Author: TechBrunch

Linktree, a popular link-in bio service used by millions of creators and businesses, was not accessible in India for several days. The sudden loss of failure from the Indian web remains a mystery to the Australian startup itself. Over the past week, Linktree is inaccessible in India, with several users raising the issue on X. First, TechCrunch noticed that it temporarily displayed a message suggesting that the site was blocked by the Indian government. This was then replaced by a common SSL protocol error. The Linktree app is also not accessible domestically. Founded in 2016, Linktree became a unicorn in…

Workday, one of the biggest providers of human resources technology, has confirmed a data breaches that allow hackers to steal personal information from one of their third-party customer relationship databases. In a blog post published late Friday, the HR Technology giant said the hackers had stole unspecified personal information from the database. Workday did not expressly rule out that customer information was retrieved in a data breach. This states that “there is no indication of access to the customer tenant or the data within it.” The company said stolen information could be used to promote social engineering fraud. Hackers said…

Grammarly has a new document-based interface built behind CODA, a productivity startup that we acquired last year. The interface also includes AI assistants and several AI tools for students and professionals, such as AI graders, proofreaders and quote finders. The new interface can adopt a block-first approach to insert tables, columns, separators, lists, and headers. You can also add rich text blocks to highlight information, add hints, and add alerts. The sidebar hosts the AI assistant. AI assistants can summarise texts, answer questions and provide writing suggestions. Image credit: Grammarly There are also many AI tools. Reader Reactions allows you…

Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn was criticised loudly this year after declaring Duolingo to become “AI-First Company,” but he suggested in a new interview that the real problem was “did not give sufficient context.” “Internally, this was uncontroversial,” von Ann told The New York Times. “Externally, as a public company, some people think it's just for profit. Or we're trying to fire people. That wasn't the intention at all.” On the contrary, Von Ahn said the company “has never fired a full-time employee” and said it would not do so. And he did not deny that Duolingo had cut the…

Another crypto company heads to the open market. This time it's Gemini Space Station, a New York-based crypto exchange and custodian bank founded by billionaire twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. The costumes that will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol Gemi were founded in 2014 and operate as exchange and custodians offering many products and services, including US dollar-backed Stablecoin and credit cards that offer rewards in Crypto. The company's S-1 document filed Friday after the market closed looks at its finances. Results: Gemini appears to be expanding its net loss. The company reported a…

James Schoruter explains a fairly specific scenario, if not a completely incredible nightmare scenario. Someone drives to your home, cracks your Wi-Fi password, then starts messing around with the solar inverter installed next to your garage. This modest gray box converts currents directly from the roof panels into alternating currents that run your home. “We need solar stalkers” for this scenario to unfold, Showalter says. It describes people who need to physically manifest themselves in their driveways, both with technical know-how and motivation to hack home energy systems. The CEO of EG4 Electronics, a Sulphur Springs, Texas-based company, does not…

Making friends as adults can be a challenge, especially after moving to a new city. Luckily, modern technology exists, and more people are turning to apps like Friends, Flocks, Bumble for Time Left and quickly forming new friendships. One app, called Les Amis, aims to stand out by targeting women, transgender and LGBTQ+ individuals, primarily in the demographics of their mid-20s to early 40s. Les Amis uses AI to pair users with similar interests and encourages them to participate in local events offered within the app, such as ceramic classes, book clubs, wine tastings, and Pilates. Anna Virich (formerly PayPal)…

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…