Author: TechBrunch

The tech layoff wave is still going strong in 2024. Following significant workforce reductions in 2022 and 2023, this year has already seen 60,000 job cuts across 254 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…

In February, Google suspended the ability of its AI-powered chatbot Gemini to generate portraits after users complained about historical inaccuracies: When asked to depict a “Roman legion,” for example, Gemini drew an anachronistic, racially diverse group of soldiers and portrayed a “Zulu warrior” as a stereotypically black person. Google CEO Sundar Pichai apologized, and Demis Hassabis, co-founder of the company's AI research division DeepMind, said a fix would be in place “very quickly,” meaning within a few weeks. In the end, it took much longer than that (despite some Googlers working 120-hour weeks!). But over the next few days, Gemini…

Niantic wants to build a richer 3D map of the world, and will acquire Scaniverse in 2021 to do so. Following a major update to the app, Scaniverse 4 will allow iOS users to scan landmarks by walking around them and recording a video for around one to three minutes. Niantic has had this functionality for some time, and has used it to build an extensive Visual Positioning System (VPS) that uses an augmented reality experience to pinpoint a user's location on a real-world map. Already, Niantic apps like Pokémon GO, Wayfarer, and Ingress have created in-game incentives for users…

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is laying off roughly 100 employees in its Digital Services group, with the main group affected by the cuts being the team that works on the Apple Books app and its associated store. Apple Books, introduced by then-CEO Steve Jobs in 2010 to coincide with the launch of the iPad, never became the “Kindle killer” that Apple hoped it would be. The cuts indicate that Apple Books will no longer be a focus of Apple investment. The Apple News team, along with other services teams, will be affected by the layoffs. In Apple's most…

After a long week of coding, you might think San Francisco builders would retreat to the Bay Area's mountains, beaches, or vibrant club scene. But in fact, the end of the week marks the start of an AI hackathon. AI hackathons have been popular in San Francisco for the past few years. Every Saturday and Sunday, technologists talk about the latest advances in AI and networking, and most importantly, put their ideas into working demos. Hackathons often offer cash prizes, cloud credits, and other prizes, but the real winners go home with startup prototypes. “There's no better place in the…

So you have a product, but how do you find customers? And once you find customers, how do you keep them coming back? At TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 in San Francisco, October 28-30, we'll be welcoming Spenser Skates, April Underwood, and Tamar Yehoshua to the Builders Stage to discuss how startups can find true and lasting product-market fit. Whether a startup is developing an AI-powered robot or a new social media app, founders need to know which audience their app will target. Our panelists have faced these challenges themselves as founders, advisors, and executives at some of the largest technology companies…

Snapchat announced on Wednesday that it is releasing new resources to help teachers create safe environments in schools by better understanding how students are using the app. The company unveiled a new website dedicated to helping teachers become familiar with the app, as well as a resource document to help keep students safe. The announcement comes as Snapchat and other social networks come under fire from lawmakers for not doing enough to protect children and young people on their platforms, and as mental health experts warn that social media can pose “significant risks” to young people's mental health. Snapchat says…

Last year, San Francisco early stage startup Pylon raised $3.2 million in new seed funding to develop and bring to market a product that helps companies track, manage and route B2B customer conversations in channels like Slack, Microsoft Teams and Discord. But what the company learned was that this approach wasn't enough for the B2B market. Over the past year, the company has expanded its mission to include features like ticketing, chatbots and traditional channels like email, and has begun building a customer communications services platform. Customers seem to be embracing this approach, as the company announced a $17 million…

Successful wearables have been largely limited to a few select form factors: depending on how broad your definition is, the wrist still dominates, but sometimes the ear does, glasses are gaining popularity while rings are gaining popularity, and pins/necklaces have not made much progress, but it's not for lack of trying. Misfit pioneered this space, and you may remember the life-logging trend with Narrative and Memoto. The more recent push into generative AI has seen the birth of Humane and Friend. The jury is still out on those two, at least. Plaud.AI's newly announced NotePin has the most in common…

Calm is rolling out a series of new features to make it easier for people to incorporate mindfulness into their lives. Most notably, the app has launched “Taptivities,” interactive text-based stories that take a minute or two to complete. The app is also adding playlists and personalized search. While users tend to spend endless hours tapping through Instagram stories or swiping through TikTok videos, Calm wants to use a similar format to encourage users to meditate. With Taptivities, users can tap into a short mindfulness session, just like they would on any other app's story. The sessions will cover themes…