Author: TechBrunch
TLDR: Southwest Airlines (LUV) could become the next meme stock due to its underdog narrative, potential for operational turnaround, attractive valuation, and the power of social media and retail investors. Despite recent negative press and operational issues, Southwest’s strategic initiatives and loyal customer base position it for a remarkable recovery, capturing the attention of retail investors and driving its stock to new heights. We estimate LUV may reach a conservative share price between $45 – $55 having striking similarities to GME and AMC being a household name and we believe a meme-like run is in store for the family friendly…
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), along with two other international consumer protection networks, released the results of a study on Thursday into the use of “dark patterns,” or subtle design techniques that can put users' privacy at risk or trick them into purchasing products or services or taking actions they would not otherwise take. An analysis of 642 websites and apps that offer subscription services found that the vast majority (about 76%) used at least one dark pattern, and about 67% used multiple dark patterns. Dark patterns refer to a variety of design techniques that can subtly encourage users…
Meta announced on Wednesday that users ages 10 to 12 will be able to interact with others in VR with parental permission. Previously, kids weren't able to chat or interact with others on Quest. In upcoming updates, Meta will add the ability for parents to individually add approved contacts that their children can chat with or call, as well as send and accept invitations to join parent-approved VR experiences. Meta hopes that opening up its VR experience to kids will make younger users more comfortable with the technology and more likely to use it as they get older, and it…
GenAI is everywhere these days, but Amazon Web Services is considered a laggard by some. In fact, it's still early days and the market is still messy. On Wednesday, AWS may have just given generative AI more credibility with a new tool called App Studio. App Studio promises to help you create enterprise software applications from written instructions, and that's right: just describe the programs you need, and AWS will write the code for you, without the need for professional developers. “App Studio is for techies who have technical expertise but aren't professional developers, and enables them to build enterprise-grade…
To be honest, things aren't looking good for NGL. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has banned NGL from offering services to or advertising to minors, marking the first time a government agency has taken such action against an app. You may have seen this app posted on a friend's Instagram story with a link inviting friends to send in anonymous questions. That's essentially what the product is all about. Like some of the apps that have come before, this one allows you to accept anonymous questions from your peers. NGL was supposed to be different because it was touted as…
In March, Microsoft confirmed that Russian government hackers known as Midnight Blizzard (APT29) had broken into the company's systems with the intent of stealing a variety of information, including Microsoft customer data. Months later, Microsoft is still notifying affected customers, but the process appears to be bungled, with experts criticizing the company for sending out emails that look like spam and even phishing attempts. Kevin Beaumont, a former Microsoft employee and cybersecurity researcher who now follows the company closely, is warning businesses to be wary of emails from Microsoft. “Microsoft suffered a Russian breach that affected customer data, but did…
After securing $14 million for its second fund in 2023, early-stage venture capital firm Kearney Jackson is launching its third fund, this time with $65 million in capital commitments, including money from a number of first-time institutional funds. With offices on both the East and West coasts, Kearny Jackson invests in B2B SaaS, infrastructure and fintech infrastructure, often leading or co-leading rounds. “One of the things we emphasize to founders who start with us is time to value,” co-founding general partner Sriram Krishnan told TechCrunch. “We're very fortunate with the LP mix that we have because at the end of…
Mike Maples Jr. is a prolific angel investor and co-founder of early-stage venture firm Floodgate. He's made a lot of bets over the years, some of which have paid off big time (Twitter, Twitch, Lyft, Bazaarvoice, etc.), and some of which haven't. I interviewed him on a recent episode of the Equity Podcast and we dug into a variety of topics, including his most memorable investments, investments he missed out on, what he looks for when evaluating startups that pitch to him, and his new book, “Pattern Breakers: Why Some Startups Change the Future,” which he co-authored with Peter Zibelman.…
Spotify's recent launch of podcast commenting has seen the streamer take another step towards building a social networking experience on an app known primarily for music. The commenting feature allows podcasters to engage with listeners directly within Spotify, as well as other interactive features like polls and Q&As. Coupled with a 2023 app revamp that added a TikTok-like discovery feed, artist profiles where creators can pitch merchandise or concert tickets, and the ability to post to Stories, the Spotify app is fast becoming more than just a music streaming app, but a social network centered around all things audio. This…
Bang. Bang. In the winter of 2014, a 25-year-old Anthony Pompliano was reading a book on a plane that would change his life. The former army sergeant from North Carolina — who had turned 21 while serving in Iraq — was on his way to a job interview at Facebook for a product manager role. Pompliano had founded two small tech startups after he left military service and sold the second, a track record that attracted the attention of recruiters at both Google and Facebook. But he had spent his life so far away from Silicon Valley that he had…