Crunch Hype

ARM Holdings, the UK semiconductor company, made history for the second time today, becoming the country’s biggest tech exit when Nvidia announced over the weekend that it would buy it from SoftBank for $40 billion in an all-stock deal. (ARM’s first appearance in the record books? When SoftBank announced in 2016 that it would acquire […]

As TikTok’s fate in the U.S. remains murky, YouTube today announced the launch of a new short-form video experience it’s calling YouTube Shorts. The feature will allow users, initially in India, to upload 15-second or less short-form videos using a new set of creator tools, including a multi-segment camera, similar to TikTok, speed controls, and […]

Microsoft has concluded a years-long experiment involving use of a shipping container-sized underwater data center, placed on the sea floor off the cost of Scotland’s Orkney Islands. The company pulled its ‘Project Natick’ underwater data warehouse up out of the water earlier this year at the beginning of the summer, and spent that last few […]

The European Commission has begun testing backend infrastructure that’s needed to make national coronavirus contacts tracing apps interoperate across the bloc’s internal borders. It’s kicked off test runs between the backend servers of the official apps from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Latvia, and the newly established gateway server — which is […]

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can […]

We’re excited to announce that Extra Crunch memberships are now available in Australia. That adds to our existing support in: United States Canada Argentina, Brazil, Mexico UK Select European countries We’ve been polling readers for the past year and a half about where to expand, and Australia was one of the most requested regions. Join […]

Indulging in American food companies’ favorite pastime of marketing innovations that no one needs but potentially everyone wants, Beyond Meat is launching Beyond Meatballs in grocery stores nationwide this week. The new product can be put on top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese, and comes pre-spiced with a blend of Italian spices, according to […]

The spreadsheet-centric database and no-code platform Airtable today announced that it has raised a $185 million Series D funding round, putting the company at a $2.585 billion post-money valuation. Thrive Capital led the round, with additional funding by existing investors Benchmark, Coatue, Caffeinated Capital and CRV, as well as new investor D1 Capital. With this, […]

Another big M&A play is going down in the the world of media. Publishing group Red Ventures today announced that it is buying CNET Media Group from ViacomCBS for $500 million. The deal will include the eponymous CNET tech site, as well as ZDNet, Gamespot, TVGuide, Metacritic, and Chowhound. The news puts paid to speculation that had been […]

Another class action style lawsuit has been lodged against a tech giant in the UK alleging violations of privacy and seeking major damages. The latest representative action, filed against Google-owned YouTube, accuses the platform of routinely breaking UK and European data protection laws by unlawfully targeting up to five million under-13-year-olds with addictive programming and […]

Alameda-based rocket launch startup Astra finally got the chance to launch its first orbital test mission from its Alaska-based facility on Saturday, after the attempt had been delayed multiple times due to weather and other issues. The 8:19 PM PT lift-off of Astra’s ‘Rocket 3.1’ test vehicle went well – but the flight ended relatively […]

David Chao, the cofounder of the cross-border venture firm DCM, speaks English, Japanese, and Mandarin. But he also knows how to talk to founders. It’s worth a lot. Consider that DCM should see more than $1 billion from the $26.4 million it invested across 14 years in the cloud-based business-to-business payments company Bill.com, starting with […]

A look back at Extra Crunch's top stories over the last few days.

Alex Zajaczkowski was just months into her role at Toast, a restaurant point-of-sale software company, when she was let go during COVID-19 layoffs. Toast, last valued at $5 billion, cut 50% of its staff through layoffs and furloughs. Zajaczkowski said she started applying for jobs within a week. “I think I got on the boat […]

While the coronavirus has accelerated the dealmaking pace for many early-stage startups, activity has not come without adaptation. Remote investment struggles for investors were clear from the get go: it’s challenging to invest millions in someone you have never met, and there’s not a lot to learn from “off-the-cuff” conversations that are calendared days in […]

Apple’s making App Store changes, China might stop TikTok’s acquisition and we talk to Polish venture capitalists about the startup scene. This is your Daily Crunch for September 11, 2020. The big story: Apple revises App Store rules Apple announced a bunch of changes to its App Store guidelines today, with details about how it […]

We’re coming down to the wire folks. Disrupt 2020 officially opens its virtual doors September 14 for five super-charged days of everything the early-stage startup community needs to build better, faster, stronger. Going virtual translates into a global reach making this our largest Disrupt ever. Yowza! There’s a lot going on during this Disrupt — […]

