TechCrunch

Where training sets were once scraped freely from the web or collected from low-paid annotators, companies are looking to proprietary training data as a competitive advantage.

Agencies that use Flock can request that Ring doorbell users share footage to help with "evidence collection and investigative work."

Starting December 15, users will no longer be able to log into the apps and will be automatically redirected to the Facebook website to access Messenger.

Google has invested in fusion startups as potential power suppliers. This latest move suggests Google sees them as potential customers, too.

"Loneliness is the biggest disease in the world right now," founder Francesco Vitali said. "So we built a platform where human time has value again, and a place where being human is important."

“The platforms that won were the ones that kept people scrolling the longest, not the ones that made them feel the most connected,”  Zehra Naqvi told TechCrunch. “Now there is an abundance of content but a scarcity of joy.”  

Deel says it's been profitable for three years and surpassed $1 billion in ARR, including having a month that hit $100 million in revenue.

After struggling to retain customers at his e-commerce site Headphones.com, founder Andrew Lissimore built his own loyalty solution — and it’s now a startup called Lantern. The Shopify-native platform helps brands boost retention through customizable loyalty, referrals, and account management tools.

Yang’s departure marks the latest in a string of exits from Apple’s AI unit, putting the company into jeopardy in the lead-up to a much-anticipated Siri revamp scheduled for March.  

Spotify has announced new partnerships with major record labels — including Sony, Universal, Warner, and Merlin — to build “responsible AI” tools that protect artists’ rights and ensure fair compensation. The initiative will let artists opt in or out of AI use.

Jack & Jill uses conversational AI to sidestep the listing and resumé shuffle. With $20 million in seed funding, the company is plotting its US expansion.

In less than a decade AAF has backed startups with exits totaling $2 billion, it says and is doing so through an unusual VC model.

Indian quick commerce startup Zepto said it has raised $400 million in a funding round led by a new investor, California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), a U.S.-based pension fund. The round, which is a mix of primary and secondary investment, also has participation from existing investors, including Avenir, Avra, Lightspeed, Glade Brook, The Stepstone […]

Kuku plans to expand beyond India with a U.S. launch slated for next year.

PicSee is a new app that detects your friends' photos on device and allows you to send it to them.

South Korea weighs granting Google and Apple access to high-resolution map data amid lingering security and regulatory concerns.

If the company attracts investors at the top of its announced range, it will have a valuation of about $7.2 billion.

Backed by Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital, the Enhanced Games aims to disrupt the Olympics with a competition that allows athletes to dope. Launching in Las Vegas in May 2026, the games promise $1 million bounties for breaking world records and lean on a business model reminiscent of Red Bull’s, using the […]

Spotify is developing a new “SongDNA” feature that lets users explore music through the people behind it — from writers and producers to vocalists and engineers.

Apple is adding renewable power to offset customer charging and support its operations, including third-party manufacturing in China.