Signal’s Meredith Whittaker: AI is fundamentally ‘a surveillance technology’

September 25, 2023
Why is it that so many companies that rely on monetizing the data of their users seem to be extremely hot on AI? If you ask Signal president Meredith Whittaker (and I did), she’ll tell you it’s simply because “AI is a surveillance technology.” On stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023, Whittaker explained  her perspective that […]

Max Q: Things got disrupted

September 25, 2023
Hello and welcome back to Max Q! I’m home after attending TechCrunch Disrupt, our flagship event in SF. We had some incredible programming and startups onstage for our Battlefield competition.

Apple executives break down AirPods’ new features

September 25, 2023
AirPods only got a passive mention during the keynote at Apple’s event. It’s understandable — the iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9 (and Ultra 2) were center stage. Besides, the headphones didn’t get the same manner of hardware updates. As a press release issued after the event confirmed, the biggest physical change to the […]

Storybutton wants to redesign the radio for Gen Alpha podcast listeners

September 25, 2023
Storybutton, a new audio player for kids, aims to be the go-to alternative to screened devices for the 12 and under set. Created by kid-friendly podcaster Jim Jacob (“Mr. Jim”), Storybutton wants to improve the way kids listen by moving the podcast experience off phones and tablets. Storybutton costs $99.99 and features an easy-to-use design […]