Driver in fatal Ford Blue Cruze crash was likely distracted before the collision
Two drivers involved in a fatal 2024 crash while using Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving system were likely distracted shortly before the crash, according to new information released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The safety board released documents on each crash and announced it would hold a public hearing in Washington, D.C., on […]
Replit’s valuation reaches $9 billion six months after reaching $3 billion
Vibe-coding sensation Replit has reached a new funding milestone. The company announced Wednesday that it has raised $400 million in Series D funding at a valuation of $9 billion, led by previous investor Georgian Partners. Other participating investors include G Squared, Prysm Capital, Coatue, Andreessen Horowitz, Craft Ventures, Y Combinator, Accenture Ventures, Okta Ventures, and […]
Spark is rumored to be raising billions as VC megafund returns with General Catalyst
Following last month’s news that New York’s hottest venture firm, Thrive, raised $10 billion for a new fund, its largest ever and double its previous raise, another major VC firm is trying to match that amount. General Catalyst is in talks to raise $10 billion, anonymous sources told Bloomberg. The company, which has reinvented itself […]
WordPress is debuting private workspaces that run inside your browser through a new service, my.WordPress.net.
WordPress publishing software can now run entirely in a web browser, the organization that develops open source publishing software announced Wednesday. Through a new service called my.WordPress.net, WordPress software allows users to set up a site and start publishing without signing up, setting up a hosting plan, or registering a domain. Instead, the new solution […]
Meta didn’t buy Moltbook for bots, they bought Agent Web
Some may have scratched their heads Tuesday morning when news broke that Meta had acquired Maltbook, a social network for AI agents. What on earth does Meta, an ad-supported company, want from a social network whose users are bots? After all, bots are not the target users of brand marketers and advertisers. Meta doesn’t say […]
Meta’s Moltbook deal hints at a future built around AI agents
Some may have scratched their heads Tuesday morning when news broke that Meta had acquired Maltbook, a social network for AI agents. What on earth does Meta, an ad-supported company, want from a social network whose users are bots? After all, bots are not the target users of brand marketers and advertisers. Meta doesn’t say […]
Amazon expands program that lets customers shop from other retailers’ sites
Amazon is expanding access to a program called Shop Direct that allows U.S. customers to discover and buy products not sold in its online store. The retail giant announced Wednesday that it will support third-party product feeds that merchants use to provide information about inventory, pricing, and catalogs to other partners. Using this information, Amazon […]
Former Apple engineer raises $5 million for memo pendant that records only audio
With advances in voice-to-text technology powered by AI models, transcription and note-taking has emerged as one of the primary use cases for wearable gadgets. Startups like Plaud and Pocket are also becoming more differentiated by specializing in products that can record and summarize meetings. Companies like Friend, Omi, and Amazon-owned Bee are exploring form factors […]
Google completes $32 billion acquisition of cloud cybersecurity startup Wiz
Google has officially acquired Israeli cybersecurity company Wiz for $32 billion in cash, a year after the companies announced the deal. This is Google’s largest acquisition in its history. Wiz provides a security platform that protects major cloud environments by preventing and responding to cybersecurity threats. The company said it will join Google Cloud but […]
Zoox plans to bring robotaxis to the Uber app in Las Vegas this year
Amazon’s Zoox plans to make robotaxis hailable through the Uber app in Las Vegas later this year, the companies announced Wednesday. But first, Zoox needs federal approval before it can commercially deploy its robotaxis, which have no steering wheel or pedals. That would require a waiver from the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). The […]