February 6, 2025

The Download: AI companion dangers, and supersonic planes

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. An AI chatbot told a user how to kill himself—but the company doesn’t want to “censor” it For the past five months, Al Nowatzki has been talking to an AI girlfriend, “Erin,” on…

Humble keeps excess inventory out of the Philippines’ landfills

November 8, 2022

Excess inventory, including returned items, from e-commerce, logistics and retail companies often ends up being disposed. Manila-based Humble Sustainability is a circular economy startup that wants to keep it out of the Philippines’ landfills. Since its launch, it has processed more than 150,000 items like clothing, consumer electronics and household appliances that are either resold […]

Humble keeps excess inventory out of the Philippines’ landfills by Catherine Shu originally published on TechCrunch

Laid off from your tech job? Day One wants to give you $100,000 to start a company

November 8, 2022

Day One Ventures, a venture firm launched in 2018 with a pitch to combine venture capital acumen with marketing and communications support, has launched a program aimed explicitly at those impacted by tech layoffs this year. The program, titled “Funded Not Fired,” will write $100,000 checks into 20 startup teams by the end of the […]

Laid off from your tech job? Day One wants to give you $100,000 to start a company by Natasha Mascarenhas originally published on TechCrunch

Salesforce confirms it has laid off hundreds of employees

November 8, 2022

Salesforce laid off hundreds of people this week as the onslaught of tech cutbacks continued unabated. The company would not share an exact number, but said it was less than a thousand, and the people involved were informed yesterday, according to a person close to the company. Protocol first reported the layoffs (although it appears […]

Salesforce confirms it has laid off hundreds of employees by Ron Miller originally published on TechCrunch

How Formula E will shape Maserati’s first passenger EV

November 8, 2022

When the 2024 Maserati GranTurismo Folgore comes to market next fall, consumers might notice some Formula E motorsports DNA running through the automaker’s first EV. In January, Maserati will become the first Italian team to compete in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship when the series kicks off its ninth season in Mexico City. […]

How Formula E will shape Maserati’s first passenger EV by Jaclyn Trop originally published on TechCrunch

Twitter safety head suggests further ‘identity verification’ beyond paid verification may later be required

November 8, 2022

Twitter’s head of Safety and Integrity Yoel Roth admitted in a Twitter thread that the company may have to further invest in “identity verification” that goes beyond the paid verification system that will accompany its revamped Twitter Blue subscription. Under Elon Musk, Twitter has rushed to release a new version of its Twitter Blue subscription […]

Twitter safety head suggests further ‘identity verification’ beyond paid verification may later be required by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

The Download: how Twitter is breaking, and YouTube’s TV experiment

November 8, 2022
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. Here’s how a Twitter engineer says it will break in the coming weeks On November 4, just hours after Elon Musk fired half of the 7,500 employees previously working at Twitter, some people…