Author: TechBrunch

Tiktok is preparing to update its community guidelines. This directs the rules for joining social video platforms and the standards used by the company. This update will rewrite the original text extensively for Simplicity, but there are some items that pop up in the new revision. In particular, there are minor changes to how Tiktok is prioritized for the market, how personalizes the per-user experience, and the types of content generated in the AI that are permitted. Today, social media companies must comply with a variety of regulations around the world, including the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA), the EU's…

Going to the market is often a place where great startups stumble, but it doesn't have to be. San Francisco's TechCrunch was hampered in 2025 from October 27th to 29th this year, showing how GTM Pros Max Altschuler and Alison Wagnfeld will win the builder stage to show how they can build an engine that will not only support the product, but also expand it. Lessons from a large-scale leader Max Altschuler has seen a journey to the market from all angles. He is a founder (sales hacker), operator (outreach), and now a general partner at GTMFund, supporting the next…

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…

Smart Ring Maker Ultrhuman has acquired women's health technology company Vio HealthTech to begin advanced cycles and ovulation tracking, the company announced Friday. The financial conditions for the transaction have not been disclosed. Thanks to the acquisition, the company is launching a new plug-in for the superhuman Ring Air called “Cycle and Ovulation Pro.” The plugin allows users to track cycles accurately, get fertility planning support with ovulation confirmation, and detect patterns such as early or slow ovulation. The plugin also allows users to record moods, symptoms, and more to reveal long-term wellness trends. Cycle and Ovulation Pro uses a…

ChatGpt's mobile app is collecting revenue. App Intelligence Provider Appfigures has shown that since its launch in May 2023, ChatGPT apps for iOS and Android devices have reached $2 billion in global consumer spending. That figure will roughly 30 times the lifetime spend of ChatGpt rivals on Mobile, including Claude, Copilot and Grok, the analysis shows. So far, ChatGpt's mobile app has made $1.35 billion, up 673% from $174 million (per data) in the same period in 2024 (January-July). On average, the app generates nearly $193 million from $25 million last year. That's significantly higher, or about 53 times higher…

The Louisiana Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Roblox, accusing the platform of failing to implement basic safety controls and accusing the site of making it the “best place for pedophiles.” The lawsuit filed Thursday by Attorney General Liz Maril alleges that Roblox “continues to promote the distribution of child sexual abuse material and sexual exploitation of children in Louisiana.” It also denies the platform for not deploying basic safety controls intentionally because it protected children from predators and failed to inform parents of the risk. Released in 2006, Roblox has 82 million active users every day. The lawsuit points…

From Dropbox to CloudFlare, startup Battlefield alumni have redefine industry. Who will win the $100,000 and the spotlight this year? The Startup Battlefield 200 is a jewel of TechCrunch's Crown Jewell, and promises that this year's competition will never be forgotten. Thousands of applicants will take the stage in 2025 (October 27-29, San Francisco) to pitch their vision for the top-tier VC panel before the live audience. All candidates are chasing game-changing impacts. And we're here for drama, breakthroughs and big releases. We are excited to announce the first wave of judges that will lead these startups to test with…

Is the grass greener on the other side? We’re not sure, but the sky is most certainly bluer. It’s been over two years since Elon Musk purchased Twitter, now X, leading people to set up shop on alternative platforms. Mastodon, Post, Pebble (two of which have already shuttered operations) and Spill have been presented as potential replacements, but few aside from Meta’s Threads have achieved the speed of growth Bluesky has reached. As of February 2025, Bluesky has surpassed 30 million users. Its growth stems from several policy changes at X, including a heavily criticized change to the block feature…

Two years after its launch, social network Bluesky has revised its community guidelines and other policies, seeking feedback from users on some changes. The startup, a competitor of X, threads and open networks like Mastodon, says its new policy aims to improve clarity and detail about user safety procedures and appeal processes. Many of the changes are driven by new global regulations, such as the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA), the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), and the US Takedown Act. Some changes represent Bluesky's efforts to intentionally shape the behavior of the community and users, and tweak them to…

Russian hackers temporarily hijacked a dam in Norway in early April, spilling millions of gallons of water before the attack stopped, the Norwegian spy chief revealed Thursday. Hackers opened the locks at Blemanger Dam in western Norway and released a water pool equivalent to about three Olympic-sized swimming pools in the four hours that allowed them to control the dam's computer system. Beete Gangas, head of Norwegian Security Police Services, condemned the cyberattacks of Russian hackers in a speech first reported by Norwegian media on Thursday. The Russian Embassy reportedly denied any involvement in the violation on each Reuters. This…