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 stage. Both firms will co-invest … Read more
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 search results, Gurman says. While … Read more
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 tech and high-stakes pitches as … Read more
OpenAI launched an AI-powered web browser called ChatGPT Atlas this week, which makes me wonder: Is it finally time to ditch Safari? That news was on our minds as Max Zeff, Sean O’Kane, and I discussed the browser landscape — including some lesser-known alternatives — on the latest episode of the Equity podcast. But it … Read more
A high school student in Baltimore County, Maryland was reportedly handcuffed and searched after an AI security system flagged his bag of chips as a possible firearm. Taki Allen, a student at Kenwood High School, told CNN affiliate WBAL, “I was just holding a Doritos bag — it was two hands and one finger out, … Read more
OpenAI is working on a new tool that would generate music based on text and audio prompts, according to a report in The Information. Such a tool could be used to add music to existing videos, or to add guitar accompaniment to an existing vocal track, sources said. It’s not clear when OpenAI plans to … Read more
Every few weekends, 21-year-old student Lavanya Jain opens the BlaBlaCar app to find a lift from Noida on the outskirts of New Delhi to his home in Kandhla, a small town in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state. The 120-kilometer journey costs him about ₹500, the equivalent of about $6. That’s a fraction of the ₹1,500–₹2,000, … Read more
John Nitti has left his position as X’s advertising chief after just ten months, reports the Financial Times. Nitti, who joined as global head of revenue operations and advertising innovation, was considered a potential successor to former CEO Linda Yaccarino, who resigned in July. His exit adds to a string of high-level departures from Elon … Read more
OpenAI recently launched new app integrations in ChatGPT to allow you to connect your accounts directly to ChatGPT and ask the assistant to do things for you. For instance, with a Spotify integration, you can tell it to create personalized playlists that will show up right in your Spotify app. To get started, make sure … Read more
The tech layoff wave is still kicking in 2025. Last year saw more than 150,000 job cuts across 549 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. So far this year, more than 22,000 workers have been the victim of reductions across the tech industry, with a staggering 16,084 cuts taking place in February alone. We’re … Read more
