Author: TechBrunch

The tech layoff wave is still going strong in 2024. Following significant workforce reductions in 2022 and 2023, this year has more than 130,000 job cuts across 457 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. Companies like Tesla, Amazon, Google, TikTok, Snap and Microsoft have conducted sizable layoffs in the first months of 2024. Smaller-sized startups have also seen a fair amount of cuts, and in some cases, have shut down operations altogether. By tracking these layoffs, we’re able to understand the impact on innovation across companies large and small. We’re also able to see the potential impact of businesses…

Parents are always looking for ways to turn playtime into creative and educational opportunities. However, for many parents, planning a playful educational project is not thought of. Co-founded by Sandra Lin, KiwiCo is a subscription company that offers STEM-based educational toys that help kids learn while having fun. Lynn joined the TechCrunch podcast Found to talk with Becca and Dom about starting their company and how they've steadily grown it since they first launched over a decade ago. The company wants to “encourage kids to be creative, use their critical thinking skills, and hopefully see themselves as people who can…

As government and defense sectors increasingly rely on commercial services, startup opportunities in dual-use technologies are more promising than ever. However, for young, agile companies, entering such a highly regulated and traditional environment poses significant challenges. How can startups compete with established incumbents for contracts and attention, and how can investors effectively support these efforts? Even Rogers, CEO and co-founder of True Anomaly. Tim Solms, CEO of Slingshot Aerospace. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, Mel Stricklan, Executive Director of Space Workforce 2030, will take to the stage to discuss these questions and more. These three industry pioneers, with extensive experience in…

Russian cybersecurity giant Kaspersky is closing its UK offices and laying off employees, just three months after the company began shutting down its US operations and laying off dozens of employees, TechCrunch has learned. I found out through research. Kaspersky spokesperson Francesco Tius said in an email to TechCrunch that the company “has begun winding down its office operations in the UK and will reorient its domestic operations towards partner channels.” “This action will enable us to more efficiently exploit the business opportunities available in the UK market, enhancing overall business prosperity. Our customers and partners in the UK will…

Odysee CEO Steve Casley believes there are dollar signs in the data. More specifically, it is AI-powered software that can analyze large amounts of data to help commercial airlines make the most of complex flight schedules. Odysee, the first startup to emerge from an aviation-focused venture lab founded by Alaska Airlines and UP.Labs, is doing just that. The two companies founded Venture Lab last year to create a startup company aimed at addressing specific issues in air travel, including guest experience, operational efficiency, aircraft maintenance, routes and revenue management. Odysee announced it has raised $5 million in a pre-seed round…

Snapchat will display ads in the app's main “Chat” tab, the company announced Tuesday. Previously, Snapchat didn't run ads in the chat tab, but now users will see “sponsored snaps” from advertisers alongside messages from friends. The company says users will not be notified about sponsored snaps and will be able to distinguish them from regular messages. If you leave a Sponsored Snap unopened, it will eventually be removed from your inbox. If a user decides to open a sponsored snap, they can respond to the ad or click a link to learn more. Snapchat's Sponsored Snaps launch partner is…

Mastodon, an open source decentralized alternative to X (formerly Twitter), is rolling out several new features, including updated notifications, new detection tools, and an updated look. Some of these changes were available in the nightly release, but are now officially rolled out in the stable release. Social networks introduce grouping of notifications, so notifications in Mastodon are somewhat similar to notifications in X. This means that if your post is gaining traction, you'll be able to better understand your notifications. Instead of seeing a notifications page with hundreds of individual notifications for the same post, you'll now see an overview…

Dave Clark has had a rollercoaster of a time over the past two years. After stepping down as CEO of Amazon's global consumer division in June 2022, a role he held for more than 20 years, Clark relocated to Dallas and joined supply chain logistics company Flexport. Mandated by the board to prepare Flexport for listing, Clark led the company as co-CEO and later served as CEO, with founder Ryan Peterson transitioning to executive chairman. However, not everything went smoothly. In September 2023, the Flexport board, led by Peterson, accused Clark of poor management and pressured him to resign. Mr…

Distribution, an AI testing platform founded by former Intel AI software director Scott Clark, has closed a $19 million Series A funding round led by Two Sigma Ventures. Clark said Distribution was inspired by AI testing problems he encountered while applying AI at Intel and before that while working at Yelp as the software lead for the company's ad targeting division. It was something. “As the value of AI applications continues to grow, so too does the operational risk,” he told TechCrunch. “AI product teams use our platform to proactively and continuously detect, understand, and address AI risks before they…

As the engine that powers the world's digital artists, Adobe has a huge responsibility to help mitigate the rise of AI-powered deepfakes, misinformation, and content theft. In the first quarter of 2025, Adobe will release a beta version of the Content Authenticity web app. This allows creators to apply content credentials to their work to authenticate it as their own. This is not as simple as changing the image's metadata. This type of protection is easily thwarted by screenshots. Content credentials take provenance one step further. Adobe's systems use digital fingerprints, invisible watermarks, and cryptographically signed metadata to better protect…