Author: TechBrunch

Meta is using AI technology to search for children lying about their age on Instagram to bypass safeguards, the company announced Monday. If Meta finds an account that is suspected of belonging to a teenager, the platform will register for a restricted teen account, even if the account lists adult birthdays. Launched on Instagram last year, the Teen account signs up younger users for an app experience with built-in protection. Safeguard automatically applies to teens, restricting who can contact teens via the app and limit the types of content that account holders can view. Teens under the age of 16…

One of the main complaints of Airbnb users over the years is that they are unable to immediately tell them how much they will pay for their stay, including fees such as cleaning fees. Airbnb is currently revising it by automatically displaying the total cost of a particular property, including all charges. Users around the world search for real estate will see prices before tax by default. When you search for properties on the web, Airbnb will see a small label that says “Price includes all prices.” New label indicating that Airbnb displays the total price before tax that includes…

One of the founders of Startup Accelerator Y Combinator this weekend provided a relentless criticism of the controversial data analytics company Palantir, leading the company's executives to provide a broad defense of Palantir's work. Before and after, federal submissions came after U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), tasked with implementing the Trump administration's aggressive deportation strategy, was paying Palantir $30 million to help them “target real-time visibility” the ice by creating a lifecycle operating system for immigration or what they call immigrants. Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator, shared the headline on Palantir's contract at X, saying, “It's a very exciting…

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…

The new animated kids series, scheduled to premiere this year, will not head to the TV network. Or streaming services. Instead, We Ghost Media Plan, founder of Production Studio, is about to launch it on a decentralized web platform that uses blockchain technology. And yes, crypto wallets are involved. Founded by Chris Jamal, assistant director of “Bob's Burgers,” and Jaclynn DeMas, producer of the hit children's show “PEG + CAT,” Media is a television production studio that abandons traditional show release methods in favor of a decentralized approach commonly referred to as Web3. On Friday, the studio announced that it…

Techstars, a startup accelerator for nearly 20 years, has announced new terms for startups participating in the three-month program. The organization is currently investing $220,000. This is a company that starts with the fall 2025 batch and is $100,000 more than before. Capital is divided into two components. The group offers businesses $20,000 in exchange for 5% ownership of the business. Startups also receive $200,000 in the form of endless, secure memos with the “most preferred country” clause. More simply, TechStars' $200,000 SAFE ownership rate depends on our subsequent valuation. For example, if the “price” is $10 million for the…

Bluesky may soon get a new Blue Checkmark verification system, according to changes to the app's Public Github repository discovered by reverse engineer Alice.Mosphere.at on Friday. Blue Checks may have a similar appearance to the system Twitter has now been pioneered with X, but the Bluesky version seems to work very differently. According to Codebase changes, Bluesky's Blue Check System may rely on multiple organizations to distribute blue checks. It suggests that Bluesky not only actively validates prominent accounts, but also gives the authority to label certain organizations as “trusted validators” and issue blue checks directly. According to a blog…

Today is that day! The application speaking at all stages of TechCrunch will close to 11:59pm PT tonight. This is your last chance to share real-world insights with VCs participating in the event with over 1,200 startup founders. Whether you build a startup, back up, fight bottlenecks, or crack code about growth, the stage is yours. TC is on the entire Boston stage on July 15th, offering microphones to those who lived the scaling grind. Step by Step: What to Expect Count your voice. Your experience will help the next generation of founders grow smarter and faster. By applying now,…

Currently, the second free iPhone app in the United States, China's e-commerce marketplace app Dhgate is not the only one that has oddly benefited from President Trump's tariffs on US imports from China. Another Chinese shopping app, Taobao, also joined the top five as of Thursday. US consumers have gathered on these apps over the past few days in the wake of numerous Tiktok videos from Chinese manufacturers to explain how many luxury markets have run from China. The video claims that many of the products from top luxury brands, including clothing, handbags, shoes and accessories, are actually made in…

Geoff Ralston, known for his long-standing startup community at Y Combinator, has returned to the official investment ring, he announced Thursday. His new fund is called the Safe Artificial Intelligence Fund, or SAIF. This is both an explanation of the paper and a verbal play. Ralston is specifically looking for startups that “enhance AI safety, security and responsible deployment,” as his fund's website explains. He plans to write a $100,000 check for safety with a $10 million cap and “pun intended.” Of course, a safe is an investment investment tool before the present/price of investments pioneered by the Y-combinator (represents…