Line is a pretty busy company. Beyond a messaging app that claims over 160 million users, the company operates service like music streaming, manga, food delivery, games and it is also venturing into crypto. The company has long been known for its playful characters — Line Friends — which are a core part of its…
WikiLeaks has a new top dog. Its contentious figurehead and founder, Julian Assange, will step aside, letting former WikiLeaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson take the reins due to what WikiLeaks calls “extraordinary circumstances” that have seen Assange “held incommunicado.” Assange created the organization in 2006 and has served as its editor-in-chief ever since. Hrafnsson, an Icelandic…
Sheryl Sandberg and Jack Dorsey — representing Facebook and Twitter, respectively — recently testified before Congress, this time evading questions about bias on their platforms. We frequently turn to tech executives to answer for such issues because they have the agency to make changes. But they are not alone. Overlooked are the tech employees —…
Over the last several months, Dropbox has been undertaking an overhaul of its internal search engine for the first time since 2015. Today, the company announced that the new version, dubbed Nautilus, is ready for the world. The latest search tool takes advantage of a new architecture powered by machine learning to help pinpoint the exact…
Die Zeit läuft aus, Leute — time is running out, people! You have less than 24 hours to apply to be a TechCrunch Top Pick at Disrupt Berlin 2018, which goes down on 29-30 November. It’s one of the smartest moves that early-stage startup founders can make, so go apply now before the application…
The FCC is pushing for speedy deployment of 5G networks nationwide with an order adopted today that streamlines what it perceives as a patchwork of obstacles, needless costs and contradictory regulations at the state level. But local governments say the federal agency is taking things too far. 5G networks will consist of thousands of wireless…
Amazon is expanding its brick-and-mortar footprint with a new kind of store, the company announced this afternoon. On Thursday, the retailer will open an “Amazon 4-Star” store in New York, where all the items it sells are rated 4 stars and above, are a top seller or are new and trending on Amazon. It’s effectively…
Ben Plomion is the chief image scientist of GumGum. By now, most of us have a general idea of what a neural network is, at least insomuch as its role in enabling the “machine learning” part of what’s considered AI today. Also known as deep learning, neural networks are the algorithmic constructs that enable machines…
Earlier this year, Google announced its revamped Google Maps, which puts a stronger emphasis on discovery. Some of the features the company announced back then have already launched, including many of the promised discovery and exploration tools, but the one feature that was still missing was group planning. But you won’t have to wait much longer…
Tinder has partnered with nonprofit Rock the Vote for a second time, in the hopes of driving young people to the polls through in-app messaging. The company claims a young adult user base where more than half are in the 18 to 24 demographic, and believes it’s well-positioned to mobilize younger voters during the 2018…
