Mission Everywhere

Financial Times : Carmakers and IP experts raise concerns over the rising dominance of Chinese companies like Huawei when it comes to 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi standard essential patents   —  Led by Huawei, Chinese groups are filing patents around the tech that enables products to access the internet from Techmeme https://ift.tt/b3pYCOk

A destroyed hotel in Kyiv after a Russian missile attack on December 31, 2022. Yevhenii Zavhorodnii/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images Months before invading, Russia launched an unconventional warfare campaign against Ukraine. The goal was to destabilize Ukraine's government and undermine its response to the Russian attack. The Kremlin assumed its plan would work and and still launched the invasion when it didn't. When the Russian military launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, almost everyone thought the smaller country was doomed. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his advisers expected a lighting campaign lasting between three days and two weeks. Even US intelligence assessments foresaw a quick Russian victory. Fourteen months later, and after heavy casualties, Ukraine still stands, having imposed grievous losses on Russia and forcing it to retreat from much of the territory it seized early in the war. The world has focused on the...

Left: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to Iowa voters on March 10, 2023. Right: Mickey Mouse and friends take part in a cavalcade parade on Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World. Scott Olson/Getty Images/Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Disney lawyers argue Governor DeSantis is retaliating against the company for protected speech. A legal expert told Insider precedent was set in the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court case. Democrats have criticized the ruling since 2010 but may now benefit from its power against the GOP governor. When the Supreme Court in 2010 handed down its ruling on Citizens United v. FEC , Democrats were scandalized. Then-President Barack Obama warned it would "open the floodgates" to corporations influencing politics by diminishing restrictions on corporate speech. But now, as Disney v. DeSantis has become an actual legal battle — with the Walt Disney Corporation suing the Florida governor for retali...

TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 takes place on September 19–21 in San Francisco and — if you don’t already know — it’s the startup world’s big tent. It draws founders, investors, CEOs, tech professionals, scientists, policy makers, researchers and entrepreneurs. It’s where you’ll find inspiration, gain knowledge, forge new relationships and discover tools to help you build your business. Shameless, but helpful, plug: Buy your pass now for significant savings. Prices increase on May 12 at 11:59 p.m. PDT . Who doesn’t like to save money? Pivotal partners at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 We’re fortunate to partner with some of the startup world’s leading companies to help make magic at Disrupt. We say fortunate because they’re passionate, thoroughly engaged and hands-on. They consistently deliver highly relevant content, educational expertise, resources and connection to the event. Their participation elevates, engages and supports early-stage founders. Our partners also come to Disrupt to conne...

Jordan Novet / CNBC : An interview with Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian about the unit finally turning a profit in Q1 2023, in part by making its data center operations more efficient   —  - Google said this week that its cloud unit finally turned profitable in the first quarter.  — Since ex-Oracle exec Thomas … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/uxR6vSq

Uber recently released its annual list of the most unique lost items reported in the app over the last year. Uber Uber released its seventh annual "Lost & Found Index" tracking unique lost items. Among the strangest items include fake blood, pets, a Danny DeVito Christmas ornament, and chicken wings. The most commonly lost items include clothes, tech devices, and wallets. Uber released its seventh annual "Lost & Found Index" this week, a wide-ranging list of the strangest and most interesting items left in cars, from a Christmas ornament featuring actor Danny DeVito to a Tamagotchi.  This year's list of 50 of the most unique lost items includes a bizarre mix of intimate personal items like a remote control vibrator and a bottle of Britney Spears "Fantasy" perfume, to outright strange belongings like a 16-ounce container of fake blood and "my friend's fake tooth."  Other Uber riders submitted reports of losing a "po...

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch : Microsoft's Canva-like web app Designer, which leverages user-created content and OpenAI's text-to-image DALL-E 2 to ideate designs, launches in public preview   —  Microsoft Designer, Microsoft's AI-powered design tool, today launched in public preview with an expanded set of features. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/VUIj50R

Different brands of beer. Noam Galai/Getty Images Bud Light and its parent company faced boycott calls for partnering with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. But a new poll found a majority of American beer drinkers favor brands partnering with trans influencers. A majority of beer drinkers also favored brands hiring more inclusive talent, per Morning Consult . Despite a recent backlash, a majority of US beer drinkers appear to approve of brands partnering with transgender personalities.  That's according to a new poll by Morning Consult that surveyed 4,401 people two weeks after trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney announced her partnership with Bud Light on April 1. Some right-wing groups – who have made transphobia a key part of their national message – immediately vilified Mulvaney , Bud Light, and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, calling for mass boycotts .  Yet of the monthly beer drinkers surveyed by Morning Consult, 53% responded that they had a very favorab...

