February 7, 2025

These documents are influencing the DOGE-sphere’s agenda

Reports from the US Government Accountability Office on improper federal payments in recent years are circulating on X and elsewhere online, and they seem to be a big influence on Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency and its supporters as the group pursues cost-cutting measures across the federal government.  The payment reports have been…

Technology

Y Combinator-backed Rever aims to modernize refunds and returns

June 19, 2023

Màrius Montmany and Oriol Hernandez i Fajula, former employees at large logistics companies, several years ago found themselves frustrated with the problem of “reverse logistics”  — how to get product returns through the mail system in an efficient and cost-effective way. Dissatisfied with the existing solutions out there, the pair founded Rever — now backed […]

Y Combinator-backed Rever aims to modernize refunds and returns by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Seedstars, Fondation Botnar launch new fund to back African startups focused on youth wellbeing

June 19, 2023

Seedstars Capital and Swiss philanthropic foundation Fondation Botnar have launched Seedstars Youth Wellbeing Ventures, a $20 million investment mandate targeting early-stage startups in Africa that are focused on improving the wellbeing of people below 30 years in low-and-middle-income countries. The evergreen fund will back pre-seed to Series A startups including those that advance health services, […]

Seedstars, Fondation Botnar launch new fund to back African startups focused on youth wellbeing by Annie Njanja originally published on TechCrunch

Mercedes jumps into the ChatGPT fray and Toyota plays catch-up

June 18, 2023

The Station is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here — just click The Station — to receive the full edition of the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free.  Welcome back to The Station, your central hub for all past, present and future means of moving people and packages from Point […]

Mercedes jumps into the ChatGPT fray and Toyota plays catch-up by Kirsten Korosec originally published on TechCrunch

Got rejuvenation? Better call security

June 17, 2023
It’s not every day that police storm through the doors of a scientific session and eject half the audience. But that is what occurred on Friday at the Boston Convention Center during a round of scientific presentations featuring Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a specialist in “rejuvenation” technology at a secretive, wealthy, anti-aging startup called Altos…

Meta says it’s totally fine for 10 year olds to wear its VR headset, probably

June 16, 2023

Meta will soon officially permit users as young as 10 to use its Meta Quest 2 and 3 VR headsets — if their parents say it’s okay, anyway. In a blog post, the tech giant says that there’s “a vast array of engaging and educational apps, games, and more” for the kiddos, even if the […]

Meta says it’s totally fine for 10 year olds to wear its VR headset, probably by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch

US confirms federal agencies hit by MOVEit breach, as hackers list more victims

June 16, 2023

The U.S. government has confirmed that multiple federal agencies have fallen victim to cyberattacks exploiting a security vulnerability in a popular file transfer tool. In a statement shared with TechCrunch, CISA confirmed that “several” U.S. government agencies have experienced intrusions related to the exploitation of a vulnerability in MOVEit Transfer, an enterprise file transfer tool […]

US confirms federal agencies hit by MOVEit breach, as hackers list more victims by Carly Page originally published on TechCrunch

Musk woos ad giants in Paris to fix Twitter’s woes

June 16, 2023

In a steaming-hot, packed, VivaTech hall in Paris today, Twitter owner Elon Musk waxed lyrical on his various accomplishments, but demured over some of the bigger questions hanging over his various companies. After walking on stage and joking that he might be a “hologram or an android”, Musk also quipped that Twitter was “expensive” and […]

Musk woos ad giants in Paris to fix Twitter’s woes by Ingrid Lunden originally published on TechCrunch

The Download: waiting at the US border, and seaweed’s carbon capture shortcomings

June 16, 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. The new US border wall is an app Keisy Plaza, 39, left her home in Colombia seven months ago. She walked a 62-mile stretch of dense mountainous rainforest and swampland with her two…