The Download: artificial surf pools, and unfunny AI

June 17, 2024
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 cost of building the perfect wave For nearly as long as surfing has existed, surfers have been obsessed with the search for the perfect wave.  While this hunt has taken surfers from…

SoftBank ties up with Perplexity

June 17, 2024

After announcing a strategic partnership with SoftBank in April, Perplexity — the AI search engine that has ambitions to take on Google — is now using the deal to expand its user base, and data touchpoints, in SoftBank’s home market. SoftBank and two of its mobile operations, Y!mobile (SoftBank’s mobile phone operator) and LINEMO (SoftBank’s […]

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YC-backed Hona looks to reduce the communication friction between law firms and their consumer clients

June 17, 2024

When Manny Griffiths worked with a personal injury lawyer after his wife’s car accident, he was surprised by the lack of information and communication from their lawyer regarding their claim. The couple sometimes wouldn’t hear from their lawyer for months and found the entire process to be really opaque. Griffiths dug deeper and learned that […]

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Privacy app maker Proton transitions to non-profit foundation structure

June 17, 2024

Proton, the Swiss company behind a suite of privacy-focused apps such as ProtonMail, is following in the footsteps of Signal and Mozilla by transitioning to a new non-profit foundation model. The newly setup Proton Foundation will serve as the main shareholder to the existing corporate entity that is Proton AG, which will continue as a […]

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Tinybird raises another $30 million to transform data into real-time APIs

June 17, 2024

Tinybird is not so tiny anymore. The enterprise data startup TechCrunch first covered three years ago has been growing at a rapid pace and recently raised a $30 million Series B funding round. According to a source, the company is now valued at $240 million. Originally from Madrid and now also based in New York, […]

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The cost of building the perfect wave

June 17, 2024
For nearly as long as surfing has existed, surfers have been obsessed with the search for the perfect wave. It’s not just a question of size, but also of shape, surface conditions, and duration—ideally in a beautiful natural environment.  While this hunt has taken surfers from tropical coastlines reachable only by boat to swells breaking off…

What happened when 20 comedians got AI to write their routines

June 17, 2024
AI is good at lots of things: spotting patterns in data, creating fantastical images, and condensing thousands of words into just a few paragraphs. But can it be a useful tool for writing comedy?   New research suggests that it can, but only to a very limited extent. It’s an intriguing finding that hints at the…

India’s Oyo, once valued at $10B, finalizes new funding at $2.5B valuation

June 17, 2024

Oyo, the Indian budget-hotel chain startup, is finalizing a fresh fundraise of about $100 million to $125 million that slashes its valuation to $2.5 billion, two people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.  That’s a steep decline in the Gurgaon-headquartered startup’s value, which was worth $10 billion in 2019. The startup, struggling to raise from […]

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