Author: TechBrunch
We're thrilled to welcome Brett Taylor to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. As a former co-CEO of Salesforce, founder of Quip, former CTO of Facebook, co-developer of Google Maps, and current chairman of the board of OpenAI, Taylor needs: There are very few introductions. Bret Taylor is one of the most influential players in the enterprise and SaaS world, so we invited him to join us for a fireside chat on the SaaS stage at Disrupt 2024 on October 29th. In our conversation with Bret, we explore his innovative AI startup, Sierra, which was recently launched in partnership with former Google executive…
Britain's antitrust regulator has concluded that Amazon's partnership and equity investment in AI startup Anthropic cannot be investigated under current merger rules because of the size and scope of the deal. The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announcement comes six months after news emerged that Amazon had completed a $4 billion investment in Anthropic, one of the most heavily funded AI-focused startups. It was then held the next day. The three-year-old company develops large-scale language models (LLMs) and a related chatbot called Claude, which is roughly comparable to OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard. San Francisco-based Anthropic has established itself…
It's the last time to save up to $600 on TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 tickets. Get your tickets now and seize this last chance to save big before the countdown to Disrupt 2024 begins. This special discount offer ends tonight at 11:59 PM PT. Join a global community of over 10,000 technology, startup, and venture capital leaders at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 28th to 30th. Experience one of the most anticipated technology events of the year. Save on your tickets before the offer ends tonight. Why attend Disrupt 2024? At Disrupt 2024, in addition to networking with more…
The UK's data protection regulator has confirmed it is investigating US-based money transfer giant MoneyGram following reports of a data breach from the company. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office, which requires organizations to report data breaches within 72 hours of discovering an incident, told TechCrunch on Friday that the watchdog has reported a report from MoneyGram following a cybersecurity incident at the company. admitted that he had received “We have received a report from MoneyGram and will be investigating it,” ICO spokesperson Lucy Milburn told TechCrunch. The scope of the potential data breach at MoneyGram is still unknown. MoneyGram is…
Note-taking apps are usually aimed at increasing efficiency and productivity. Many of these apps focus on writing down your thoughts quickly, organizing them better, or a combination of both. Napkin (not to be confused with the Accel-backed startup of the same name) hopes to stand out among these apps by focusing on mindfulness. Think of it as a kind of companion to your diary. Founders David Felsmann and Fabian Wittel, who previously worked in BMW's Group Innovation department, started developing the app in 2022. We first released a web prototype. But back then, the app was more about productivity and…
Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator held its second demo day for its summer 2024 cohort on Thursday. As we saw in Day 1, AI continues to be the focus for most startups in this cohort. However, we also found some interesting startups working on cool technologies like traffic-free drones, cargo pooling, and weather forecasting. The companies that stood out are: Features: Detect errors in engineering projects, suggest solutions, and even implement them yourself. Why I love it: I was intrigued when Entangl announced that it was in talks with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy about automating data center validation. The fact…
United Arab Emirates-based Redwood has acquired a majority stake in game streaming platform Loco, as the Indian company looks to expand its focus on international markets, TechCrunch has learned and confirmed. Redwood, a newly formed investment company, has signed a $65 million deal with Loco, an investment that provides a complete exit for all existing Loco backers. This drop in valuation from Loco's peak of around $150 million in 2022 reflects the Indian esports streaming company's broader struggle to generate revenue, and its challenges Part of this is due to the limited number of popular games on the market. Loco…
The AI video generator needs to trust that the filmmaker will use its model in the production process. Otherwise, why would it exist? To fuel the new AI film ecosystem, Runway has secured $5 million in cash and additional service credits to fund up to 100 original films. If you're a director interested in AI, now's your chance to get a little help. Runway's Hundred Film Fund aims to help launch video-based projects that use the company's generative video model in some way. “Traditional funding mechanisms often overlook emerging visions within the larger industry ecosystem,” the company said in a…
Departures may dominate this week's OpenAI-related headlines. But comments from the company's vice president of international affairs, Anna Makanju, about her AI bias also caught our attention. Makanju, speaking on a panel at the United Nations' Future Summit event on Tuesday, suggested that new “inference” models such as OpenAI's o1 have the potential to measurably reduce bias in AI. . how? By being self-aware of bias in their responses and more closely adhering to rules that tell them not to respond in a “harmful” way, she said. Models like o1 “really take more time and allow you to evaluate your…
Lending startup Figure today announced the rollout of an AI tool to make the home lending process more efficient. The company plans to launch an AI tool powered by GPT-4 that will help find errors in loan documents. Founded in 2018, Figure specializes in helping consumers secure mortgage lines of credit. The company touts that its all-online process reduces the typical 45-day process to five days. More than half of Figure's business is B2B, embedded in companies such as solar panel loan company GoodLeap. The company, which has raised more than $1.5 billion and was last valued at about $3…