At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Sequoia managing partner Roelof Botha argued that the venture industry isn’t an asset class, and that throwing more money into Silicon Valley doesn’t lead to better companies. “Investing in venture is a return-free risk,” Botha said during an interview on TechCrunch’s Disrupt’s main stage on Monday. …
Read More »Glīd is building an autonomous shortcut to move freight from road to rail — catch it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
Kevin Damoa came face-to-face with the challenges and dangers of moving freight from road to rail as a 17-year-old U.S. Army enlistee tasked with loading tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles onto the railroad. It was — as the mechanical engineer and founder of Glīd Technologies puts it — the beginning …
Read More »Amazon reportedly plans to cut around 30,000 corporate jobs
Amazon could be implementing the largest job reduction at the company since 2023. As reported by Reuters on Monday, people familiar with the matter said that up to 30,000 corporate positions may be eliminated starting Tuesday. The job cuts are expected to affect various sectors, including human resources, devices and …
Read More »Apple says U.S. passport digital IDs are coming to Wallet ‘soon’
Apple says it will soon introduce an Apple Wallet feature that will allow U.S. users to create a digital ID using their passport, which will then be able to be used at select TSA checkpoints for domestic travel. The feature, previously announced as part of the iOS 26 release, comes …
Read More »Israeli intelligence vets raise $20M to track developer buying signals
Developers hate (bad) marketing, but they still need a way to find useful tools and services. That’s why you’ll find a preponderance of developers on forums and sites like Hacker News, Reddit and Stack Overflow discussing their dev kits and why some tools are better than others. That buying intent …
Read More »Trump and Xi will ‘consummate’ TikTok deal on Thursday, treasury secretary says
The United States and China are ready to move forward on a TikTok deal, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Bessent had already said last month that the two countries reached a “framework” on a deal during discussions in Madrid, and President Donald Trump subsequently signed an executive order to …
Read More »Accel and Prosus team up to back early-stage Indian startups
Storied investors Accel and Prosus have launched a new investment partnership to back Indian startups from day zero, targeting founders building large-scale solutions with the potential to serve the masses in the South Asian nation. Announced on Monday, the collaboration marks the first time Prosus is investing at the formation …
Read More »Less than 24 hours until Disrupt 2025 — and ticket rates rise
The countdown is almost over — tomorrow’s the day! In less than 24 hours, TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 takes over Moscone West. From October 27–29, 10,000 founders, investors, and innovators will flood San Francisco for three days of building, connecting, and deal-making. We’re just days away from live demos of never-before-seen …
Read More »Ads might be coming to Apple Maps next year
Apple Maps users could start seeing ads in the app as soon as next year, according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Similar to Google Maps and other mapping apps, Apple’s plan is to allow restaurants and other businesses with brick-and-mortar locations to pay to promote themselves in …
Read More »TechCrunch Mobility: The ‘robot army’ argument
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! I am sure you are waiting to learn the results of last week’s poll. (Reminder: Sign …
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