Google goes for flash with its mirror ball icon. “Are you sure you want this?”
So bad, is it good? Google joined in on the disco ball icon fun on every home screen on Friday. After Spotify’s ephemeral new mirrorball app icon released to commemorate its 20th anniversary drew massive backlash online (and some kudos for those who like a little kitsch!), Google decided to get in on the joke […]
How VCs and founders use inflated “ARR” to crown AI startups
Last month, Scott Stevenson, co-founder and CEO of legal AI startup Spellbook, took on X to expose what he called a “huge fraud” among AI startups: inflating the revenue numbers that companies report. “The reason so many AI startups are crushing revenue records is because they use dishonest metrics, backed by the world’s largest funds […]
Apple argues in Epic lawsuit that App Store rules for all developers should not be restructured
The iPhone maker is once again challenging a court ruling in the never-ending battle between Apple and Fortnite maker Epic Games over App Store fees. What is its latest tactic? Epic Games argued that its conflict with Apple over pricing should not lead to an injunction that applies to all developers publishing on the U.S. […]
Spotify’s AI bet: Want less of everything, more of everything
Spotify used to be a music app. Next, we added podcasts. Then audiobooks. The company is currently building AI capabilities into its apps at an overwhelming pace. The latest wave announced at Investor Day is heavily biased toward using AI to generate content, rather than using AI to help users find the content they actually […]
You can no longer search for the word “ignore” on Google
Earlier this week, Google rolled out an all-new search experience that brings AI to the fore and moves the traditional “10 blue links” far down the page. However, the sheer size of Google Search means there are many edge cases that the company may not have considered. For example, if you type the word “ignore” […]
I tried out Google’s AI glasses, and I’m almost there.
At this week’s Google I/O developer conference, we had a chance to get a quick taste of Google’s upcoming AI-powered glasses. Rather than the audio-only glasses that the company announced will begin shipping this fall, these glasses offer a combined audio and visual experience. First announced at last year’s event, these Android XR glasses feature […]
Trump Mobile admits to leaking customers’ personal information, including phone numbers and home addresses
Telephone provider Trump Mobile has admitted to exposing customers’ names, email addresses, mailing addresses, mobile phone numbers, and order identifiers to the open Internet. Chris Walker, a spokesperson for the Trump-branded phone maker, told TechCrunch that the company is investigating the revelations but has found no evidence that any content or financial information was leaked […]
Meta quietly launches new Reddit-like app called Forum
Meta has quietly released a new standalone app for Facebook groups called “Forum.” The company appears to be positioning Forum as a platform that functions similarly to Reddit, describing the app as “a dedicated space built for deeper discussion, real answers, and communities that care.” Matt Navarra, a social media consultant, appears to have first […]
Smart ring maker’s Oura file to be released
SpaceX may have made headlines with its IPO prospectus, but Elon Musk’s aerospace, AI and data center company wasn’t the only notable company to file to go public this week. On Thursday, Finnish smart ring company Oura announced it had confidentially filed a Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in preparation for […]
Audio generation app Huxe, founded by former NotebookLM developer, has ended its service
Huxe, an app created by a former NotebookLM developer that allows users to enter prompts to generate a podcast or podcast series about a topic, is shutting down. The announcement comes a day after Spotify released a personal podcast feature that works similarly. The company said it has removed the app from the App Store […]