Just nine months after raising a whopping $10 billion (plus $5 billion in debt) in January, Databricks has confirmed another $1 billion raise at a $100 billion valuation. When rumors of the raise first broke last month, Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi told TechCrunch that the company is using the funds …
Read More »YouTube’s first exclusive NFL broadcast attracts over 17M viewers
YouTube announced on Monday that its first-ever exclusive global broadcast of an NFL game broke a record for the company, achieving the most concurrent viewers of a live stream on the platform. Over 17.3 million viewers from more than 230 countries and territories worldwide tuned in for the game between …
Read More »Y Combinator-backed Motion raises fresh $38M to build the Microsoft Office of AI agents
By the time Harry Qi was 23 years old, he had achieved the kind of financial success that most people will never attain: making about $1 million a year. He was working as “a quant” in his first job out of college. That’s hedge-fund speak for a stock-trading analyst at …
Read More »Spotify’s new ‘smart filters’ let you screen library content by activity, genre or mood
Spotify is giving users more ways to personalize what they hear. The company is launching a new feature that allows users to filter their library by specific activities, moods, or genres. These filters can also be used to find playlists, or, to some extent, audio books and podcasts, and can …
Read More »Adtech company PubMatic sues Google over monopoly violations
Advertising exchange PubMatic has filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of illegally monopolizing the ad technology market. PubMatic is seeking billions of dollars in damages, according a report from Bloomberg. The lawsuit marks the second time that an advertising exchange has sued Google since a federal judge …
Read More »Get behind the scenes at Disrupt 2025 by volunteering
Want to launch a startup? Build a brand? Run a large-scale conference like this one day? Volunteering at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is one of the best ways to see how the magic happens — and learn what it takes to pull off a world-class event. Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography TechCrunch …
Read More »SpaceX strikes $17B deal to buy EchoStar’s spectrum for Starlink’s direct-to-phone service
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has agreed to acquire 50MHz of wireless spectrum and Mobile Satellite Service spectrum licenses from EchoStar, for use in the Starlink satellite network. EchoStar will sell its AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses in exchange for $8.5 billion in cash and $8.5 billion SpaceX stock. SpaceX said the …
Read More »Amazon Music’s new AI feature generates personalized playlists every Monday
Ever since Spotify launched an AI DJ, Amazon Music has been developing its own AI-powered features, including AI-generated playlists and AI-assisted search, to compete more effectively with the music giant. Now, Amazon Music is launching a new feature called “Weekly Vibe,” designed to further personalize the listening experience. The feature …
Read More »More than 10 European startups became unicorns this year
Funding season is about to restart in Europe after the summer lull, and if all goes well, it will be counting new unicorns in dozens — plural. While mega-rounds are less common than they were in 2021, this hasn’t prevented 12 European startups from raising rounds at valuations of more …
Read More »InDrive has big plans to become a global ‘super app’ where others have failed
InDrive, known for its bidding-based ride-hailing model across Asia and Latin America, is rolling out a “super-app” strategy aimed at frontier markets — expanding beyond cabs to deliver daily essentials to its users. Beginning with grocery deliveries in Kazakhstan, InDrive plans to expand into multiple verticals over the next 12 …
Read More »