Monarch Tractor preps for layoffs and warns employees it may ‘shut down’

Autonomous electric tractor startup Monarch Tractor warned staff Thursday it may need to lay off more than 100 employees, or possibly even ‘shut down,’ according to a company-wide memo obtained by TechCrunch. The memo comes after Monarch Tractor was already cutting some positions over the last few weeks at its California corporate facilities and remote … Read more

Bluesky announces moderation changes focused on better tracking, improved transparency

Decentralized social network Bluesky, a competitor to X and Threads, announced on Wednesday that it’s making further changes to its moderation process. Specifically, the company said it’s introducing new updates around how it tracks violations of its Community Guidelines and enforces its policies. This includes the inclusion of new reporting categories in the app, changes … Read more

Emm raises $9M seed to create one of the world’s first ‘smart’ menstrual cups

Jenny Button first thought of Emm during the COVID lockdown. She was using an Oura ring and the Whoop monitoring band and getting insights about her body, but there wasn’t a device that could provide data about one of the most important aspects — reproductive and menstrual health.   “It seemed crazy to me, because these are things that every woman wants to be able to … Read more

Tesla receives ride-hailing permit in Arizona in last required step to launch robotaxi service

Tesla received a ride-hailing permit this week from Arizona regulators, opening the door for the automaker to begin operating a robotaxi service in the state. A spokesperson with Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) told TechCrunch the automaker applied for a Transportation Network Company (TNC) permit on November 13. Tesla met the requirements to operate as a … Read more

Poe’s AI app now supports group chats across AI models

Poe, Quora’s app that brings together different AI models into one platform, is launching group chat functionality. The company announced on Monday that users worldwide will be able to start group chats with up to 200 other people, then collaborate across more than 200 AI models — including text, image, video, and audio generators — … Read more