Author: TechBrunch

Over the weekend, a clip from a recent interview with Telegram founder Pavel Durov went semi-viral on X (formerly Twitter), in which Durov told right-winger Tucker Carlson that he is the only product manager at the company and that it only employs “around 30 engineers.” Security experts say Durov boasted that his Dubai-based company was “highly efficient,” but his comments were actually a red flag for users. “Without end-to-end encryption, you have a ton of vulnerable targets and the servers are going to be located in the UAE? That would be a security nightmare,” Matthew Green, a cryptography expert at…

Another generative AI startup has raised a significant amount of funding, and like the others before it, this one has high hopes. Emergence, whose co-founders include Satya Nitta, the former head of global AI solutions at IBM's research division, emerged from stealth on Monday with $97.2 million in funding from Learn Capital and a credit line totaling more than $100 million.Emergence claims to be building “agent-based” systems that can perform many of the tasks typically handled by knowledge workers, in part by routing those tasks to first- and third-party generative AI models like OpenAI's GPT-4o. “At Emergence, we are working…

OpenAI is gaining momentum with M&A. Just days after acquiring database technology company Rockset, OpenAI has acquired Multi (formerly Remotion), a startup building a video-first collaboration platform for enterprises. A source familiar with the matter said the deal is technically a hire-by-acquisition deal, and that most of Multi's team (about five people) will join OpenAI once the deal closes. Alexander Embiricos, CEO and co-founder of Maruti, said Maruti is scheduled to close after July 24, 2024. “I'm excited to announce that Multi is joining OpenAI,” he wrote in a blog post about Multi. “Thank you to everyone who has used…

Apple has been named the first of so-called “gatekeepers” in the tech industry to be charged with violating the EU's digital markets law. In a press release this morning, the European Commission argued that Apple's App Store rules “prevent app developers from freely directing consumers to alternative channels for offers and content,” preventing developers from providing pricing information to customers within their apps or telling customers about offers available outside the App Store. Penalties for violations of the DMA, which came into force earlier this year to promote competition in the digital advertising, online search and app ecosystems, can stretch…

Software maker CDK said it will take “several days” to restore its systems after a series of cyberattacks, sending auto dealerships and shops across the US that rely on its software into a second week of disruption. CDK spokeswoman Lisa Finney said in a statement that the company has “begun the process of restoring” its systems and “continues to actively work with customers to provide alternative means of conducting business.” No specific timeline for restoration was given, although a recorded phone message to CDK customers heard by TechCrunch on Monday said the company would “share a timeline as soon as…

Consumer tech is hard, but few people do it better than Matt Rogers, co-founder of Nest and now founder of Mill, a new startup that aims to turn dinner scraps into planet-saving treasures. The Mill shot to fame last year after spending some time quietly refining an easy-to-use kitchen accessory: a trash can, hiding the complexities of its hardware and software. Matt Rogers' latest product turns food waste into compost by breakfast time, which can then be spread in your garden or sent back to the Mill to feed chickens, creating a circular economy. Matt Rogers will bring his trademark…

Google announced on Monday that it will now open its AI technology, Gemini, to teens using school accounts, in addition to the teens who already use personal accounts. The company is also giving educators access to the new tools in conjunction with the release. Google says giving teens access to Gemini will help equip them with the skills they need to succeed in a future filled with generative AI. The company believes Gemini will help students become more confident learners through real-time feedback. Google says it won't use chat data with students to train or improve AI models, and it's…

Months after filing charges against Apple for non-compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European Commission has reported its preliminary findings to Apple. The conclusion is that the current App Store rules violate the DMA. If found to be in violation of the DMA, fines of up to 10% of annual global turnover could be imposed. “'Act differently' should be their new slogan,” EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton wrote to X. “For too long, Apple has shut out innovative companies and denied consumers new opportunities and choices.” In this particular case, the Commission considers that third-party developers should…

Mixhalo, the live event audio streaming platform, announced this week that it is launching a new translation service. Simply called Mixhalo Translate, the service combines the startup's ultra-low latency in-person streaming with AI-generated speech translation — a combination that makes a lot of sense in a conference setting. “Interpretation at conferences and live events is done the same way today as it was in 1995,” CEO John Vaas said in a statement. As someone who attended several conferences in Asia not that long ago, I can attest to the fact that modern rigs haven't changed much in the past decade.…

Prosus, one of Bijou's key investors, said on Monday that its stake in the Indian edtech startup once worth $2.1 billion is now worthless, but it remains hopeful that India's once most valuable startup can be rescued. Prosus, Bijoux’s largest outside investor with a 9.6% stake, said in a quarterly report that the value of its stake in the startup had gone to zero “due to a significant decline in value to equity investors.”Prosus Group Chief Information Officer Erwin Tu said on the earnings call that the company remains optimistic about Bijoux’s prospects but that improving governance at the Indian…