Author: TechBrunch

It was only a few years ago, in 2021, that Windows 11 gained official support for Android apps, thanks to a VM managed by Microsoft called Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA). With WSA, Windows 11 users can optionally install and run almost the entire range of Android apps through Amazon's Android Marketplace (Amazon Appstore), thanks to an agreement between Amazon and Microsoft. It will be. Currently, Windows 11 has lost official support for Android apps, and with it, access to the Amazon Appstore. Microsoft announced today that it plans to end maintenance for WSA by the end of the year.…

TikTok today announced that its revamped Creator Fund has increased total creator revenue by more than 250% within the past six months. The fund, which was created a year ago and will eventually replace TikTok's original $1 billion creator fund, is expected to exit beta in the coming weeks, the company said. TikTok also announced that its LIVE Subscription monetization tool has been renamed to “Subscription” and will soon be expanded to non-LIVE creators. At launch, the revamped Creator was called the Creativity Program. This program is now out of beta and has been renamed to the “Creator Rewards Program.”…

Last month, Amazon announced the introduction of a new AI-powered chatbot, Rufus, within the Amazon Shopping app for Android and iOS. After weeks of delays, the company today began rolling out Rufus to early testers, including us at TechCrunch, to help them find and compare products and provide recommendations on what to buy. So, naturally, I put the ringtone on. You can invoke Rufus in one of two ways on mobile. While browsing Amazon's catalog, swipe up from the bottom of the screen or tap the search bar and tap one of the blue bubble suggestions under the new Ask…

Harness Wealth started in 2018 primarily providing financial advice to startup founders and employees, but has expanded into the tax advisory space, with $17 million in extension funding in a Series A round. , bringing the total amount raised to $32 million. The company says it is delivering a new tax advisory platform that powers leading tax advisory practices and enables integrated services to solve financial complexities for consumer clients. Harness's two other components of the product serve as a marketplace for discovering advisors, services, and consumer financial insight tools. Harness claims to have grown its customer base 10x and…

Venture capital is sometimes called It's a sales job for industry insiders, as investors must pitch to LPs to raise their own capital, and then pitch to founders to choose the check over other offered term sheets. Founders may feel the same way when considering how long it takes to raise money for their business.Hell, raising capital is often called This is a full-time job for founders looking for new support. Therefore, making the funding process painless is important to both parties at the venture table. Underscore VC's Lily Lyman will be at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024 in Boston to…

There was nothing else like Digit on the ProMat floor last year. Manufacturing supply chain events have gradually transformed into technology shows in recent years. Many of the biggest names in the space were in attendance, showcasing autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), bin picking arms, and automated storage and retrieval systems. But all anyone could talk about was Agility's small army of bipedal robots. A year later, the conversation has changed. The concept of humanoid robots working in factories is no longer a distant dream. Certainly, last week's $675 million raise by competitor Figure has validation. Interest in humanoid robots is…

No, Apple's new controversial “core technology fee” won't be abolished for EU app developers who opted for the iPhone maker's new trading terms designed to comply with the region's digital market laws. However, Apple today announced some small concessions based on feedback from the app developer community, the company said. Specifically, the company no longer requires legal entities to sign up to new DMA terms with all subaccounts, and no longer requires standby letters of credit. Additionally, the move to opt-in to DMA terms is no longer a one-way switch. Alternatively, under certain circumstances the developer has the option of…

In an unexpected move, Myles Grimshaw announced today that he is rejoining Thrive Capital after spending the past three years as a general partner at Benchmark. Grimshaw first joined Thrive, the New York-based venture firm founded by Joshua Kushner, in 2013 and will return as general partner. Grimshaw wrote in a post on I'm looking forward to it,” he said. Image credit: Thrive Capital Kushner too Shared the news on Xnoted that during his last time at Thrive, Grimshaw led investments in companies such as Airtable, Monzo (which raised another $430 million today), Lattice, and Benchling. He also wrote, “As…

Google today took aim at the SEO industry, which is gaming search rankings to destroy the value of Google search results. Often when consumers search the web for product recommendations, reviews, sales, discounts, etc., they rank highly but do not provide the promised expert reviews or useful promotions. It returns low quality or spammy websites. The company says that's about to change with its latest search update. Google on Tuesday announced a search quality update specifically focused on improving the search quality rankings of websites and will update its Google Search spam policy. In the latter case, Google's new policy…

The NFT sector has yet to return to its heyday glory in 2022, but that doesn't stop the technology from evolving. For example, OpenSea partnered with music and arts festival conglomerate Coachella to release three NFT collections that offer both virtual and tangible reality VIP experiences and merchandise. The partnership will ultimately create three collections offering different perks and different tiers of exclusivity (and cost). The first one was called “VIP Pass + Oasis Lounge Souvenir” and was released on Tuesday for $1,499 each, with a cap of 1,000 NFTs. This tier includes a 2024 VIP festival pass and access…