Author: TechBrunch
Last year, Apple's WWDC keynote highlighted the company's ambitious advances in AI. This year, the company focused on Apple Intelligence, focusing on updating to operating systems, services and software, introducing a new aesthetic called “Liquid Glass” along with a new naming treaty. Despite this, Apple has tried to soothe the crowd with several AI-related announcements, including image analysis tools, workout coaches and live translation features. Visual Intelligence Visual Intelligence is Apple's AI-powered image analysis technology that allows you to collect information about your surroundings. For example, you can identify plants in your garden, teach them about restaurants, or recognize the…
As Snapchat takes over Instagram and Tiktok, the company announced Thursday it will introduce new tools and features to make it easier for creators to create and share content on the platform. Social Networks has launched the “Timeline Editor” feature. This includes new ways to create videos from saved memory, the ability to auto-save stories to profiles, and more. Snapchat says the new Timeline Editor will provide creators with a more intuitive way to directly edit videos on the platform. The Timeline Editor lets you view videos in a time series layout, making it easy to crop, move, or rearrange…
On Thursday, when Neobank Chime raised $864 million in IPOs, one of the most anticipated IPOs took place, priced stocks above the $27-$24-$26 range. This gave us a market capitalization of around $9.8 billion. According to Yahoo Finance, some point out that this is far below the last private valuation of $25 billion, according to Pitchbook estimates, but the stock opened at $42, bringing it to $14.5 in a massive deal. The hunger response from retail investors is largely due to some impressive financials. Chime reported revenue of $1.3 billion in 2023 and $1.7 billion in 2024. The losses shrunk…
Researchers revealed on Thursday that two European journalists were hacking their iPhones with Paragon spyware. Apple says it fixed a bug that was used to hack the phone. Citizen Lab wrote in a report that Apple had told researchers that it had been “mitigated with iOS 18.3.1,” an iPhone software update released on February 10th, in a report it shared with TechCrunch before its publication. Until this week, the advisory for that security update only mentioned one unrelated flaw, allowing attackers to disable the iPhone security mechanism that makes it difficult for attackers to unlock their phones. However, on Thursday,…
Instagram announced Thursday that it is testing how users can finally relocate the grid and quietly post to their profiles without showing content in their users' feeds. The social network is also launching a new initiative to support new creators, as well as the ability to stream songs directly from Spotify to Instagram notes. According to Instagram, the ability to rearrange the grid is one of the most frequently requested features. This update allows users to reposition profile posts to customize the appearance of the grid. Until now, posts to your profile have appeared in chronological order, and pinning your…
Nnamdi Emelifeonwu has always been interested in what work life was like for his colleague Feargus MacDaeid, one of the few registered blind lawyers in the UK. When asked what would make his life easier, the answer was clear: “Please help me navigate the definition of complex contracts without losing context,” Emelifeonwu told TechCrunch. He found that amendments to MacDaeid's request would be useful for all lawyers. So in 2017, Emelifeonwu and MacDaeid were AI Legal Tech startups, working together to ensure that lawyers could review and edit complex contracts more seamlessly. The UK-based company announced a $30 million Series…
Automattic, owner of WordPress.com, has added another communication-focused startup to its lineup after getting Universal messaging apps Beeper and Texts.com. We have added the relationship management app Clay. The financial terms for the transaction were not disclosed, but Clay had previously raised more than $9 million in venture capital from investors such as general catalytic and pioneering ventures. This tool will continue to be supported and will later be integrated with other Automattic products like Beeper. Released in 2021, Clay's software is like a smarter address book or personal CRM, allowing users to draw data from services like LinkedIn, Facebook,…
While Daniel Sachs was working as co-CEO of a former startup, he co-founded AppDirect, billionaire Michael Dell sent a LinkedIn message asking for a meeting. Dell is famous for his favourite founder of startup calm contacts that he finds interesting. “I thought it was a fake,” Sachs told TechCrunch. But he answered anyway. “So I'm getting ready for this phone. I don't think it's Michael Dell. And I'm pretty much laughing about it. It was actually Michael.” That interaction taught him an essential lesson for his current startup, Landbase. When people know who you are, they respond to your cold…
Two European journalists were hacked using government spyware created by Israeli surveillance technology provider Paragon, a new study confirmed. On Thursday, digital rights group The Citizen Lab released a new report detailing the results of a new forensic investigation into Italian journalist Ciro Pellegrino's iPhone and the iPhone of an unknown “prominent” European journalist. Researchers said both journalists were hacked by customers of the same Paragon based on evidence found on the devices of the two journalists. So far, there was no evidence that Pellegrino, who works for the online news website FanPage, was targeted or hacked by Paragon Spyware.…
Meta sued the manufacturer of Crush AI, a popular AI “Nudify” app. In addition to the lawsuit, Meta says it is taking new steps to crack down on other apps like Crash AI. In the lawsuit filed in Hong Kong, Meta suspected Joy's Timeline HK, the entity behind Crash AI, and attempted to circumvent the company's review process to distribute ads for the AI Nudify service. In a blog post, Meta said that the ads were repeatedly removed by the entity to violate the policy, but claims that Joy Timeline HK continued to place additional ads anyway. According to the…