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Uber’s and Lyft’s ride-hailing deal with Minnesota comes at a cost

​[[{“value”:” Uber and Lyft drivers in Minnesota will see higher pay thanks to a deal between the state and the country’s two largest ride-hailing companies. The upshot: a new law that gives some protections to drivers while placing limits on state government. The bill, which Governor Tim Walz has supported publicly and is expected to sign, […] © 2024 TechCrunch….

a16z’s American Dynamism team launches program to introduce technical minds to VC

​[[{“value”:” Andreessen Horowitz’s American Dynamism fund has established a new fellowship program aimed at introducing top engineers and technologists to venture investing, a move that could help the firm identify less obvious sources for VC talent.  The American Dynamism fund launched in 2023 with the broad aim of supporting companies building in the nation’s interest across […] © 2024 TechCrunch….

Teen fintech Copper had to abruptly discontinue its banking, debit products

​[[{“value”:” Another fintech startup, and its customers, has been gravely impacted by the implosion of banking-as-a-service startup Synapse. Copper Banking, a digital banking service aimed at teens, notified its customers on May 12 that it would be discontinuing bank deposit accounts and debit cards on May 13. In a letter to customers, CEO and co-founder Eddie […] © 2024 TechCrunch….

Autodesk acquires AI-powered VFX startup Wonder Dynamics

​[[{“value”:” Autodesk — the 3D tools behemoth — has acquired Wonder Dynamics, a startup that lets creators quickly and easily make complex characters and visual effects using AI-powered image analysis. The two companies have worked closely together for years but are making it official today. Wonder Dynamics, founded by VFX artist Nikola Todorovic and actor Tye […] © 2024 TechCrunch….

Farcaster, a crypto-based social network, raised $150M with just 80K daily users

​[[{“value”:” Farcaster, a blockchain-based social protocol founded by two Coinbase alumni, announced on Tuesday that it closed a $150 million fundraise. Led by Paradigm, the platform also raised money from a16z crypto, Haun Ventures, USV, Variant, Standard Crypto and others, according to a blog post by founder Dan Romero. Farcaster, the social protocol, invites developers to […] © 2024 TechCrunch….

Microsoft’s new ‘Volumetric Apps’ for Quest headsets extend Windows apps into the 3D space

​[[{“value”:” Microsoft announced on Tuesday during its annual Build conference that it’s bringing “Windows Volumetric Apps” to Meta Quest headsets. The partnership will allow Microsoft to bring Windows 365 and local PC connectivity to Quest headsets, enabling developers to extend their apps into the 3D space. “We’re deepening our partnership with Meta to make Windows a […] © 2024 TechCrunch….

There’s a real appetite for a fintech alternative to QuickBooks

​[[{“value”:” Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech! This week, we’re looking at the continued fallout from Synapse’s bankruptcy, how Layer wants to disrupt SMB accounting, and much more! To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important fintech stories delivered to your inbox every Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. PT, subscribe here.  The big story The prospects for […] © 2024 TechCrunch….

WitnessAI is building guardrails for generative AI models

​[[{“value”:” Generative AI makes stuff up. It can be biased. Sometimes it spits out toxic text. So can it be “safe”? Rick Caccia, the CEO of WitnessAI, believes it can. “Securing AI models is a real problem, and it’s one that’s especially shiny for AI researchers, but it’s different from securing use,” Caccia, formerly SVP of […] © 2024 TechCrunch….