Hey, TechCrunch people. If you’re looking for a recap of the week’s news in tech, you’ve come to the right place. It’s Week in Review (WiR) , TechCrunch’s regular recap column. Glad to have you. Before we get on with the meat of it, a PSA that tickets for TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 are available now. Disrupt, of course, is TechCrunch’s flagship in-person event, focused on founders, investors and the future of tech year after year. In San Francisco on September 19–21, expect to hear from thought leaders in the fields of AI, fintech, hardware, sustainability, SaaS, security and more. It’ll be well worth the trip. In the nearer term, tune into the next TechCrunch Live show, which will spotlight Cambrian BioPharma, a startup billing itself as a pharmaceutical outfit with a revolutionary approach to managing drug development. Founder James Peyer will be joined by Maryanna Saenko of Future Ventures, who invested in Cambrian’s Series A, B and C rounds. Now, without further ado! most read E...

BBC : Wikimedia won't comply with the Online Safety Bill's age checks of its UK readers or contributors, citing the foundation's “commitment to collect minimal data”   —  Wikipedia will not comply with any age checks required under the Online Safety Bill, its foundation says. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/jpA2SfR

Elon Musk acquired Twitter on October 27. Getty Images Twitter users could soon have the option to pay to read individual articles rather than subscribe to a news outlet. Elon Musk said Saturday that a feature allowing publishers to charge for one article would roll out next month. Other details, like which accounts are eligible for the feature, are not immediately clear. Media publishers may soon be able to charge Twitter users to read individual articles shared on the platform rather than require them to purchase a subscription to a paywalled outlet.  Twitter CEO Elon Musk announced Saturday that the company plans to roll out the feature next month, allowing news outlets to "charge users on a per article basis with one click."  "This enables users who would not sign up for a monthly subscription to pay a higher per article price for when they want to read an occasional article," Musk tweeted. "Should be a major win-win for both media orgs & th...

A flame burns on a gas stove. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images New York will ban gas stoves in new buildings as part of its new budget agreement. It represents a win for environmentalists who hope to reduce the state's reliance on fossil fuel. The GOP vilified similar propositions earlier this year, enlisting gas stoves into the culture wars. Gas stoves are out in New York.  New York lawmakers came to the agreement as part of a $229 billion state budget deal, which includes a plethora of modernizations to state laws, The New York Times reported. Among them is a ban on natural gas in new buildings, a proposition that previously led to a frenzy of right-wing panic . For environmental advocates, it represents a win as they aim to reduce the state's fossil fuel dependency. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the budget deal was a "race to the right results." The new budget is expected to be approved by a vote as early as next week.  "I know this ...

Kim Zetter / Wired : Sources: the US DOJ detected the SolarWinds breach in late May 2020, months before it was disclosed in December 2020, but was unaware of its significance   —  In May 2020, the US Department of Justice stumbled upon Russian hackers in its network, but did not realize the significance of what it had found for six months. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/CVl8dzo

Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Nadia Sinh in "Citadel." Prime Video Amazon's ambitious new spy series, "Citadel," starring Priyanka Chopra, premiered today. Costing as much as an estimated $300 million, it stands to be one of the most expensive series ever made. It has a 56% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 41 reviews. Amazon has a lot riding on its new ambitious spy series, "Citadel," but so far critics are less than impressed. "Citadel," which premiered today exclusively on Prime Video and has already been green-lit for a second season, has gotten a 56% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 41 reviews. Rotten Tomatoes deems a 60% score or less to be "rotten." The audience has been far more positive, giving it an 87% rating, and scores often move up or down in the days after a series' premiere. "The time-bending plot certainly won't earn many points for originality, but it's the kind of meat-a...

