Author: TechBrunch
As part of its efforts to beef up its security measures, Lyft on Tuesday announced a new passenger verification pilot program to allow drivers to verify the identity of passengers to ensure they are really who they say they are. Starting today, Lyft's new program is rolling out to nine markets: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Phoenix and Seattle. The company didn't say when it would launch in other cities. A verification badge will now appear next to riders' profiles to indicate that Lyft has verified that they are using their real name. To verify that riders are…
Some see open source AI as a way out of the familiar quagmire of proprietary software that the technology inevitably finds itself mired in. Irene Solaiman of Hugging Face and Ali Farhadi of AI2 will discuss this complex issue during a panel at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, taking place in San Francisco from October 28-30. AI may be a very new technology in some ways, but in other ways it's stuck in the past, with a few decades-old companies pulling the strings and upfront funding. But unlike a desktop OS or office suite, the resource requirements of AI models make open…
Back-to-school season is a time when expenses skyrocket. Or maybe you've recently graduated and are job hunting. Either way, it can be a tough time for your wallet. We have a limited time offer for you: get $200 off your student pass to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. This discount is valid until September 6th at 11:59pm PST, so don't miss out. More than 10,000 tech leaders will attend Disrupt 2024, taking place October 28-30 at Moscone West in San Francisco. This is the perfect opportunity to make valuable connections and maximize your chances of landing your first job after college. Click…
Snapchat is officially launching native support for the iPad, the company announced in the app's latest release notes. Since Snapchat's launch in 2011, the social networking app has only been available on the iPad as an iPhone app with a large black border around it, rather than a native app for the iPad's larger screen. The new update brings support for iPad, 13 years after Snapchat was released on iOS. “Snapchat now offers native support for iPad,” the App Store release notes state simply, “which means Snapchat now appears full screen on your iPad, giving you a larger canvas when…
Security researchers have discovered that a group of hackers linked to the Chinese government have been targeting U.S. internet service providers using a previously unknown software vulnerability. Researchers at Black Lotus Labs, a division of cybersecurity firm Lumen, said the group known as Bolt Typhoon exploited a zero-day vulnerability (meaning the vulnerability went unnoticed until the software maker patched it) in Versa Director software developed by Versa Networks. Versa sells software that manages network configurations and is used by internet service providers (ISPs) and managed service providers (MSPs), making it a “highly valued and attractive target” for hackers, the researchers…
Elon Musk's X has already declared that it aims to compete with LinkedIn in job listings and PayPal in payments, and now the company wants to take on the likes of Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams in video conferencing tools. One of X's employees, Chris Parkposted last week that the company had held its first internal meeting using the tool, and Park claims that initial feedback from the team has been good, and the company will likely work on improving the ability to pin speakers and notifications showing who's joining or leaving. X owner Elon Musk responded to the…
San Francisco-based data infrastructure startup Cribl has raised $319 million in Series E funding led by new investor GV (Alphabet's corporate venture arm), with participation from GIC, CapitalG, IVP, and CRV. Bringing Cribl's total funding to $600 million, the capital infusion values the company at $3.5 billion, an increase of roughly 40% from Cribl's Series D valuation in 2022. Cribble claims the investment is one of the largest in GV's 15-year history. As part of the deal, GV general partner Michael McBride will join Cribble's board of directors. Cribl's software helps analyze, collect, process and route IT and security data…
Airtel, India's second-largest telecommunications carrier, said it has entered into a “strategic” partnership with Apple to bundle its Apple TV+ and Apple Music services for premium customers in India. As part of this, Airtel said it would discontinue its Wynk Music streaming platform. Customers subscribing to Airtel's premium broadband and postpaid services will now get Apple TV+ and Apple Music services included in their plans, the Indian company said on Tuesday. “Wynk paying subscribers will get access to additional benefits,” Airtel said. The new changes are expected to be implemented later this year. “We're thrilled that Airtel customers in India…
GrubMarket, the $3.6 billion food delivery and supply chain startup backed by Tiger Global, BlackRock and about 100 other investors, has acquired another food delivery startup as it continues to consolidate.The company is acquiring FreshGoGo, a New York-based B2C platform that sells Asian groceries and ready-made meals. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is understood to be a combination of cash and GrabMarket shares. GrabMarket said FreshGoGo has raised about $15 million from private investors. FreshGoGo founder Jianbing Duan will remain with the company and continue to run the business. The acquisition comes on the heels of…
Legal work is labor-intensive and time-consuming, requiring cases to be compiled from vast amounts of evidence. That's why some law firms are piloting AI to streamline certain procedures. According to a 2023 survey by the American Bar Association, 35% of law firms currently use AI tools in their work. OpenAI-backed Harvey is one of the big winners so far in the burgeoning AI legal tech space, along with startups like Leya and Klarity. But there's room for one more player, say Jerry Zhou and Kyle Lam, co-founders of Supio, an AI platform for personal injury law that emerged from stealth…