Technology

Triller’s S-1 filing claims 550M users, but its app installs fall far short, new data shows

August 21, 2023
TikTok competitor Triller is preparing to go public, but estimates from Apptopia call its self-reported user numbers into question. Per Triller’s S-1 filing, the short form video app has had 550 million lifetime signups. But market intelligence firm Apptopia estimates that Triller has been downloaded just 73.2 million times since launch in 2015 — that’s […]

Teeny EV startup Arcimoto hooks up with defense contractor

August 21, 2023
What happens when a maker of tiny electric vehicles dips its wheels into the military industrial complex? We’re about to find out. On Monday, Arcimoto said it is diversifying beyond its usual business via a partnership with Department of Defense contractor Matbock. That’s a first for the EV startup, which is best known for its […]

The human costs of the AI boom

August 21, 2023
AI companies are using online labor to outsource the large amounts of hidden manual work needed to build their applications.

Five, count ’em, five reasons you need to be at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023

August 21, 2023
Why should you go to TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 in San Francisco on September 19–21? Let us count the reasons. We could hit double digits, but we’ll stop at five because you’re busy people with unicorns to chase. Besides, these five should be tempting enough for anyone interested in building a bigger, better startup — in […]

YouTube is working on a plan to compensate artists and rightsholders for AI music

August 21, 2023
YouTube announced today how it plans to approach the impact AI technology is having on the music industry with regard to its video hosting platform and its existing partnerships across the music industry, including with artists, labels and other rightsholders. While the company is bullish on AI’s potential to “enhance music’s unique creative expression,” it […]

Level up at the TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 roundtables

August 21, 2023
You won’t have to search very hard or go very far to engage in compelling conversations next month at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023. In fact, you’ll find more than two dozen in the agenda — just look for the roundtable discussions. One of the most popular attractions at Disrupt, roundtables are expert-led, small-group conversations focused on […]

The Download: reusing heat from computers, and period research

August 21, 2023
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. This startup has engineered a clever way to reuse waste heat from cloud computing The idea of using the wasted heat of computing to do something else has been mooted plenty of times…