Telegram, the popular messenger with 800 million monthly active users worldwide, is inching closer to adopting an ecosystem strategy that is reminiscent of WeChat’s super app approach. Certain aspects of the ecosystem will be decentralized with help from two heavyweights: Telegram’s crypto partner TON Foundation and WeChat’s owner Tencent. Telegram has been working on a…
Storybutton, a new audio player for kids, aims to be the go-to alternative to screened devices for the 12 and under set. Created by kid-friendly podcaster Jim Jacob (“Mr. Jim”), Storybutton wants to improve the way kids listen by moving the podcast experience off phones and tablets. Storybutton costs $99.99 and features an easy-to-use design…
ChatGPT is evolving into much more than a text-based search engine, with OpenAI announcing today that it’s adding new voice and image-based smarts to the mix. The wildly popular generative AI assistant has been one of the biggest technology success stories of recent times since its debut some nine months ago, allowing anyone to generate…
Amazon said Monday it has agreed to invest up to $4 billion in the AI startup Anthropic as the e-commerce group steps up rivalry against Microsoft, Meta, Google and Nvidia in the fast-growing sector that many technologists believe could be the next great frontier. The e-commerce group said it will initially invest $1.25 billion for…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Friday that would have required a human safety operator to be present any time a self-driving truck operated on public roads in the state. The win for the autonomous trucking industry comes after the California Senate had passed the bill in mid-September. The bill would have effectively banned…
The person a founder chooses to back their company is important beyond the capital these investors provide. Each backer brings specific experiences and networks that can help founders in various ways. Getting the right people involved in a company early is instrumental in helping it grow. Ashley Mayer, a co-founder and GP at Coalition Operators;…
Welcome to the TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly startups-and-markets newsletter. It’s inspired by the daily TechCrunch+ column where it gets its name. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. The Perkins School for the Blind has identified over 1,400 companies that are designing and building products specifically for people with disabilities. I met…
Welcome to the TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly startups-and-markets newsletter. It’s inspired by the daily TechCrunch+ column where it gets its name. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. The Perkins School for the Blind has identified over 1,400 companies that are designing and building products specifically for people with disabilities. I met…
Welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering the past few days in tech. The TC crew — including this reporter — is coming off the high of Disrupt, which hopefully some of you, dear readers, were able to attend in person. Fret not if you didn’t — there’s always next year, and…
Welcome to the TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly startups-and-markets newsletter. It’s inspired by the daily TechCrunch+ column where it gets its name. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. The Perkins School for the Blind has identified over 1,400 companies that are designing and building products specifically for people with disabilities. I met…
