Technology

Ursa Major has quietly closed $100 million in new funding, according to documents viewed by TechCrunch and multiple sources. Funders to the Series D include BlackRock and Space Capital. The funding was reportedly closed last October. The new capital came less than a year after the company closed an $85 million Series C. All told, […]

Rocket engine startup Ursa Major quietly closed $100M in new funding by Aria Alamalhodaei originally published on TechCrunch

Japanese company ispace lost communication with its Hakuto-R lander just moments before it was supposed to touch down on the lunar surface. “At this moment, we have not been able to confirm successful landing on the lunar surface,” ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada said on the company’s livestream. “Currently, we have not confirmed the communication from […]

ispace loses contact with lunar lander seconds before landing by Aria Alamalhodaei originally published on TechCrunch

In its first-quarter earnings call, streaming music service Spotify talked in more detail about how AI advances are impacting its business. On the positive side, the company offered an update on the user adoption of its new AI DJ feature, which offers personalized music selections introduced by a realistic-sounding DJ voice powered by AI. But […]

Spotify CEO says AI progress is both “really cool and scary,” may pose risk to creative industry by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

OpenAI says that it plans to introduce a new subscription tier for ChatGPT, its viral AI-powered chatbot, tailored to the needs of enterprise customers. Called ChatGPT Business, OpenAI describes the forthcoming offering as “for professionals who need more control over their data as well as enterprises seeking to manage their end users.” “ChatGPT Business will […]

OpenAI previews business plan for ChatGPT, launches new privacy controls by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Rapid (previously known as RapidAPI), a startup that built out an API marketplace valued at $1 billion last year, is cutting 50% of its staff TechCrunch has learned. According to an email to employees from CEO Marc Friend viewed by TechCrunch, the move is part of “a significant restructuring” in an effort to “right-size the […]

RapidAPI, valued at $1 billion last year, cuts staff by 50% by Mary Ann Azevedo originally published on TechCrunch

The Twitter alternative T2, founded by Twitter and Google veterans, is ready to expand. Launched into alpha testing earlier this year, T2 will today begin to roll out its first invites to its small community of testers, allowing them to bring their friends to the service, instead of only offering waitlist sign-ups as before. Currently, […]

Twitter alternative T2 readies expansion with launch of invites system by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

Survey a lot of industrial warehouses and you’ll see a lot of cages. It’s a safety thing — effectively a way of ensuring that robots don’t accidentally hurt people. They’re big, fast and made of metal. We’re small, squishy and don’t always look where we should. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s the best […]

Robotics safety firm Veo raises $29 million, with help from Amazon by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Can you imagine a car company putting a new vehicle on the market without built-in safety features? Unlikely, isn’t it? But what AI companies are doing is a bit like releasing race cars without seatbelts or fully working brakes, and figuring things out as they go.  This approach is now getting them in trouble. For…