Author: TechBrunch

The tech layoff wave is still kicking in 2025. Last year saw more than 150,000 job cuts across 549 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. So far this year, more than 22,000 workers have been the victim of reductions across the tech industry, with a staggering 16,084 cuts taking place in February alone. We’re tracking layoffs in the tech industry in 2025 so you can see the trajectory of the cutbacks and understand the impact on innovation across all types of companies. As businesses continue to embrace AI and automation, this tracker serves as a reminder of the human…

TechCrunch took place in 2025, which took place in 2025, October 27th-29th at Moscone West, San Francisco. A candid conversation is coming to the builder stage. Funding routes that don't start in the valley Today's founders have more capital paths than ever before. But how do you navigate them? And do you know which ones actually support your growth? In this session, listen to Erik Allebest, CEO and co-founder of Chess.com. Gale Wilkinson, Vitalize's founder and managing partner. Kay Makishi, Vice President of Lupoff/Stevens Family Office. Each brings a different perspective on how to raise funds without giving up on…

Self-driving cars have long been touted as “around the corner,” but the reality of what is needed to bring self-driving cars onto the streets is not simple. TechCrunch's 2025 will be held at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 27-29, Waymo Co-Ceo Tekedra Mawakana will join the chaotic stage due to the current state of AVS and the wide range of conversations that the industry will take from here. Within the reality check of autonomous driving Headlines often focus on crashes, controversy, or exaggerated promises, but Tekedora has been navigating the real world path to autonomous mobility for years.…

Google tests US machine learning-driven technology to determine the age of users and filters content from all products accordingly. The company said it would consider data from Google accounts, including the types of details users searched and the categories of videos they watched on YouTube. If your company's tools determine that a user is under the age of 18, you will receive an email with details about how Google products will change. For these users, Google will disable the timeline on maps, stop personalized ads, restrict age-restricted ad categories, and prohibit access to adult-themed apps in the Play Store. The…

Uber Eats announced Wednesday that restaurants and merchants will be able to chat with customers to prevent order issues. The app also introduces new AI tools for merchants, and invites users to send photos of their orders if the item doesn't have a menu image yet. The new “live order chat” feature allows merchants to send real-time messages to customers to see exchanges of sold-out items, clarify special requests, and check in on dietary and allergy preferences. Uber says users cannot start chatting with merchants as they can only send messages to customers if they first contact them. Live Order…

Proton, a privacy-centric productivity tool company, today released a new Authenticator app, allowing users to log in to their services using dynamically generated two-factor authentication codes. Starting today, free apps are available on all platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, Linux and more. This app allows users to sync code and accounts across devices. The company said, like its other products, Proton Authenticator is open source and uses end-to-end encryption to protect user data. Users can easily import login codes from other authentication apps, the company said. Additionally, the app automatically backs up your code and works without having to…

Figma will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday at one of 2025's most anticipated IPOs. The IPO is 40x oversubscribe and VCS has been previously reported to TechCrunch and Bloomberg. In other words, the demand for stocks is 40 times the number of shares sold by the company and its existing investors. Therefore, we cannot be surprised that Figma, which offers design software, priced the first stock at $33 per share, beyond the previously announced range. The company said Monday that the expected price range is between $30 and $32, with a previously announced range of…

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted that in the second quarter it drove users to spend on the company's app. Consumers are increasingly complaining about the prevalence of “AI Slops,” or flooded social apps with content generated with low quality AI, but Meta says that AI systems are improving helping users connect with recommended content. “AI has significantly improved our ability to show people what they find interesting and useful,” Zuckerberg told investors in a second revenue call. “Advanced recommendation systems have significantly improved quality, which has led to a 5% increase in time spent on Facebook and 6% increase on…

Google has proposed a sweep change to its Play Store and Advertising Policy in India, and aims to allow the platform to have more real money gaming apps in order to resolve the ongoing antitrust cases on its local online gaming platform Winzo. On Wednesday, Indian Competition Watchdog issued a public notice (PDF) on Google regarding “commitment proposals” offering to expand its access to play stores and advertising policies for more real money gaming apps in the South Asian market. Google has proposed to replace the current pilot program by allowing Google Play to distribute all real money games in…

Cybersecurity giant Palo Alto Network announced Wednesday that it aims to acquire identity management and security company CyberArc for $25 billion. The transaction, which is a mixed cash and stock, marks an entrance into Palo Alto's identity security space, according to a company's press release. According to the Financial Times, Palo Alto has been shopping ever since Nikesh Arora took over as CEO and chairman of the company in 2018. The company's acquisition of Cyberark is the largest ever. Other acquisitions of Palo Alto include an estimated $400 million Dig Security in October 2023. Talon Cyber Security was estimated at…