Author: TechBrunch

Many proptech startups born and funded during the heyday of low interest rates are struggling. Investments in U.S.-based real estate startups fell from $11.1 billion in 2021 to $3.7 billion last year, with some companies selling themselves and others closing shop, according to PitchBook data. be. Two recent examples are the recent casualties of a challenging interest rate environment and the long-standing slump in real estate fintech funding. Fast Company reported last week that rental proptech startup Davie Homes will be acquired by Charleston, South Carolina-based Maymont Homes. Maymont is a division of Brookfield Properties. EasyKnock suddenly shut down, NPR…

U.S. prosecutors have officially linked the arrest of an active-duty U.S. Army soldier in December to the mass theft of U.S. phone records from AT&T and Verizon last year. Authorities on Dec. 20 arrested U.S. Army communications specialist Cameron John Wagenius following a brief two-page grand jury indictment charging the U.S. service member with two counts of illegally transferring confidential phone records. He was arrested in Texas. Wagenius was later extradited to Washington state. In a new court filing Friday, U.S. prosecutors said the charges against Wagenius are accusing the U.S. government of multiple intrusions into cloud computing company Snowflake,…

At 11:10pm on January 7th in Dubai, Romy Backus received an email from education technology giant Power Schools informing her that her school was the victim of a data breach that the company discovered on December 28th. Notified that it is one. According to Power School, the hackers said: They had access to a cloud system that stores large amounts of personal information on students and teachers, including social security numbers, medical information, grades, and other personal data from schools around the world. The affected companies, given that PowerSchool bills itself as North America's largest provider of cloud-based educational software…

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents and a major reason why car insurance premiums are expected to rise in 2025. For commercial vehicles, this is a nightmare. But it's a tailwind for California-based startup Netradyne. Netradyne provides vehicle owners, including major companies like Amazon, with AI-enabled dashcams that collect vehicle data and video to improve driver safety, reducing accidents by approximately 50%, according to the company. I will. These devices have inward- and outward-facing cameras and use edge computing to send real-time notifications and alert drivers when they are distracted or driving unsafely. reward good…

Read.cv, a social media platform for professionals that competes with LinkedIn, has been acquired by AI-powered search engine Perplexity. As part of the deal, Read.cv will begin winding down its operations starting Friday. Users can export their data, including profiles, posts, and messages, until May 16th. Read.cv's blog says, “We have long admired Perplexity and believe that great things happen when the world's knowledge becomes more open and accessible.” “In that spirit, we are excited to join Perplexity’s design and engineering team as we continue our shared mission of exploration and discovery.” I'm excited to share it today @read_cv I'm…

The Supreme Court upheld the ban on TikTok. Before the app goes dark on Sunday, you're probably wondering how to back up the dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of videos you have on the platform. Here's how to save your favorite videos or videos you've posted yourself. And just in case you start to panic, we've put together some TikTok alternatives. How to download individual TikTok content If you want to save some of your favorite TikTok videos and photos to your device, it's very easy. To download videos to your iOS or Android device, go to your TikTok profile…

Character AI, a startup that allows users to chat with a variety of AI-powered characters, is currently testing the game on desktop and mobile web apps to increase engagement on the platform. The game is available to paid subscribers of Character AI and a limited number of users on the free plan. For this first release, the company developed two games: Speakeasy and War of Words. Users with access to the game can navigate to any of the chatting characters in their browser and tap the new controller icon. Users can play the game with existing characters. The app will…

Bluesky released a moderation report for the past year on Friday, noting the significant growth the social network experienced in 2024 and how that impacted the Trust & Safety team's workload. It also noted that the most reports came from users who reported accounts or posts of harassment, trolling, or intolerance. This issue has plagued Bluesky as it has grown, sometimes even leading to mass protests over individual moderation decisions. The company's report does not mention or explain why it took or did not take action against individual users, including those on its most blocked list. . Bluesky has become…

Update: OpenAI officially announced the feature a week after some users reported the new option's arrival and subsequent disappearance. You may have gone live prematurely. OpenAI is introducing new ways for users to customize their interactions with ChatGPT, the company's AI-powered chatbot. On Friday, OpenAI announced that it is rolling out a new user interface for ChatGPT's custom instructions menu, including new ways to customize chatbot characteristics. OpenAI says the feature will first roll out to ChatGPT.com and its Windows desktop app, and will be coming to its mobile and MacOS desktop apps in the coming weeks. Updated custom instructions…

According to MIT Technology Review, OpenAI announced that it has trained a new AI model called GPT-4b micro with Retro Biosciences, a longevity science startup that aims to extend human lifespans by 10 years. Retro, backed by Sam Altman, has been working with OpenAI on this research for about a year, according to the report. The GPT-4b micro model attempts to redesign a specific set of proteins (called Yamanaka factors) that can turn human skin cells into younger-looking stem cells. Retro believes these proteins are a promising step toward building human organs and providing an alternative cell supply. The model…