Author: TechBrunch

Welcome to Startups Weekly — a weekly roundup of must-sees from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every Friday. In the corporate tug-of-war over remote work, CEOs like Andy Jassy and Elon Musk are old-school gym teachers insisting that everyone return to the field, even though the bleachers are perfectly fine. They claim remote work is akin to slacking off, but research and employee sentiment suggest otherwise, and flexibility may be the secret sauce to productivity and satisfaction. It is emphasized that there is. Meanwhile, the rest of us are watching this…

Spotify is working on a mixing tool that will allow users to remix songs on the streaming service, according to a screenshot taken by tech veteran and app researcher Chris Messina. Music lovers use software like Adobe Audition and Ableton Live to create mixes of their favorite songs, but a new feature will now allow them to create mixes directly in Spotify. The screenshot shows that the mixing tool is available in the new “Music Pro” premium subscription tier. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, but sources said discussions about the tool are in the early…

Meta is working to make products powered by generative AI available to more users. Apart from testing the Meta AI chatbot on WhatsApp with users in countries such as India, the company is also experimenting with putting Meta AI in his Instagram search bar for both chatting with his AI and content discovery. going. A search query in the search bar allows you to have a DM conversation with Meta AI, where you can ask a question or use one of the preloaded prompts. Looking at the design of the prompt screen, Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas pointed out that…

Xpanceo is betting big on turning us all into cyborgs with smart contact lenses, and has secured a whopping $40 million in funding to make our sci-fi dreams a reality. Co-founders Roman Axelrod and Valentin S. Volkov are on a mission to do away with traditional gadgets and replace everyone's eyes with new screens. Who needs a smartphone when you can browse with just a blink of an eye? As optoelectronics and new materials push the boundaries of what's possible, we're in a future where losing a contact might mean missing your next Zoom meeting. I can't help but wonder…

Shakib Ahmed, a cybersecurity engineer convicted of stealing approximately $12 million in cryptocurrency, was sentenced Friday to three years in prison. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced the ruling in a press release. According to prosecutors, Ahmed is accused of hacking two cryptocurrency exchanges and stealing approximately $12 million in cryptocurrencies. Attorneys representing Ahmed, Adam Schwartz and Bradley Bondi, did not respond to requests for comment. When Mr. Ahmed was arrested last year, authorities described him as a “senior security engineer at an international technology company.” His Linkedin profile states that he previously worked at…

It's tough outside, but having a semi-regular job always gives me hope. It seems like the number increases every time I post. At 75 companies, this is definitely the largest list we've created by a wide margin. This means it will take more effort for me to put this post together, but if it helps a few people find jobs, it's definitely worth it. I love hearing from people who have been hired by clicking on the links in this post, so if this applies to you, please drop me a note on LinkedIn. As always, good luck. you got…

Streaming giant Roku has confirmed its second security incident in recent months, this time allowing hackers to compromise more than 500,000 Roku user accounts. The company said in a statement Friday that malicious hackers are using usernames and passwords stolen from other data breaches and reusing the login information on other sites, a technique called “credential stuffing.” It was announced that approximately 576,000 user accounts were accessed. Roku says there were fewer than 400 account breaches in which malicious hackers used payment data stored in users' accounts to fraudulently purchase Roku hardware and streaming subscriptions. Roku said it has issued…

On February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Since then, life in the country has changed for everyone. For the Ukrainian forces who had to defend their country, for the regular citizens who had to withstand invading forces and constant shelling, and for the Cyberpolice of Ukraine, which had to shift its focus and priorities. “Our responsibility changed after the full scale war started,” said Yevhenii Panchenko, the chief of division of the Cyberpolice Department of the National Police of Ukraine, during a talk on Tuesday in New York City. “New directives were put under our responsibility.” During the talk…

For decades, building materials companies have made cellulose insulation by shredding old newspapers. But with the decline of newspapers, the cellulose insulation industry is in a bind as it chases a dwindling supply of raw materials. As old newspapers become harder to find, another paper-based product is gaining popularity: cardboard. As people increasingly turn to e-commerce, the amount of cardboard boxes is steadily increasing. Every year, 50 million tons of material ends up in trash cans and recycling bins. Cardboard seems like the perfect paper-based solution to the insulation industry's supply shortage, but there's one problem. Cardboard boxes are full…

When it comes to our favorite news items at TechCrunch, IPOs rank pretty high. Another great news that doesn't happen as often as we would like is startups acquiring other startups. These deals are often very interesting because they can bring large amounts of talent and technology to already growing companies, potentially accelerating growth. That's why the Equity Podcast staff was happy to investigate Automattic's $125 million acquisition of Beeper. Recall that WordPress' parent company acquired Texts.com last year for $50 million. Elsewhere in Dealland, Proton acquired Standard Note and we recently discussed the acquisition of Wonder School Early Day.…