Welcome back to Human Capital, where we unpack the latest in tech labor and diversity and inclusion. This week, we’re looking at the latest developments in the battle over the classification of gig workers, the rise of labor unions in tech and and Instagram’s latest move to be woke. Human Capital will soon be available […]

The controversial push to force Chinese tech unicorn ByteDance to divest part or all of its smash-hit TikTok social media service to a U.S.-based company could be in doubt after a report today indicated that China’s government may oppose the transaction. According to reporting by Reuters, the Chinese government may prefer TikTok to simply shutter […]

It’s no secret that the tech industry is historically white, straight and male. Despite promises to examine and reform hiring practices so that tech companies big and small better reflect the world we all live in, diversity reports chart a different path: Black, brown, female and LGBTQIA+ folks aren’t getting their representative seats at the […]

Toucan has developed a Chrome browser extension designed for anyone who wants to learn a new language but hasn’t found the motivation or the time. Once installed, the extension scans the text of any (English-language) website you’re visiting and will automatically translate some of the words into the language you’re trying to learn. If you […]

There are just a few days until we kick off five days of Disrupt 2020 (September 14-18). It’s time to dig in, dig deep and do whatever it takes to discover hidden opportunities. Disrupt is a vehicle for success for all who are playing the startup game. Buy your pass and drive it like you […]

In the wake of the arrest of four employees of San Francisco-based startup PandaDoc, the tech industry in Belarus has rallied support for the company and the pro-democracy movement in the country. Representatives of the tech community recorded a video which has had wide circulation on social media, supporting the detained employees. “Our strength is […]

Alphabet’s Wing is among the companies leading the way for building a sustainable and scalable way for drones and other aircraft to share the skies and build a capable and safe aerial transportation network. Wing’s Head of Policy, Regulatory and Community Affairs Margaret Nagle will join us at TC Sessions: Mobility this year to talk […]

We all know times are incredibly tough, and everyone’s working overtime on steroids to keep their startup dreams alive. Disrupt events have a reputation for serving up a tasty helping of fun along with the main dish: opportunity. We refuse to host virtual conference without providing time for levity, swag and kick-ass entertainment. TechCrunch Trivia […]

Facebook is firing up its lawyers to try to block EU regulators from forcing it to suspend transatlantic data transfers in the wake of a landmark ruling by Europe’s top court this summer. The tech giant has applied to judges in Ireland to seek a judicial review of a preliminary suspension order, it has emerged. […]

Apple today is releasing updated App Store Guidelines with the goal of clarifying how it will approach new technologies, like game streaming services, App Clips and widgets, in addition to better detailing its stance over how and when it will collect in-app purchases from certain categories of apps. The changes arrive at a time when […]

Apple laid out some interesting updates to its App Store rules this morning, the most headline-grabbing of which was a section dedicated to cloud gaming platforms like Microsoft’s xCloud and Google’s Stadia. This comes after very public complaints from Microsoft regarding xCloud’s rejection from the App Store, which Apple denied because its App Store rules […]

With the election looming and a pandemic still raging through the U.S., a shortage of poll workers is just one of many threats to voting this November — but it’s a big one. In a Facebook post Friday, Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company will launch a poll worker recruitment drive on the platform. Beginning […]

TikTok has fixed four security bugs in its Android app that could have led to the hijacking of user accounts. The vulnerabilities, discovered by app security startup Oversecured, could have allowed a malicious app on the same device to steal sensitive files, like session tokens, from inside the TikTok app. Session tokens are small files […]

Chartable, a startup known for its authoritative podcast download charts, is announcing that it has raised $2.25 million in seed funding. Founders Dave Zohrob and Harish Agarwal previously worked together at AngelList, and they also created Hacker Daily, a podcast recapping the headlines from Hacker News. Zohrob (Chartable’s CEO) told me their experience hosting a […]

Esports, an already booming industry, have taken on an even greater significance in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. With traditional sports stalled or… er, different, esports and gaming in general have given folks a fresh way to enjoy competition. Perhaps no esports organization has more clout or recognition than FaZe Clan. That’s why we’re […]

Your window to untold opportunity slams shut tonight. I’m looking at you, early-stage startup founders. Don’t miss your last chance to exhibit your tech and talent to thousands of Disrupt 2020 attendees around the world. A Disrupt Digital Startup Alley Package is one of the most cost-effective ways to create brand awareness, attract new customers, […]

The final countdown to early-bird savings is in play, and you have mere hours left to save $100 on passes to TC Sessions: Mobility 2020 (October 6-7). The early-bird offer expires — and prices go up — today, September 11 at 11:59 p.m. (PT). Why pay more than necessary? Buy your pass now and keep more money […]

