Author: TechBrunch
Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine, is expanding its publisher program with LA Times, Adweek, Mexico News Daily, and more than a dozen other news organizations signing up. Unless publishers withdraw, they will receive a share in the revenue generated by advertising on Perplexity and metrics to track the performance of their content. “If news outlets didn't continue to report on a wide range of topics, we wouldn't be able to provide meaningful, fact-based answers,” Jessica Chan, head of publisher partnerships at Perplexity, said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome these new publishers to the program.” More than a…
Although not everyone agrees on what an “AI agent” actually is, it remains popular. At a high-level level, these so-called “agents” promise to go several steps beyond mere chatbots, making decisions and taking actions on people's behalf. Some help with online shopping. Other companies may make their factories more efficient with varying degrees of autonomy. That's why fledgling AI startup Across AI is quietly emerging to develop a “dynamic memory system” for complex enterprise workflows. And it's led by a founder who relatively recently sold his previous startup to IBM. Cross AI targets chief revenue officers, sales teams, and more…
When Humane released Ai Pin, the San Francisco-based gadget maker envisioned a world with purpose-built AI devices, one that you carried around in your pocket. However, reviews and sales were not very good, and at one point returns reportedly began to outnumber sales. And Humane recently lowered the price of the device from $700 to $500. The AI device is still on sale, but it's unclear what the company will do next, at least not without funding (more than $230 million). Now, Humane is touting something new. It's an operating system called CosmOS that can (potentially) significantly improve every technology…
Two months after taking a temporary personal leave, Chainalysis co-founder Michael Gronagar has agreed to permanently leave the company. Chainalysis, the buzzy 10-year-old New York-based blockchain data platform, will now be led by co-founder Jonathan Levine, he told TechCrunch, and the company's board announced Tuesday that he will He explained that he had given Mr. Gronager the job. But Levin, who has been the company's chief strategy officer for many years, will maintain other roles in addition to running the company as CEO. “I have been responsible for R&D and believe that the CEO should be the Chief Product Officer.…
France's startup ecosystem has grown significantly over the past decade, thanks to public support and private investment. However, capital is not distributed equally. Most venture-backed startups are based in Paris and their founders come from the same few universities and schools. That's what VC firm Daphni wants to change with Time4. Time4, a fund with a target of €100 million and a mandate to invest in French founders from diverse backgrounds and regional origins, began fundraising in September. I'm not doing this out of charity. One of the motivations was “a belief that there is economic potential that is currently…
One programmer said Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) installed spyware on his Android phone after he was detained in Moscow earlier this year. Security researchers confirmed that spyware was installed on his phone, presumably when authorities physically accessed his phone and forced him to give up his passcode. For programmer Kirill Parvets, it was a horrifying and traumatic ordeal. However, thanks to his computer expertise and vigilance, his story suggests that rather than using technologically advanced remote hacking attacks, Russian authorities used a cruder approach to It provides valuable first-hand accounts of deploying spyware on one person. Parvets is a…
Bitcoin prices have been on an upward trend this year, reaching the $100,000 price point for the first time on Wednesday. The price of the cryptocurrency has increased by more than 5% in the past 24 hours. The latest rally began after Donald Trump was elected president after promising a more crypto-friendly administration than current President Joe Biden. On Wednesday, President Trump selected crypto advocate Paul Atkins to head the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Under the Biden administration, the SEC took legal action against crypto exchanges like Coinbase, claiming that some of the crypto tokens sold through their platforms…
Bitcoin prices have been on an upward trend this year, reaching the $100,000 price range for the first time on Wednesday. The price of the cryptocurrency has increased by more than 5% in the past 24 hours. The latest rally began after Donald Trump was elected president after promising a more crypto-friendly administration than current President Joe Biden. On Wednesday, President Trump selected crypto advocate Paul Atkins to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. Under the Biden administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission has taken legal action against crypto exchanges like Coinbase, claiming that some of the crypto tokens sold…
Scale Ventures Partners' Jeremy Kaufmann and Alex Niehenke participated in a StrictlyVC discussion in San Francisco and were more outspoken than many in the tech community about how AI will impact the workforce. . Rather than obfuscate the impact to avoid the risk that “people in the Midwest are going to say bad things about us,” Niehenke said, local communities will see jobs lost to AI and future benefits. He said we should be honest about the possibilities presented. Kaufman then elaborated on Scale's focus on the opportunities presented by AI in vertical markets — VCs are taking note! Check…
GV, Google's venture capital spinoff that started in 2009, has invested billions in companies like Uber and Nothing to get a whiff of digital startup Osmo. The company's CEO, David Krane, attended December's StrictlyVC event in San Francisco and discussed his approach to identifying potential investments and how he works closely with Google while supporting potential competitors. We talked about this and why our approach to successful exit is much longer-term than that of other companies. V.C. Check out the recording of our conversation with TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief and General Manager Connie Loizos above. Also, go here to see the rest…