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…

Hipost Capital, the private equity firm run by Jeff Bezos' brother Mark Bezos and private equity veteran David Moross, has launched a new venture capital arm called HIPstr, which will generate new capital to invest in startups. The new firm announced it was raising $100 million for its first venture capital fund. Hipost Capital focuses on consumer-facing companies, while HIPstr is targeting the dramatic decline in startup valuations over the past few years, according to Bloomberg. The fund has already invested in six early-stage startups, including Kylie Jenner's alcohol distribution company Wild Common and cremation services provider After.com, which raised…

California residents will soon be able to store their driver's licenses and state-issued IDs in the Apple Wallet and Google Wallet apps, with support for digital IDs set to roll out in the coming weeks, the state government announced Thursday. Californians who have registered their ID with the Apple Wallet or Google Wallet app will be able to use their mobile device to present their ID in person at certain TSA security checkpoints and businesses, and they can also use the app to verify their age and identity in certain apps. Other states that already support digital driver's licenses and…

Social networking startup Bluesky has benefited from a surge in new users from the UK following Elon Musk's controversial comments about the UK riots in recent weeks. While X's biggest rival, Instagram Threads, has yet to show any defections from X in its app install or usage data, Bluesky said earlier this week that it has seen an increase in sign-ups and a 60% increase in activity from UK-based accounts. The company reiterated the claim on Wednesday, showing a chart showing that UK activity on its network now outpaces all other countries on Bluesky. Image credit: Bluesky The company also…

Benchmarking giant Primate Labs released Geekbench AI 1.0 on Thursday. Currently available for Android, Linux, MacOS, and Windows, the app applies Geekbench principles to machine learning, deep learning, and other AI workloads, aiming to standardize performance evaluation across platforms. It's the successor to Geekbench ML (machine learning), which was announced in 2021 and is currently at version 0.6. “[I]”In recent years, companies have become more united in using the term 'AI' for these types of workloads (and their associated marketing),” Primate Labs said about the name change. “We felt it was time to update it to help everyone, from engineers…

Meta X rival Threads today announced several new features, including the ability to save multiple drafts, a way to reorder columns on desktop, and insights into users' audiences. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also mentioned that the company plans to add a posting schedule feature soon. The company noted that these new features mark the one-year anniversary of Threads' web launch in August 2023. Threads began testing drafts in February this year and rolled them out to all users a few weeks later in March. Currently, the platform allows users to save multiple drafts, with a limit of 100 drafts per…

Franki is a social discovery and video-based review app that allows users to engage with the foodie community, discover local restaurants, and create their own videos showcasing their favorite restaurants. Franki recently rebranded and introduced a new “Social Club” rewards program that rewards creators who post about their favorite restaurants and gives cash back when ordering food with a linked card. The new program aims to encourage more users to sign up and earn rewards, ultimately helping promote local businesses. Additionally, Franchi launched a new feature this week called “Adventures,” which is similar to a treasure hunt game to find…

The Startup Battlefield is one of the highlights of Disrupt, and we can't wait to see who will be selected from the thousands of applicants to pitch in front of a panel of top VCs at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024, which takes place in San Francisco from October 28 to 30. The event is always epic, with all applicants hoping to make a major impact on the world. The judges' feedback will provide insight into the criteria they use to determine whether a company is viable. Only at Disrupt 2024 will you have a front row seat to expert feedback and…

When Keith Rabois announced in January that he was leaving Founders Fund to return to Khosla Ventures, it came as a shock to many in the venture capital world, and not just because Rabois is a big name in the industry. This was surprising because, unlike many other fields, venture capitalists, especially those who reach partner or general partner level like Lavoie, traditionally don't move around much. VC funds have a 10-year life cycle, and partners have good reasons to stay the course. In some cases, a partner may become the “key man” of the firm's fund, in which case,…

Earlier this year, Bridgit Mendler surprised fans by announcing that she would be heading up a new space data startup called Northwood Space. With Northwood, the former Disney star and singer is targeting an often overlooked but crucial part of space infrastructure: ground stations. Mendler will be at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 in San Francisco from October 28-30 to share her insights on this area of ​​space tech. Ground stations are the key communication points for satellites to communicate with Earth. These giant antennas transmit data from the spacecraft to operators, including information about the satellite's health and data collected in…