Author: TechBrunch
Snapchat is introducing an improved integrated monetization program for creators. The new program rewards creators for content posted on Stories and its TikTok imitator, Spotlight. Previously, Snapchat monetized these two formats through separate programs. The new program allows creators to earn money from ads that appear within eligible Stories and Spotlight posts. “Spotlight viewership is up 25% year over year, and a unique and growing opportunity exists for creators to monetize this format in the same way as Stories,” the company said in a blog post. “Starting February 1, 2025, eligible creators will be able to monetize Spotlight videos longer…
Chinese shopping app Temu is once again the most downloaded free app in the United States, according to a list of top apps and games across the App Store released by Apple on Monday. The shopping app rose to the number one spot last year, dethroning TikTok, which held the title in 2022. Although currently facing a ban in the US, TikTok entered the list this year at number 3 behind Instagram Threads and moved up to number 2 after number 3 for the most downloaded apps in 2023. Apple compiles a list of top apps and games at the…
In a new interview with WWD, Skims co-founder Jens Grede admitted that IPO plans are on the back burner, at least for now. TechCrunch reported in August that investors were expecting the retail darling, which was last valued at $4 billion, to go public, and Information said it could go public in the first half of 2025 at the earliest. It was reported that it would happen. However, in an interview with WWD, Grede clarified. Company IPO plans. “We have never decided to go public,” he told the media. “What I've said all along, and maybe I was wrong, is…
Cybersecurity experts take a community-driven approach to solving problems. Security researchers share the vulnerabilities they discover with the broader cybersecurity community, so companies can patch security holes before something catastrophic happens. Prequel is trying to bring the same approach to its software. The startup is building a database of software failure patterns and misconfigurations in Linux workloads. The database is updated by a growing community of engineers and developers who exchange reliability information. Prequel's software resides within a company's existing software stack and pulls from this database, constantly checking for bugs and glitches. The company's co-founders Tony Meehan and Lyndon…
Juicyway, an African fintech that leverages stablecoin technology to enable fast and cheap cross-border payments, has announced that after processing more than $1 billion in transaction value for thousands of African businesses over the past three years, I'm secretly launching it. The fintech claims to have processed over 25,000 transactions and generated $1.3 billion in total payment value (TPV) from 4,000 users. These transactions leverage stablecoin technology at their core. According to its founders, the fintech has built up this number without any publicly available apps or marketing efforts. Instead, the fintech grew organically, acquiring similar businesses with thousands of…
Earlier this year, a Serbian journalist and activist had his cellphone hacked by local authorities using a cellphone unlocking device made by forensic tools manufacturer Celebrite. According to a new Amnesty International report, authorities aim not only to unlock phones and access personal data, as Celebrite allows, but also to use spyware to enable further surveillance. It was also possible to install . Amnesty International said in its report that it believed these were “the first forensically documented spyware infections” made possible through the use of the Cellebrite tool. This crude but effective technique is one of many ways governments…
I have fond memories of past efforts to combine VR content with real-world locations, but I thought the pandemic ended that ambition. I figured if I needed VR in 2024, I would have to buy a headset. It can be an almost solitary experience at home or in the office. Not something to share with a crowd in a renovated retail space. But a new immersive experience proves me wrong. Created by French startup Excurio in collaboration with Musee d'Orsay and another startup Eclipso, “Tonight With The Impressionists, Paris 1874” celebrates the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist art exhibition…
A speaker at the annual AI conference NeurIPS is drawing criticism. It wasn't an opinion about AI, it was a reference to Chinese students. In her keynote on “How to Optimize What Matters Most,” MIT Media Lab Professor Rosalind Pickard (pictured above) spoke of “Chinese students kicked out of top universities” for using AI. I have included a slide with the excuse quoted. The student allegedly said, “No one taught us morals or values at my school.” The slides also include a note from Picard that says, “Most Chinese people I know are honest and morally upright.” Google DeepMind scientist…
The all-electric 2025 Lucid Air Pure is the least expensive trim in Lucid's Air lineup, yet it's a dreamy, sexy car. Driving around, I felt understated, flashy and discerning, as if I were wearing designer sweatpants. But does fantasy equal value? I spent about 10 days driving the Air Pure on two different coasts to find out. And here are the details: Yes, but only if over-the-air updates are sent continuously. The Air Pure is a technological dreamboat in many invisible “under the hood” ways, including an ultra-efficient electric motor. And its spacious, airtight interior and high-end sound system will…
AI agents are thought to be the next big thing in AI, but there is no exact definition of what they are. At the moment, people disagree on what exactly constitutes an AI agent. At its simplest, an AI agent is an AI agent that uses AI to perform a series of tasks for you that might have been performed in the past by a human customer service agent, human resources representative, or IT help desk employee. Although it is best described as software, it can ultimately involve anyone. task. When you ask it to do something, it does it…