November 21, 2024

The Download: AI replicas, and China’s climate role

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. AI can now create a replica of your personality Imagine sitting down with an AI model for a spoken two-hour interview. A friendly voice guides you through a conversation that ranges from your…

August 2023

Sony is buying gaming headphone maker, Audeze

August 24, 2023
Sony Interactive Entertainment (basically the PlayStation wing) today announced plans to acquire Audeze. The Orange Country, CA-based firm is best known for its high-end headphones, targeted at gamers and audio producers. Sony has confirmed the deal with TechCrunch. In a release announcing the news, the companies are quick to note that operating under the Sony […]

X (Twitter) blocked links to a Democratic political tool for a week

August 24, 2023
Formerly known as Twitter, the social platform X temporarily blocked links to EveryAction’s NGP VAN, possibly the most popular political organizing software for Democratic and progressive campaigns. For a week, links to volunteer event signups, donation portals and other resources for left-leaning political causes were unable to be shared on the platform, limiting their reach. […]

X tries to lure back advertisers with new $250 ad credit

August 24, 2023
X, the company formerly known as Twitter, has a new initiative aimed at luring smaller businesses to advertise on its platform. The company announced on Wednesday it would offer a one-time ad credit of $250 to select businesses when they spend $1,000 or more on new ad campaigns over the next 30 days. In its […]

How Google Cloud learned to embrace its partner ecosystem

August 24, 2023
Google Cloud’s annual Next event is happening in San Francisco next week (and we’ll be on the ground to cover all of the announcements), but ahead of the event, Google Cloud today put a spotlight on its partner ecosystem. It’s no secret that in its early days, Google’s cloud efforts were somewhat hindered by its […]

Vessel Capital emerges from stealth with $55M fund focused on web3 infrastructure and apps

August 24, 2023
Vessel Capital, a web3 venture fund, has emerged from stealth with $55 million in assets under management to invest in infrastructure and applications, the firm exclusively told TechCrunch. Founded by Mirza Uddin, Eric Chen and Anthony Anzalone, the firm has been investing about $10 million annually, Uddin said. The fund is “evergreen” and has the […]

Modular secures $100M to build tools to optimize and create AI models

August 24, 2023
Modular, a startup creating a platform for developing and optimizing AI systems, has raised $100 million in a funding round led by General Catalyst with participation from GV (Google Ventures), SV Angel, Greylock and Factory. Bringing Modular’s total raised to $130 million, the proceeds will be put toward product expansion, hardware support and the expansion […]