July 4, 2025

The Download: India’s AI independence, and predicting future epidemics

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 India’s scramble for AI independence Despite its status as a global tech hub, India lags far behind the likes of the US and China when it comes to homegrown AI. That gap…

Technology

New Twitter accounts will have to wait 90 days before buying a subscription

November 18, 2022

Twitter has published a policy change saying that newly-created Twitter accounts will have to wait 90 days before being allowed to subscribe to the new Twitter Blue plan and get verified. This is likely to avoid impersonation and spam from verified accounts. “Newly created Twitter accounts will not be able to subscribe to Twitter Blue […]

New Twitter accounts will have to wait 90 days before buying a subscription by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

Ticketmaster faces antitrust scrutiny after Taylor Swift ticket chaos

November 18, 2022

Ticketmaster is facing more scrutiny from politicians after its chaotic presales for tickets to Taylor Swift’s tour. Tennessee attorney general Jonathan Skrmetti said he is looking into whether Ticketmaster violated consumer’s rights and antitrust regulations. Skrmetti is the latest politician who has called attention to Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s hold on the ticketing market. This […]

Ticketmaster faces antitrust scrutiny after Taylor Swift ticket chaos by Catherine Shu originally published on TechCrunch

Soft Robotics raises $26 million as staffing shortages continue across industries

November 17, 2022

I spent last week in Boston, meeting with several of the area’s top automation startups. Soft Robotics — based in nearby Bedford, Massachusetts — is one of those names that comes up a lot. As the concept of soft robotics grippers have increasingly come into vogue, the company of the same name has been reaping […]

Soft Robotics raises $26 million as staffing shortages continue across industries by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Jack Selby of Thiel Capital is using a new VC fund to invest in Arizona startups

November 17, 2022

Jack Selby, a former PayPal exec and the longtime managing director of Thiel Capital who attracted some attention years back for his low-key largesse, has a new, $110 million venture fund that he intends to invest mostly in his adopted state of Arizona, where Selby has lived since 2002. The debut vehicle of the firm, […]

Jack Selby of Thiel Capital is using a new VC fund to invest in Arizona startups by Connie Loizos originally published on TechCrunch

Hyundai’s hydrogen fuel cell concept hints at the performance N brand’s future

November 17, 2022

Hyundai revealed Thursday a hydrogen fuel cell hybrid concept vehicle called the N Vision 74 that the company says demonstrates the performance sub-brand’s vision for electrification. The Hyundai N sub-brand, the performance-focused arm of the automaker, has been applied to a range of production vehicles since its founding in 2015 from the Hyundai Veloster N […]

Hyundai’s hydrogen fuel cell concept hints at the performance N brand’s future by Abigail Bassett originally published on TechCrunch

Meet Unstable Diffusion, the group trying to monetize AI porn generators

November 17, 2022

When Stable Diffusion, the text-to-image AI developed by startup Stability AI, was open sourced earlier this year, it didn’t take long for the internet to wield it for porn-creating purposes. Communities across Reddit and 4chan tapped the AI system to generate realistic and anime-style images of nude characters, mostly women, as well as non-consensual fake […]

Meet Unstable Diffusion, the group trying to monetize AI porn generators by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Scene Report: Boston

November 17, 2022

What surprised me most on returning to Boston* for the first time since the onset of the pandemic was just how clustered things are. I’m not a great scheduler and I don’t know the city’s geography particularly well, but after two days spent meeting with more than a dozen startups, it slowly dawned on me […]

Scene Report: Boston by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Ghost Robotics fires back against ‘baseless’ Boston Dynamics lawsuit

November 17, 2022

A legal dispute over robotic patents is devolving into a war of words, as Ghost Robotics fires back against Boston Dynamics. The Philadelphia firm calls the suit both “obstructive and baseless” in a statement sent to TechCrunch. It notes, in part, Ghost Robotics’ success has not gone unnoticed by Boston Dynamics. Rather than compete on […]

Ghost Robotics fires back against ‘baseless’ Boston Dynamics lawsuit by Brian Heater originally published on TechCrunch

Dept. of the Air Force’s Frank Calvelli talks startups and the military at TC Sessions: Space

November 17, 2022

The success of the commercial space sector, in both significantly reducing the cost of technology and massively increasing its capabilities, has captured the attention of the U.S. military. That attention translates into growing interest in startups and how they might secure the space domain for the U.S. and its allies. Frank Calvelli, the Assistant Secretary […]

Dept. of the Air Force’s Frank Calvelli talks startups and the military at TC Sessions: Space by Lauren Simonds originally published on TechCrunch

Crypto-focused VC on the FTX fallout: ‘I’m worried about the overall lack of LP appetite going forward.’

November 17, 2022

During an unprecedented bull run, crypto-focused investors raised, and deployed, billions of dollars in capital. But now, not only are VCs operating in a bearish crypto market, they are navigating the fallout of the FTX collapse and the potential impact it will have on their investment strategies moving forward. Double Down founder and general partner […]

Crypto-focused VC on the FTX fallout: ‘I’m worried about the overall lack of LP appetite going forward.’ by Mary Ann Azevedo originally published on TechCrunch