TechCrunch+ Roundup: Monetizing generative AI, sex tech checkup, patents and IP
Acquiring a patent can open doors with investors, lead to joint partnerships, and even help immigrant founders in the U.S. obtain green cards.
The Download: hunting an asteroid, and unlocking the human mind
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. Inside the most dangerous asteroid hunt ever If you were told that the odds of something were 3.1%, it might not seem like much. But for the people charged with protecting our planet,…
Technology
Microsoft can’t stop discontinuing Kinect
Kinect occupies a strange place in the tech world. It’s a nearly universally beloved piece of technology that was both ahead of its time and very much of its time, all at once. It felt — for a moment — like it was going to revolutionize gaming, but much like the Wii, proved to be […]
IBM sells The Weather Company assets to Francisco Partners
Following rumors that it was exploring the sale of its weather business as part of a move to streamline operations, IBM says that it’s found a buyer for The Weather Company, the weather forecasting and information company it acquired in 2015. Francisco Partners, the private equity firm, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire The […]
Chronic technical debt could be holding your company back
Companies mired in tech debt, with older, brittle systems, could face big issues when game changing technologies come along.
Not a traditional founder? Learn how to use it to your advantage at TC Disrupt 2023
The list of reasons why venture investors don’t fund diverse startups is long, legion and ludicrous, to put it politely. Nontraditional founders still face a ridiculous uphill slog. Here’s some good news: If you don’t fit the “pale, male from Yale” stereotype, you can use your experience to your benefit. We’re excited to share a […]
Swedish EV battery maker raises $1.2B to expand to North America
Northvolt, a Swedish producer of lithium-ion batteries, has raised around $1.2 billion from BlackRock and various Canadian pension plans to build new factories in North America and Europe, according to report from Reuters. Tuesday’s announcement signals the first time Northvolt has shared concrete plans to build in North America. If Northvolt builds in the U.S., […]
Meta releases an AI model that can transcribe and translate close to 100 languages
In its quest to develop AI that can understand a range of different dialects, Meta has created an AI model, SeamlessM4T, that can translate and transcribe close to 100 languages across text and speech. Available in open source along with SeamlessAlign, a new translation data set, Meta claims that SeamlessM4T represents a “significant breakthrough” in […]
Former Bose employees are resurrecting Sleepbuds
I can’t recall a piece of hardware of recent vintage that I wanted to like more than Bose Sleepbuds. That made them all the more frustrating. In recent years, I’ve been on a kind of mini-quest to find a suitable pair of sleeping headphones. As a terrible sleeper, I love the idea, but the reality […]
Sidus Space acquires Exo-Space to ramp up on orbit data offerings
Sidus Space is taking another step toward full vertical integration with the acquisition of California-based Exo-Space, a startup that offers edge computing on orbit. While the exact financial details were not disclosed, Sidus is paying cash for 15% of Exo-Space, in return for the startup’s contract revenues. The remainder of the acquisition is being paid […]
The Download: spying keyboard software, and why boring AI is best
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. How ubiquitous keyboard software puts hundreds of millions of Chinese users at risk For millions of Chinese people, the first software they download onto devices is always the same: a keyboard app. Yet…