Ron Miller / TechCrunch : Synergy: enterprise cloud spending in Q1 grew 19% YoY to $63B, down from a 32% growth in Q1 2022; Amazon, Microsoft, and Google accounted for 63% of spending   —  As expected, companies are continuing to cut back on their cloud spend where possible, as tech budgets continue to get careful scrutiny. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/6Zw9HrT

Only one-fifth of US adults believe that AI-generated content may not contain errors As the drive to combat burnout builds, Generative AI has inserted itself into low-risk functions  According to Morning Consult 52% of consumers believe that generative AI will stick around Generative AI can already do much of the work and low-skilled labor that powers modern media and advertising. But since only one-fifth of US adults believe that AI-generated content may not contain errors, widespread adoption of the technology will be held back. Insider Intelligence Generative AI is already playing a part in the media and marketing industries. As the drive to combat burnout builds, Generative AI has inserted itself into low-risk functions such as mockups and copywriting. However, questions over the trustworthiness will prevent it from infiltrating strategically important channels such as search ad spending, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.  If able to clear the trust-related hurdle...

The future is very much yet to be written about vertical farming. In many ways, the technology presents hope in the midst of rising food safety concerns, aging populations and potential environmental collapse. It’s also an intensely hard row to hoe, as it were. Early companies in the space are going to be the ones focused on driving down unit economics (hopefully) to a point where the technology makes sense from a price perspective. But sometimes being early to a party means you’re among the first to leave. Last January, we covered what looked to be an important next step for Upward Farms, as the company announced plans to open a 250,000-square-foot farm in Northeastern, Pennsylvania early this year. The Brooklyn-based firm recently announced , however, that it has closed up shop. “We found that vertical farming is almost infinitely complex — as we tackled challenges, new ones emerged,” founders Jason Green, Ben Silverman and Matt La Rosa said in an open letter. “Our team faced thes...

Kelvin Chan / Associated Press : ChatGPT is again available in Italy, after OpenAI met data watchdog's demands, including a form for EU users to object to having their data used for training   —  ChatGPT's maker said Friday that the artificial intelligence chatbot is available again in Italy after the company met the demands … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/idSkjzh

Lisa Tranter and Matt Hobbs. The Tailored Tiny Co. Lisa Tranter and Matt Hobbs wanted to build a more independent, sustainable lifestyle together. They decided to build a tiny house in the Blue Mountains, near Sydney, Australia. It cost them 90,000 Australian dollars to build, or about $62,000. Take a look inside. This is an edited, translated version of an article that originally appeared on June 14, 2022. Lisa Tranter and Matt Hobbs wanted to have more independence and live in a more sustainable way. This inspired them to build a tiny house in the spectacular scenery of the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. The house is in the Blue Mountains in Australia. The Tailored Tiny Co. The 237-square-foot house has striking black exterior walls, a large terrace with an awning, a full kitchen, and living space on two floors. The house is 8 feet wide, 29.5 feet long, and 15 feet high. A view from above. The Tailored Tiny Co. Tranter said she'd been a fan of t...

Chief , a professional network designed for women in leadership, has cut 14% of staff, or 43 jobs today, saying in an email seen by TechCrunch that the move is a response to the economy and that the outfit is restructuring to further focus on member experience. The layoff largely hit Chief’s U.S. employees as the business’s newly launched U.K. presence is smaller. Around 262 employees remain at the company. Those who were impacted received at least 12 weeks of severance and continued healthcare insurance. Chief closed its New York office for today as employees process the news. Chief co-founders Lindsay Kaplan and Carolyn Childers wrote the email to staff explaining the decision. Beyond attributing the “challenging macroeconomic environment” that has plagued a vast number of tech startups over the past year, the duo highlighted four priorities for the business going forward: more in-person opportunity, personalization to support members, simplification of the digital experience, and ...

Andrea Vittorio / Bloomberg Law : Washington becomes the first US state to adopt sweeping safeguards for health data, including location records that could reveal visits to abortion clinics   —  Washington has adopted a first-of-its-kind state law with sweeping safeguards for consumer health data collected by companies … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/k9EhTSO

ChatGPT, a conversational AI model built by OpenAI, is the most talked-about technology of 2023. And it has caught the attention of payments services providers keen to unlock the potential of the generative AI that powers it.  Insider Intelligence Generative AI is set to revolutionize various sub-verticals within the payments industry. The most significant impact is expected to be seen in payment networks, mobile wallet providers, and issuing banks.   Over the next few years, we expect to see many positive use cases for generative AI. The most viable and valuable are believed to be in authentic chat, personalization, credit scoring, payment optimization, and fraud detection. On the other hand, there are a couple of not-so-promising use cases for generative AI in payments which include security and compliance.  While generative AI's rise may seem sudden, it will take a considerable time for industries to fully embrace its disruptive impact. Want to learn where...