Elon Musk has previously touted the ‘Bioweapon Defense Mode’ boasted by Tesla’s vehicles, which are designed to provide excellent air quality inside the car even in the face of disastrous conditions without, thanks in part to high-efficiency HEPA air filtration. Now, Musk has said on Twitter that he hopes to one day provide similar air […]

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to put huge stress on people’s and businesses’ finances, and in an effort to meet some of the crunch, today PayPal and Visa announced an expansion of a service to get cash into people’s hands faster. Instant Transfer — a service where PayPal lets people and businesses quickly access transferred funds […]

Orchard, the tech-forward residential real estate platform, has today announced the close of a $69 million Series C funding led by Revolution Growth. Existing investors FirstMark Capital, Navitas, Accomplice and Juxtapose also participated in the round, which brings the company’s total funding to $138 million. Orchard (formerly Perch) launched in 2017 on a mission to […]

Dgraph Labs, the startup behind the popular eponymous graph database, today announced the launch of its Slash GraphQL service. Slash GraphQL is a fully managed GraphQL backend service that is, of course, powered by Dgraph. As Manish Jain, Dgraph’s CEO and founder (and one of the engineers behind Google’s massive graph database infrastructure), told me, […]

Huawei is planning to launch its proprietary Harmony operating system on smartphones in 2021, the firm announced at its annual developer conference in Dongguan on Thursday. The readiness of HarmonyOS handsets will largely be contingent on the number of apps Huawei can attract within a short window. HMS Core, Huawei’s counterpart to Google Play Services […]

Curio, the burgeoning audio platform that offers a curated library of “expert” journalism, has closed a $9 million in Series A round funding. The round is led by Earlybird, with participation from Draper Esprit, Cherry Ventures, and Horizons Ventures. It follows $2 million in previous backing from Cherry, 500 Startups and unnamed private angel investors, […]

Times Internet said on Thursday it reaches more than 557 million active users in India each month and over 111 million users a day as several of its digital offerings demonstrated strong growth in the past year. The Indian conglomerate — which operates over three-dozen properties, including on-demand streaming services MX Player and Gaana, and […]

The city council in Portland, Oregon passed legislation Wednesday that’s widely regarded as the most aggressive municipal ban on facial recognition technology so far. Through a pair of ordinances, Portland will both prohibit city bureaus from using the controversial technology and stop private companies from employing it in public areas. Oakland, San Francisco and Boston […]

Even as more than 150 million people are using digital payment apps each month in India, only about 20 million of them invest in mutual funds and stocks. A startup that is attempting to change that by courting millennials has just received a big backing. Bangalore-headquartered Groww said on Thursday it had raised $30 million […]

Lucid just launched its first production vehicle, and it looks impressive. But let’s talk about the new website, too. It features a remarkable buying experience that lets shoppers build a 3D car online and experience it in VR at a Lucid dealership. Right now, minutes after its launch, the site is laggy at times. I […]

General Keith Alexander, who oversaw the National Security Agency when Edward Snowden revealed the shocking extent of its illegal wiretapping and data collection programs, has joined Amazon’s board as a director. Gen. Alexander’s duties on the audit committee and anywhere else he might be needed are not spelled out anywhere. He is currently co-CEO of […]

After years of development, Lucid Motors took the wraps off the Air, an electric luxury sedan that was unveiled Wednesday in a live-streamed event. The Air combines high-end features with eye-popping performance specs and technology that puts it in the same luxury category as a Mercedes S Class. The Air will range in price from […]

Lucid Motors provided Wednesday a peek of the next vehicle in its all-electric lineup — an SUV called the Lucid Gravity. The Lucid Gravity follows the Air, a luxury all-electric sedan that was revealed Wednesday in a live streamed event. The Gravity, which will have the same underlying vehicle platform as the Air, is already […]

Lucid Motors CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson had a clear vision for how to take an electric car to another level. The former chief engineer of the Tesla Model S just didn’t expect it to take quite so long. Today, nearly four years since the company first announced its intentions to produce electric vehicles, Lucid […]

A massive content recommendation merger falls apart, Microsoft reveals the release date and pricing for its flagship game console and Alexa enables phone calls for AT&T customers. This is your Daily Crunch for September 9, 2020. The big story: Taboola and Outbrain call off their merger Looks like the two biggest companies in the content […]

Instagram announced some changes it’s making that are geared toward advancing equity within its workplace. The changes come after Instagram in June spoke about elevating, rather than suppressing Black voices in light of the killing of George Floyd. “More than ever, people are turning to the platform to raise awareness for the racial, civic, and […]