Amazon updates visual search, AR search and more in challenge to Google

September 14, 2023
Amazon is introducing new features that make it easier to search for products on mobile and is challenging other product search engines, like Google and Pinterest in the process. The retailer announced a handful of new search and discovery features, including multimodal search (searching with text plus images), an expansion of its AR efforts, and […]

Honda’s new Motocompacto e-scooter is stolen straight from my dreams

September 14, 2023
Honda has a new e-scooter called the Motocompacto, which has an aesthetic that I would describe as ‘irresistibly, heartbreakingly dorky and adorable.’ The all-electric Motocompacto is inspired by the Motocompo the company sold in the early 1980s, which also featured a foldable design but which of course featured an internal-combustion engine. The new Motocompacto features […]

Armed with First Republic alums, Citizens Bank unveils new startup-focused private bank

September 14, 2023
When Silicon Valley Bank imploded in March, Sam Heshmati wasn’t naive enough to think that First Republic Bank — where he had worked for more than a decade and helped launch their startup practice — wouldn’t be affected. He recalls watching everything unfold at his former employer with both sadness and surprise. “When SVB went […]

LastMile AI closes $10M seed round to ‘operationalize’ AI models

September 14, 2023
LastMile AI, a platform designed to help software engineers develop and integrate generative AI models into their apps, has raised $10 million in a seed funding round led by Gradient, Google’s AI-focused venture fund. AME Cloud Ventures, Vercel’s Guillermo Rauch, 10x Founders and Exceptional Capital also participated in the round, which LastMile co-founder and CEO […]

Caesars Entertainment says customer data stolen in cyberattack

September 14, 2023
Hotel and casino giant Caesars Entertainment said Thursday that hackers stole a huge trove of customer data in a recent cyberattack, confirming recent media reports. Caesars said in an 8-K notice with federal regulators filed before markets opened on Thursday that hackers stole a copy of the company’s loyalty program database, which includes driver’s license […]

Hackers claim MGM cyberattack as outage drags into fourth day

September 14, 2023
MGM Resorts continues to battle a widespread outage after a cyberattack forced it to shut down systems across its properties. The hotel and entertainment giant, which operates a number of hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip including the Bellagio, Aria and Cosmopolitan, shut down large parts of its internal networks on Sunday. This […]