“It’s not absurd, right?” Christian Kroll, CEO of Berlin-based non-profit search engine Ecosia, says of his company’s unsolicited request to be granted a 10-year “stewardship” of Google’s Chrome browser, instead of forcing Google to sell it to a competitor. His idea is most definitely absurd, but also clever. On Thursday, …
Read More »Gas power plants approved for Meta’s $10B data center, and not everyone is happy
When Meta selected a site in Louisiana for its largest data center to date, it signed a deal with Entergy to power the site with three massive natural gas power plants. Yesterday evening, a state regulator approved Entergy’s plans. The power plants are expected to come online in 2028 and …
Read More »Elon Musk’s X may finally settle $500M severance lawsuit
More than two years after leaving the company, some former Twitter employees may finally receive their severance pay. Elon Musk’s X is tentatively settling a class action lawsuit filed by workers who were let go soon after he purchased Twitter. This news comes in the form of a court filing …
Read More »Struggling fusion power company General Fusion gets $22M lifeline from investors
General Fusion, a Canadian nuclear fusion energy startup, announced today that it had been thrown a lifeline in the form of $22 million in fresh funding. The company had laid off at least 25% of its employees in May in a bid to shore up its stretched finances. At the …
Read More »iPhone 17, the ‘thinnest iPhone ever,’ and everything else we’re expecting out of Apple’s hardware event
Apple usually announces its new hardware in the fall, and this year is likely no different. The event is reported to be on September 9, and Apple is expected to release its iPhone 17 lineup, along with updates for the Apple Watch and AirPods. As always, there are many rumors …
Read More »Microsoft AI chief says it’s ‘dangerous’ to study AI consciousness
AI models can respond to text, audio, and video in ways that sometimes fool people into thinking a human is behind the keyboard, but that doesn’t exactly make them conscious. It’s not like ChatGPT experiences sadness doing my tax return… right? Well, a growing number of AI researchers at labs …
Read More »Instagram now lets creators link multiple reels in a series
Instagram has begun allowing creators to connect multiple reels in a series, the Meta-owned social network told TechCrunch exclusively. The new capability, which is already available on TikTok, makes it easier for viewers to follow and discover related content. Now, if a creator is telling a story in a series …
Read More »Apple TV+ price jumps 30% to $12.99 monthly
Apple is raising the monthly price of its Apple TV+ streaming service to $12.99, marking a 30% increase from the previous $9.99 subscription price. The updated price takes effect for new customers starting Thursday and will impact current subscribers 30 days after their next renewal date. It’s worth noting that …
Read More »YouTube Music celebrates 10 years with new features that help it compete with Spotify
YouTube is celebrating 10 years of its YouTube Music app on Thursday with the launch of new features that bring it closer to rival Spotify and others. The app will now include “Taste Match” playlists, which are playlists that combine multiple users’ overlapping interests, similar to Spotify Blend. The app …
Read More »Raising multiple rounds of venture capital might be wrong for your startup
There’s a generally accepted script in Silicon Valley: Identify a startup idea. Sell a chunk of your company to raise venture capital. Make sales. Raise more venture capital, and make more sales. Repeat until the company goes public, or gets acquired, hopefully for billions either way. But what if you …
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