OpenAI now serves 400M users every week

OpenAI is increasingly looking like a consumer company, telling CNBC that it now has 400 million weekly active users. Usage is still growing at a rapid pace as the AI developer behind the AI chatbot, ChatGPT, “only” had 300 million users in December 2024. Though OpenAI has not revealed the number of paid customers with… Continua a leggere OpenAI now serves 400M users every week

UK healthcare giant HCRG confirms hack after ransomware gang claims theft of sensitive data

The prolific Medusa ransomware group claims to have stolen troves of data from HCRG, including patients’ sensitive health data © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Mercor, an AI recruiting startup founded by 21-year-olds, raises $100M at $2B valuation

Mercor, the AI recruiting startup founded by three 21-year-old Thiel Fellows, has raised $100 million in a Series B round, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. Menlo Park-based Felicis led the round, valuing Mercor at $2 billion — eight times its previous valuation, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. Existing investors Benchmark and General Catalyst, as… Continua a leggere Mercor, an AI recruiting startup founded by 21-year-olds, raises $100M at $2B valuation

Karman+ digs up $20M to build an asteroid-mining autonomous spacecraft

Investors on the lookout for startups working at the frontiers of technology are casting their nets ever further into unchartered territory, sometimes literally as well as figuratively. In one of the latest examples, a startup called Karman+ with ambitions to build autonomous spacecraft that can travel to asteroids and then mine them for materials has… Continua a leggere Karman+ digs up $20M to build an asteroid-mining autonomous spacecraft

IVF insurance startup Future Family promises a baby or your money back

For decades, couples going through in vitro fertilization have had to spend tens of thousands of dollars on the procedures with no guarantee of success. It’s not only an emotionally draining process, but a financially exhausting one as well. San Francisco-based startup Future Family wants to help ease some of that burden for couples with… Continua a leggere IVF insurance startup Future Family promises a baby or your money back

Mark Zuckerberg’s charity U-turns, ends DEI efforts 

Mark Zuckerberg’s charity has eliminated its DEI programs and efforts just weeks after assuring staff it would continue supporting DEI efforts, The Guardian reports.  The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), co-founded by Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, will end internal DEI programs and no longer provide “social advocacy funding,” which provided grants for racial equity… Continua a leggere Mark Zuckerberg’s charity U-turns, ends DEI efforts 

Spanish spyware startup Mollitiam Industries shuts down

The little-known surveillance vendor filed for bankruptcy in January, after years of peddling spyware to countries like Colombia. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Brand-new women’s focused Swizzle Ventures skyrockets past its fundraising target

Swizzle Ventures has closed its Fund I at $6.6 million, bypassing its initial $3 million target, Jessica Kamada, the firm’s founder, told TechCrunch.  Back in December, TechCrunch reported that the firm, which quietly launched in 2023, was raising and has already bypassed $5 million, per its SEC filing. The thesis of Fund I will focus… Continua a leggere Brand-new women’s focused Swizzle Ventures skyrockets past its fundraising target

Uber ditches commissions in favor of daily fees for rickshaw drivers in India

Uber has introduced daily fees for auto rickshaw drivers in India to move away from its typical commission-based model. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Study of TikTok, X ‘For You’ feeds in Germany finds far-right political bias ahead of federal elections

Recommendation algorithms operated by social media giants TikTok and X have shown evidence of substantial far-right political bias in Germany ahead of a federal election that takes place Sunday, according to new research carried out by Global Witness. The non-government organization (NGO) undertook an analysis of social media content displayed to new users via algorithmically… Continua a leggere Study of TikTok, X ‘For You’ feeds in Germany finds far-right political bias ahead of federal elections