Google has been spotted testing a new Play Store ad slot ahead of its I/O developer conference in May. If rolled out publicly, the change could significantly expand the company’s Play Store search ads business by offering developers access to new prime real estate for their app marketing efforts. The test comes two years ago after Apple made a similar move with the addition of a new ad slot that appeared on the store’s Search tab itself, instead of only at the top of search results, as before. Similar to Apple, Google is also testing an ad slot that appears when Android users navigate to the Play Store’s search menu, where they can type in keywords to find apps. The test was first spotted by the Android news site, Android Police , which noted that Google had been testing app “recommendations” in this slot as of late last year. When queried about those app promos at the time, Google had clarified they weren’t ads, just personalized suggestions. Now, that’s changed as the same spot i...

Lawrence Summers. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images An economic downturn is necessary to bring inflation to the Fed's 2% goal, Larry Summers said. The former US Treasury Secretary said the Fed was "behind the curve" on fighting inflation.  Summers remains hopeful about the US economy relative to others despite murky macro conditions.  Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers doesn't see inflation coming down to the Fed's target soon without a substantial economic downturn.  He said fiscal stimulus flooding into the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic and a lengthy period of ultra-low interest rates turned the US from a "2% inflation country to a 5% inflation country," he said at the Morningstar Investment Conference on Wednesday. It was "obvious that the bathtub was going to overflow," Summers said, referring to stubbornly high inflation. "I think we're going to have difficulty getting near a 2% inflation target until and un...

Unknown hackers are breaking into the accounts of people who have AT&T email addresses, and using that access to then hack into the victim’s cryptocurrency exchange’s accounts and steal their crypto, TechCrunch has learned. At the beginning of the month, an anonymous source told TechCrunch that a gang of cybercriminals have found a way to hack into the email addresses of anyone who has an att.net, sbcglobal.net, bellsouth.net, and other AT&T email addresses. According to the tipster, the hackers are able to do that because they have access to a part of AT&T’s internal network, which allows them to create mail keys for any user. Mail keys are unique credentials that AT&T email users can use to log into their accounts using email apps such as Thunderbird or Outlook , but without having to use their passwords. With a target’s mail key, the hackers can use an email app to log into the target’s account and start resetting passwords for more lucrative services, such as cry...

Christine Hall / TechCrunch : Mexico-based Clara, which sells corporate spend management tools in Latin America, raised a $60M Series B+ led by GGV, after a $70M Series B in December 2021   —  Clara, a Mexico-based spend management company, closed on $60 million in equity in a round led by GGV Capital. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/7KOyRMb

ChatGPT, a conversational AI model built by OpenAI, has dominated tech conversation in 2023. Payments, banking, and insurance players are eager to understand generative AI's potential and put it to work. Insider Intelligence Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize financial services specifically in the payments, banking, and insurance sectors. The most promising use cases across the financial services space exist in personalized marketing and experience, process automation, fraud defense, risk assessment, customer success, and product development. Although there are many positive use cases, generative AI is not currently suitable for compliance, decisioning, and high-risk areas such as securing payment systems or overseeing trading.  Generative AI's rise seems sudden, but an industrywide embrace of the technology's disruptive potential will take time. Early movers have the most to gain, so preparing for implementation now—or at least getting started—is param...

Google has disrupted infrastructure linked to the notorious CryptBot malware, which the company claims has stolen data from hundreds of thousands of browser users in the past year alone. CryptBot is malicious information-stealing malware first discovered in 2019. The infostealer malware is typically distributed by spoofed websites masquerading as legitimate software sites that offer free downloads. Once installed, the malware steals sensitive information from infected computers, like passwords, cookies, cryptocurrency wallets and credit card information. In a blog post , Google said it observed the malware spreading by way of maliciously modified apps, including Google Chrome and Google Earth Pro. In the last 12 months, Google says the malware compromised about 670,000 computers in order to steal sensitive information that’s “eventually sold to bad actors to use in data breach campaigns.” Google said it tracked recent CryptBot versions impersonating its browser and mapping software,...