Author: TechBrunch

Circle, the publisher of USDC, is a stablecoin pinned to US dollars submitted for publication on Tuesday. The company reported that its earned money from interest earned on its reserve assets, with revenues and reserves in 2024 at $1.68 billion, up from $1.45 billion the previous year. Circle's net income in 2024 was $156 million, up from $268 million in 2023. This is the second attempt by a circle to be listed on the stock exchange. The company previously tried to make public in 2022 in conjunction with SPAC, but it abolished the plan when the SEC did not approve…

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney manufactures Fortnite and tools for other developers, including Unreal Engine, calling Apple and Google “Gangster-style business” and is engaged in illegal practices while speaking at the Y-combinator event on Wednesday. The executive also highlighted that the practices of large tech companies had a direct impact on their business by scaring users from installing Epic's game store software and preventing Epic from offering developers. In particular, Epic Games has played a major role in the fight against the Big Tech monopoly over the past few years. The company sued both Apple and Google. For exclusive practice…

The companies behind Automattic, WordPress.com, Tumblr, WooCommerce and various other online services are cutting their workforce. The layoffs will affect 16% of staff across the department, an Automattic blog post published Wednesday revealed. Prior to the layoffs, the Automattic website lists 1,744 employees. (Automattic refused to check this number, but I've heard that the exact number is 281.) The post explained that this “restructuring” is necessary due to the market's competitiveness and the speed at which technology is evolving, as it was shared with company employees via Slack on Wednesday. But the move also comes after a turbulent year for…

Tiktok, owned by Chinese company Bytedance, has been at the heart of US controversy for four years due to concerns about user data that the Chinese government may access. Earlier this year, the app experienced a temporary suspension in the US, leaving millions of users suspense before it was quickly restored. Tiktok returned to the App Store and Google Play Store in February. Nevertheless, Tiktok's future remains uncertain, with a potential second ban on April 5th looming. Many investors are competing for opportunities to buy apps, and if a transaction occurs, the platform's US business could rise to over $60…

According to a new report from The New York Times, Amazon has submitted a bid to get all of Tiktok. Last-minute bids come as Tiktok faces the April 5 deadline to drop China's ownership or face a ban in the US, but according to a Times report, it appears that the parties involved in the contract consultations are not taking Amazon's bids seriously. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with officials to discuss the fate of the app on Wednesday. Earlier this week, Trump said that contracts with the ordinance by Tiktok's parent company to sell the app will…

Also known as the open social web, which includes Mastodon, Meta threads, Pixelfed and other apps, Fediverse has added security. On Wednesday, the nonprofit organization announced the launch of a new security fund that pays people responsible for revealing security vulnerabilities that affect the Fediverse app and services. All software has security issues, but Mastodon (open source and decentralized X alternative) has fixed a number of bugs over the years, leading to the need for such programs. Another issue found in Fediverse is that many servers do not necessarily have a security background or are run by independent operators who…

Patreon, a subscription platform for online creators, announced Wednesday that GE has signed a podcasting partnership between Sony Music Entertainment and Amazon's Windery. Patreon says the partnership is designed to be the home of fan engagement and exclusive perks for major podcast network shows, as it seeks to expand beyond the current podcast base. This deal means Patreon will offer some of the big names in the podcasting industry on its platform. By adding bigger partners, Patreon stands out among other platforms that also support podcasts. When it comes to Sony and Windery, the partnership allows us to bring content…

The Washington Post reported that it used Gmail to cite documents and three unnamed government officials, including Michael Security Advisor, the top national security advisor, Michael Security Advisor. The report follows last week's news, with Cabinet-level officials, including the Secretary of Defense, discussing a highly sensitive war plan in a signal group chat that mistakenly includes the Atlantic editor-in-chief. According to the Washington Post, Waltz's aides used the consumer version of Gmail, which has not been cleared for government use, to discuss “very technical conversations with colleagues from other government agencies, including sensitive military positions and powerful weapons systems associated…

The Washington Post used Gmail to cite documents and three unnamed government officials, including Michael Security Advisor, the top national security advisor, Michael Security Advisor. The report follows last week's news, with Cabinet-level officials, including the Secretary of Defense, discussing a highly sensitive war plan in a signal group chat that mistakenly includes the Atlantic editor-in-chief. According to the Washington Post, Waltz's aides used the consumer version of Gmail, which has not been cleared for government use, to discuss “very technical conversations with colleagues from other government agencies, including sensitive military positions and powerful weapons systems associated with ongoing conflicts.”…

According to the Financial Times, Venture Capital Firm is in discussions to invest in Tiktok as part of a bid led by Oracle and other American investors. Tiktok is expected to be banned again in the US on April 5, unless the Chinese-based owner sells its US branch to non-Chinese owners. According to Fort, the Oracle trade is said to be one of the front runners. Andreessen Horowitz has a long history of investing in social media. An early investor in Facebook and Instagram, he invested $400 million to help Elon Musk acquire Twitter. The company did not immediately respond…