Category: Uncategorized
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Ex-Synapse CEO reportedly trying to raise $100M for his new humanoid robotics venture
Sankaet Pathak’s last startup, fintech Synapse, filed for bankruptcy in 2024 amid issues with partner Evolve Bank & Trust. Tens of millions of dollars in deposits made by consumers, mostly customers of fintechs that worked with Synapse, remain unaccounted for. Yet according to The Information, Pathak is reportedly moving full steam ahead on attempts to… Read more
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Social media startup Fizz sues Instacart and Partiful for trademark infringement over new Fizz app
Social media startup Fizz is suing grocery delivery giant Instacart and party planning app Partiful for trademark infringement, the company announced on Thursday. Earlier this week, Instacart launched a new drinks and snack delivery app for parties called Fizz and announced that Partiful had integrated Fizz directly into its platform. Founded in 2020, Fizz is a… Read more
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Meta taps former Google DeepMind director to lead its AI research lab
Meta has chosen Robert Fergus to lead its Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) lab, according to Bloomberg. Fergus had been working at Google DeepMind as a research director for roughly five years, per his LinkedIn. Prior to Google, he worked as a researcher scientist at Meta. Meta’s FAIR, which has been around since 2013, has faced… Read more
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Google launches ‘implicit caching’ to make accessing its latest AI models cheaper
Google is rolling out a feature in its Gemini API that the company claims will make its latest AI models cheaper for third-party developers. Google calls the feature “implicit caching” and says it can deliver 75% savings on “repetitive context” passed to models via the Gemini API. It supports Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro and 2.5… Read more
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Instagram Threads is getting video ads
Instagram Threads will begin testing video ads, Meta announced on Thursday. The test, which will make Threads look more like its competitor X, is an expansion of Threads’ advertising initiatives, which began last month with the opening up of ads to global advertisers. The news was announced at Meta’s presentation at the IAB NewFronts, where… Read more
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PowerSchool paid a hacker’s ransom, but now schools say they are being extorted
Schools in Toronto and North Carolina are reporting extortion attempts. Read more
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Google rolls out AI tools to protect Chrome users against scams
Google announced on Thursday that it’s rolling out new AI-powered defenses to help combat scams on Chrome. The tech giant is going to start using Gemini Nano, its on-device large language model (LLM), on desktop to protect users against online scams. It’s also launching new AI-powered warnings for Chrome on Android to help users be… Read more
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China’s Geely moves to take EV startup Zeekr private amid trade war with US
China’s Geely has offered to take its EV startup Zeekr private, one year after the company debuted on the NYSE. Read more
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Exhibit your startup at TechCrunch Sessions: AI while you still can!
If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to act, this is it. You have just 24 hours left to secure your exhibit table at TechCrunch Sessions: AI and position your brand at the center of the conversation shaping the future of the AI industry. TechCrunch Sessions: AI is bringing together the brightest builders, boldest… Read more
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Starlink’s launch in India now a matter of when, not if
Elon Musk’s Starlink has received anticipated state approval in India, opening the door to enter the world’s second-biggest internet market after China — over three years after SpaceX’s previous attempt to launch its satellite-based broadband in the country eventually failed. On Wednesday, the Indian Department of Telecommunications gave its nod to Starlink to start working toward… Read more