June 17, 2025

The Download: power in Puerto Rico, and the pitfalls of AI agents

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. Puerto Rico’s power struggles On the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico lies the country’s only coal-fired power station, flanked by a mountain of toxic ash. The plant, owned by the utility giant AES,…

Proposed US bipartisan bill could lead to TikTok ban

March 8, 2023

A group of U.S. senators unveiled new bipartisan legislation that would give the administration new powers when it comes to restricting or even banning foreign-based technologies. In particular, the bill could be used to ban TikTok in the U.S. if the administration considers that it causes national security threats. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and Senator […]

Proposed US bipartisan bill could lead to TikTok ban by Romain Dillet originally published on TechCrunch

Twitter’s privacy-preserving Tor service goes dark

March 8, 2023

Twitter’s Tor service, a version of the site that could be accessed even in countries where the social network is banned, has gone dark after the company failed to renew its certificate. The certificate for Twitter’s onion site expired on March 6, just days before the site was set to mark its one-year anniversary. Pavel […]

Twitter’s privacy-preserving Tor service goes dark by Carly Page originally published on TechCrunch

Consensus raises $110M to inject automation into SaaS product demos

March 8, 2023

Garin Hess, a tech entrepreneur based in Utah, experienced what he calls the “demo bottleneck” at a previous software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup while pitching to potential customers. He theorized that a self-directed interactive demo, personalized to each stakeholder, could not only streamline the process and save time, but also help organically discover and engage other stakeholders […]

Consensus raises $110M to inject automation into SaaS product demos by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

How China takes extreme measures to keep teens off TikTok

March 8, 2023
China Report is MIT Technology Review’s newsletter about technology developments in China. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Tuesday. As I often say, the American people and the Chinese people have much more in common than either side likes to admit. For example, take the shared concern about how much time children and teenagers…

Sam Altman invested $180 million into a company trying to delay death

March 8, 2023
When a startup called Retro Biosciences eased out of stealth mode in mid-2022, it announced it had secured $180 million to bankroll an audacious mission: to add 10 years to the average human life span. It had set up its headquarters in a raw warehouse space near San Francisco just the year before, bolting shipping…

3 Stocks with Tremendous Growth Potential in 2023

March 8, 2023
Given the pace and intensity of the Fed’s monetary tightening, there’s a strong likelihood that the U.S. will enter a recession in 2023. However, amid a strong job market and…

Berlin VC fund La Famiglia raises €250M for both Seed and Growth B2B startups

March 8, 2023

La Famiglia, a Berlin-based VC fund (no, not the Mafia organization, in case there is any confusion) has raised €250 million for its combined third seed fund (which is €165 million) and its first growth co-investment fund (€90 million). The fund has a vertical focus on ML and AI, data, logistics, and supply chains, consumerization […]

Berlin VC fund La Famiglia raises €250M for both Seed and Growth B2B startups by Mike Butcher originally published on TechCrunch

Worldcoin, cofounded by Sam Altman, is betting the next big thing in AI is proving you are human

March 8, 2023

Fake virtual identities are nothing new. The ability to so easily create them has been both a boon for social media platforms — more “users” — and a scourge, tied as they are to the spread of conspiracy theories, distorted discourse and other societal ills. Still, Twitter bots are nothing compared with what the world […]

Worldcoin, cofounded by Sam Altman, is betting the next big thing in AI is proving you are human by Connie Loizos originally published on TechCrunch