OpenAI to acquire development team of executive coaching AI tool Convogo
OpenAI begins the new year with a new acquisition. The AI giant is acquiring the team behind Convogo, a business software platform that helps executive coaches, consultants, talent leaders, and human resources teams automate and improve leadership assessments and feedback reporting. An OpenAI spokesperson said the company will not acquire Convogo’s IP or technology, but […]
Anduril’s Palmer Lackey believes the future of technology is the past
You might think it’s pretty strange to hear the founders of VR companies and social media platforms complaining publicly that things were better in the dial-up era. Nevertheless, that’s what happened at CES on Wednesday, when Oculus developer Palmer Lackey and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian gave a joint talk on the joys of “technostalgia.” Luckey […]
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Snowflake announces intent to acquire observability platform Observe
Snowflake plans to acquire Observe, an observability platform built on Snowflake’s database from its inception. (Observability platforms help businesses monitor performance issues and bugs in their software systems and data.) The cloud data company announced on January 8 that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Observe, subject to regulatory approval. Snowflake will integrate […]
Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI will go to jury in March
Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI will go to court after a US judge says there is evidence to support the billionaire’s case. Musk sued OpenAI and co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman in 2024, claiming they breached their original contractual agreement by pursuing profit instead of the nonprofit’s founding mission of developing AI to benefit […]
Why this VC thinks 2026 will be the “Year of the Consumer”
Investment in consumer technology startups has been stagnant since 2022 as turbulent macroeconomic conditions and rising inflation have made VCs wary of consumer purchasing power. Over the past few years, most AI investments have focused on acquiring enterprise customers that offer fat checks, multi-year contracts, and rapid scale-up paths. But one venture capital firm believes […]
Get hands-on with a prototype of Clicks’ Communicator, a new BlackBerry-like smartphone
BlackBerry is back, sort of. Mobile keyboard maker Clicks Technology last week announced its debut phone with a physical keyboard, the $499 Communicator. The company also offers a separate $79 sliding physical keyboard that fits any device. At CES, TechCrunch spoke with Jeff Gadway, chief marketing officer and co-founder of Clicks, and got a hands-on […]
Former Bolt CEO Maju Kuruvilla’s startup triples in valuation to $100 million
Spangle, the AI e-commerce startup founded by former Bolt CEO Maju Kuruvilla, has raised $15 million in a new funding round, valuing the company at $100 million. The Series A round, led by NewRoad Capital Partners, comes more than a year after the Seattle-based startup raised a $6 million seed round at a $30 million […]
Gmail debuts personalized AI inbox, AI overview in search, and more
Google announced a new AI Inbox for Gmail, designed to give you a personalized overview of your tasks and keep you informed of important updates. Gmail is also launching AI overview in search and a Grammarly-like “proofreading” feature. Additionally, Gmail offers several AI features to all users that were previously only available to paid users. […]
Ford is developing AI assistant and new hands-free BlueCruise technology
Ford announced Wednesday at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show that it is developing an AI assistant that will debut in its smartphone app before expanding to its vehicles in 2027. The company is also previewing the next generation of its BlueCruise advanced driver assistance system, which will be cheaper to manufacture and more capable, ultimately […]