensive Aqara hub is required to use all of its features.

The Flip 7 adds new features, upgraded sound, and more battery.

The company has partnered with Nvidia to develop “cognitive AI,” which it says will allow people with severe physical disabilities to have more natural interactions with the world around them.

Ensure a flawless finish every time with these WIRED-tested picks, no matter where you’re putting on your face.

Billy Basso talks about the seven years he spent developing his hit game, and what he’s up to next.

Having a hard time choosing from Apple’s complex MacBook lineup? Let us help you find the right laptop.

Users in the test group are unimpressed by the video ads, which play automatically. Customers say they will be eager to toss their Roku devices if the ads become permanent.

The taxi service will initially operate with Tesla employee drivers only, use current-model vehicles, and won’t allow for driverless rides.

WIRED talked to actual federal auditors about how government auditing works—and how DOGE is doing the opposite.

Business-guidance content published during the Biden administration has been removed from the Federal Trade Commission website.