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…

Following a recent lawsuit filed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) against music generation startups Udio and Suno, Suno acknowledged in a court filing on Thursday that it did indeed train its AI models using copyrighted music, but the company argued that doing so was lawful under fair use doctrine. The RIAA filed suit against Udio and Suno on June 24, alleging that the companies trained their models using copyrighted music. Suno investors have previously suggested that the startup didn't have permission from music labels to use copyrighted material, but they haven't stated that as directly as in…

Apple on Thursday reported third-quarter results that beat Wall Street expectations and a 5% rise in total revenue. After struggling in recent years, the iPad saw its biggest increase in sales during the quarter, from $5.8 billion to $7.2 billion year over year. Tablet sales, driven by the product line's biggest ever refresh, helped make up for slowing iPhone sales, which fell to $39.3 billion from $39.7 billion year over year. Despite the quarterly sales decline, iPhone remains Apple's most important category, followed by Services, which includes software products like iCloud, Apple TV+, Apple Music, etc. The category continued to…

Molly Alter wears many hats. She's a mockumentary filmmaker working on a project about an alternate reality where charades are big business. She's a Caesar salad expert who ranks different restaurant endeavors on her blog, JULIUS. She's also Northzone's newest partner. Alter's path to venture capital was far from obvious: the daughter of journalist parents, she grew up indulging in creative passions like theater and improvisational comedy. These interests formed the basis for the company she started at Harvard University filming a cappella concerts and dance recitals, and ultimately led her to venture capital. She told TechCrunch that she only…

Molly Alter wears many hats. She's a mockumentary filmmaker working on a project about an alternate reality where charades are big business. She's a Caesar salad expert who chronicles rankings of different restaurant endeavors on her blog, JULIUS. She's also Northzone's newest partner. Alter's path to venture capital was far from obvious: the daughter of journalist parents, she grew up indulging in creative passions like theater and improvisational comedy. These interests formed the basis for the company she started at Harvard University filming a cappella concerts and dance recitals, and ultimately led her to venture capital. She told TechCrunch that…

Microsoft has a long and complicated relationship with OpenAI, having reportedly invested $13 billion in the ChatGPT maker as part of a long-term partnership. As part of the deal, Microsoft runs OpenAI's models across its enterprise and consumer products and is OpenAI's exclusive cloud provider. But the tech giant called the startup a “competitor” for the first time in an SEC filing on Tuesday. In Microsoft's annual 10K, OpenAI joined a long list of competitors in the AI ​​space alongside Anthropic, Amazon, and Meta. And thanks to OpenAI's new SearchGPT feature announced last week, OpenAI is now listed as a…

Knowde, an online marketplace for chemicals and polymers, has just closed a Series C funding round, TechCrunch has learned exclusively. The San Jose-based startup raised $60 million, lower than the $500 million valuation it received in its most recent round, according to people familiar with the matter. The round values ​​the company at more than 20 times ARR, according to sources familiar with the deal. New investors in the round included Blue Cloud Ventures and Point72 Private Investments, in addition to existing backer Sequoia. Noudet declined to comment. The company has now raised more than $150 million in venture funding…

Self-driving technology company Aurora Innovation is aiming to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding as it pushes ahead with commercializing driverless cars by the end of 2024. Aurora, which went public in 2021 through a special purpose acquisition merger, is pursuing a driver-as-a-service model in which carriers buy trucks equipped with Aurora Driver technology and then serve shippers through those trucks. But the company plans to enter the market as a carrier, offering up to 20 packers and Volvo self-driving trucks to shippers by the end of the year. Aurora is poised to sell up to $420…

X (formerly Twitter) is no longer accessible from the Mac App Store, suggesting that it has been officially delisted. Searching for both “Twitter” and “X” on Apple's platform no longer brings up the app, and the URL no longer works – instead, users see a pop-up message stating its unavailability, meaning new users can no longer download the service and will have to rely on the browser-based version. Some people who already have the app installed have reported that it still works, while others have reported that the iPad version can have its own issues when used with MacOS. X…

Growing up in China, Xiaoying Qu was obsessed with learning how to make paper airplanes that could flip in the air, but her parents didn't have the aerodynamics expertise to support her new passion, and her teachers couldn't give her the attention she needed. “That's why I wanted to build an AI that could provide each child with a personal coach and playmate who can chat with them and help them learn,” Qu told TechCrunch. Ku is the founder of Heeyo, a startup that provides kids ages 4 to 9 with an AI chatbot and over 2,000 interactive games and…