Author: TechBrunch
Imagine messaging a friend on the Facebook Messenger app or WhatsApp. Imagine receiving unsolicited messages from an AI chatbot who is obsessed with movies. “I hope you have a harmonious day!” it writes. “Did you want to check in and see if you've recently discovered a new favorite soundtrack or composer? Or do you want some recommendations for the night of the next film? Let us know and we'll be happy to help!” This is a real example of a sample AI persona named “The Magical Maestro of Movies” that could potentially send as an active message about Messenger, WhatsApp,…
The ransomware gang known as Hunter International announced on Thursday it was shutting down on a dark webpage. “We have carefully considered it and decided to close the Hunter International Project in light of recent developments,” Hacker wrote in the post. “This decision has not been underestimated and we recognize the impact that it will have on the organizations we interact with.” The hacker also said it offers free decryption keys “to all businesses affected by our ransomware.” “Our goal is to allow us to recover encrypted data without the burden of paying the ransom,” the gang wrote, asking victims…
Funding is already difficult – don't make your messy cap tables difficult. On July 15th, TechCrunch All Stage, founders will have them take a look behind the scenes what they really need to do to keep going smoothly during “Preparing for Raise: Best Practices for Cap Tables to Help You Quickly Close Cap Table Best Practices.” Hosted at the foundation stage, the conversation brings together seasoned legality, financial and founder voices to share what works, what slows things down, and what actually needs to close quickly. From legal preparations to stock clarity and investor expectations, this is a session built…
AI agents are reshaping how work is done across the industry, disrupting 2025 with TechCrunch, and one of the key voices of that transformation is taking its way into the AI stage. Writer CEO and co-founder May Habib will join San Francisco on October 27-29, joining a fireplace orientation chat where businesses dive deep into how AI can operate at large and speed. With over 10,000 startups and VC leaders taking part in the event, the session is set to be one of the most timely and discussed conversations about the agenda. Within the Enterprise AI Revolution As a writer…
This year, Flashes launched an Instagram alternative built on top of the Bluesky social network. It is now available on the App Store. This app offers another way to view visual posts on Bluesky. Instead of viewing them in a timeline-like feed similar to X, the app draws inspiration from photo-based social networks like Instagram. Things you can post Built by Berlin-based developer Sebastian Vogelsang, the app runs on the same underlying protocol that enhances Bluesky to the AT protocol (or Atproto for short). This means that the same requirements you see directly on Bluesky have the same requirements for…
Over the past year, Subrack has significantly expanded its video tools for creators, evolving from a platform primarily dedicated to newsletters. On Wednesday, Subrack announced a new feature aimed at helping publishers grow and promote their livestreams. Recent updates allow creators to share clips of live video on their notebooks. Substack notifies you of performance in real time. This allows publishers to decide which clips to upload to other platforms, such as YouTube shorts, to reach more viewers. When a creator connects to their YouTube account, the top two clips will be uploaded to the Shorts channel. This new feature…
One of Vibe-Coding's world's beloved figures and one of Europe's fastest-growing AI startups, Lovable is committed to raising more than $150 million at a valuation of nearly $2 billion, according to the Financial Times. The salary increases and huge step-ups in valuation come just a few months after the Swedish startup raised a $15 million round led by Creandum in February. The company described the round as “PreSeries A” to TechCrunch, but with the numbers so large, it's safe to say that Lovable jumped from seed rounds to price growth rounds, no matter what the serial alphabet labels might be.…
Amazon plans to shut down its standalone Freevee app in August, according to in-app notifications to users. Free, ad-supported streaming services have instructed viewers to continue watching Freebee content on Prime Video. “Prime Video is a new exclusive home for Freevee TV shows, movies and live television,” the notification to readers said. “The Freevee app is accessible until August 2025. Keep watching your favorite free originals and hit movies, shows and live TV library for free on Prime Video. No subscription required. The move is no surprise as Amazon confirmed its service went sundown in November 2024 and integrated its…
Max Financial Services said Wednesday that insurance supplementary Axis Axis Max Life Insurance received communications from an anonymous sender about unauthorized access to customer data. Noida-based Financial Services Company said in its stock exchange filing, Axis Max Life Insurance has launched an information security assessment and data log analysis. “A detailed investigation is also underway to discuss with information security experts to assess the underlying cause of the incident and take corrective action if necessary,” the company said. Axis Max Life Insurance is India's fifth largest insurance company, with guaranteed assets of £21.9 trillion (approximately $256 billion) and £1.75 trillion…
Meta recently released a new video editing app for creators called Edit. This new app is designed to rival Capcut by Bytedance, the popular short video editing app used by many creators. Meta first shared that he was working on editing in January after the refund-owned capcut was removed from the US app store when the Tiktok ban came into effect instantly. The app can then be returned online and downloaded, but as Tiktok's future in the US remains uncertain, Meta is ready to take advantage of the future Capcut absence with the new editing app. Create this guide to…