Author: TechBrunch

AI hardware startup Tenstorrent has raised nearly $700 million in new funding. Tenstorrent has raised $693 million in a Series D round, valuing the company at more than $2.6 billion, Bloomberg first reported. The round was led by Samsung Securities and AFW Partners. Other investors include Hyundai and Jeff Bezos' Bezos Expeditions. The Toronto-based company said it will use the capital to expand its engineering team and build an artificial intelligence training server to demonstrate its technology. Renowned microprocessor engineer and Tenstorrent CEO Jim Keller told Bloomberg that the company plans to release a new AI processor every two years…

The tech layoff wave is still going strong in 2024. Following significant workforce reductions in 2022 and 2023, this year has more than 130,000 job cuts across 457 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. Companies like Tesla, Amazon, Google, TikTok, Snap and Microsoft have conducted sizable layoffs in the first months of 2024. Smaller-sized startups have also seen a fair amount of cuts, and in some cases, have shut down operations altogether. By tracking these layoffs, we’re able to understand the impact on innovation across companies large and small. We’re also able to see the potential impact of businesses…

Coinbase on Monday announced integration with Apple Pay, allowing app makers to include the ability to purchase cryptocurrencies directly in their apps with Apple Pay. This integration is part of Coinbase Onramp and provides app makers with a way for their customers to convert traditional currencies such as the US dollar into cryptocurrencies. This process has traditionally been difficult, requiring users to pay additional fees and access multiple websites and apps. With Apple Pay integration, Coinbase continues to push its products towards the average consumer by making cryptocurrency purchases more accessible. With this integration, Apple appears to be at least…

Apple's ad tech employees filed a lawsuit against their employer on Sunday over how the company monitors its employees, Semafor reported. Apple wants its employees to use Apple devices at work, but work-issued devices are so limited that many employees use personal devices or I also associate my device with my personal iCloud. To do so, the complaint says, employees must authorize Apple to install software that gives Apple access to search what's stored on their devices and in iCloud. The suit alleges that Apple's policies allow it to monitor employees even when they are off-duty. The employee claims Apple…

According to the Financial Times, OpenAI is considering expanding into advertising. Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar told the newspaper that the company is considering its advertising business model and plans to be “thoughtful” about when and where to advertise. In a subsequent statement, Friar emphasized that there were “no active plans to pursue advertising,” but the idea is clearly on the table. (The FT's report highlights a recent high-profile advertiser, ex-Google's Shivakumar Venkataraman.) ChatGPT makers have traditionally relied on subscriptions to support the development of generative AI tools. However, the costs of producing and delivering these models are eye-wateringly high,…

In recent years, the Polish government under President Donald Tusk has investigated the previous government's alleged use and misuse of Pegasus cell phone spyware. On Monday, Piotr Pogonowski, the former head of Poland's internal security service, was arrested and forcibly taken to testify before parliament as part of the current government's investigation into allegations of spyware abuse carried out in recent years under the previous government. According to the Financial Times, the Justice (PiS) Party. Contact Us Want more information about NSO Group? Or other spyware companies and incidents of abuse of their technology? From non-work devices, contact Signal (+1…

Signzy, a popular vendor that provides online “know your customer” identity authentication and customer onboarding services to some of the largest financial institutions, commercial banks, and fintech companies, has confirmed the security incident, TechCrunch exclusively learned. Reporting. The Bangalore-based startup, which serves more than 600 financial institutions around the world, including India's four largest banks, suffered a cyberattack last week, according to people who spoke to TechCrunch. On Saturday, Signzy told TechCrunch that he was aware of the security incident but declined to provide further details. India's Computer Emergency Response Team, known as CERT-In, separately confirmed to TechCrunch that it…

The Russian government has confirmed the indictment of a 32-year-old resident whom authorities accuse of creating and launching the ransomware attack. Russian prosecutors announced last week that they had charged an anonymous hacker in Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast with creating ransomware to obtain “illegal profits.” The arrest of suspected ransomware members from within Russia's borders is not uncommon, but it is not unheard of. The Russian government has a long history of protecting its citizens from actions by U.S. law enforcement, including prosecution and extradition related to cybercrime. In a short statement last week, the Kaliningrad Prosecutor's Office confirmed that it…

Spotify's annual Wrapped feature is coming soon, but it's been hugely popular over the years, giving listeners a fun, personalized summary of how they listen to their music. As a result, many companies are seizing the opportunity to create similar year-in-review experiences that provide users with a summary of their habits, preferences, and interactions over the past year. Here are some platforms and websites that mimic the Spotify Wrapped concept. amazon music Amazon Music's Spotify Wrapped equivalent is called “My Year in Review.” Unlike Spotify, Amazon's music streaming platform doesn't offer as many interesting stats or shareable insights. Instead, you'll…

According to the Financial Times, OpenAI is considering expanding into advertising. CFO Sarah Friar told the newspaper that the company is considering its advertising business model, but will be “thoughtful” about when and where to advertise. However, in a subsequent statement, she stressed that she had “no active plans to pursue advertising.” But it's clear the idea is being considered. (The FT's report highlights a recent high-profile advertiser, ex-Google's Shivakumar Venkataraman.) ChatGPT makers have traditionally relied on subscriptions to support the development of generative AI tools. However, the costs of creating and delivering these models are eye-wateringly high, limiting the…