Author: TechBrunch
After the platform announced in late May that it would experiment with a new virtual reward system, Discord is now launching it to the public. The purpose of rewards, known as Orbs, is to make people click on more interactive ads. Users earn orbs after completing the quest. This includes interacting with product or game ads to retrieve virtual items. Users can redeem orbs of digital items from Discord's Shop, including 3 days of Nitro credits, ORB-themed profile badges, profile effects, and avatar decorations. According to Discord, Orbs is popular among testers, spending millions of betas earning and spending it…
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is involved in the app building up fuss. After releasing a Bluetooth-based messaging app called Bitchat earlier this month, Dorsey this week revealed another app called Sun Day that helps users track UV exposure and vitamin D intake. The new app is available via TestFlight on iOS, and the code is available on GitHub for anyone to clone. Like other developers, Dorsey is on the bandwagon of code for atmosphere. But instead of using cursors, claud codes or windsurfs, he says he uses an open source coding tool called Goose. Sunday is easy to use. You…
One Elon Musk business could be a major investment by another Elon Musk business. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, which cites investors close to SpaceX, the company has agreed to invest $2 billion in Musk's AI startup Xai. The investment reportedly will be part of a $5 billion share hike announced by Morgan Stanley at the end of June (along with another $5 billion in debt). This is SpaceX's first investment in Xai and will be one of the biggest investments in another company. According to WSJ, SpaceX is already using Starlink Internet Services' power customer…
TechCrunch All Stage 2025 is almost here. In two days, the doors open at the Sova power plant in Boston. If you're a founder or investor, this is the last shot of them locking the lowest ticket price before they disappear at the door. This is not your average startup meeting. TC All Stage is where high-growth startups can be sharper, faster and more funded in just one day. Whether you're pre-seeding or preparing for an IPO, this is the room you're in. Save up to $475 will be here until the event begins at 7:30am on July 15th, so…
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In just three days, founders, investors and operators are flooded with Boston's Sova power plant. For all stage 2025 TechCrunch, if you haven't grabbed the pass yet, this is the final window to lock the lowest available price and save up to $475. Whether you're a first-time founder or a scaling stage executive, TC All Stage offers real-world strategies and connections to move the needle. It's not a theory, it drives traction. This day's founder summit is built for momentum. Leave tools, frameworks and connections that will drive your startup forward. A fundraising session that addresses what works in today's…
There is an old-fashioned crisis management strategy where you say nothing and wait for your anger to pass. For Sequoia Capital, this strategy worked pretty well this week. Partner Sean Maguire initially weathered criticism of inflammatory social media posts, but that first digging quickly cooled. Now, some seem to think that Maguire's rebellious attitude may strengthen his position. Business Insider actually called it “good for trading flow.” It is a controversy as a competitive advantage. However, there are real risks to Sequoia's calculated gambling. Another provocative post from Maguire, colliding with the wrong nerve, political wind change, or escalating outcomes,…
Paragon, an Israeli spyware company that claims to operate as an “ethical” surveillance vendor, faced scrutiny earlier this year when Italy was arrested using Paragon's tools to spy on the phones of two journalists. Paragon responded by separating Italy from its surveillance products, becoming the first spyware company to reveal one of its customers following product misuse. Now, Paragon may face a new ethical dilemma. That's whether the ice agent can use that spyware. The $2 million one-year contract Paragon signed with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September 2024 is still under review and has not yet been…
Sarah Smith, founder and managing partner of the Sarah Smith Fund of the same name, announced the final closing of Fund I of $16 million on Thursday. Smith launched the fund of the same name in 2022 and is a solo Grand Prix. She said she was “unstood” that AI can unlock it for companies like her, solo, and the next generation. “I can't imagine ventures any other way right now,” she said. “I think it still requires team effort to build a company, but I think early stage investments are most common solo.” She appreciates how quick decisions can…
Medium CEO Tony Stubblebine announced Friday that the publishing platform has remained profitable since August last year, when it first achieved the milestone. In the post, Stubblebine detailed what it takes to achieve this goal. This includes a combination of product changes, investor restructuring, renegotiation loans, office space removal, layoffs and other difficult cost-saving measures. His posts delve deep into what a startup needs to achieve a transformation and the tough choices it has to make. According to Stubblebine, the company lost $2.6 million a month when it joined in 2022. They also lost subscribers, lost investors' funds, and lacked…