Microbiome startups respond as industry is accused of ‘questionable practices’

March 14, 2024

The biotech sector has embraced the microbiome in recent years, a green field market powered by cheap genome sequencing and venture dollars, promising bespoke treatments for everything from gut troubles to skin problems. But a report in Science alleges that these companies lack scientific rigor and meaningful regulation, offering little more than guesswork on a […]

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After AWS and Google, Microsoft says it’s removing Azure ‘egress’ data transfer fees — but with caveats

March 14, 2024

Microsoft has revealed that it too will allow business customers to transfer data out of its Azure cloud infrastructure with no so-called “egress fees” attached, following hot on the heels of similar moves by cloud rivals AWS and Google. While Microsoft positions the announcement as a voluntary pro-customer move, the fact that it was quietly […]

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VCs will get liquidity in 2024 from the secondary market, not IPOs

March 14, 2024

If you asked a bunch of VCs at the end of 2023 if the IPO market would finally open again in 2024, most of them would have said yes. We know because TechCrunch surveyed more than 40 of them in December and that’s what they said. Yet, there are two weeks left in Q1, still […]

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TikTok fined in Italy after ‘French scar’ challenge led to consumer safety probe

March 14, 2024

Italy’s competition and consumer authority, the AGCM, has fined TikTok €10 million (almost $11M) following a probe into algorithmic safety concerns. The authority opened an investigation last year into a so-called “French scar” challenge in which users of the platform were reported to have shared videos of marks on their faces made by pinching their […]

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